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Shahin Sadeghzadeh Milan

The policies of the Islamic Republic regarding music are not clear. The boundaries of what is considered permissible music have always been changing and have undergone many transformations during the existence of the Islamic Republic. Part of the issue is related to the differences in opinions among religious scholars, which is beyond the scope of this discussion. However, part of the current situation is the result of a political perspective on music and its use for purposes that have no connection to music. The political approach to music can be seen in the statements and directives of Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic. Pay attention to this quote from Ahmad Khomeini:

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Mr. [Imam] knows two things about music before and after the revolution. One day, Mr. Hashemi, Mr. Mousavi Ardabili, Mr. Mousavi (Prime Minister) and I had a meeting when Imam (peace be upon him) entered. The television was playing one of Shajarian’s songs. Imam came and sat down. Mr. Hashemi said to Imam (peace be upon him), “Sir, you used to consider music forbidden before, why don’t you consider it forbidden now?” Imam said, “Even now, if this music is played on the radio in Saudi Arabia, I consider it forbidden. I also considered the music of the Shah’s radio forbidden, as it has its place. But this same music is being played by the Islamic system and it is permissible.”“. “من از تو متنفرم”

I hate you.

In this way, it becomes clear that from the perspective of the founder of the Islamic Republic, the main issue is not music itself, but rather the political platform for broadcasting or performing music. This 180-degree change is sometimes seen as a sign of the dynamism of Shia jurisprudence, but it is clear that the jurisprudential foundations are not the main reason for this significant change. In the days following the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Khomeini’s positions on music were very strict and rigid. In July 1979, he banned the broadcasting of any type of music on radio and television.

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Remove the music. Don’t be afraid of being told that we have become old-fashioned by removing the music! Yes, we are old-fashioned! Don’t be afraid of this. These words are a plan to hold you back from serious work… Don’t believe it when they say that if there is no music on the radio, they will go and get music from somewhere else. Let them go and get it from somewhere else, don’t be in a hurry; they will gradually come back here. It is not an excuse that if there is no music on the radio, they will go and get music from somewhere else. Now if they get music from somewhere else, do we have to give them music too!? Do we have to betray!? This is a betrayal to a nation, a betrayal to our youth. Remove this music completely, and replace it with something educational. Gradually teach the people and our youth to get used to learning; take away that wicked habit they had.“.

I’m sorry, but there is no Farsi text provided for translation. Please provide the text so I can assist you. Thank you.

Undoubtedly, the complete removal of music from radio and television was not practical. The reality of governance required a certain level of tolerance for music. For this purpose, there was a need to distinguish between permissible and forbidden music. It is clear that there is no specific and accurate criterion for determining the permissibility or prohibition of music. Although the discussion of “singing” exists in jurisprudence, it seems that in practice, the basis for the permissibility or prohibition of music in the Islamic Republic is different from the previous monarchy system, and the Islamic government after the revolution. What was considered as “tyrannical music” is still largely prohibited. Singers who migrated outside of Iran after the revolution and often settled in California, still do not have permission to perform concerts in Iran; even though a similar type of music is currently being produced and performed in Iran. According to Ahmad Khomeini:

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What comes to my mind is that the issue of social relationships, relationships between government and people, and so on, has an impact on whether music is considered halal (permissible) or not. Why? Because the Imams have said in the matter of time and place that a relationship between one flow and another can make a third thing halal. This is one of the things that unfortunately the gentlemen did not pay attention to and did not try to solve. When the Imams say that social and political relationships can make something that was halal in one situation now haram (forbidden), or vice versa, what does it mean? It is not impossible for something to change, for example, a dog to become salt. Without any physical change, the subject finds a ruling contrary to the previous ruling.

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There is no Farsi text provided to translate. Please provide the text to be translated.

This uncertain situation currently exists. The most interesting example in this regard is the story of “Amir Tataloo”, a former underground singer. He was a rapper and active in Iran, but was arrested in Azar month of 1392. After his arrest, his approach and type of activity changed, to the extent that he released a song called “Nuclear Energy” and defended the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. He appeared on the deck of a military ship with the help of Iranian armed forces to make a music video related to this song. He then supported Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and later Ebrahim Raisi in the 1396 presidential election. His meeting with Ebrahim Raisi, one of the most hardline clerics of the Islamic Republic, was one of the most talked-about events of the 1396 election. However, it should be noted that despite his connections with political and military institutions of the Islamic Republic, Amir Tataloo has not

What Ahmad Khomeini referred to as “social relations” and “relations between government and people” explains the current unconventional situation in the field of music. A singer who can hold a concert in Tehran cannot do so in Mashhad; because social relations and relations between government and people differ between Khorasan Razavi and Tehran. If we were witnessing the rule of law, we would not see such differences in allowing concerts to be held across Iran. But in this field, the law is not the governing factor. The sanctity or permissibility of music is subject to the taste of influential clerics in the region, the traditional or relatively modern lifestyle of the people in that city, and the political conflicts of that region and even the country. In the midst of all this, the specific music and lyrics that are deemed permissible or forbidden do not hold much importance.

Notes:

1. What did Imam Khomeini say about music? – Young Journalists Club, July 18, 2016.

2. From the speech of Ayatollah Khomeini in Qom on the topic of “Characteristics of a Non-Divine Regime – The Role of Radio and Television in Education” – July 21, 1979, published in: Sahifeh Imam Khomeini, Volume 9, page 205.

3. What did Imam Khomeini say about music? Young Journalists Club, July 18, 2016.

سلام دوست عزیز

Hello dear friend.

Manager of the Human Rights Documentation Center in Iran.