An ultra-conservative ayatollah in Iran has suggested that the state broadcaster should replace female presenters with male anchormen.
Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda, who is Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s representative in the northeastern Khorasan Razavi province, is the most vocal ultra-conservative senior religious figure in Iran, who has banned concerts and theater in the province.
The official government IRNA quotes him saying, “In some state broadcasting programs it is possible to use men instead of women presenters. It is not necessarily a must to appoint a woman to be the host of a program.”
Alamolhoda also said that hijab is a necessity by Sharia law and “unfortunately, sometimes even among outwardly pious families” it is not being properly observed.
Islamic republic officials and imams face a problem when the weather becomes hot, since women are less inclined to cover their heads and faces too much. This leads to public condemnations of even young men who wear tight T-shirts with very short sleeves.
Law enforcement and morality police increase their vigilance in summer and often stop and admonish or even try to arrest people who are not fully observing proper attire laws.
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