Tweet
Iranian culture minister urges authors to censor own works
Iran's culture minister has shared some eyebrow-raising advice with authors seeking to see their work published in Iran: "Censor pages which are likely to create a dispute."
Minister Mohammad Hossein Safar Harandi made his remarks about book publishing in the Islamic republic at a news conference on Monday, according to a report in Agence France-Presse.
Saying that publishers and writers "are aware of the vetting code" in Iran, Safar Harandi urged self-censorship.
Literature should reflect the country's "religious, moral and national sensitivities," steer clear of "an excessive portrayal of a man and woman's private relationships" and not "subject our youth and adults to descriptions of intercourse," he added.
Safar Harandi also said the country "should not allow opposition to God to be reflected in the media."
All publications in Iran must be first approved by the government, but the industry has increasingly complained of tightening censorship under the rule of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad since 2005.
In a recent letter, the Tehran Publishers' Association complained of the culture ministry's lengthy and seemingly arbitrary vetting process.
In 2006, Iran banned thousands of books, ranging from acclaimed works by homegrown novelists like Sadegh Hedayat to bestsellers like The Da Vinci Code, and introduced strict restrictions on what could be published. At the time, the culture minister called book publishers "assistants for evil."
Minister Mohammad Hossein Safar Harandi made his remarks about book publishing in the Islamic republic at a news conference on Monday, according to a report in Agence France-Presse.
Saying that publishers and writers "are aware of the vetting code" in Iran, Safar Harandi urged self-censorship.
Literature should reflect the country's "religious, moral and national sensitivities," steer clear of "an excessive portrayal of a man and woman's private relationships" and not "subject our youth and adults to descriptions of intercourse," he added.
Safar Harandi also said the country "should not allow opposition to God to be reflected in the media."
All publications in Iran must be first approved by the government, but the industry has increasingly complained of tightening censorship under the rule of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad since 2005.
In a recent letter, the Tehran Publishers' Association complained of the culture ministry's lengthy and seemingly arbitrary vetting process.
In 2006, Iran banned thousands of books, ranging from acclaimed works by homegrown novelists like Sadegh Hedayat to bestsellers like The Da Vinci Code, and introduced strict restrictions on what could be published. At the time, the culture minister called book publishers "assistants for evil."