An Iranian cleric is claiming that two young girls beat him up after he told one of them to cover up and dress more conservatively.
The report is a reversal of the more common claim that women are beaten by the country's strict religious police when their clothing is considered inappropriate.
Cleric Hojatoleslam Ali Beheshti told an Iranian news agency that he was walking to the mosque in Shahmirzaad when he spotted the two girls and approached them.
Covered: Many Iranian women, like the ones seen here, wear hijabs and full burkas to comply with conservative dress codes
According to his account in an article run by Mehr News Agency, which is partially government owned, the man allegedly asked them 'politely' to cover up.
'She responded to me by telling me to cover my eyes, which was very insulting to me,' CNN reports he said.
He repeated his request and that was when the girl fought back
'She pushed me and I fell to the ground on my back. From that point on, I don’t know what happened. I was just feeling the kicks of the woman who was beating me up and insulting me,' he said according to Radio Free Europe.
Following the alleged attack which took place in August, the cleric said he was hospitalized for three days but he did not list what injuries- if any- he sustained.
