Region

PARIS — Campaigners backing Iran's protest movement on Monday dismissed a claim that the Islamic republic is disbanding its notorious morality police, insisting there was no change to its restrictive dress rules for women.

There were also calls on social media for a three-day strike, more than two months into the wave of civil unrest sparked by the death of Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, 22, after her arrest by the morality police in Tehran.

Amini was accused of flouting Iran's strict dress code demanding women wear modest clothing and the hijab headscarf, and her death sparked protests that have spiralled into the biggest challenge to the regime since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Iran's Prosecutor General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, in a surprise move at the weekend, was quoted as saying that the morality police units, known as gasht-e ershad (guidance patrol), had been closed down.

But activists were sceptical about his comments, which appeared to be an impromptu response to a question at a conference rather than a clearly signposted announcement on the morality police, which is run by the interior ministry.

Moreover, they said, their abolition would mark no change to Iran's headscarf policy, a key ideological pillar for its clerical leadership, but rather a switch in tactics on enforcing it.

Scrapping the units would be "probably too little too late" for the protesters who now demand outright regime change, Roya Boroumand, co-founder of the US-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center rights group, told AFP.

"Unless they remove all legal restrictions on women's dress and the laws controlling citizens' private lives, this is just a PR move," she said, adding that "nothing prevents other law enforcement" bodies from policing "the discriminatory laws".

 'Civil disobedience' 

The guidance patrols have been a familiar sight on Tehran's streets since 2006 when they were introduced during the presidency of the ultra-conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But the clerical leadership had been strictly enforcing the rules, including the headscarf, well before then.

Under the last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, women had been free to dress as they wished with fashions little different from Western countries in secular areas of Tehran. His father Reza Shah had gone a step further in an edict issued in 1936, seeking to ban all Islamic veils and headscarves.

It was anger over the obligatory headscarf rule that sparked the first protests over the death of Amini, who died from what her family says was a blow to a head sustained in custody. The authorities dispute this.

But the movement, fed also by years of anger over economic grievances and political repression, is now marked by calls for an end to the Islamic republic led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Reports from Tehran have suggested the feared vans of the guidance patrols had already become much less common or even vanished after the protests broke out.

Images have also shown women smashing decades-long taboos by attending protests or even carrying out daily tasks like going shopping without headscarves.

The authorities have meanwhile been concentrating on battling the protests themselves in a crackdown that has left at least 448 people dead, according to Norway-based group Iran Human Rights.

"The alleged suspension of Iran's morality police doesn't mean anything as it had already become irrelevant due to the massive level of women's civil disobedience and defying hijab-related rules," said Omid Memarian, a senior Iran analyst at Democracy for the Arab World Now.

He described the mandatory headscarf as "one of the pillars of the Islamic republic" and said that "abolishing those laws and structures would mean a fundamental change in the Islamic Republic's identity and existence".

Montazeri's declaration and the confusion the comments sparked were seen as a sign of the disquiet within the regime over how to handle the protests which are continuing across the country despite the crackdown.

Within Iran on Monday there appeared to be hesitancy over the meaning of the comments with only reformist dailies putting the issue on their front page and conservative media largely ignoring it.

"The end of the morality police," read a headline in daily Sazandegi. But the Sharq newspaper was more circumspect. "Is this the end of the patrols?" it asked, noting the police public relations had not confirmed it.

"We should not be fooled by deceptive moves the Islamic Republic employs at times of desperation, as they might come back with other restrictive policies and measures," said Memarian.

The hijab is "still compulsory", said Shadi Sadr, co-founder of the London based group Justice for Iran. While the protests started over the death of Amini, he predicted, "Iranians won't rest until the regime is gone."

CAIRO — Egypt is using the ancient grandeur of its pyramids as a backdrop for modern pop concerts and fashion shows, hoping to boost its image, tourism and the luxury brand sector beloved by its moneyed elite.

French fashion house Dior debuted its latest collection on Saturday at the Giza pyramids, after Italian designer Stefano Ricci held a show at Luxor's dramatic Temple of Hatshepsut in October.

Dior CEO Pietro Beccari told AFP the fashion house chose the pyramids as far more than "just a useless background", drawing on Egyptian astrology for the collection named "Celestial".

Before that, American pop bands Maroon 5 and the Black Eyed Peas performed at the Giza Necropolis, where contemporary art was also recently shown at the latest Art d'Egypte exhibition.

The modern cultural push is a new direction for Egypt's image.

Long a cultural powerhouse in the Arab world, with wildly popular singers and movie stars especially in its heyday in the 1950s-70s, Egypt has set its sights on its ancient heritage to attract the global spotlight once more.

A harbinger of the new embrace of ancient culture and history was a "golden parade" last year of 22 pharaohs that crossed Cairo from an old to a new museum in a carnival-style grand spectacle.

