DUBAI, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Iran's parliament has banned on
airplanes from flying in the country during the Azan call to
Islamic prayer, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported on
Wednesday.
"According to the new directive, airplanes are banned from
flying during Azan, especially during the call to morning
prayers," Mehr quoted the spokesman for parliament's cultural
committee Ali Taheri as saying.
The head of the Aviation Organization, Hamid Reza Pahlevani,
said aircraft will be allowed to take off 30 minutes after the
call to the morning prayer so that passengers have the time "to
carry out their religious duties", the Iranian Students' News
Agency (ISNA) reported.
Iran has practiced Sharia law since its 1979 Islamic
revolution. Hardliners have pressed for stricter enforcement of
religious measures since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won
office in 2005 promising a return to the revolution's values.
Taheri also said serious attention will be given to
observing the strict Islamic dress code for women working at
airports or airline companies.
Women in Iran are obliged to cover their hair and wear long,
loose clothing to disguise their figures and protect their
modesty. Violators can be flogged, fined or imprisoned.
(Reporting by Zahra Hosseinian; Editing by Angus MacSwan)