Al-Arabiya, 9 Oct 2011 - A member of Iranian parliament’s judicial commission on Sunday demanded the government withdraw passports from women who violate a law requiring them to wear the Muslim headscarf, Fars News Agency reported.

“The government is giving the green light for non-compliance with the veil and the police has failed to stand up to this phenomenon alone,” Mohammad Taghi Rahbar was quoted as saying.

He added that 236 members of the Iranian parliament, in a letter sent to the cabinet, demanded strict measures against violators of the headscarf law.

“Our dear government did not pay any attention to a letter of representatives, but it gave the green light for non-compliance with the veil,” Rahba said.

He said the situation of non-compliance with the headscarf law was “worse now than during the rule of reformists,” referring to the former administration of President Mohammad Khatami.

He said state television was partly to blame for not urging women to comply with the law. “I don’t know what kind of brains are running the state television, which airs silly programs,” the conservative head of clerical bloc in parliament said.

Iranian “morality police” hold occasional crackdowns in major cities against women who do not wear the headscarf in the manner required by authorities.

The Iran Star website has recently called on women to briefly remove their headscarves every Thursday in protest against the suppression of women’s rights in the Islamic Republic