It was part of a push by President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi's government to revive tourism, which accounts for 10 per cent of GDP and some 2 million jobs but has been hammered by political unrest, economic upheaval and the COVID pandemic.

'Vital' glamour 

Showcasing Egypt's heritage in a new context "will encourage other brands and international cultural figures to come to Egypt", said art historian Bahia Shehab.

Fashion photographer Mohsen Othman agreed that such glamorous events are "vital".

Big brands like Dior "come in with a huge budget", employ local talent and "support young creators who can put Egypt on the global fashion map".

Iman Eldeeb, whose agency cast two Egyptian models for Saturday's show, told AFP it was a "long-awaited step for the fashion world in Egypt".

Egypt's luxury goods sector has grown despite years of economic turmoil that saw the pound lose half its value in a 2016 currency devaluation.

Despite the downturn, Egypt, the Arab world's most populous country, is home to 86,000 millionaires, according to the bank Credit Suisse.

"The richest 1 per cent are enough to create demand," said Public Relations Specialist Ingy Ismail, who advises luxury brands.

The boutiques in the shopping centres of Cairo's chic new satellite cities, she said, are "up to the standards of international luxury brands".

'Young creative talent' 

Egypt's bubble of super rich has helped create a home-grown fashion design scene whose pioneers have recently ventured onto the catwalks of Milan and Paris.

At this year's Paris Fashion Week, Cairo-based luxury brand Okhtein showed a resin-made bustier that evoked Egyptian alabaster at French fashion house Balmain's show.

It was a rare success story for Egypt's creative sector, where "most people are self-taught, working hard with scarce resources to try and meet international standards", said Othman, the photographer.

Ismail said the country's luxury clothing and jewellery market "has gone from under 100 Egyptian brands to more than 1,000 today", fuelled by "a huge pool of young creative talent".

International events offer rare exposure, but getting them to the country is still a challenge.

"It is a big step for the government to authorise Art d'Egypte and Dior to organise events at the foot of the pyramids," the art show's curator, Nadine Abdel Ghaffar, told AFP.

Red tape and tight restrictions can still get in the way, she suggested, conceding that "the legislative framework is complicated".

Timeless marvels 

But "promoting the country's culture" must be a priority, added Abdel Ghaffar, who believes a dedicated government body could better promote exhibitions, concerts, shows and even film production.

Shehab, the art historian, said many realise that Egypt, known for its timeless architectural marvels in the desert, needs to project an updated image of itself.

"There's more and more awareness about the need for soft power and for culture as a representation for the country," she said, cautioning however that Egypt still requires "better infrastructure" to make this happen.

She even dared dream that Egypt could draw in Hollywood productions, if it only starts granting permits.

"We have lost count of the number of international productions that have resorted to shooting in Morocco, Jordan or Saudi Arabia," she said.

The latest Egypt-themed production was a Disney+ TV miniseries, Marvel Comics' "Moon Knight", for which two entire Cairo city blocks were built from scratch — on a set in Budapest.

MANAMA — Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited Bahrain on Sunday on the first trip by an Israeli head of state to the small Gulf kingdom, following the normalisation of relations in 2020.

Herzog, whose role is largely ceremonial, met with King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince Sheikh Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

They discussed issues including regional security and "ways to encourage communication between the representatives of the private sector in the two countries", the official Bahrain News Agency (BNA) said.

In 2020, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco became the first Arab states in decades to normalise relations with Israel, following negotiations spearheaded by the administration of former US president Donald Trump.

Israel had earlier reached peace treaties with neighbouring Egypt and Jordan.

"I call on more states in our region to join this partnership, strengthening the Middle East," Herzog said on Sunday.

"The expanding circle of [Middle East] peace is highly important, especially amid threats to global and regional stability. In the face of hate, threats and terror, there is one answer: alliances with friends."

Other countries in the region, notably Saudi Arabia, have repeatedly said they would stick to the decades-old Arab League position of not establishing official ties with Israel until the conflict with the Palestinians is resolved.

King Hamad said that Bahrain supports "achieving a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace that guarantees the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and that will lead to stability, development and prosperity for both the Palestinian and Israeli peoples, as well as all peoples of the region", BNA said.

Herzog said on Twitter he welcomed King Hamad's "vision of peace, friendship and tolerance".

"My visit underscores the importance Israel attaches to relations with Bahrain, including partnerships on defence, trade, tourism and environment," he said.

Outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid, then Israel's top diplomat, visited Bahrain in September last year to open the Israeli embassy there.

In February of this year, Israel signed a defence agreement with Bahrain, and Naftali Bennett became the first Israeli premier to visit the country.

Herzog said on Sunday he would follow his stop in Bahrain with a visit to the UAE capital Abu Dhabi.

