Iran: Singer arrested for performing a YouTube concert without wearing a hijab

Image: Jihad Watch

Iranian authorities have arrested a female singer who held a virtual concert on YouTube, according to her lawyer. Milad Panahipour, an Iranian attorney, confirmed that Parastoo Ahmady was detained in Sari, the capital of Mazandaran province, on Saturday.

The judiciary had initiated a case on Thursday concerning the 27-year-old singer’s performance, during which she appeared in a long black sleeveless dress without a hijab, accompanied by four male musicians.

Ahmady had shared the concert on YouTube the previous day, stating: “I am Parastoo, a girl who wants to sing for the people I love. This is a right I could not ignore; singing for the land I love passionately.”

The online performance has garnered over 1.4 million views.

Panahipour told the Associated Press: “Unfortunately, we do not know the charges against Ms. Ahmady, who arrested her, or her current location, but we will continue to seek answers through legal channels.”

He also mentioned that two of Ahmady's band members, Soheil Faghih Nasiri and Ehsan Beiraghdar, were detained in Tehran on Saturday.

Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, women in Iran have faced restrictions on singing, initially being banned from performing entirely, then later prohibited from singing or dancing solo in front of mixed-gender audiences. Female singers are only permitted to perform for all-female audiences, according to reports. Additionally, Iranian and Islamic law mandates that women must wear the hijab in the presence of men who are not relatives.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)