London:
Attractive women who dress inappropriately cause youth to go astray and "incite extramarital sex in society, which increases earthquakes", a hardline Iranian cleric has said.
Ayatollah Kazem Sedighi told worshippers that women who wear fashionable clothes and apply make-up cause youth to "go astray" and have affairs. As a result, the country that is bound by several fault lines experienced more "calamities" such as earthquakes, The Telegraph reported Tuesday.
"Many women who dress inappropriately ... cause youths to go astray, taint their chastity and incite extramarital sex in society, which increases earthquakes," Aftab-e Yazd newspaper quoted him as saying at a Tehran prayer service late last week.
"Calamities are the result of people's deeds. We have no way but conform to Islam to ward off dangers."
Every woman regardless of her religion or nationality must cover her hair and bodily contours in public and offenders face punishment.
Nearly 14 million people live in Tehran province, of which eight million live in the city that is on fault lines.