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Iran: Glimpses of a forbidden
world
By Syed Saleem Shahzad
TEHRAN - One consequence of the recent clashes
between pro-reform students and the clerical
establishment is that reformists groups have gained a
vantage from which they now dominate the political
conversation in Iran.
Some analysts are of the
view that those reforms which can be carried out in
Iranian society already have been carried out, and that
the hardliners cannot allow progress beyond the point
that has been reached without risking the legitimacy of
the regime itself.
One point that may bear
mentioning is that tolerance is an essential element of
the Iranian psyche, something that history has woven
into the very national fabric. Iran has always been a
composite mosaic that throughout history has maintained
a uniquely Iranian character. Whether it was Zoroastrian
Iran, Muslim Iran or the present post-Islamic
revolutionary Iran, the basic trends in the arts and
crafts, poetry and music have remained the same, with
slight deviations.
Historically speaking,
Iranian culture and civilization have never thrown off
their many historical influences. Even trends that did
not originate within Iran but which were imposed on the
culture from outside have never been cast aside, per se,
nor yet assimilated, but rather beautifully and politely
isolated and insulated.
Keeping this perspective
of Iranian culture and civilization in mind, it is
interesting to observe how politely, honorably and
without undue noise Iranians have defied the hardline
social policies while quietly molding them in a more
modern light.
Take satellite dishes, for
example. Satellite channels that telecast Western music,
fashion trends, sex, etc, are officially banned in Iran.
Officially, the Iranian government provides seven
channels, of which the only window for foreign
entertainment is sports. Otherwise, Iranian family TV
offers mostly dramas that deal with social issues.
In every hotel or public place, only these seven
state-owned channels are telecast. Not so in Iranians'
private homes, though. The electronics market at
Khayaban-i-Jamhori Islami is a known venue for
purchasing Iranian-made dishes with imported receivers
that can get foreign TV channels. It is believed that 80
percent of Iranians see these channels at home; those
who do not are those who cannot afford it. These dishes
are not put on display, but it is an open secret where
the few shops are located that provide them. A contact
or reference from a previous buyer is essential, as is
advance payment, after which a dish is delivered to a
given address.
These dish antennas are in fact
the greatest US infiltration into Iranian homes. As most
Iranians do not speak English, there five Persian
channels are operated from the US by Iranians in exile.
These Iranians have formed several cultural groups which
display everything available on most Western channels.
The only difference is the language. These channels
telecast entertainment programs and also talk shows -
including some that argue against the Islamic government
of Iran.
On Nasir Khusru Avenue, dozens of youth
stand from morning till late in the evening, apparently
selling medicines. In fact, they are the source of
access to all kinds of banned Indian movies dubbed in
Persian, as well as Persian-dubbed US films and CDs
produced by expatriate Iranians. These activities are
common everywhere, including under the nose of police
officials.
Nina, 27, provides an example of
another kind of social pleasure that is only now
returning to modern Tehran. Nina lives in Arya Shehr, in
the north of Tehran, an upper-class locality, where she
arranges a virtual nightclub at her home. Music, liquor
and home-made opium are a few of the forbidden pleasures
available to patrons, often wealthy Iranians and their
foreign friends. Nina's virtual nightclub is
underground, of course - but not completely. It's part
of the a phenomenon that is well known to Iranian
officials. Indeed, a top Iranian official interviewed by
this correspondent admitted this, saying that the
government's aim is to eliminate such un-Islamic trends
through motivation, not suppression.
After the
1979 revolution, the Imam Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini
crushed the trends of modernity, and he did it with
Iranian hands. Only in the past five years has a
moderate Iranian policy provided room for these trends
to flourish again. There is no doubt that these trends
are now well settled everywhere, and people are not
going to give them up, either by motivation or by force.
(©2002 Asia Times Online Co, Ltd. All rights
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