Dorri, the Deputy Culture Minister, had dedicated a further 300,000 GBP to purchasing more books about Ashura, justifying this act by stating, “Publishers and general libraries from all over the country have had an immensely positive response to the first purchasing order and this has resulted in the second order of books.”19 Yet how could these publishers, officials and libraries communicate with each other and express their support for this scheme when all of their offices are closed for three or four days surrounding Ashura? The Iranian government is dictating the types of books available for general consumption by financially and logistically supporting publishers it deems to be in line with its conservative ideology. This mass commissioning and purchasing of books, even though it may have received religious backing, is unlawful. The culture minister may only buy books from publishers if the Council for the Selection and Purchasing of Books has approved the order. However, Bahman Dorri bypassed this process and it remains unclear as to whether or not the selection process was fair among the many different religious publishers and authors who specialise in these kinds of books. The issue of mass book purchasing by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has always been a cause of dispute between publishers and the ministry. This is because the mass purchasing carried out by the Ministry of Culture financially supports publishers and promotes their work. However, Ahmadinejad’s government uses mass book purchasing to entice publishers and authors who are in line with the ideals of the regime. During the reform era, a list of the books martyrdom of Imam Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad at the Battle of Karbala. 19. KhabarOnline, "Mass Purchasing of Books about Ashura by Ministry of Culture," Khabar Online, December 17, 2010, http://www.khabaronline.ir/ news-116352.aspx.
Cultural Censorship in Iran
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