33 Countries of Origin’ Profiles

7 necessity to being a citizen of Iran and as a religious state, to be "Iranian" now means being both a citizen of Iran as well as a Muslim. Behavior Justin Dodge Due to the Islamic laws in Iran, there are a huge number of behavior restriction and laws. Most of these are common sense, such as stealing is wrong, but stealing comes with a penalty of having your hand cut off in Iran, so be very careful regarding your actions and when in doubt ask. Adult women are best off traveling to Iran w ith their husband, father, or brother. Single women travelers are looked at oddly and traveling with a man who is not related or married to you is widely considered inappropriate. It is also improper for a man to touch a woman, even holding your spouse's hand or offering to shake the hand of a person who is of the opposite sex can be considered inappropriate to a conservative Muslim. While almost no one will take offense at hand holding, you are best to avoid this behavior in public and don't offer your hand to a local woman unless she does so first. Islamic law also has a number of dietary restrictions, but these are difficult to break. Islam forbids pork products and alcohol; however there is little worry about adhering to these rules since neither is available anywhere in Iran. Y ou should be aware that attempting to take either into the country is strictly forbidden so don't try to smuggle any pork or alcohol into the country as punishments can be severe. Dress Unlike many Middle Eastern countries, the dress in Iran for women is often times bright and colorful, which makes it impossible to miss a Persian in the region. The women dress in a more traditional style, while the men tend to prefer western-styled clothing, which is often times in browns and earth-toned colors, making their dress quite a contradiction to that of the women. Today the dress is varied significantly as women tend to wear brightly colored loose-fitting clothing, but many of the more conservative Muslims prefer to wear a black dishdasha or abaya. This loose- fitting clothing reveals nothing and many women who do wear this tend to also wear a hijab over their heads and often times will also cover their faces. In fact, women must cover their hair by law in Iran, although many young people reject this notion (although not publicly). Even for the