Opponents of Concert Gather: 'Supporters of Alamolhoda Took to the Streets'

The newspapers Shargh, Iran, Etemad, Shahrvand, Farhikhtegan, Ebtekar, Hamdeli, Arman, Aftab Yazd, Afkar, Bani Film, Tejarat, Jam-e Jam, Rozan, and Mardomsalari dedicated their Saturday issues to the memory of Davood Rashidi, a prominent figure in cinema and theater, following his passing. The newspapers Javan, Jomhouri Islami, Khorasan, Vatan-e Emruz, Donya-ye Eghtesad, and several others reported Rashidi's death in one of their front-page columns, while some like Kayhan and Resalat did not mention the artist's passing at all. Etemad's headline read 'Farewell Mr. Theater', stating: 'Davood Rashidi, a pioneer of the memorable generation of cinema, theater, and television, has passed away.' Shargh also titled its piece 'He Was a Pillar', noting that while Rashidi is gone, his brilliant performances in 'Escape from the Trap' by Jalal Moghadam and films like 'Kando', 'The Monster Within', 'House of Spiders', 'Kamalolmolk', 'Bibi Chalcheleh', and 'Dahoudi Flowers' cannot be forgotten. Rashidi's role as 'Inspector Six-Fingered' in the unforgettable series 'Hezardastan' was unparalleled; with an expressionless face and mysterious smiles, he had a significant influence over the crowd. His earthly body has departed like any human from this world; however, his art will never fade away. Shahrvand published an unpublished interview with Rashidi under the title 'I Came, I Saw, I Left', quoting him as saying: 'You brought me to this position, and I believe there is nothing better than the love that people have for their artist.' 'I Came, I Saw, I Left' was also a common headline among several other newspapers on Saturday regarding Rashidi's death. Hamdeli stated that with Rashidi's passing, 'Iranian cinema is no longer five stars', while Rozan paid tribute to him with the title 'Goodbye Six-Fingered'. Iran newspaper published messages of condolence from political figures, including Hassan Rouhani, under the headline 'Silence of a Lasting Star'. Farhikhtegan, under the title 'Safe Travels, Master', noted that the farewell ceremony for Davood Rashidi would take place at the Vahdat Hall, stating that art lovers would bid farewell to him at 9 AM on Sunday, September 7. Shargh reported on 'Opponents of Concerts Rallying Against the Government', stating: 'Supporters of Alamolhoda took to the streets.' According to this newspaper, the Coordination Council of Hezbollah Forces announced on Wednesday that a large gathering of defenders of the Razavi shrine would take place after Friday prayers in defense of the spiritual identity of Mashhad and in support of the revolutionary cleric, Hojjatoleslam Alamolhoda. Reports indicate that the slogans of this rally were read by Hamid Ostad, the head of Hezbollah in Mashhad, and the statement was recited by Hossein Allahkaram. Shargh also reported that participants in the Mashhad gathering chanted: 'Death to the plunderer of public assets, shame on you. Our Minister of Culture, shame on you. Defenders of the shrine fight with Daesh, deviants in the parliament fight with this shrine. The devil's foot must be cut off from Mashhad, the concert of amusement must be canceled. The sacred precinct of Mashhad is not a place for amusement, under this dome there is no place for amusement.' The statement of the 'Defenders of the Razavi Shrine' also stated: 'In disbelief, we heard during the birth to the special pilgrimage of Imam Reza that the second deputy of the Islamic Consultative Assembly denied the existence of a sanctuary for Imam Reza. Therefore, we, the marchers, express our disgust at these positions and demand the expulsion of Ali Motahari from the Islamic Consultative Assembly.' Shargh also noted that Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, once again stated in his sermon that the government should be careful not to have the label of 'cultural laxity' on its forehead, saying: 'It is contradictory to the blood of martyrs that at any time in any field, some individuals who are themselves the custodians of culture defend laxity.' Arman reported on 'The Gathering of Shrouded Protesters to Cancel the Nazari Concerts' in the city of Taft in Yazd province, stating: 'Shahram Nazari performed on stage in Taft on Thursday night, September 4, despite the gathering of opponents and various rumors circulating on social media, although 'the concert of this Iranian music singer, which was supposed to start at 8 PM on Thursday, was held with delays and many complications due to the gathering of opponents, some of whom were shrouded.' According to this newspaper, the protesters 'held prayers in front of the concert hall and recited Dua-e Kumayl to express their objection to the concert organizers', while 'Telegram calls and other rumors created a tense atmosphere in Taft, even leading to news of the concert's cancellation.' However, 'strangely, images of a large crowd reciting Dua-e Kumayl circulated on social media, which were from last year and a different location, unrelated to what was happening in front of the Quds Hall.' Arman also reported on a letter signed by three thousand musicians addressed to Hassan Rouhani, stating that the signatories criticized the remarks of Ali Jannati, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and welcomed the President's stance against law violations, writing to the President: 'We are glad that you finally reacted to the illegal remarks of your appointed Minister of Culture regarding the acceptance of the ban on music concerts in Mashhad; a reaction, albeit late, albeit verbal, and in a gathering and unrelated situation. Better late than never, but be aware that it is very likely that delays may lead to situations that can only be resolved with 'never' and 'no time', and you, who have the powers of the executive presidency of the country, know well that the responsibility for the consequences of delays rests with those who have the authority.' In another part of the letter, active figures in the music field warned about the possibility of 'weakening the rule of national law' and 'normalizing feudalism'. The Arman newspaper emphasized that 'musicians have long come to terms with every form of restriction; however, music has become a pressing issue for many', stating: 'In the three years since the government of hope and prudence began, those concerned about music have used it as a pretext to tune their opposition to the elected government of the people. One day they raise the issue of female singers in concerts, and the