‘Uncovered’ women target of crackdown

Iranian police have arrested nearly 300 women accused of not covering up enough, some for wearing too tight an overcoat or letting too much hair show from under their veil, authorities said.

The campaign in major cities is the toughest such crackdown in nearly two decades, raising fear that hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad intends to reimpose tough Islamic constraints on women’s dress that had loosened in recent years.

The 2-day-old crackdown was already angering moderates.

“They don’t understand that use of force only brings hatred toward them,” said Elham Mohammedi, 23, a student.