# @middleeastmatters on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DDnDmkzvplg
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/25509822-middleeastmatters-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/55d50a1d1e.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-12-15T19:14:29.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Middle East Matters (MEM) (@middleeastmatters) — https://gondola.cc/middleeastmatters

## Caption

Parastoo Ahmadi, an Iranian singer and composer, held a virtual performance on Wednesday evening on her YouTube channel from one of Iran’s historic venues. 

The concert was performed for an imaginary audience, a poignant act of defiance against the Iranian regime’s restrictions.

In Iran, women are prohibited from singing solo or appearing in public without wearing a hijab. Ahmadi’s performance, where she appeared with her hair uncovered and shoulders bare, boldly challenged these repressive rules.

She wrote: “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 passionately love. Here, in this part of our beloved Iran, where history and legends intertwine, listen to my voice in this imaginary concert, and imagine this beautiful homeland…”

👉 By Thursday morning, Iran’s judiciary had opened a case against Ahmadi and her production team, labeling the event an “illegal concert” and accusing it of violating the country’s “legal and cultural standards,” according to the judiciary’s news agency, Mizan.

👉 On Saturday, Ahmadi was detained in Mazandaran, northern Iran, alongside two band members, Ehsan Beiraghdar and Soheil Faghih-Nassiri.

👉 Her lawyer reported on Sunday that Ahmadi and her bandmates had been released. 

There’s no information about what legal actions the regime plans to pursue against her and the other musicians.

middleeastmatters 

#EndGenderApartheid

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 118,490
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 1,512

## Tags

endgenderapartheid

---
Copyright (c) Gondola