22 May 2014

Arrests over the Happy dance video in Iran reflect hardliners' frustration

It is not the first time the question of Iran's social mores has hit the headlines. Six young Tehranis got into trouble after their contribution to an internet phenomenon – a lip-synched dance to an innocent pop song, Happy – went viral on YouTube.

They were arrested, forced to strip naked and perform squats, and then paraded on state television. This is a country in which hardline religious tradition and globally connected modernity seem to clash daily, producing scandals over everything from leggings to actors air-kissing at Cannes.

[ACOMMENT] "This is a country in which hardline religious tradition and globally connected modernity seem to clash daily, producing scandals over everything from leggings to actors air-kissing at Cannes."

And modernity will win, it's just a matter of time. Good luck to the Iranian people in rising up against the tyrannical mullahs. [Guardian Cif] Read more