Iran Bans Air Traffic During Islamic Call To Prayer

Iran's latest lunacy. No air traffic during the Islamic call to prayer, because God forbid someone should miss one of  the  five required daily prayers- occasionally.

"According to the new directive, airplanes are banned from flying during Azan, especially during the call to morning prayers," Mehr quoted the spokesman for parliament's cultural committee Ali Taheri as saying.

The head of the Aviation Organization, Hamid Reza Pahlevani, said aircrafts will be allowed to take off 30 minutes after the call to the morning prayer so that passengers have the time "to carry out their religious duties", the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported.

Iran has practiced Shariah law since its 1979 Islamic revolution. Hardliners have pressed for stricter enforcement of religious measures since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won office in 2005 promising a return to the revolution's values.

Taheri also said serious attention will be given to observing the strict Islamic dress code for women working at airports or airline companies.

What next?  Doctors will have to stop mid-operation during emergency surgery for Azan?