Iranian Cleric Says Muslim Women Who Don't adhere to Dress Code Should Be Killed

(Fox News) - A top Muslim cleric in Iran says Iranian women who do not wear the hijab or Muslim headscarf should be put to death.

The Adnkronos Press Agency says Hojatolislam Gholam Reza Hassani says — "Women who do not respect the hijab and their husbands deserve to die. I do not understand how these women who do not respect the hijab, 28 years after the birth of the Islamic Republic, are still alive. These women and their husbands and their fathers must die."

Hassani represents Iran's supreme leader in eastern Azerbaijan. His comments came after two Kurdish feminists in Iran were accused of belonging to an armed rebel group, and of subversive activities threatening the security of the state. It is believed the arrests could spark a fresh crackdown on Iranian women who do not adhere to the strict Islamic dress code.