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| Axis of Evil |
| Iran to have women cops on beat |
| 2003-01-05 |
| Middle East Online Four hundred women will soon join Iran's policemen on the beat, the first such female recruits since the 1979 Islamic revolution, a police commander was quoted as saying Saturday. The new recruits are undergoing the same training as their male counterparts, except for learning to use heavy machine guns and grenade launchers, Mohtaram Massoud Maneshet told the official news agency IRNA. Their training is set to be completed by the end of the current Iranian year on March 21, 2003. Up to now, Iran's police have only employed women for administrative tasks or the strictly limited role of conducting body searches of female suspects, which male officers are not permitted to conduct. Maneshet said they will have a "nice poncho, specially designed for policewomen," and will not be obliged to wear the restrictive all-covering black chador, as "the hijab for policewomen should not impede their duties. "Their uniform will consist of trousers and a long coat, but they can also wear ski suits or other clothes depending on the mission." Sounds like they'll be less substantially clad than is the norm for Iranian society. Wonder how the street bullies are going to take it when the copperette on the beat show's an ankle? And how the vast majority of Iranian women are going to take having to continue wearing the "restrictive all-covering black chador" instead of a "nice poncho"? If it's good for the official geese, why isn't it good for the rest of the flock? |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |