Six people — four men and two women— were arrested in Iran for teaching Zumba, a Colombian fitness routine, and other “Western” dance moves. The six filmed themselves and posted the clips on social media apps like Telegram and Instagram.
Their crime was seeking to “change lifestyles and promote a lack of hijab,” Hamid Damghani, a Revolutionary Guard Corps commander in northeast Iran, told Jamejam Online. In Iran, women are required to wear headscarves and modest clothing in public. Women are also banned from dancing in front of men who are not from their immediate families. In June, authorities forbade the teaching of Zumba and other dances, even in women-only gyms.
“Any harmonious movement or rhythmic exercise, if it is for pleasure seeking, is haram,” cleric Hossain Ghayyomi explained to the Los Angeles Times. “Even jobs related to these rhythmic movements are haram. For instance, since Islam says dancing or music is haram, then renting a place to teach dancing or cutting wood to make musical instruments is haram too.”
As is so often the case when it comes to policing how women act, part of the concern stems from how men will respond. According to the Times, religious leaders worried that Zumba could corrupt Iranian men. They’ve even deemed online videos teaching the dance pornographic.
Iran’s ban on Zumba has infuriated many women in the country.
“Unbelievable,” Zumba teacher Sepideh Abozari told the Times. “The authorities are worried about a Zumba pandemic?
“Even in low-income areas on the outskirts of Tehran where I live … women pay as much as a month cash subsidy to participate in Zumba class to keep fit in body and mind and tune in to the happy rhythm,” Abozari said.
Just a few days ago, 64 youths were detained for attending a pool party in central Isfahan province. The TV news website iribnews.ir reported that Revolutionary Guard forces and local police arrested 64 “half naked” youths for dancing and drinking alcohol. They were also accused of publishing social media accounts of their exploits to encourage “decadence.”
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