Qatar cuts out the immodesty

Qatar has launched an all-out modesty drive to make sure visiting tourists understand what every sensible fashionista already knows — leggings are not pants.

The “Reflect your respect” campaign, managed by Qatar’s state-run Islamic Culture Center, has drafted Twitter and Instagram accounts, as well as leaflets distributed in public places, informing visitors to the Muslim country of basic modesty laws, according to the British Independent news outlet.

Simple diagrams explain that short skirts and crop tops are a no-no in the country where Islamic law has a strong influence. Men also should not stoop to wearing shorts or tops that reveal their chests.

“If you are in Qatar, you are one of us,” the pamphlets explain. “Help us preserve Qatar’s culture and values. Please dress modestly in public places.”

“We do not want our children to get used to these behaviors that pose a threat to the identity of the new generations, and our goal is to instill in our children pride in their local and religious values,” Om Abdullah, the leader of the campaign, was quoted as telling the Arabic-language daily Asharq al-Aswat.

To stay modest you should keep everything from shoulders to knees covered up, the notices advise.

But it is leggings that are singled out for particular derision on some of the leaflets, which declare in bold, capitalized writing that “LEGGINGS ARE NOT PANTS.”

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