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Iran
Focus
 Tehran, Iran,
Apr. 07 – Iran’s
hard-line culture minister has blasted cinemas in the country for being too
“vulgar” and said that he planned to carry out a major shake-up of the
institution so that it conformed to Islam’s “moral foundations”.
“Unfortunately, Iran’s
cinemas have become vulgarised over the past few
years due to inattention by certain officials”, Culture and Islamic Guidance
Minister Mohammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi
told reporters on Thursday.
“Reviving moral values and foundations in Iran’s cinemas is one of the
programs on the agenda of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. To
this end, artists must review their work and take steps in the direction of
streamlining cinema”.
Saffar-Harandi, 53, is a close advisor to hard-line
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
He is a former deputy editor in chief of ultra-conservative daily Kayhan.
Saffar-Harandi, who held the rank of Brigadier
General in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, was once in charge of the IRGC’s Southern Command. He was also the Political Bureau
director of the IRGC for many years.
In October, he issued a directive ordering all female civil servants serving
in his ministry and female journalists at the state newspapers and news
agencies to go home by 6 p.m. to do their house chores.
In November, the IRGC general-turned-media censor announced that he was
purging his ministry of officials he viewed as having failed to protect Islamic
values.
“Books published in Iran
should not attack our religious values”, Saffar-Harandi
said.
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