Senior Iran cleric: Prostitutes must be hanged

Tehran, Iran, Oct. 10 – A senior Iranian cleric in the city of Qom called for death sentences to be handed down to prostitutes, a semi-official daily reported on Monday.

“Those who try to spread prostitution, corruption, and sins in society must be dealt with”, Ayatollah Nasser Makarem-Shirazi, one of the highest-ranking clerics in the holy city, said.

“These people are Mofsid Fi-Alarz and must be dealt with under Islamic law”, the senior Ayatollah said. Mofsid Fi-Alarz literally means “corruptors on earth” and under Iran’s Sharia law is punishable by death.