Ministry of Culture: We Cannot Resist Concert Cancellations

The spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Culture stated that the ministry cannot resist the actions of "officials" in canceling concerts that face "controversy." On Saturday, January 17, in an interview with ILNA, Hossein Nooshabadi emphasized that ministry managers in provinces must coordinate with "judicial, intelligence, and other officials" for holding concerts. He noted that concerts held in venues not owned by the Ministry of Culture might be canceled by officials who determine that they could face controversies. "We cannot resist the executors and those who perform programs," he added. Nooshabadi also mentioned that managers are required to coordinate with judicial and intelligence officials, but in provinces where this coordination is lacking, an entity intervenes, causing delays or even cancellations of concerts. The state news agency IRNA reported on January 15 that 20 concerts had been canceled in the past year. In recent weeks, several concerts have been canceled, and some have faced controversies. In the latest instance, on Tuesday evening, January 23, a concert by Azerbaijani singer Alim Qasimov was nearly canceled but went on stage with a one-and-a-half-hour delay due to the intervention of some officials, on the condition that his daughter, Farghana Qasimova, would not perform. Additionally, after controversies surrounding the concert of the "Lian" group in Bushehr and a gathering by a group calling themselves "Ummah of Hezbollah," their performance scheduled for January 21 and 22 in Shiraz was also canceled. The spokesperson announced the ministry's plan to sign a memorandum of understanding with the police regarding concert organization, stating that with this agreement, concert cancellations would no longer be witnessed. He added, "This news is very unfortunate for us. We are trying to reach an understanding with other agencies that have responsibilities at the provincial level if necessary." Ismail Ahmadi Moghadam, the police commander, stated that officers request "amounts" for organizing concerts. He emphasized that some hold concerts for economic gain, causing traffic and security issues, which requires police presence outside their duty hours. Nooshabadi also mentioned plans to utilize the opinions of religious seminaries to ensure that they understand the frameworks being considered, indicating that not everyone who requests a permit will receive it immediately. Ali Jannati, Iran's Minister of Culture, referred to the "jurisprudential" views of Ayatollah Khamenei, stating that the ministry prevents the performance of music deemed "vulgar" and any cultural or artistic activities considered "trivial."