Ministry of Culture: No concert was held in Qom, only a few revolutionary songs were performed

After Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpayegani, a Shia cleric, called for serious action against concert organizers in Qom, the director of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in the city stated that no concerts have been held in Qom. According to the Hawzah news agency, Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani, during a meeting with the Secretary General of the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice and officials in Qom, said: "The sanctity of Qom must be preserved, and you should not remain silent on this matter." He added: "The hearts of Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his appearance) are affected by music and concerts, and you, the promoters of virtue, should create conditions for the satisfaction of Imam Mahdi by confronting and preventing this great vice." In response to these remarks, Hojjat al-Islam Abbas Daneshi, the director of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in Qom, stated on Friday that the program held on Tuesday night at the Shahid Avini Hall by the Temple group and under the responsibility of the Qom Music Association was not a concert in any form. Daneshi added that during this event, several revolutionary songs related to the Sacred Defense, culture of sacrifice and martyrdom, and the Eid of Mubahala were performed, utilizing the esteemed poetry of poets such as Hafez and Rumi. He further stated that what is currently being referred to as a concert was a ceremony for the Sacred Defense and Eid of Mubahala, and evidence for this claim is that there was no promotional activity in social media or urban spaces regarding a concert, while concerts typically involve heavy advertising and multiple performances. He emphasized: "No requests for concerts or music performances have been submitted in the holy city of Qom, and we have not issued any permits for them so far." This is not the first time a cleric has opposed the holding of music concerts in an Iranian city. Previously, Ahmad Alamolhoda, representative of Ali Khamenei in Razavi Khorasan province and Friday prayer leader in Mashhad, stated on August 13 that Mashhad is not a tourist city where "entertainment centers" should be developed, and "concerts cannot be held next to the Imam Reza shrine." He explicitly added, "Concerts cannot be held in the city of Imam Reza, and there should be no bargaining on this issue with the people or some short-sighted officials." The police and judiciary in Mashhad have long refrained from issuing permits for any concerts or have repeatedly canceled music concerts, including those of Kayan Kalhor and Shahram Nazeri, despite these concerts having permits from the Ministry of Culture. The confrontation between the executive and judicial branches regarding concert organization in Mashhad has reached a point where in mid-August, Gholamali Sadeghi, the prosecutor of Mashhad, announced that, by the decision of the Khorasan Razavi judiciary, no concerts would be held in the province until a "framework" for organizing concerts is determined by the provincial cultural council. Alamolhoda had threatened in July that the judiciary would not allow "the Islamic Republic of Iran to become a center for the development of corruption and vice."