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Morteza Hamounian

The leadership position says that cultural work should not be mistaken for holding a concert. The Friday prayer leader of Mashhad and the representative of the leadership in Khorasan Razavi province consider music concerts as a form of entertainment. Music concerts are cancelled throughout the country for various reasons. However, the Ministry of Guidance and official and legal authorities issue permits for concerts. The prosecutor’s office also states that the security of concerts must be guaranteed and the content must be appropriate. An institution issues permits. Some institutions are completely opposed to the main issue, while others disrupt the permits of approved programs before they are held. This is the situation of music concerts in Iran. A government that seems to act as disorganized as a music concert. The institutions are not coordinated and everyone plays their own instrument. Instruments that even take the hem of one of the most government-friendly singers like Hamed Zamani to cancel his concert in Mashhad.

From the beginning of the anti-monarchy revolution in Bahman 57, the situation was like this. The founder of the system had spoken about the absolute sanctity of music. The situation had even reached a point where the anthem “Khomeini, O Imam” was banned for two years in the early 1960s. (1) And even with this prohibition of music, efforts were made to record revolutionary anthems of those years with drums and cymbals. Mohammad Ali Abtahi, the director of Shiraz Radio and Television in the early years after the victory of the revolution, speaks about his own efforts in this regard and says that music was performed in front of the founder of the Islamic Republic system. This is also confirmed by history. (2)

But it seems that this conflicting situation of music, where one considers it halal and the other considers it haram, is still ongoing. After almost four decades since the victory of the Revolution in Bahman 57, this dual attitude towards music persists and it is unclear who is responsible for this child left behind in this land.

The responsible authority for issuing permits for concerts in Iran is the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. Two years ago, the former deputy of the Minister of Guidance stated in an interview with the media that “this ministry’s only duty is to issue permits while considering all legal and religious aspects, and it also expects others to comply with decisions based on legal rules and regulations.” This expectation seems to be that the Ministry of Guidance is only willing to give warnings and cannot do more if others do not comply. One month ago, the former deputy of this ministry and the former Minister of Guidance stated in a conference that “no judicial authority or group has the right to stand against the permits issued by the Ministry of Guidance.” However, the issue here is that these authorities and groups do stand against the permits issued by the Ministry of Guidance, cancel concerts, and it seems that the Ministry of Guidance has no power. The former minister also stated in this interview that his criterion for action is the “opinion of the

But let’s see what this art expert leader, whom no one knows music as well as him, says about concerts. In addition to stating that cultural work should not be mistaken for holding concerts (which was mentioned at the beginning of the conversation), he also has other remarks about music and concerts. It is necessary to mention that Mr. Khamenei has been discussing the issue of the Islamic lifestyle for years and has repeatedly tried to promote and implement this lifestyle in his speeches. In fact, all concepts, from music to various arts, recreation, tourism, and any other issue, in his view, are understood in the light of the desired lifestyle. This issue has become so widespread that even the resistance economy, which is mentioned by the leader of the system, is understood and emphasized under the same meaning and lifestyle. As Ghulamali Haddad Adel – who has no doubt about his closeness to the leader of the Islamic Republic – said at the National Lifestyle Conference in

Taking this into consideration, we can better understand the perspective of the leader of the Islamic Republic towards this issue. He had considered music as giving life to the lifeless two decades ago and had spoken about the intricacies of this art. The leader of the Islamic Republic also sees music as falling under the categorization of ancient sciences. He has stated, “Music, which is categorized under the branches of mathematics in ancient sciences, is considered as a part of mathematical knowledge as it involves precision, calculation, and precise measurement. It is a precise art.”

Mr. Khamenei considers music as a combination of knowledge, thought, and divine nature, and even says that “Western music has progressed better than Eastern music.” This may raise the question that his perspective on music is more advanced than others. However, there is a subtle point in his words that opens the door for interpretation, to the extent that even the renowned musician Shajarian could be banned from performing. He says, “In the region where our music has taken shape, it does not have a proper meaning. You must give it the correct meaning and concept; and in fact, save it. My message to musicians is to guide music towards higher meanings and goals.” He also mentions music that talks about earthly love and considers it valuable only if it serves a higher purpose. He even talks about “saving music” and “giving it a purpose.” It is worth noting that these statements were made two decades ago and now it is likely that we are seeing the results of these

Maybe it will be better understood why there is so much chaos and disorder in the cultural space of the country regarding music. In fact, that music has a license from the leader of the system, and the Ministry of Guidance is also committed to it, so that it is pure and purposeful from their perspective in order to achieve the desired lifestyle.

But in dealing with the problem and in the current situation, this matter goes a bit further. Friday Imams, based on personal judgments, issue fatwas declaring concerts to be inappropriate and work to cancel them. A prominent example of this issue is the Friday Imam of Mashhad, Seyyed Ahmad Alamolhoda; one of the Mashhad scholars and someone who, after Abbas Vaez-Tabasi, is among the most powerful figures in Khorasan Razavi. He held the position of Deputy of Education and Postgraduate Studies at Imam Sadeq University for many years and is therefore familiar with its traditional and structural aspects during all those years and under the supervision of Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani. He is the Friday Imam of Mashhad and his son-in-law is the custodian of Astan Quds Razavi, the largest or at least one of the largest economic cartels in the country. Therefore, it is true that Alamolhoda is appointed

But only in Mashhad concerts are not canceled. Between the years 93 and 94, about ten concerts have been canceled in different provinces of the country. From Ilam to Bushehr, Kermanshah, Shiraz, West Azerbaijan, and even Tehran and the Ministry of Interior hall have not been spared from these cancellations. But the point is that the most cancellations have been in Mashhad. In this one year, all types of music and singers have been affected by these cancellations. From Homayoun Shajarian, Keyhan Kalhor, Shahram Nazeri, and Alireza Eftekhari to Farzad Farzin, Sirvan Khosravi, and Mohsen Yeganeh. In fact, the decision to cancel concerts seems to not recognize the style of music or the position of the singer throughout the country.

