October 28, 2007	Sunday	Shawwal 15, 1428

TEHRAN, Oct 27: Iranian police have ordered shut and sealed several Tehran bookshops which also provide coffee and snacks to readers, because of what one officer termed ‘a clash of professions’.

“Based on the (booksellers) union law, owners of one type of business are not allowed to practise two different professions at the same time,” head of Tehran police information, Colonel Mehdi Ahmadi, said on Saturday.

According to the state IRNA news agency, six book-cafes have been sealed.

“It is not possible that they open a cafe-restaurant and give such services beyond their union’s job description,” Ahmadi said, referring to what have become known as ‘book-cafes’ where people borrow books, relax with a coffee and read.—AFP