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Ali Kalai

From the wolf-like breasts of the Rom Club to the words of the president of the country, Mr. Hassan Rouhani, everything is scrutinized and edited by the auditor and the adjuster according to their own taste and those who dictate it to them. They replace whatever they want or what the higher authorities and affiliates want – in those places that we know where they are, but we cannot mention their names. Critics call this act censorship, which is essentially auditing, inspection, evaluation, prohibition, and in short, the work that the system institutions do with the dissemination of foreign information. Of course, the gentlemen themselves call it protecting public privacy, the system, or in fact giving what we (the rulers) want and not the reality, according to the gentlemen’s interpretation of being unaware of everything!

From the word censorship and its meaning and root (which we know from the Latin root Censere means evaluation or Censura means suppression), what has been discussed in Iran and in all the years when the issue of mass media, press, radio and television, and the internet, and in short, anything that can bring something to the people without control, shows that in Iran, and only with a few exceptions, the established governments have never wanted and according to the interests of the system and their own opinions, have not known what is in the best interest of the people and what they should know and read. From the time of Reza Khan and before that (minor dictatorship) to the era of Mohammad Reza Shah and even during the four decades of the Islamic Republic’s rule, this issue has been ongoing. Whenever a media outlet has violated this “best interest” of the ruling masters, they have dealt with it through the likes of Ahmadinejad, Sarvas, Mokht

But beyond censorship in the media and the internet, the Islamic Republic’s radio and television have a long history of censoring and not showing what they deem “appropriate.” This has been evident in instances such as the scandal of the Italian club Roma’s wolf logo being censored. If a list were to be made of the censorship by this media, as they claim is “national” but critics say is “militant,” it would reach the sky and become a seventy-volume Masnavi. However, it must be said that the Islamic Republic’s radio and television have opened up new areas of censorship, making it seem like other media outlets have to learn from these “censors” who are known as “broadcast supervisors” and “broadcast managers.” From censoring beloved figures like Nasser Khan Maleki Matin on the show “Dorehami” to censoring and not mentioning the names of Mr. Baghaei and Mr. Ahmadinejad, even during live coverage and during

Censorship is not limited to only these areas and it is a sign of Iran’s history. With the broadcast of series and reports full of obvious lies (such as the mystery of the Shah) or censorship of personalities like Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Hossein Ali Montazeri, Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, Mohammad Khatami and in short, every human being who was responsible in the previous military regime and today has a role in the current government and is the first person in power, it shows the history of Iran. This censorship machine has not spared any area and no human being has been safe from it. Adel Ferdowsipour’s words after two decades of being a sports presenter in this media are censored in the program “Dorehami” regarding the presence of women in stadiums. Series are made with the budget of this organization to distort the history and culture of Iran and Islam, and real roles are c

However, the sound and vision have opened up new areas of censorship during these years, which seems unlikely that anyone other than state television in countries like North Korea and possibly China has thought of such censorship and distortions. Censorship and content distortions in television series were a job that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s broadcasting did to not only dub foreign series, but also fundamentally rewrite and create their stories, add or reduce characters, and give new roles to the characters of the stories!

We all remember Oshin and the years away from home. Oshin Tanakurai, whose last name became synonymous with second-hand clothing in Iran for years. Oshin, who was portrayed by the national television as a heroic, family-friendly and virtuous woman (with the values of the system), who even a Muslim woman could look up to as a role model! This, of course, led to the founder of the system’s anger in 1967 and the issuing of a death sentence and severe punishment for those involved in the incident (interviewers and broadcasters who interviewed a woman about it). That Iranian woman in the interview had said that her role model was Oshin and also stated that the daughter of the Prophet of Islam was an old role model and their new and modern role model was Oshin! This statement also caused the founder of the system to become angry, especially in February 1967 and after the mass execution of political prisoners in the summer of

Homosexuality was censored in the Jumong series. It’s surprising, but it happened! Officer Hyubo, the same chubby and curly-haired brother who didn’t have a single brown outfit, was in contact with Sayong, Lady Sosano’s advisor. In the Persian version, however, only Hyubo’s special attention to Sayong was shown, which seemed humorous.

The series “Footballers and Subasa Ozara” tells the story of Subasa, a child of the 60s, who spent his weeks playing with a ball and shooting goals. He has an uncle who often visits his mother. Interestingly, this uncle is not actually Subasa’s uncle, but a friend of his mother. And with this simple plot, the media freed our minds from the “pollution” that a mother can have a male friend when the father is absent! The media also helped us not to understand that Subasa, our childhood hero, is in love with a lady and has a romantic relationship with her. What does it even mean for a child at this age to experience love and romance!?