And again in the year 1395, a report was published stating that in the past two years, at least 45 concerts have been cancelled. According to a report published in Khordad 1395 and on the news line, the main reason for these cancellations is the interference of various institutions in the judicial system. The prosecutor’s office gets involved and cancels concerts that have been granted permission. In fact, these cancellations are not done by the issuing institution, but rather by the prosecutors. Another factor also plays a role in these cancellations. It is an issue that goes back years; years after the war. And it involves the Hezbollahis on the streets; the Hajibakhshis and the Chamaqdarans, also known as Hezbollahis.

In 1995, the bookshop “Morgh Amin” was set on fire by Ansar Hezbollah and with the presence of key figures of the club at that time. The only book published there was a novel titled “And the Gods Laughed” by Reza Khoshbin Khoshnaz. The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, which was not at all interested in cultural issues, had granted permission, but the authorities, in a “spontaneous” manner, did not find it and set the bookshop on fire.

The phenomenon of thuggery, however, dates back many years before this date. After the February 1979 revolution, groups who considered themselves the standard bearers of the revolution and Islam, coordinated with security institutions of the ruling government, would attack and destroy gatherings, cultural centers, meetings, and homes – essentially anywhere they could – and cause chaos and destruction. Unfortunately, this destructive tradition continued throughout all these years. It reached its peak after the death of the founder of the regime and even continued during the presidency of Hashemi Rafsanjani. However, during the time of Mohammad Khatami, it was at its peak and they created a tragedy in the incident at Tehran University in 1999. During the Ahmadinejad era, they calmed down a bit with the election of a president from their own ranks, but in 2009 they turned into one of the main arms of the oppressive regime. These same forces, after the arrival of Hassan Rouhani, have once

But the issue of concerts does not end here. The music and concert scene has turned into a battleground and a face-off between the internal factions of the Iranian government. Last year, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance had stated in an interview with the Mehr News Agency that only two percent of concerts are cancelled. This means that even in these circumstances, concerts have been held in cities like Mashhad. This shows the level of interference by Friday prayer leaders, judicial institutions, prosecutors, and even “self-appointed” groups.

Hassan Rouhani, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has repeatedly come to the forefront and spoken out against those who cancel concerts. He even addressed the relevant minister and explicitly stated, “In my opinion, no minister should give in to any pressure and back down.” This statement was directed at Ali Jannati, the former Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, who had said, “Since holding concerts in Mashhad is opposed by some opponents, including Mr. Alameh Hadi, we have respected their opinion and despite the fact that concerts did not have any particular problems, we decided not to continue them.” In recent years, Rouhani has strongly criticized these lawless actions and demanded respect for institutions such as the Friday Prayer Leaders and the judicial system, from other government agencies such as the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. This is a task that has not yet been accomplished and has even led to a verbal confrontation between Rouhani and one of the main leaders of concert

The concert and music scene is highly chaotic and lacks structure. Neither the institutions that are supposed to obtain permits to prevent the cancellation of concerts, nor the ones that have the power to cancel a licensed concert, are effective. Cancellations are made based on personal preferences, as well as permits and non-cancellations. Even renowned artists like Shahram Nazeri and Hamed Zamani, who is one of the closest singers to the fundamentalist movement in the country, are subject to concert cancellations. There is no specific city where we can say that concerts are always held, nor a specific city where we can say that concerts are always cancelled. Singers may be able to hold concerts in one place, but not in another. Add to this the disorganized structure of governance in the music industry, where religious institutions have also gained power and are now part of the most traditional movements in the field of music. Holding concerts in cities where these religious institutions have a strong presence, such as

But in the midst of all this, the artists of the music industry in Iran are left in a state of uncertainty, as they see their art and capital at risk. These are the artists for whom concerts are the main source of income and connection with their audience in today’s world. However, there is no security for holding these concerts, despite having a permit. The issue of concerts, with all its chaos, has even turned into one of the conflicts in the recent presidential election, pitting Amirhossein Maghsoudlou (Amir Tataloo) against Mr. Reisi. Suddenly, Salar Aghili held a concert in Mashhad in front of Rouhani’s eyes, and Tataloo even met with Reisi, but he was unable to obtain a permit and perform live for his audience. Perhaps this conflict is one of the symbolic conflicts for music in the country. The current that cancels concerts and meets with Tataloo, and the current that supports

Notes:

1. The anthem “Khomeini, O Imam” was banned for two years; an interview with Hamid Shahngian, Iranian History website, 6 Farvardin 1396.

2. Conversation between Hossein Dehbashi and Mohammad Ali Abtahi, Raw Brick- Online History, Twelfth Issue, February 2007.

3. Ayatollah Khamenei’s statements about music and concerts, Iran’s afternoon, 30th of Mordad month, 1395.

4. The most famous cancelled concerts in the past year, World Economy Newspaper, issue 3509, 28 Khordad 1394.

5. Preventing the execution of 45 concerts in two years, Khabar Online, 9 Khordad 1395.