Iran fights national threat from neckties

By WND Staff
Published May 22, 2008 at 11:40pm

Iran is considering a new campaign to fend off the latest threat it has faced – men's ties.

"Imports of some apparel are not banned but serious action should be taken to stop the import of ties which contradict the nature of Iranian culture," Asghar Hamidi, the nation's customs bureau deputy head, told the Fars news agency.

An English report on the growing controversy was carried by Agence France-Presse.

"We need to change the country's import regulations to this end," the report quoted Hamidi saying. His responsibilities also include work on the Iranian state plan for the "development of culture, chastity and the veil."

The wearing of ties has been banned in government offices in Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution because it represents a "westernization" of the Iranian culture. However, before that the U.S.-backed shah had promoted ties.

Following the shah's fall from power, members of Iran's Basij militia would go so far as to patrol streets with scissors in order to snip ties that men were brave enough to wear, AFP said.

The latest comments come in light of a crackdown launched in 2007 on "unIslamic" dress, which has focused mostly on women, who now are mandated to "fully cover" their hair and body and avoid "western" styles.