Iranian authorities have abruptly canceled dozens of music concerts and cultural events in recent weeks, the latest sign of authorities exerting more pressure on the country’s social and cultural spheres. Earlier this month, rights activist Maryam Karimbeigi was sentenced to more than three years in prison for attending a concert by a popular Iranian singer in Turkey. Days earlier, security agents halted a music concert in Tehran while the musicians were onstage.
Iranian authorities have imposed new restrictions on different segments of society in recent months. Authorities have increased the enforcement of rules that make it mandatory for women to wear a hijab in public. There has been a crackdown on dissent that has targeted prominent activists and filmmakers. Now, new constraints are being imposed on music groups and singers.
These moves can be seen as the continuation of attempts by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his hard-line supporters to homogenize life in Iran. Over the past year, hard-liners have gained control of the presidency and the parliament. Hard-line clerics have also been appointed to top positions in the judiciary and the Guardians Council, a powerful constitutional watchdog. Now, it appears, hard-liners are attempting to use their power to police social life and cultural tastes.
Why It Matters: The hard-liners claim the new restrictions are aimed at paving the way for the establishment of a new “Islamic civilization” that Khamenei intends to create. They have demanded that citizens must act in accordance with the clerical establishment’s perception of Shi’a Islam and its standards of conduct. This is seen as an attempt to curb rising anti-establishment sentiment among the public. Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi insisted that some concerts were recently canceled due to security issues, although he did not elaborate.
What’s Next: The main objective of Iran’s hard-liners has been to enforce standards for what they have called an “ideal Islamic social life,” including uniform Islamic clothing and harmonized cultural tastes. In the current political climate, with crippling sanctions raising the cost of living and sowing discontent among the public, greater social control under the disguise of enforcing Islamic law boosts hard-liners’ morale. At the same time, it becomes a tool to suppress any protest by discrediting any individualistic and liberal approach to taste and choice.
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Source » trackpersia