Cultural Censorship in Iran
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Music in Iran is strictly censored due to its controversial status within Islam and the perception of it as a harmful and toxic branch of westernisation. If these problems are not addressed then the frustration of musicians will further escalate. Each president of the Islamic Republic of Iran has formed his own Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and they have all had differing opinions concerning music, drawing upon the diverse and often contradictory views of religious scholars and clerics to justify their policies. Drawing on different religious interpretations or fatwas to suit their own intentions has given the government the freedom to act however suits them. The conflicts and ambiguity between ruling authorities, religious authorities and the Iranian people have become even more evident following the 2009 presidential elections. Usually when attacks are levelled against music the ruling authorities make reference to religious fatwas in order to justify their stricture, but there is never any attempt to foster a dialogue between musicians and the religious authorities about the state of music in Iran. In an interview with ILNA news agency, Ali Akbar Moradi, a famous composer and tanbour player, said, “It has been the musicians themselves who have kept the flame of music burning for all these years. The cultural authorities have done nothing but exploit music for their own profit.�108 Moradi has asked parliament to clarify the legal status of music and has argued that the existence of numerous educational institutes for music throughout Iran demonstrates that most authorities have no problem with music progressing, particularly in an academic form. However, it is not clear why there are so many different sources informing decision-making in Iran, when only a small 108. ILNA, "Shajarian is Still Waiting for Permission to Distribute His Album," Iranian Labour News Agency, March 8, 2011, http://www.ilna.ir/newstext. aspx?ID=184098.