Stance on dress code stains Ahmadinejad

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TEHRAN - When the government of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad uncharacteristically denounced the country's police force for strictly enforcing Islamic dress code (hijab), it was attributed to fears of losing popularity ahead of parliamentary elections in March.

In an article published in the Iran newspaper, the official mouthpiece, government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham criticized the police force and said the president and his cabinet were not to be held responsible for their overzealousness in dealing with hijab violators.

In his weekly press conference, the spokesman also accused the chief commander of the police, who happens to be Ahmadinejad's brother-in-law, of not having presented the government with comprehensive plans on the issue.

Improving observance of the hijab has been approved by the country's Supreme Cultural Revolution and the police have been entrusted with 21 tasks in this regard, police chief Ahmadi Moghaddam was reported by Shahab News as saying defensively. He also said that details of the plan had been discussed with the president several times and the police had documents proving it.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JA17Ak02.html