Tehran lifts Islamic dress code for women

Women in Tehran will no longer be arrested for appearing in public with their heads uncovered, almost 39 years after the strict dress code was introduced.

The surprise announcement was made yesterday by police in the Iranian capital and overturns one of the most visible pillars of the Islamic laws under which the country has been governed since 1979.

‘‘Those who do not observe the Islamic dress code will no longer be taken to detention centres, nor will judicial cases be filed against them,’’ said General Hossein Rahimi, the city’s police chief.

Repeat offenders may still face prosecution and the relaxation applies only in the capital, which is known for the liberal mores that thrive behind its closed doors. Offenders will instead be made to attend classes given by the police.

The move is likely to upset religious purists in the Shia state, who see the Islamic headscarf, or hijab, as integral to the modest public dress code of Muslim women.

It will be embraced, however, by the increasing number of women who have taken a stand against the law.

The re-election of the relatively moderate President Hassan Rouhani earlier this year may be one catalyst for the relaxation of the law.

So may be the dizzying reforms being enacted in Saudi Arabia, Tehran’s regional Sunni rival, under the auspices of crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Although women are still banned from appearing uncovered in public in Saudi Arabia, the laws preventing them mixing openly with men are rapidly being relaxed.

There had been few signs such reforms would be enacted in Iran. This week, a 10-year-old gymnast was summoned to a disciplinary committee after pictures were published of her competing in a ‘‘non-Islamic’’ costume in Malaysia. – The Times

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