Who would think that a brouhaha about a dress code would prompt demonstrations and pre-empt a scheduled regional meeting of governments? For those who think that the chador, purdah, hijab or tudung issue is trivial, think and think again. These issues haunt us whether in Tehran or in Malaysia.

It was the threat of a demonstration in the streets of Tehran which prompted the Asian Preparatory Meeting on the World Conference on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (WCAR) to be rescheduled from its 3.30pm slot to before lunch on the last day of the WCAR on Feb 21.

It was reported that sections of Iranian civil society had staged a demonstration the day before in the holy city of Qom. They were protesting the presence of foreigners who allegedly defied the dress code for women of the Islamic Republic of Iran.