Analysis by PMOI/MEK
Iran, May 29, 2019 – The misogynist regime of Iran bans women musicians from performing in public concerts.
Iran’s Labor News Agency, ILNA, reported on May 23rd that a traditional music group was scheduled to play at one of the largest annual charity programs in the northwestern city of Qazvin on Thursday, May 22nd.
The performance was supposed to take place at the auditorium of the Azad University of Qazvin. But shortly before the start of the program, Moussa Khani, the university president ordered the female musicians out of the group saying they are barred from performing. The women weren’t even allowed to join the audience to watch their fellow male musicians perform.
This prompted many of the musicians to leave the auditorium in protest, according to the ILNA news.
Ahmad Shokri, the organizer of the charity event told the news agency that: “The group female musicians is the most respected traditional music group in Qazvin province who agreed to perform for the charity for free. But in the middle of the event, by the order of the dean of Azad University of Qazvin, they were prohibited to perform on the stage.”
“They were not even allowed to sit in the audience, which prompted many of the artists to leave the event in protest,” he added.
The fundamentalist regime ruling Iran cracks down on any art performance under the pretext of religious codes. But women, in particular, are the most repressed by this misogynist regime. Women artists, be it in theaters, music bands, or even in sports are barred from openly performing. Women are not allowed to perform as vocalists wherever there are male audiences. Women are even barred from entering sports stadiums where men athletes are competing. The monopolized state-run TV never shows musical instruments.
In February 2019, a pop group was banned by Iran’s religious police after a female guitarist sang a 12-second solo at their concert in Tehran.
In another development on May 17, 2019, a female singer by the name of Negar Moazzam was placed under surveillance by the Prosecutor’s Office of Isfahan Province for her solo singing during a sightseeing tour to the historical village of Abyaneh.
Since the mullahs took power in Iran in 1979, women have been banned from singing in public and their performances have always been censored. Female singers were forced to stay home and many left the country.
