The 'Taqche' Reading Platform Has Been Filtered; Experts Warn of Despair and Youth Emigration

Following the shutdown of businesses in Iran, particularly startups, under the pretext of combating 'improper hijab', a sociologist warned of a new wave of despair and emigration from Iran. Mohammad Fazeli, a researcher and sociologist, stated: 'If there are still those in the government who have even a slight interest in Iran, they must stop the closure of digital businesses, as these businesses are the last bastion of hope for Iranian youth, and if they collapse, despair and emigration will rise to such an extent that you will need a magnifying glass to find an Iranian youth.' On Tuesday, August 1, users of the 'Taqche' application, which focuses on books and reading, found it inaccessible. In response, the 'Taqche online bookstore and audiobook and e-book download platform' sent a notification to its users stating that it had been filtered 'without prior notice' and emphasized that all users' books and library subscriptions were preserved. The Ministry of Culture cited the lack of a permit as the reason for filtering this platform, but experts rejected this claim, stating that not only was Taqche's permit visible on the Ministry's website, but its multiple collaborations with state media, the Ministry of Culture (International Book Fair), Tehran Municipality, and several other institutions indicated the inaccuracy of the Ministry's claim. This filtering and closure, which occurred under the pretext of a photo of Taqche employees in social media with optional hijab, faced significant reactions on social media. Rasoul Jafariyan, a writer and historian, wrote on social media: 'Taqche itself is a symbol of progress in digital libraries, a task that neither the National Library nor any other library has accomplished and is among our cultural weaknesses. Now, considering Taqche's good explanations and my understanding of it, I must say that it was not treated well.' Somayeh Tawhidloo, a social studies researcher, also wrote: 'The inaccessibility of Taqche means burning down the house for a handkerchief, meaning the unimportance of awareness, knowledge, and reading, and exaggerating a small matter and its spread to the primary issue. It means the unimportance of businesses for the government, meaning stubbornness, and woe to the day when a government is stubborn against its people.' Previously, other platforms such as 'Azki' and 'Digikala' had faced warnings and closures due to the type of employee dress code they adopted. Ali Sharifi Zarqi, a professor at Sharif University of Technology, who faced government wrath for supporting protesting students during last year's nationwide protests, tweeted in protest of these actions: 'Even Saudi Arabia understood, but you did not, and you have taken an axe to the fledgling technology ecosystem. Go ahead! You will force even the young people who have stayed to emigrate and turn the land of treasures into a burnt territory with plundered resources and a hopeless generation, from which even your own children will flee.'