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RFL/RE – Prominent Iranian singer Alireza Ghorbani has revealed that authorities in the city of Isfahan have declined to grant him a concert permit because his shows feature female musicians performing onstage.
In an Instagram post dated October 16, Ghorbani expressed his frustration, highlighting the “Herculean efforts” made by his team to facilitate the Isfahan concert, only to have their permit application denied.
Music correspondent Bahman Babazade noted in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that this recent setback for Ghorbani was specifically due to regulations against female musicians in his ensemble playing instruments. Consequently, the concerts, initially slated to run for seven consecutive nights, have been called off.
Moreover, Babazadeh pointed out the escalating trend of “extensive restrictions” on concert events in other Iranian provinces, including Khuzestan and Fars.
This comes against a backdrop of an increasing number of cultural performances and concerts in Iran being curtailed, often due to mounting pressure from conservative factions in the Iranian leadership, asserting that such events contradict Islamic principles.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, female vocalists have faced a blanket ban on performing, while music concerts in general have been subjected to significant regulatory hurdles.
The lack of women’s rights in Iran has come under intense scrutiny since the September 2022 death of Mahsa Amini.
Iranians, angered by the 22-year-old’s death while in police custody for a head-scarf violation, have poured onto the streets across the country to protest the treatment of women and a general lack of rights, with women and schoolgirls making unprecedented shows of support in the biggest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution.
In response, the authorities have launched a brutal crackdown on dissent, detaining thousands and handing down stiff sentences, including the death penalty, to protesters.
