Khomeini
Khomeini (1900-1989) was an Iranian politician and religious leader who served as ayatollah and dictator [1] of Iran from 1979 to 1989. His regime was noted for his religious terror and support of terrorists[2].
Following to a national referendum in April 1979, Iran became an Islamic Republic and Khomeini was named leader of the Islamic Revolution.
During a radio broadcast aired on July 23rd, 1979, Khomeini called for a ban on any form of music, however no specific law was edicted.[3]
It is only some months later that the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, adopted by referedum, granted the Leader full power to appoint and dismiss the head of the Radio and Television (Chapter XII [Article 175]).
In 1979 he kept members of the American embassy in Teheran, Iran, imprisoned and only released them on the day of Ronald Reagan's inauguration in 1981.
In 1987-1988 the Reagan administration was found guilty of illegally selling weapons and arms to Iran in exchange for hostages. The money was then used to support the opposition against the socialist government in Nicaragua. This lead to the Irangate Affair. In 1989 Khomeini again made international headlines when he issued a fatwa against author Salman Rushdie and his book "The Satanic Verses", which Khomeini considered to be blasphemous.
Khomeini died in 1989. After his death Iran's fundamentalist regime loosened a little (music is again allowed in the country), but is still considered to be a dictatorship to this day.[4]
Link with Zappa
Zappa mentions the complete censorship on music in Iran in the foreword to the liner notes of Joe's Garage (1979). The album came out a few months after Khomeini's revolt.
When Zappa performed Titties 'n Beer live during the 1980s The Devil now bragged that he had the soul of Khomeini instead of those of Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew.
References
- ↑ http://www.fifthinternational.org/content/khomeinis-dictatorship-rocked-anti-imperialist-storm
- ↑ http://www.iran-e-azad.org/english/terrorism/Terror.html
- ↑ "Music should not be broadcast over the radio and television. Music is something that everybody is attracted to naturally, but it takes them out of reality to a futile and lowly livelihood. Like opium, music also stupefies persons listening to it and makes their brain inactive and frivolous" - Khomeini's statement as reported by the Observer Reporter, July 24, 1979.
- ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/3018932.stm