We all think that we have seen the “Tom and Jerry” series not just once, but a hundred times. We also claim that we know all of its episodes by heart! But that’s not the case. In this series, there is a romantic episode that our friends at the TV station have labeled as “unseen” by us. In this episode, Jerry tries to get Tom out of their constant fighting and normalizes their relationship by creating a love rival for Tom and telling him about another cat. But in the end, he falls in love with another mouse and now he doesn’t want to go back to the normal “Tom and Jerry” situation. Love at that age was not good for us, it seems!

“Long-legged Baba and the kind-hearted Abbot! The romantic and sentimental relationship between Jodi and Baba Lang Daraz, or Mr. Pendleton, has been easily censored. Apparently, love, wherever it may be, is harmful for children!”

But our childhood was filled with orphans who were struggling or searching for their parents in the 1960s. One of them was Choubin. But it’s good to know that Choubin had a mother. However, Choubin’s mother did not follow the moral standards of her friends and did not comply with the censorship of the national (or state) television. A mother who behaves like this should be censored.

Legendary Twins! The two individuals who we thought were siblings with mythical powers, were not actually twins! Although we were a bit suspicious as to why these two looked nothing alike, our innocent minds couldn’t accept that a half bowl could be under a full bowl, but apparently it was. “The story of this 2D animation takes place in 1895 in Beijing, China, where according to a prophecy, Jules (a Chinese boy) and Julie (an English girl) are born to different parents at the same time and place, and their mother dies during childbirth.” (1) Our friends at the radio station were kind enough to make their presence legitimate by introducing them as brother and sister.

Of course, many items can be added to this list and perhaps in the future, research can be done on this matter and a list of changes based on the “suitability” of censors in national television can be prepared. These changes even show up in the dialogues of films and sometimes phrases and words are heard in films that when compared to the original, you realize the censorship friend has confessed to the intelligence of the screenplay and dialogue writing!

According to the Constitution, the removal and appointment of the head of the national broadcasting organization, Radio and Television of the Islamic Republic of Iran, is the responsibility of the Supreme Leader. However, non-affiliated factions to the favored leadership group have been excluded from this national platform, which is funded by the public budget, and have been deprived or only given access during certain occasions, such as elections. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had previously accused the national broadcasting organization of being “captured by a political gang” and essentially becoming this band that caused the Iranian people to turn to new sources of information instead of the programs of the national broadcasting organization. At one point, his VHS tapes were banned, then his DVDs, then satellite and networks like JAM, Manoto, BBC Persian, and the internet and social media, each becoming a source of nourishment for the people in their own time. Each time, the national broadcasting organization tried to fight against this wave, but each time it was unsuccessful

Last December in the Persian calendar, we also saw that people in at least 100 cities of the country were seeing something and hearing the sound of protest day and night on their streets. And at night, on the national television news, they were hearing about other things. It was as if our friends at the state-run broadcasting organization were traveling on another planet or in another country, with different events and situations.

In fact, governments in Iran have always tried to use censorship as a tool of suppression alongside their other tools, in order to only allow their own voice to be heard and essentially deny the existence of other voices. This behavior was also seen in the leader of the Islamic Republic’s Nowruz speech on the first of Farvardin in Mashhad, where he denied everything and claimed that there is freedom of expression in the country and people are free to express different opinions, and anyone who says otherwise is unjust and lying. He looked directly into the cameras and at the people and blatantly denied the truth and censored it, resorting to suppression once again.

Censorship has been ongoing in Iran for years, by the government and all its institutions, including the national broadcasting company. However, it seems that it’s not just censorship. There is also “mensor” (a play on the word “censor” meaning “approved”). A media historian, after reviewing the history of censorship in the Qajar and Pahlavi periods, stated: “As one of our friends said, we have two phenomena; one is censorship and the other is mensor! We asked what they meant by that, and they said censorship means what we shouldn’t write, but mensor means what we should write!” (2) The Iranian government has been both censoring and mensoring for years! They say what should not be shown and also what should be shown! They try to control public opinion with their own “righteousness,” but we see that it has not and will not work. If only they had a little experience. If only!

Notes:

• Habshi, Elham, ten censors that also changed the content of the film!, Jim.ir website, September 22, 1396.

• A review of the history of media censorship in Iran; what is the difference between censorship and self-censorship? ISNA, November 15, 2017.