In Tehran Happiness is a Crime
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYnLRf-SNxY
This link will take you to a clip so full of joy that you want to dance. That is until you realise that every single person involved in making the film and sharing it with the world has been arrested for ‘offending public decency’.
"After a vulgar clip which hurt public chastity was released in cyberspace, police decided to identify those involved in making that clip… Following a series of intelligence and police operations and after coordinating with the judiciary, all the suspects were identified and arrested.” Tehran police chief Hossein Sajedinia
And clearly decency is lacking. Not in these beautiful and spirited and joyous young people, but in an authoritarian regime which sees fit to persecute women and any man who wishes to treat a woman as equal. Which pools its resources to hunt down citizens such as these instead of taking care of the poor and needy so desperate for government support. It uses a twisted form of Islam to benefit self-serving religious leaders and politicians. None of whom have any respect for the people in their care.
Once you know each one of these beautiful young people are now in prison for simply showing happiness, this film clip becomes heartbreaking to witness.
What has happened to them since?
What can happen to a people when joy is forbidden?
And yet this film clip shows there is hope. Because no matter how punitive and evil a regime becomes there will always be those who defy it.
And they are the world’s salvation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYnLRf-SNxY
This link will take you to a clip so full of joy that you want to dance. That is until you realise that every single person involved in making the film and sharing it with the world has been arrested for ‘offending public decency’.
"After a vulgar clip which hurt public chastity was released in cyberspace, police decided to identify those involved in making that clip… Following a series of intelligence and police operations and after coordinating with the judiciary, all the suspects were identified and arrested.” Tehran police chief Hossein Sajedinia
And clearly decency is lacking. Not in these beautiful and spirited and joyous young people, but in an authoritarian regime which sees fit to persecute women and any man who wishes to treat a woman as equal. Which pools its resources to hunt down citizens such as these instead of taking care of the poor and needy so desperate for government support. It uses a twisted form of Islam to benefit self-serving religious leaders and politicians. None of whom have any respect for the people in their care.
Once you know each one of these beautiful young people are now in prison for simply showing happiness, this film clip becomes heartbreaking to witness.
What has happened to them since?
What can happen to a people when joy is forbidden?
And yet this film clip shows there is hope. Because no matter how punitive and evil a regime becomes there will always be those who defy it.
And they are the world’s salvation.