Hardliner highlights Islamic Republic's conservative values

Kazem Sedighi

In line with a fierce clamp down on reformists and progressive elements of Iranian society, leader of Tehran's Friday Mass Prayers, Kazem Sedighi slammed failure of the younger generation to cover themselves in public and announced that lack of adherence to the Islamic codes of dressing will restrict the growth and development of the younger generation even in the scientific fields.

Fars reports that the conservative cleric emphasized that failure to follow Islamic codes of dressing will cause serious economic, cultural and scientific blows to Iran.

He added that he is pleased to see women attending scientific events in hijab (Islamic dress code) because attending these events in hijab will open a new front for Islam to combat Western culture.

He claimed: “Failure to follow Islamic codes of dressing primarily displeases God, and secondarily is an affront to the individuality and nationality of each person.”

In reaction to the protests of the past ten months against the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Islamic Republic authorities have started highlighting the conservative values of the system in order to suppress the reformist and progressive elements of the Iranian society.