And deafening silence from the Western Left.
Western feminists and pro-Islam liberal activists don’t get tired of arguing against criticism of Islam and shield Muslims from debates about the misogyny deeply embedded in their cultural and religious practices. In their eagerness to combat anti-Muslim bigotry, they refuse to confront the mistreatment of women under Islamic regimes. The sentencing of Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi has once again highlighted the harsh realities women face in such societies. In a case that has drawn international attention, an Iranian court reportedly sentenced Parastoo Ahmadi to 74 lashes, a two-year travel ban, and a two-year prohibition on artistic activities for performing without a hijab during a livestreamed concert that gained millions of views online.
A Criminal Court in Iran’s Qom Province handed down the sentence following legal proceedings that began after Ahmadi’s widely viewed “Caravanserai Concert,” which was broadcast online in late 2024. During the performance, Ahmadi appeared without the mandatory Islamic head covering and sang the patriotic song Az Khoon-e Javanan-e Vatan, an act authorities later characterized as a violation of public morality laws. According to reports, eight members of Ahmadi’s production team, including musicians and technical staff, have also been sentenced to 74 lashes per defendant, a two-year ban on leaving the country, and a two-year prohibition on engaging in artistic work. The court heavily relied on provisions of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code and cybercrime legislation, accusing the artists of “offending public decency” by publishing allegedly immoral content online. The verdict has been reported as subject to appeal.
The judicial process began after Iran’s Public Security Police detained Ahmadi and several members of her team, who were later released on bail pending investigation. The case then moved through Iran’s morality-security judicial apparatus before culminating in the recent ruling. The sentence demonstrates how Iranian authorities continue to use corporal punishment against women, showing absolutely no regard for international criticism.
This practice of flogging women for actions they deem inconsistent with their moral code stems from the ideological framework of the Islamic Republic, established after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Since then, the Iranian state has fused political authority with its interpretation of Shia Islamic jurisprudence and has been enforcing mandatory hijab laws, restricting women’s public performances, deploying morality police to monitor social behavior, and imposing corporal punishments such as flogging.
It is not unknown how some Muslims promote a dangerous and deeply misogynistic political ideology that subjects individual liberty, especially that of women, to rigid religious doctrine. They enforce their Islamic morality through strict, dated morality policing and corporal punishments, arguing that these steps are necessary for preserving Islamic values and social order. --->READ MORE HERE
An Iranian music sensation and an eight-person production team were reportedly sentenced to 74 brutal lashings for the singer’s viral patriotic tune which she performed without a hijab.
Parastoo Ahmadi, 29, and other artists were slapped with the savage flogging by the criminal court of Qom province over a livestream performance from December 2024, according to court documents reviewed by the Guardian.
Ahmadi sang the patriotic track “As Khoone Javane Vatan” — which translates to “From the Blood of the Youth of the Homeland” in Persian — without donning a hijab, considered a Muslim symbol of religious devotion, the outlet reported.
The video prompted authorities to file a formal case — though some human rights advocates said the barbaric sentence has no legal grounding.
The folk artist and other musicians were reportedly briefly detained for the livestream, which racked up millions of views on YouTube — but were eventually released.
In addition to the gruesome lashes, Iranian authorities sentenced Ahmadi and the crew to a two-year ban on leaving the country and a two-year ban on engaging in artistic activities.
“Singing, performing music and producing or disseminating musical works by women are not criminalised under Iranian criminal law,” Moein Khazaeli, a human rights lawyer, told the outlet.
“Consequently, such activities cannot reasonably be construed as the ‘production, distribution or publication of obscene content.'”
Though Iran’s official judiciary news agency has not yet published the ruling, rights groups and lawyers who reviewed the filings argued a surge in cases against artists shows the theocratic regime’s intent to viciously crack down on cultural dissent, the Guardian reported. --->READ MORE HERE
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