Not so ‘Happy’: Iranians arrested over YouTube hit

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Not so ‘Happy’: Iranians arrested over YouTube hit

AFP, TEHRAN

Wednesday, 21 May 2014

Police said on Tuesday they had arrested six Iranians suspected of posting a version of U.S. singer Pharrell Williams’####### song “Happy” on the Internet.

The clip shows three men and three unveiled women singing and dancing to the tune in the streets and on Tehran rooftops.

“After a vulgar clip which hurt public chastity was released in cyberspace, police decided to identify those involved in making that clip,” Tehran police chief Hossein Sajedinia was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.

“Following a series of intelligence and police operations and after coordinating with the judiciary, all the suspects were identified and arrested.”

ISNA said the detainees were three men and three women and that they “confessed to their criminal acts.”

Conservatives say many young Iranians are abandoning Islamic values and turning to a more Western way of life.

Under Islamic law, in force in Iran since the 1979 revolution, women must cover themselves from head to toe.

More than a decade ago a “morality police” unit was formed to verify that women scrupulously respect the dress code in public.

The Internet is also heavily filtered in Iran, with the authorities blocking access to popular social networking sites.

Civil liberties and women’s rights have returned to the forefront since President Hassan Rowhani’s election last June.

A moderate, he had campaigned for greater cultural and social freedoms in the Islamic republic, specifically urging police tolerance over the veil.

But Conservatives regularly denounce what they see as laxity on the part of the authorities on women covering up or on behavior deemed offensive to Islam.

[Crashed~N2~Me 970]

This will not change until they understand and adopt - Separation of Church and State....IMO - That ain't gonna happen for a long long time. Want to speed it up? Follow Egypt's example.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

This will not change until they understand and adopt - Separation of Church and State....IMO - That ain't gonna happen for a long long time. Want to speed it up? Follow Egypt's example.

Separation of Church and State. We all need to look at stories like these and remember just how important that separation is. Especially now that the right wing religious crowd is working hard to tear down that wall of separation in this country.

[Crashed~N2~Me 970]

Separation of Church and State. We all need to look at stories like these and remember just how important that separation is. Especially now that the right wing religious crowd is working hard to tear down that wall of separation in this country.

You are ALWAYS on point.

I thought this was going to be a trash Iran's Islamic suppression of Women's Rights thread....

I call Bait & Switch!!

Edited May 21, 2014 by Crashed~N2~Me

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

You are ALWAYS on point.

I thought this was going to be a trash Iran's Islamic suppression of Women's Rights thread....

I call Bait & Switch!!

I never miss a beat.

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

No worries, the other thread had the anti-iran-government angle covered

[Janelle2002 3,865]

I did this already!!

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I did this already!!

No, no, no. You're late to the party. My thread was up before 8 this morning.

[Janelle2002 3,865]

No, no, no. You're late to the party. My thread was up before 8 this morning.

They need a sign that says #######. lol

[Operator 1,927]

I read a book called 'Iranian Rappers and Persian Porn' by a brit (Jamie Maslin) who hitch-hiked from the UK to Iran and then cruised around for a while. That along with this video (and some common sense) makes me think that the majority of Iranian people are not represented well by their government....Just like the Chinese and probably lots of other good folks around the world.

Conclusion: most people good, most governments bad.

[Teddy B 17,252]

It's all Bush's fault!

[Operator 1,927]

It's all Bush's fault!

Do you remember back in the 70's when Bush was in style?

[Teddy B 17,252]

Do you remember back in the 70's when Bush was in style?

Yes I do. Flossing was big back then too.

[Merrytooth 5,748]

They need a sign that says #######. lol

This sign?

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

They need a sign that says #######. lol