shorts -- because they "inflame the passions of women''.

Now the military leader has come under fire from Bermuda's store executives and politicians.

Shadow Tourism Minister David Allen said Government should even send Saddam a pair of his own.

But Bermuda's Tourism Director Gary Phillips said shorts would not be sent to Baghdad.

He added: "It's Saddam's country and he can do what he likes. I don't think I have any need to correspond with Saddam Hussein.

"But Bermudians obviously need to worry about wearing their Bermuda shorts whenever they go to Baghdad on holiday.

"I suggest they wear the shorts under an Arabian gown, and every time Saddam's not looking they should lift up their gown to show off their knees and give us some good publicity.'' British daily The Mirror reported that Saddam had issued a decree warning: "Men found wearing shorts in public will be jailed for up to a month.'' The ban, despite sweltering 100-degree heat in the shade, extends to "Bermuda-style trousers'', the newspaper added.

And an Iraqi mullah was quoted as saying: "Exposed skin in such warm temperatures will inflame the passions of women and lead to immoral behaviour.'' H.A.& E. Smith President Roger Davidson said: "Thankfully we don't have that many Iraqis as customers so it won't affect our trade that much.

"Saddam's judgment on land acquisitions was poor and his sartorial judgment and advice appears to be equally poor.'' Saddam is on record as saying shorts are a Western invention and therefore the work of the Devil.

Iraq's women have had to cover up for centuries because of ultra-strict Moslem rules banning them from exposing anything except their eyes.

They are whipped if they are seen exposing any bare flesh in public.

Mr. Allen said Saddam's ruling gave a stark reminder of Bermuda's "own puritanical rules'', under which men cannot bare their chests in urban areas and shorts cannot be too short.

He also said: "We send Easter lilies to the Queen, so why not Bermuda shorts to Saddam? "At the very least, it would be a very interesting public relations gambit for Government to send him a pair.'' Saddam stirs up desert storm over our shorts Mr. Allen said he hoped Saddam's ruling would have the same effect as the Boston book ban earlier this century, which made books more popular.

"Hopefully that will happen with Bermuda shorts,'' he said. "We need something to rub off on our tourism and there's no such thing as bad publicity I suppose.

"Bermuda shorts are about the most modest shorts that are going. I have travelled in about 20 countries in the Middle East and they do have a remarkably different dress code.

"Exposure of skin is somewhat abhorred. But even here, I'm sure Saddam Hussein would be impressed with how puritanical Bermuda can be at times.

"There's still a law here stopping men going about without shirts in downtown areas and there's another law in Bermuda about shorts being too short.

"Bermuda is rather famous now for resisting beach clothing in public and maybe with Saddam's endorsement now, Bermuda will soon seem risque m!'' MORAL DANGER -- Saddam Hussein has declared Bermuda Shorts -- which the Mormon church last week allowed its missionaries to wear (left) -- are to be banned as they "inflame the passions of women''. Now tourism officials are being urged to send the dictator a pair.