Expulsion from the Scene; New Restrictions on Women's Participation in Music

The prohibition of women's presence at several music concerts over the past week has imposed new restrictions on women's activities in this field. Preventing a female daf player from continuing her performance on stage at Salar Aghili's concert and also barring 'Farganeh Qasemi' from performing alongside her father are among the latest examples of restrictions placed on women's activities in music in Iran. Last week, Salar Aghili's group first performed in the city of Bojnurd and then, at the suggestion of the General Directorate of Culture and Guidance of Khorasan, it was decided that this group would also hold a concert in Shandiz. This happened on Tuesday, January 22, but after the first piece was performed, one of the officials asked the group to ensure that Ms. Harir Shariatzadeh, the daf player, would not be on stage for the subsequent pieces. In this regard, and after this incident, Mohammad Reza Kermani, Salar Aghili's manager, told Fars News Agency: 'Everyone knows Ms. Shariatzadeh; she has an independent artistic personality and is a descendant of a famous master. We expected her to not be treated this way.' Mr. Kermani further stated: 'All necessary permits for this concert and the approval of all the individuals present in this performance were obtained from the Khorasan Culture and Guidance Department, and the officials of this department had promised us that the concert would not face any problems.' According to Salar Aghili's manager, Ms. Shariatzadeh did not even have a problem with her attire and appeared in appropriate clothing for the program. On the other hand, the first night of the Tehran Wind Orchestra concert featuring 'Alim Qasimov' and his daughter 'Farganeh Qasimov' as a backing vocalist was held last Sunday night at the Vahdat Hall in Tehran. In this concert, the famous Azerbaijani singer performed various pieces alongside his daughter, and the Tehran Wind Orchestra also played. 'I respect the laws of Iran, but nowhere in the world are such behaviors applied to female artists,' said Alim Qasimov. However, on the third night of this performance, Alim Qasimov's concert was overshadowed by events, and while it was close to cancellation, with the intervention of some officials, it was held with an hour and a half delay at the Vahdat Hall, on the condition that 'Farganeh Qasimov' (Alim Qasimov's daughter) would not be on stage. According to the 'Music Ma' website, the producers of this concert received warnings an hour before the program began, with the presence of officials from the police's venue department and their objections regarding the presence of 'Farganeh Qasimov,' and the program was on the verge of cancellation. While more than an hour and a half had passed since the announced time and many people were waiting outside the Vahdat Hall behind closed doors, the mediation of some figures allowed the police's venue department officials to permit entry to the public on the condition of removing the daughter of this famous Azerbaijani singer, so that the concert could proceed with a different schedule and manner compared to the previous two nights. Alim Qasimov finally took the stage after a long delay, and while none of the wind orchestra musicians were on stage, he performed alone with his tar player. At the beginning of the program, apologizing to all present, he said to the audience: 'I respect the laws of Iran, but nowhere in the world are such behaviors applied to female artists.' According to the 'Music Ma' website, during this concert, 'Farganeh Qasimov,' who had been sitting backstage and around the stage throughout the program, was giving her father energy with a smile and, in a conversation with 'Music Ma' about the strange events of this concert, said: 'Let me not comment on this matter. For now, my father is on stage, and I need to focus on him. In any case, this performance was improvised, and he was in a situation that was completely unforeseen.' She also responded to the question of whether she had ever witnessed such an event in programs she had held around the world, stating: 'Not at all; this is the first time I have faced such an atmosphere, and I am not in a good mental state right now and need to help and give energy to my father on stage. My last sentence is that you have kind people. The first two nights of the program were extraordinary for me. You should appreciate these art-loving people.' In recent weeks, several other concerts have also been canceled, and even the exit of one of the Iranian composers from Iran has been prevented. On the other hand, Sina Zokayi, the head of the Tehran Wind Orchestra, took to the podium at the end of this program and, while apologizing to all present in the hall for the incidents that occurred, expressed his regret and sadness, along with the members of the group, to the audience and apologized for the issues that arose. In recent weeks, several other concerts have also been canceled, and even the exit of one of the Iranian composers from Iran has been prevented. Majid Derakhshani, a tar player and Iranian composer, learned on January 5 that he had been banned from leaving Iran when he intended to travel to Dubai. The Tehran-based newspaper 'Etemad' reported that Mr. Derakhshani was questioned by police officers at Imam Khomeini Airport, and his passport was confiscated. In this regard, Majid Derakhshani told 'Etemad' that the officers took his passport and asked him to refer to the passport office for follow-up, stating that his case would be sent to the prosecutor's office. This prominent tar master cited the widespread dissemination of videos in which female singers perform solo with complete hijab as the reason for his exit ban. On the other hand, in recent weeks, the concert of the 'Lian' group, which had previously faced problems in Bushehr, was canceled in Shiraz, and Sirvan Khosravi was also not allowed to hold a concert in Bushehr. All of this is happening while there is about a month left until the Fajr Music Festival and the presence of some foreign groups in Iran. It remains to be seen what measures the festival officials will take regarding potential objections from some institutions regarding the performances of various groups, both male and female, at this year's festival.