Why does ahmadinejad never wear a tie

The absence of clear rules leaves much to the discretion of barbers. Hamid Bonakdar, the manager of a men's salon in central Tehran, says a young man visited recently and wanted to dye his hair orange. They'll arrest you,' " recalls Mr. Bonakdar, who supervises five barbers. He says he told the customer how to dye his own hair at home but urged him to wait. Most of Mr. Bonakdar's customers work in the nearby oil ministry and other government offices so "our work is closely monitored," he says.

None of his barbers are allowed to wear ties, even though he says "personally, I have no problem with them. The tie went out of style when the pro-American -- and often tie-wearing -- shah fled in At the height of revolutionary turmoil, men wearing ties were marched into city squares to have their cravats ceremonially sheared.

Ahmadinejad never wears a tie. Nor do Iran's nuclear negotiators. For servants of the state, casual dress is not something reserved for Fridays. It is compulsory. Outside government, ties do have their admirers, especially among doctors. Hassan Abbasi, an orthopedic surgeon, says he was ordered to dump his tie while treating soldiers wounded in Iran's war with Iraq. He refused. Government hospitals now generally have a no-tie policy but private clinics don't.

Abbasi ridicules Iran's tie phobia as empty posturing. His patients, who include Islamic clerics, trust doctors who wear ties, says Dr. Other Iranian men, including some barbers, have come to see neckties as hip and modern, and also as a thumb-in-the-eye to conservative clerics.

Authorities now are trying to get back to revolutionary basics. At a shopping arcade near the British embassy in central Tehran, police last week raided shops selling ties.

The tie has in past years been making a comeback in Iran, especially at events such as weddings and funerals.

The age-old adage stipulates that if you pull the string, the whole thing will unravel. If Mahmoud continues to pull the necktie, will the whole head of the Iranian government come toppling off, too? Or will the ayatollahs simply come to appreciate the magic that ensues when a world leader meets with the right piece of neckwear? Shusha was the key to the recent war between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Now Baku wants to turn the fabled fortress town into a resort. By Sylvie Stein. July 15, , PM. President Ahmadinejad being 'open'. A regular feature in the BBC News Magazine - aiming to answer some of the questions behind the headlines.

In today's Magazine. Ghost town. The guerilla plant. Walking away. BBC Copyright Notice. One-Minute World News. Printable version. Why don't Iranians wear ties?

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