An increasing number women in Baghdad are opting to wear Western clothing in public over the traditional Islamic dress of the region, causing violent attacks against them.

Police report women choosing alternative dress are being attacked with corrosive acid.

IRIN News quotes 23-year old college student Hania Abdul-Jabbar, "A month ago I was walking from my college to my house when I was abducted in the street by three men. They dropped acid in my face and on my legs. They cut all my hair off while hitting me in the face many times telling me it's the price for not obeying God's wish in using the veil."

Baghdad police investigator, Major Abbas Dilemi, says the majority of the attacks occurred in the upscale Sunni district of Al-Mansour and the Shiite Al-Kadhimiya districts.

Islamic fundamentalists are reportedly behind the violence, recruiting children to execute the attacks.

Women in other parts of the country have suffered after violating Islamic Law. In Al-Anbar, five women were reportedly killed for not following the orders of religious militants who took power in the region following the 2003 US-led invasion of Saddam Hussein's regime.