Tehran's police chief has said that police will confront women who are dressed improperly in cafes or private offices in a bid to implement strict dress codes.
Police have been enforcing the crackdown for the past year and its morality patrol officers have handed tens of thousands of warnings to women on Tehran's streets.Including offices and cafes -- which so far have not been targeted -- would mark a major expansion of the drive.
"As part of the campaign to increase security in society, the police in the capital will soon act against bad veiling in private companies, cafes, internet cafes and restaurants," Commander Ahmad Reza Radan said.
"The police will deal strictly against those who do not respect the law," he said, according to the Mehr news agency.
He added that police would also be acting against "satan-worshipping" groups but did not give further details.
The length and severity of the crackdown has been unprecedented in the Islamic republic in recent years. Vans of the moral police are still a common sight in Tehran's main squares as officials monitor passing women.
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Since the Islamic revolution in 1979, every post-pubescent woman, regardless of her nationality and religion, has been required to observe the Islamic dress code in public in Iran.
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The police have insisted that their drive is almost universally popular with the public but women who sport loose headscarves and tight short coats are still a regular feature on Tehran's streets.
Source-AFP
RAS/L