On Authorized and Unauthorized Celebrations

The ruling theocracy controls how people respond to public events, so that even scenes of jubilation are tightly scripted. We could have seen it coming, says Firouz Farzani

The Islamic Republic of Iran is the land of authorized celebrations.

After the Iranian volleyball team beat its US opponents last week, the handpicked male spectators took to the streets to celebrate. They honked their car horns, danced and hip-hopped, waved national flags and created traffic jams. State-run TV channels covered these jubilant scenes with enthusiasm.

But imagine for a moment that girls had been among the spectators. What if they’d dared to dance in the streets? 

Oh woe to Islam!  National security and the Islamic code of ethics would have been in grave jeopardy. Top clergymen in the holy city of Qom and other big cities would have issued fatwas. The Experts of the Assembly and parliamentarians would have made declaration after declaration, voicing their concerns about western corruption of Iranian traditions, and the American cultural assault.

In Iran’s diverse society, there are many subcultures. Just like anywhere else in the 21st century, people react differently to public events – athletic, national or religious. But in Iran, the ruling theocracy reserves the right to legitimize only a very few of these reactions.

A good example of this kind of “authorized” sentiment is the hatred of America. Everybody is free to express his or her view of the United States, provided it ends with the refrain “Death to America”.  This is an unspoken social contract between the theocracy and its subjects.

In religious matters, you – as an Iranian subject (and note that I don’t use the word “citizen” here) — are free to investigate any religion or cult, provided that, in the end, you come to the conclusion that “Twelfth Imam Shiism is the purest and the most orthodox religion of the world.”

In cinema and theater, Iranian journalists can cover the news – after a fashion.  For example, they could have reported that in America, the stage production Fun Home won the top prize at the Tony Awards. But they could not have discussed the subject matter of the play (originally a graphic novel): the relationship between a gay father and his lesbian daughter. Is it any wonder the picture of the West is so distorted in the Islamic Republic?

Intellectuals in Iran hold endless debates in their private lives about how and when this theocracy started to possess (intimidate?) the hearts and minds of its subjects. I say it was right from the beginning of the anti-Shah insurgency in 1978.

Back then, my Mother came home one day and announced to our household:

“I was in the vegetable market, when suddenly a bunch of youths took to the streets, commanding us to say ‘Death to the Shah!’ "

“So,” she added, “from now on, the only legitimate chant will be ‘Death to the Shah!’”.

Unfortunately, as a young man, I failed to  grasp the point my mom was making.

Later though, I saw what happened whenever Iranians dared express their feelings or vent their anger. The theocracy accused any and all opposition of being Americanized, or being stooges of other countries.

Belatedly, I realized that my mother had been the first to warn us that eastern despotism had taken root and was about to flourish.  Now, as an old man looking back, I lament the loss that my generation has suffered, and our own naiveté is to blame.

Originally published on June 25 2015.