next day they do not allow female musicians to attend concerts! However, for some time now, the cultural arena has become somewhat federalized.' This newspaper reminded that 'the story of concerts and their holding began in Mashhad, which has now spread to other cities as well. In this context, the Minister of Culture, in the midst of the concert cancellation crisis, gave the opponent the right and left the door open, an action that even drew the President's complaint and with admonition, obliged the Minister to comply with the law.' Etemad reported on the oil minister's threat to expose corruption, quoting Bijan Namdar Zanganeh as saying: 'Some are trying to prevent investment in the country; if necessary, I will announce their names and where they receive orders from.' According to this newspaper, the oil minister, citing numerous instances of 'financial corruption' and 'indiscipline and violations' in this ministry during the previous government, stated: 'This factor has caused the oil ministry to be over $50 billion in debt today, resulting from indiscriminate payments in a short period; because in the past, payments were made to contractors for work not done without any principles. For example, a contractor who had 60% progress in his project was paid 90% of the payment; this created no incentive for continued work, and these indisciplines caused some to embezzle money and take advantage of the sanctions.' Bijan Namdar Zanganeh also commented on the 'oil tanker case', stating: 'This issue was a result of sanctions; a Greek individual was supposed to buy tankers for us in his name, but there were problems in delivering some of the tankers, and he has not returned our money either.' Now 'although the Greek investor claims he has done nothing wrong and was on the US sanctions list at the time of purchasing the tankers, he has taken part of the money and committed violations.' Iran newspaper highlighted the statements of Mahmoud Alavi, the Minister of Intelligence, regarding 'preventing 1500 young Iranians from joining ISIS', stating: 'More than 1500 young Iranians who intended to join ISIS were identified, invited, and sometimes we called them back, and based on the position of the Quran and the Prophet, we spoke to them and prevented them from joining ISIS.' According to this newspaper close to the government, Mahmoud Alavi made these remarks during a trip to Qom, stating: 'As we move forward, conspiracies have increased to the point where we have gone from discovering a terrorist team once a month to discovering terrorist teams within a week.' He even mentioned that 'the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC eliminated a team led by Abu Aisha Kurdi, one of the terrorist leaders, and seized all their equipment.' Vatan-e Emruz, close to the Front of Steadfastness, featured the headline 'Astronomical Salaries for Terrorist Operations', stating: 'The Minister of Intelligence reported on Saudi Arabia's significant investment in forming 12 ten-member groups for sabotage in Iran.' This newspaper reported that Mahmoud Alavi, in a meeting of the Administrative Council of Qom province, stated: 'One of the Saudi intelligence organizations has formed 12 ten-member teams for sabotage, allocating $500,000 for each operation and considering $2,000 to $3,000 monthly for each individual, and in case of their death, $10,000 will be paid to their families.' Hamdeli, however, quoted Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, regarding the status of Tehran-Riyadh relations, stating: 'The path for dialogue between Iran and Saudi Arabia is open', and besides Israel, 'we do not close the door for dialogue with any country', and 'we have even talked with the US', but 'currently there is no dialogue between Iran and Saudi Arabia.' According to this newspaper, Ali Shamkhani, in an interview with Russia Al-Youm TV, listed the actions of Saudi Arabia over the past years, saying: 'Despite these actions, we have exercised restraint because our strategy is not to fall into such traps set by third parties; parties whose interests lie in conflict between us.' The Javan newspaper, close to the IRGC, highlighted another part of Ali Shamkhani's remarks, quoting him as saying: 'The Americans have no commitment to the spirit of the JCPOA' and 'we are not afraid of the consequences of disrupting the JCPOA.' This newspaper also reported that Ali Shamkhani, in response to the question 'Why did Russian bombers use the Hamadan base and why did this cooperation suddenly end?' stated: 'The recent operation was conducted with the cooperation of Iranian military advisors, Russian air support, and effective participation of the Syrian army on the ground. This operation required that some of Iran's capabilities be utilized for a specific and limited time. The use of these capabilities took place at the Hamadan base and ended there.' The Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council emphasized that 'this type of military cooperation between Iran and Russia was based on the battlefield developments in Syria' and stated: 'The resumption of this type of cooperation in the future will also depend on the battlefield developments in Syria, so it is possible that we will cooperate with Russia in this regard again.' The Javan newspaper also quoted Ali Shamkhani as saying: 'The relationship between Iran and Russia is a strategic relationship; Russia under Putin, meaning the new Russia, has an independent identity and a different shape from the pre-Putin Russia.' Iran newspaper reported on 'The donation of the liver and kidneys of the last surviving soldier from the 05 Kerman barracks from the Laye Rose incident in Neyriz', stating: 'The organs of Vahid Halaj, a 24-year-old soldier, were donated last Thursday at Namazi Hospital in Shiraz.' Vahid Halaj suffered a brain injury and fell into a coma during the overturning of a bus carrying soldiers from the 05 Kerman barracks, which left at least 13 dead, and now his mother, Mahbubeh Roozitalab, told Iran newspaper: 'Vahid was hospitalized in the ICU of Shahid Rajaei Hospital for 63 days, and 'during the accident, he suffered a brain injury until last Tuesday morning when he suffered cardiac arrest and ultimately, with the efforts of the medical team, he was revived. He was supposed to be taken to surgery that morning, but his doctor announced that Vahid was brain dead', and upon the decision to donate, 'on Thursday morning, the kidneys and liver of the 24-year-old soldier from Shiraz were donated at Namazi Hospital in Shiraz.'