Governor of Khorasan Razavi: Announce the Ban on Concerts So Everyone Knows Their Status

On Tuesday, June 7, the Governor of Khorasan Razavi, Alireza Rashidian, stated that there is "no geographical limitation" in the law for holding concerts and requested the judiciary to announce any potential ban on concerts in the province so that "everyone knows their status." Simultaneously, the cultural deputy of the judiciary implicitly confirmed the ban on concerts in Khorasan Razavi. According to the state news agency IRNA, Rashidian mentioned that the issuance of concert permits by the government and their cancellation by the judiciary causes "confusion among the people and youth" and leads to the "mushrooming activities of underground music groups." He also urged the judiciary to announce the geographical limits and even the permissible and prohibited types of music for cities, or to state that "for example, concerts should not be held in Khorasan Razavi" so that "everyone knows their status." He noted that previously, the General Culture Council had banned concerts and "joy wars" within a 10-kilometer radius of the shrine of the eighth Shiite Imam, but some agencies and individuals reacted "very harshly" to the very idea of holding concerts in Mashhad and sought to involve religious seminaries and "scholars" in this matter. He did not specify the names of these agencies and individuals. In recent weeks, the prosecutor's office in Nishapur has canceled two concerts by Shahram Nazeri and one concert by Kayhan Kalhor. In April, a traditional music concert by Ali Zand Vakili in Shandiz, Mashhad was also canceled. The cancellation of these concerts led to protests from the government spokesperson and the House of Music of Iran. In recent years, Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, has opposed concerts in this city, resulting in the cancellation of several concerts in Mashhad and other cities in Khorasan Razavi. Alamolhoda described the holding of music concerts as "entertainment and disorder" and stated that since the entire city of Mashhad is the shrine of the eighth Shiite Imam, holding concerts there is considered "entertainment" in his shrine. Meanwhile, Minister of Culture Ali Jannati, in response to the cancellation of Kayhan Kalhor's concert on May 13, stated that concerts in Khorasan Razavi are held "with care and precautions." Hadi Sadqi, the cultural deputy of the judiciary, also confirmed in an interview that "yes, it is true; however, the main issue is that concerts are held in our country, and the percentage of concerts that are canceled does not even reach one percent." Sadqi mentioned that the reason for the cancellation of concerts is that "some individuals attending concerts do not comply" and that "the environment needs to be sanitized." Last year, Hassan Rouhani implicitly called for other institutions not to interfere in the holding of music concerts, but Sadeq Amoli Larijani, the head of the judiciary, responded by questioning whether it is acceptable to allow a concert to lead to joint dancing among youth. The judiciary's discussions in some cities have also been of this nature. Meanwhile, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance on June 5 described the interference of prosecutors and the judiciary as the "main obstacle" to holding some concerts and reported on correspondence with judicial officials for the execution of licensed concerts. On the same day, however, Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, criticized what he termed the "disorder of cultural institutions" during a meeting with representatives of the tenth parliament. In this context, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture stated that a coordinated movement is targeting the closure of concerts and warned about the "adverse effects" of canceling licensed concerts.