Zamaneh Media
  • Latest Articles
  • Latest News
  • About Zamaneh Media
    • Exiled Media Report
    • Sponsors
    • Donate
    • Contact us
    • Legal
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
  • Latest Articles
  • Latest News
  • About Zamaneh Media
    • Exiled Media Report
    • Sponsors
    • Donate
    • Contact us
    • Legal
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
Zamaneh Media
No Result
View All Result

Female Musicians Banned from Stage in Isfahan

by Zamaneh Media
June 7, 2014
in Latest Articles
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Female Musicians Banned from Stage in Isfahan

Female musicians are not allowed to go onstage and give live performances in Isfahan. Mohammad Qotbi, the head of the Isfahan Culture and Guidance administration and also a member of the clergy, compared music bands to the national football team, saying that just as there are substitutes for players on the football team, music groups should also have substitutes for their females players.

This is an instance of how the decentralization of censorship is unleashing a wider scope of censorship in Iran. On Monday May 27, Alireza Qorbani gave a performance together with the Eshtiyaq music group at Kosar Hall in Isfahan. The concert, which coincided with the Isfahan Music Festival, was delayed for 50 minutes by Isfahan Culture and Guidance officials, who had stopped the female musicians from going on stage.

Mohammad Qotbi said Isfahan is a very religious city and female musicians cannot go onstage there. He claimed this unwritten law has been observed in the city for over 10 years. Qotbi elaborated on the prohibition of female players in the Shargh daily, saying: “On the national football team there are also many individuals; however, when for any reason one of the players cannot go on the field, someone will substitute for him.”

He stressed that music groups that perform in Isfahan must comply with the unwritten laws of Isfahan Culture and Guidance and have a contingency plan to replace their female members. According to his statistics, in that past year 212 concerts were performed in Isfahan and only 10 to 12 of them were by groups from outside the city. Therefore, he concluded that Isfahan has no need for performances by music groups from other cities.

Nasim Ahmadian, the head of an all-women music group called Nasim, plays the santour and lives in Isfahan. She responded to Qotbi’s statements in the Shargh newspaper, saying: “The omission of female players in Isfahan has led to the deterioration of the music scene in the province. Women make up half of the active and creative population and they have been paralyzed.”

The head of Isfahan Culture and Guidance says female musicians can go to other cities to perform onstage and gain experience.

In order to get a permit to perform popular music in Isfahan, the program must also include traditional music. The many restrictions on musical performances have put a heavy strain on cultural activities in the city.

Ministry of Guidance Planning Council recently gave permission to five provincial offices to make independent local decisions about censoring books and publications. Efforts by the Rohani administration’s minister of Culture and Guidance, Ali Jannati, to loosen censorship restrictions have been stifled, and now this policy of decentralizing censorship rule-making is threatening to become a way to further entrench censorship all across the country. In this way, the central government will not be held accountable for local decisions on censorship, which may likely be geared toward tightening regulations without establishing any standard guidelines for censorship practices.

Banning female musicians from giving live performances in Isfahan may be a taste of how the decentralization of censorship will unfold across the country.
 

 

 

Previous Post

Tehran’s power system takes costly hit from storm

Next Post

Establishment backlash grows against Rohani’s statements

Related Posts

Kidnapping Iranian Children for Sex: The Role of Patriarchy and Religion
Latest Articles

Kidnapping Iranian Children for Sex: The Role of Patriarchy and Religion

June 23, 2022
A story from Qarchak prison: the gang that sells girls’ virginity for men’s sexual pleasure
Featured Items

A story from Qarchak prison: the gang that sells girls’ virginity for men’s sexual pleasure

June 21, 2022
Mazut Production in Iran: Human and Environmental Devastation for Nothing
Featured Items

Mazut Production in Iran: Human and Environmental Devastation for Nothing

June 18, 2022
Flag of
Featured Items

Khatam Al-Anbiya, Central Headquarters: A Representation of the IRGC’s Political Ambitions and Economic Pursuits

June 14, 2022
Iranian Civil Society Calls for Support of Detained Teachers and Trade Unionists during ILO Summit
Latest Articles

Iranian Civil Society Calls for Support of Detained Teachers and Trade Unionists during ILO Summit

June 8, 2022
The Iranian Workers Protest More Wage Suppression: Download Zamaneh’s Quarterly Labor Rights Report
Latest Articles

The Iranian Workers Protest More Wage Suppression: Download Zamaneh’s Quarterly Labor Rights Report

May 29, 2022

RSS Iran in Other Media

  • Iran's Top Diplomat in Syria, Slams Israel, Turkish Threats - Voice of America - VOA News July 2, 2022
  • Alleged Israeli strike in Syria targeted ‘game changing’ Iranian air defenses — TV - The Times of Israel July 2, 2022
  • Iran foreign minister: Zionist regime in worst security, political conditions ever - Press TV July 2, 2022
  • Iran Reportedly Holds Two Belgians As Brussels Plans Prisoner Swap - ایران اینترنشنال July 2, 2022
  • Iran ready to offer a political solution to ease Syria-Turkey tension, foreign minister says - Reuters.com July 2, 2022
  • Iran learn fate at 2023 IHF World Championship - Tehran Times July 2, 2022
  • The vast Iran-Hezbollah drone threat is escalating - analysis - The Jerusalem Post July 2, 2022
  • Iran is exploiting a dangerous new dynamic to acquire a nuclear bomb - The Telegraph July 2, 2022
  • Iran's power grid breaks all-time record, usage at 63318 MW - Press TV July 2, 2022
  • Iran vows to remove obstacles to Hegmataneh UNESCO registration - Tehran Times July 2, 2022
  • Iran, Iraq FMs discuss Hajj collaboration - Tehran Times July 2, 2022
  • China calls on U.S. to correct mistake regarding Iran, JCPOA - Tehran Times July 2, 2022
  • Iran's central bank limits access of foreigners to banking services - Press TV July 2, 2022
  • Deadly Earthquake Strikes Southern Iran - The New York Times July 2, 2022
  • Traces of metal smelting workshops discovered in ancient site northern Iran - Tehran Times July 2, 2022
  • Iran’s Nuclear Chief Criticizes Economic Policy, Emphasizes Talks - ایران اینترنشنال July 2, 2022
  • US is playing risky game with Saudi Arabia and Iran - The Hill July 2, 2022
  • Iran indispensable to Russia as gateway to India: analyst - Tehran Times July 2, 2022
  • Iranian media falsely reports fire in IDF base hours after Tehran blasts - The Jerusalem Post July 2, 2022
  • Iran-China Relations - Press TV July 2, 2022
Zamaneh Media

© 2020 Zamaneh Media

More information

  • Sponsors
  • Donate
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Legal

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Latest Articles
  • Latest News
  • About Zamaneh Media
    • Exiled Media Report
    • Sponsors
    • Donate
    • Contact us
    • Legal
  • Advertise

© 2020 Zamaneh Media