Morality mullahs mourn modernisation

The mullahs in Iran are unhappy. One thing has bothered them greatly. The Iranian people have been increasingly bold in ignoring the strict moral code of the Islamic Moral Majority. Now the government is stepping up a campaign to stamp out "immoral" behavior in public. Included in the list of things considered immoral are headscarfs that are too short or too colourful, wearing flip-flops and clothing that is too tight. Additional morality policy have been hired to go around and impose heavy fines on anyone found engaging in decadent liberal behavior -- they almost sound like the American Right.

In October the morality police cracked down on evil mannequins. At one point they announced that 65 female mannequins had been arrested for immorality. One government official stated: "The use of vulgar mannequins -- whether male or female -- is an affront to public morals and is considered to be a crime." (Almost sounds like a Republican!)

For some years now the Iranian people have become increasingly unhappy with the rule of the moralists in government. And rebellion has constantly threatened the regime there which periodically cracks down to try and stifle dissent. Of course each crack down only makes people less happy and increases the pressure on the government. Instead of saber rattling the US should quietly offer friendship to the Iranian people and allow them to do the rest. Any military action against Iraq will only solidify support for the regime there in the face of what will be seen as a foreign aggressor. The question is whether the Bush administration is smart enough to figure this out. But so far there is very little indication that they have learned anything from the Iraqi fiasco.

Some 70% of Iraqis are under the age of 30. Unemployment is high. They are unhappy. In this photo one young woman in Iraq is accosted by a morality police woman demanding she adjust her scarf in line with Islamic rule. The government in Iraq is very, very unpopular. In fact they are so unpopular that if they were in the US they would have an approval rating similar to that of Bush. They are sitting on a demographic time bomb and it is only a matter of time before the young of Iraq get sick and tired and rise up.