The annual spring upgrade of morals enforcement is now in full swing. Enforcement normally wanes in the winter when citizens are well-covered for reasons other than morality. So, each spring the police normally make a special effort to crack the whip so Tehranis do not get into lax habits—although the grand enforcement effort normally lasts only a few weeks.
This year, the authorities have been more vocal than normal about the dress code. They have said, for example, that 70,000 police will be out on the streets enforcing the laws.
Each year, there seems to be some new target to take after. Last year, spiked and gelled hair on young men was singled out. This year, officials have talked about men wearing necklaces as the new moral horror to be confronted. (This generated several minutes of mocking humor on Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report.”)
This year, Hassan Nowruzi, the chairman of the Tehran City Council, chimed in. Among other things he complained of officials standing in the way of morality enforcement. He named no names but President Ahmadi-nejad has always considered the dress code to be a distraction from more important matters. In fact, at his first news conference after being elected president in 2005, he was asked if he would launch a new crackdown on dress code violations. He answered, “I have more important things to do.”
Last month, Tehran Governor General Morteza Tamaddon urged a halt to zealous enforcement of the dress code, and said it would be better to encourage people dress modestly of their own volition.