Iran's Minister of Culture: The Main Cause of Concert Cancellations in Khorasan Razavi is Ayatollah Alam al-Huda

Ali Jannati states that the issuance of concert permits is the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture, but adds that the main reason for the cancellation of concerts in Khorasan Razavi is Ayatollah Alam al-Huda. According to IRNA news agency, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Iran said in an interview with reporters on Thursday, September 4, that the cancellation of concerts in Mashhad is against the government's opinion and that this city should be treated like other regions. He identified Ayatollah Ahmad Alam al-Huda, the representative of the Supreme Leader in Khorasan Razavi and the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, as the main obstacle to holding concerts in Mashhad, stating that he does not even allow traditional and local concerts to be held. Jannati called interference in concert organization 'unacceptable' and added: 'Due to the opposition in Mashhad, including from the esteemed Friday prayer leader, they are preventing concerts from being held in some cities of Khorasan Razavi, which is not correct.' The Minister of Culture of Iran announced that he is consulting with the judiciary to remove obstacles and emphasized that actions should be based on the law. He also stated that concert organizers are responsible for maintaining the security of the venue and preserving 'Islamic decorum,' while the police are responsible for ensuring security outside concert halls. The issue of canceling or opposing music concerts in Mashhad and other cities in Khorasan Razavi has recently become a contentious topic between President Hassan Rouhani's government and hardline conservatives. In the latest reactions, Ali Mozaffari, head of the judiciary in Khorasan Razavi, stated in an interview with the judiciary-affiliated news agency Mizan that the concert issue is 'just an excuse' and accused some high-ranking officials of focusing on concerts instead of economic issues. This judicial official's remarks seem to refer to comments made by Hassan Rouhani, who reacted to the recent events regarding the cancellation of concert permits in Khorasan Razavi by saying: 'Anyone who wakes up in the morning and finds a podium cannot legislate, and the minister should not comply because the minister must follow the law.' The newspaper 'Shargh' also reported that over three thousand musicians and journalists in this field have called on Hassan Rouhani to 'restore the dignity of the music community and revive the respect for musicians.' The signatories of this letter also demanded 'practical, clear, and binding action from the government and the Islamic Republic system to restore the aforementioned deprived right and to ensure that this situation does not recur.' Ahmad Alam al-Huda, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad and the representative of Ayatollah Khamenei in Khorasan Razavi, stated in his Friday sermon on August 22 that 'concerts cannot be held next to the dome of Imam Reza.' Following these comments from Ahmad Alam al-Huda and the announcement of the Ministry of Culture's withdrawal regarding the holding of concerts in Mashhad, six other Friday prayer leaders in other cities also called for the stopping or limiting of music concerts in their cities. At the same time, Hamid Reza Nourbakhsh, CEO of the House of Music of Iran, reported sending a letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei regarding the controversies surrounding concerts in several cities and expressed hope that 'this issue will end well.'