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Iran's President Bans All Western Music - AP |
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Tuesday, 20 December 2005 |
 Associated Press - Hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has banned
all Western music from Iran's state radio and TV stations — an eerie
reminder of the 1979 Islamic revolution when popular music was outlawed
as "un-Islamic" under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Today, though, the sounds of hip-hop can be heard blaring from car
radios in Tehran's streets, and Eric Clapton's "Rush" and the Eagles'
"Hotel California" regularly accompany Iranian broadcasts.
No more — the official IRAN Persian daily reported Monday that
Ahmadinejad, as head of the Supreme Cultural Revolutionary Council,
ordered the enactment of an October ruling by the council to ban all
Western music, including classical music, on state broadcast outlets.
"Blocking indecent and Western music from the Islamic Republic of Iran
Broadcasting is required," according to a statement on the council's
official Web site.
The Iranian guitarist Babak Riahipour lamented what he called a
"terrible" decision. "The decision shows a lack of knowledge and
experience," he said.
Music was outlawed by Khomeini soon after the 1979 revolution; Khomeini
claimed it was "intoxicating." Many musicians went abroad and built an
Iranian music industry in Los Angeles.
But as revolutionary fervor started to fade, some light classical music
was allowed on Iranian radio and television; some public concerts
reappeared in the late 1980s.
But later, Khomeini allowed classical music to be played over state
radio. Since his death, pop music has been creeping into Iranian shops.
In the 1990s, particularly during the presidency of reformist Mohammad
Khatami starting in 1997, authorities began relaxing restrictions
further. These days in Iran, Western music, films and clothing are
widely available in Iran. Bootleg videos and DVDs of films banned by
the state are widely available on the black market.
However, women are prohibited from singing in public, except to a
segregated female-only audience. Hard-liners were afraid the voice of a
woman soloist might arouse impure thoughts in men. Women are allowed to
sing as part of a chorus.
Ahmadinejad's order means the state broadcasting authority must execute
the decree and prepare a report on its implementation within six
months, according to the IRAN Persian daily.
Earlier this month, Ali Rahbari, conductor of Tehran's symphony
orchestra, resigned and left Iran to protest the treatment of the music
industry in Iran.
Before leaving, he played Beethoven's Ninth Symphony to packed Tehran
theater houses over several nights last month — its first performance
in Tehran since the 1979 revolution. The performances angered many
conservatives and prompted newspaper columns accusing Rahbari of
promoting Western values.
The ban applies to state-run radio and TV. But Iranians with satellite
dishes can get broadcasts originating outside the country.
Ahmadinejad won office in August on a platform of reverting to
ultraconservative principles, following eight years of reformist-led
rule under Khatami.
During his presidential campaign, Ahmadinejad also promised to confront
what he called the Western cultural invasion of Iran and promote
Islamic values.
Since then, Ahmadinejad has jettisoned Iran's moderation in foreign
policy and pursued a purge in the government, replacing pragmatic
veterans with former military commanders and inexperienced religious
hard-liners.
He also has issued stinging criticisms of Israel, calling for the
Jewish state to be "wiped off the map" and describing the Nazi
Holocaust as a "myth."
International concerns are high over Iran's nuclear program, with the
United States accusing Tehran of pursuing an atomic weapons program.
Iran denies the claims.
The latest media ban also includes censorship of content of films.
"Supervision of content from films, TV series and their voice-overs is
emphasized in order to support spiritual cinema and to eliminate
triteness and violence," the council said in a statement on its Web
site.
The council has also issued a ban on foreign movies that promote "arrogant powers," an apparent reference to the United States.
The prohibitions mirror those imposed in neighboring Afghanistan during
the Taliban regime, which imposed a strict version of Islamic law,
including a ban on music and film. The Taliban was ousted by a U.S.-led
coalition in late 2001.
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