By insisting that permits for cultural activities are always issued in line with Islamic values, Iranian official Ali Jannati defended recent decisions taken by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance on January 13.
“Competent, experienced” experts consider applications for concerts, theater performances and film screenings, Jannati said, and the ministry stands behind their decisions.
The comments followed a series of bans on music concerts across the country, including in Bushehr, Shiraz and Tehran. Speaking to a group of artists and intellectuals in Bushehr Province, Jannati said, that, “Under the present circumstances, others should not consider themselves to be more Muslim than we are, as we are fully familiar with our religion and Islam,” referring to the Hezbollah Umah protesters who demonstrated in Bushehr. The protests led to the postponement of one concert and the cancelation of two others.
According to the Khaleej-e Fars website, the Culture and Islamic Guidance chief said the ministry followed the criteria set out by the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. “The Leader prohibits any genre of music that is provocative or drives people away from God,” he said. In general, he said, traditional Iranian music did not fall under this category. Most of the music coming out of Bushehr is “inspired by the works of famous Iranian poets filled with deep mystical meanings,” he added.
“I respectfully tell all those friends who feel a religious responsibility in this regard that we are ready to hold a dialogue with them with patience and tolerance. There is no other way.”
Jannati also briefly spoke about films that should for the most part be screened. “It is unfortunate when certain people prevent the screening of movies with considerable expenditure,” he said, pointing at the potential loss of revenue for those working in the film industry or who run cinemas.
The minister also reminded the group that the government was considering a new bill, which, if approved, will allow governmental bodies to allocate a percentage of their budget to purchasing and promoting artistic works.
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