Iran's national police chief issued a public warning in early August 2004 telling women to avoid dressing in ways that resembled fashion models, as authorities intensified enforcement of the country's Islamic dress code across Tehran.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, head of the national police, said officers were detaining women whose public appearance they deemed indecent. He described the violations as social deviancy, adding that ordinary policing could not resolve the problem. Over the preceding two months, officers had stopped large numbers of women in the capital, picking them up in parks, fast food outlets, and on sidewalks for wearing loose headscarves, three-quarter trousers, or fitted coats.
Detainees were generally held briefly at police stations and given lectures on Islamic morality before being released. Police also began summoning the parents of young women caught in violation of the rules. State television launched a companion program series, titled "What Is Fashion?", drawing on interviews with residents, clerics, and self-described experts to define permissible dress.
Women who ignore the dress code face fines of 50,000 to 500,000 rials (roughly 6 to 60 U.S. dollars) or up to two months in jail. Seasonal enforcement drives ahead of summer are routine, but the 2004 campaign was seen as notably more rigorous than previous years, reflecting a broader rightward political shift within the government.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in August 2004, in its own words.