Danish Dari German Spanish French Turkish Arabic
Click here to go to start page Click here to go to start page
Search Sort content by country/region Sort content by artist Sort content by subject
News stories world-wide
News 2011
News 2010
News 2009
News 2008
News 2007
News 2006
News 2005
News 2004
News 2003
News 2002
News 2001
About music censorship
About Freemuse
Publications
Study room
Activities
Links
Press room

NEWS
31 May 2010

Iran:
Authorities warn about punishments
for playing banned music in taxis


If taxi drivers play banned music in their taxis, it could lead to cancellation of their taxi permit and confiscation of their cars, warned a government official.

This was reported to Radio Free Europe by Golnaz Esfandiari.

Rasul Abbasi, the director-general for transportation and traffic coordination of Iran's municipalities, told the Borna news agency that if taxi drivers play banned music in their taxis, they would be dealt with according to the law, which could lead to the cancellation of their taxi permit and confiscation of their cars. He said that the law in this regard has not been implemented for the past few years, and called on the managers of organisations supervising taxis in Iran to oversee the performance of their drivers.

Scepticism
Radio Free Europe’s Radio Farda broadcaster Elahe Ravanshad asked a taxi driver in Tehran, Moshtaq, what he thinks about the director-general’s comments. The taxi driver replied:

“It is one of the most important human rights for one to be able to choose what he listens to and no one has the authority to determine that. What would one want to listen to in his free time, for instance, whether banned or not. Who is the one to actually decide what should be banned and what should not? On what basis is this determined?”

Moshtaq also said that he doesn't believe officials can force taxi drivers not to play banned music in their cars.

“Obviously, it will not be effective. Such a law exists for drivers who are employed by government agencies, they're not allowed to play banned music in their cars. But they do. When a driver wants to listen to his favorite music, he would do anything. A flash drive is most convenient for them as it doesn't take more space than a key; they would connect it to the stereo in their car anytime they want and listen to their favorite music.”

Banned music
Most forms of Western music and Iranian pop music are banned in Iran. Yet many Iranians listen to banned music and CDs of banned music, from rock to hip hop and Los Angeles-produced Iranian pop music, are widely available on the black market.


Click to read more about music in Iran on freemuse.org
Iran

Source

Radio Free Europe | Radio Liberty – 11 May 2010:
'Banned Music Banned'


Go to top
Related reading on freemuse.org

Iran: Arya – the Victor Jara of my Homeland
Iranian journalist and poet Sepideh Jodeyri compares the life and music of imprisoned musician Arya Aramnejad with Chile's revolutionary singer, Victor Jara.
12 January 2012
Iran: Singer Arya Armnejad arrested again
On 8 November 2011 singer Arya Armnejad was arrested when his home was raided by intelligent agents. Arya Armnejad was beaten and taken to the solitary confinement in the Intelligence Ministry’s detention center in Sari.
09 January 2012
Iran: Musicians are losing hope
Members of the Iranian electronic rock band The Casualty Process spoke in the US about being censored and suppressed by Iranian religious authorities
01 November 2011
Iran: New music censorship law
Mohammad Mirzamani, the General Director of the Music Office in the Ministry of Culture in Tehran, told that a new music censorship law is being prepared by the ministry
02 September 2011
Iran: How they rocked in Tehran before the revolution
On the occassion of two new albums with music of Kourosh and Googoosh, Jessica Hundley wrote an article for Los Angeles Times about music in Iran before the revolution
22 August 2011
Iran: Government bans famous Ramadan singer
The 70-year-old singer Mohammad Reza Shajarian’s beloved Ramadan song ‘Rabbana’ is banned by the Iranian authorities, reported BBC's Karen Zarindast from Iran
08 August 2011
USA/Cuba: Impossible Music Session 4 - Not appearing: Escuadrón Patriota
The 'Impossible Music Session' no 4 takes place on Friday 10 June 2011 at 8:00 PM in Pfizer Auditorium in Brooklyn, New York, USA
18 May 2011
Armenia / Iran: Banned live music thrives in neighbouring country
During the Persian New Year, posters advertising concerts by banned Iranian musicians can be seen all over Yerevan, capital of the ex-Soviet republic Armenia
30 March 2011
Iran: Iranian authorities inspired by the Nazis?
'Degenerate music' was a term used by the Nazis in Germany in the 1930s to describe certain forms of music. The same term is increasingly adapted by Iranian authorities
11 November 2010
Iran: Petition in support of 26 year-old Iranian musician
On 1 October 2010, an online petition in support of Iranian singer Arya Aramnejad was started. He was imprisoned for singing his famous song ‘Ali Barkhir’ (‘O Ali raise up’)
13 October 2010
Mahsa Vahdat
Two video interviews with Iranian singer Mahsat Vahdat. About women, religion, and music censorship in modern Iran
02 September 2010
Iran: Supreme leader discourages music
Music is ‘not compatible’ with the values of the Islamic Republic, announced Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on 2 August 2010
04 August 2010
Iran: No teaching of music in private schools
Teaching music in state schools is already prohibited in Iran. Now, the music ban also applies to Iran’s 16,000 private schools with 1.1 million students
07 June 2010
Iran: Authorities warn about punishments for playing banned music in taxis
If taxi drivers play banned music in their taxis, it could lead to cancellation of their taxi permit and confiscation of their cars, warned a government official
31 May 2010
Iran: 80 young people arrested at illegal concert
Iranian police detained 80 young men and women for "lustful pleasure-seeking" activities at an illegal concert, Tehran's chief prosecutor was quoted as saying
10 May 2010
Iran: Music from 'below the radar' distributed on free CD
A compilation of underground Iranian music, compiled by the music centre Bar-Ax, was published as a free bonus-CD with April-May 2010 issue of the music magazine Songlines
05 May 2010
Freemuse Award 2010: Winners honoured in London
The joint winners of the Freemuse Award 2010, Mahsa Vahdat and Ferhat Tunç, gave a short and impressive performance at the award ceremony in London
29 March 2010
Freemuse Award winners 2010: Mahsa Vahdat and Ferhat Tunç
Award ceremony held in London on 25 March 2010 in collaboration with Index on Censorship
22 March 2010
Iran: Concert banned because of presence of women musicians
Iranian authorities have cancelled a concert of traditional Iranian singer Homayoun Shajarian because two members of the band are women
24 February 2010
Iran: More than 20 musicians banned from radio
Government-owned radio stations in Iran have been ordered to stop broadcasting certain singers’ music and certain songs, reported Ilna and Iran Human Rights Voice.
30 November 2009