TEHRAN — Iran has scrapped its morality police after more than two months of protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini following her arrest for allegedly violating the country's strict female dress code, an official said Sunday.

Women-led protests, labelled "riots" by the authorities, have swept Iran since the 22-year-old Iranian of Kurdish origin died on September 16, three days after her arrest by the morality police in Tehran.

Demonstrators have burned their mandatory hijab head coverings and shouted anti-government slogans, and a growing number of women have refrained from wearing the hijab, particularly in parts of Tehran.

"Morality police have nothing to do with the judiciary and have been abolished," Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.

His comment came at a religious conference where he responded to a question on "why the morality police were being shut down", the report said.

The move represents a rare concession to the protest movement, and authorities have also acknowledged the demoralising effect of an economic crisis spurred by US sanctions.

"The best way to confront the riots is to... pay attention to people's real demands," said the parliament praesidium council spokesman Seyyed Nezamoldin Mousavi, referencing "livelihoods and the economy". 

'Culture of modesty' 

The news was treated with scepticism by some Iranians on social media, including those who expressed fears its role would be taken over by another unit, as well as others pointing out that intense social pressure remained at home.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that overthrew Iran's US-backed monarchy, authorities have monitored adherence to the strict dress code for women and men.
But under hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the morality police — known formally as the Gasht-e Ershad or "Guidance Patrol" — was established to "spread the culture of modesty and hijab".

The units were set up by Iran's Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, which is today headed by President Ebrahim Raisi.
They began their patrols in 2006 to enforce the dress code which also requires women to wear long clothes and forbids shorts, ripped jeans and other clothes deemed immodest.
The announcement of the units' abolition came a day after Montazeri said "both parliament and the judiciary are working" on the issue of whether the law requiring women to cover their heads needs to be changed.
Raisi said in televised comments Saturday that Iran's republican and Islamic foundations were constitutionally entrenched "but there are methods of implementing the constitution that can be flexible".
The hijab became mandatory in 1983. Morality police officers initially issued warnings before starting to crack down and arrest women 15 years ago.
The squads were usually made up of men in green uniforms and women clad in black chadors, garments that cover their heads and upper bodies.
The role of the units evolved, but has always been controversial.
Clothing norms gradually changed, especially under former moderate president Hassan Rouhani, when it became common to see women in tight jeans and with loose, colourful headscarves.
But in July this year his successor, the ultra-conservative Raisi, called for the mobilisation of "all state institutions to enforce the headscarf law".
Raisi at the time charged that "the enemies of Iran and Islam have targeted the cultural and religious values of society by spreading corruption".

 Thousands arrested 

In September, the Union of Islamic Iran People Party, the country's main reformist party, called for the hijab law to be rescinded.

On Saturday it also called for the Islamic republic to publicly shut down the morality police and "allow peaceful demonstrations".
Iran accuses its enemy the United States and its allies, including Britain and Israel, and Kurdish groups based outside the country, of fomenting the street protests.
More than 300 people have been killed in the unrest, including dozens of security force members, an Iranian general said on Monday.
Oslo-based non-government organisation Iran Human Rights last week said at least 448 people had been "killed by security forces in the ongoing nationwide protests".
Thousands have been arrested, including prominent Iranian actors and footballers.

KHARTOUM — Thousands of Islamists in Sudan rallied on Saturday against efforts by the United Nations to solve the political crisis sparked by last year's coup, AFP journalists said.

The demonstrations, the latest by Islamist factions in recent weeks, came one day after military leaders and a key civilian bloc announced plans to sign an initial deal.

Political turmoil has gripped Sudan since army chief Abdel Fattah Al Burhan led an October 2021 military takeover, derailing a fragile transition to civilian rule installed after the 2019 ouster of long-time Islamist autocrat Omar Bashir.

Near-weekly anti-coup protests, a spiralling economic crisis and a rise in ethnic clashes in Sudan's remote regions have since fed deepening unrest.

"Do not interfere in Sudanese affairs," protesters chanted outside the headquarters of the UN mission in Khartoum.

Others called on UN special representative Volker Perthes to "get out" of Sudan.

"We are against this deal," said protester Ahmed Omar.

Protester Mohamed Hasabo also criticised the upcoming deal as a "dual settlement" that excludes others.

On Friday, military leaders met with the Forces for Freedom and Change, the main civilian bloc which was ousted in the 2021 coup.

The FFC said they discussed a potential "political framework agreement" that would "lay the groundwork for establishing of transitional civilian authority".

Sudan's sovereign council, chaired by Burhan, confirmed the plan.

Friday's talks were held in the presence of officials from the African Union, United Nations and the regional IGAD bloc, as well as Western diplomats, the FFC and the sovereign council said.

Divisions among civilian groups in Sudan have deepened since the coup, with some urging for reaching a deal with the military, while others insist on "no partnership, no negotiation".