“این عکس نشان دهنده یک آسمان آبی و روشن است”

This picture shows a bright and blue sky.
Delbar Tokali

The name of Qamar al-Maluk Vaziri is familiar; she was the first female singer in contemporary Iranian history. In 1924, she performed for the first time at the Grand Hotel without a veil, but the religious authorities did not approve and she was forced to make a commitment. 95 years have passed since that day, and we are still witnessing the silencing of women’s voices in Iran.

In the last days of the month of Ordibehesht of this year, a short video of a young Iranian woman singing in the historical-touristic city of Abyaneh was released on social media and received a lot of attention. However, just a few days after this incident, Hojatoleslam Rohollah Amini, the Friday prayer leader of Natanz, announced in an interview with Tasnim News Agency: “I condemn this outrageous act and have followed up on the matter through the necessary channels. The authorities are also investigating this incident.”

Do not be surprised that “Negar Moazam”, who on Friday, May 27, in a tourist group in the neighborhood of “Hardeh” or “Pain Deh” in the historic village of Abiyaneh, was singing to entertain her companions, received a summons. Of course, this is not the first time that the Islamic Republic has shown a reaction to the presentation of women’s art, especially in the music industry; because they believe that listening to a woman’s voice by a stranger is forbidden.

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The opinion of religious authorities regarding the prohibition of women’s voices.

Taking precedence from the constitution is not a new matter for the sources of emulation. Even before the revolution of 1979, if necessary, the sources of emulation could easily bypass the law by issuing a “fatwa”. The root of the ban on women singing also goes back to the opinion of the sources of emulation, and some of them declared it forbidden.

On the website of the Center for Studies and Answering Doubts of the Qom Seminary, in response to the question of whether it is forbidden to listen to a woman’s voice, it is stated: “All jurists have considered the singing of women – if it is for entertainment – to be forbidden. However, some jurists, such as Imam Khomeini, the Supreme Leader, and Ayatollah Golpayegani, have made an exception for one case, which is singing at a wedding – not at the marriage ceremony or religious gatherings – as long as non-mahram men do not hear it. Other jurists, such as Ayatollah Makarem and Ayatollah Sistani, have stated that even at weddings, women are not allowed to sing.”

But what kind of magic is hidden in a woman’s voice that it must remain hidden? The scholars of Qom seminary have said on their website in response to this question: “If a woman’s beauty is accompanied by her singing, it will lead to social abnormalities. As mentioned in the narrations, the issue of adultery is not just related to the reproductive organs, but also the ears, eyes, and other parts of the body. In jurisprudence, a distinction is made between the voices of men and women; a woman’s voice is like her face, one of her beauties, and if it is expressed – like a woman appearing unveiled in the street – it will lead to unlawful desires. Therefore, this Quranic ruling is for the prevention of social problems.”

“Negar Moazam” was also summoned to court based on the same perspective. It is not hidden that she was ridiculed in several ways; because she covered a famous song by Shahre Sohrab, an old and famous Iranian singer who lives in Los Angeles.

Citizenship Rights Charter

On the other hand, I see that the Citizen’s Rights Charter, which was signed by the President in the eleventh government, is completely contrary to the views of the authorities and the performance of the legislator in this regard. According to Articles 12 and 13, paragraph P, the Citizen’s Rights Charter – which is dedicated to the right to freedom and security of citizens – states: “The personal and public freedoms of citizens are inviolable. No citizen can be deprived of these freedoms. Restricting these freedoms is only done to the extent necessary and by law.”

Every citizen has the right to be safe in terms of life, property, dignity, legal rights, judicial rights, employment, social rights, and similar rights. No authority should violate or threaten the security, rights, and legitimate freedoms of citizens and their dignity and honor. Illegal actions in the name of providing public security – especially invasion of people’s privacy – are prohibited.

According to domestic news agencies in Iran, Seyed Ahmad Najibi, the responsible person of the cultural heritage site of Abiyaneh historical village, considers himself entitled to set limits and boundaries for tourists during their leisure time, without paying any attention to the Charter of Citizens’ Rights. Regarding the performance of Nigar Moazam’s singing in Abiyaneh, he said: “This program was held in the afternoon in the neighborhood of “Hardeh” and when the protection unit of the cultural heritage site and the officials of Abiyaneh municipality were patrolling the village, they encountered this group. Despite not having legal authority to intervene in such matters, they reprimanded them and demanded the program to end, which resulted in the program being cancelled.”

But the matter did not end here and the prosecutor of Natanz also took a strong stance and said: “This lady has shared 200 videos on her Instagram channel with these themes (music) and we are the first city to react to this bitter incident.”

Although religious authorities, extremists, and even lawmakers have joined hands and imposed restrictions on every moment of people’s lives, and have not stopped their efforts to push women to the margins of society, we see that none of these protests have resulted in the silencing of women’s voices in Iranian music. It could be said that the Islamic Republic has not achieved its desired result in its confrontation with women, and Iranian women have crossed the government’s red lines many times. Many women and girls, both inside and outside the country, professionally engage in traditional, pop, and classical music.