Sharjah: Mannequins in Sharjah shops should be headless and only model “decent'' clothing, a Sharjah Municipality circular has stated.
The municipality has urged shopkeepers to abide by a ban that prohibits the display of mannequins with facial features, said a senior Sharjah Municipality official.
“The only clothes on display now should be decent and the mannequins should be headless,'' said Khalid Al Jaberi, head of market control at Sharjah Municipality.
A circular was recently sent to all shops stating the heads of mannequins be removed and that they are forbidden to wear underwear, to uphold the traditional and religious values of the emirate.
“We reinforced the ban because it was a religious issue that raised many complaints from residents, who were against shops displaying men and women's undergarments on realistic mannequins,'' said Al Jaberi.
He said no fines had been imposed on shops because everyone had adhered to the circular.
Sharjah Municipality originally implemented the ban five years ago following a fatwa issued by the Islamic Affairs Department.
However, the ban has been reinforced because several outlets had stopped abiding by the rule.
The municipality has always been keen on conserving the traditional Islamic values of Sharjah and has already implemented several rules, including the ban on men selling women's undergarments in shops.
The Sharjah Economic Development Department ordered 10 shops to close in March 2007 for flouting the rule, and instructed all shops and shopping centres to hire only female employees to sell women's undergarments.
