Iranian Band Confess Jailed, May Be Executed
Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 12:02AM Today's we're going to call attention to the Iranian metal band Confess.
Two band members were arrested by the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution. They were held for months, getting out after they made their $33,000 bail. Now they face charges of blasphemy, advertising against the system, forming an illegal band and recording label and writing lyrics that are anti-religious among other charges.
The scariest part of this is that the members of Confess may be jailed for six months to six years. They can also be executed if found guilty of blasphemy.
No matter what you think of this band's particular brand of Metal, I think it's important we stand together with these guys. We should also quit whining and complaining so much about how bad we have it here in America (Canada, Australia, Ireland or insert some other free country here). This is an example of real persecution. I hope this band gets help. Music bloggers repeating this story enough might get national media attention.
Reader Comments (7)
.
They don't give a damn what anyone in America has to say. As long as the absolutely clueless Obama Administration handed $150 Billion in formerly seized assets back, (which they did) They now have literally wiped their backsides with the document. If you're counting on American intervention to save them, Those musicians are toast.
I love my music but would I die for it? No way.
I hope they get the support they need to save them.
Unfortunately, as has been proven time after time, it's highly unlikely we'll ever be able to do anything about it. At a cost of two trillion plus and thousands of American lives, you'd think we'd learn something by now.
Iran's hardline government, like 99% of the governments in the Middle East, is SO as*backwards, they'll look for any excuse to kill people. It's like they're addicted to murder!
Will we ever be able to change it? Doubtful. We should just get the h*ll out of there and just let them keep on killing each other! The people behind the scenes controlling our government are addicted to wasting your hard earned tax dollars and the blood of our friends and family on war profiteering.
They are the ones who really must be stopped!
American has experienced some truly awful examples of punishing artists for their beliefs. Granted, none rise to the level of potential execution.
I think it also helps to point out that many of the Iranian people seem to live lives that aspire to the freedoms we have. That such aspirations--and I will guess that Confess proudly represent a certain portion of that population--can also encompass a range of diverse opinions and religious viewpoints needn't muddy the water. After all, we live in a country where the very same diversity has a better chance of freedom from sanction and persecution (even if we often fail to live up to those ideals).
Iran is a theocracy. It has a leader, Rouhani, who is more liberal than the theocrats who ultimately control the ebb and flow of things (hence, Sayyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei is called the Supreme Leader of Iran; Rouhani is merely a President). But a different system of government isn't and shouldn't be the basis for slandering a people. If we aspire to support a band like Confess, we should also work to avoid generalizing an entire nation or region.
I could reference the arch of time and make a prediction of how things will end up . . . and point to other examples (like the House of Saud). But I won't. What I will say is this. First, music points to the dreams and desires of those who make it and those who consume it. Solidarity with the same is dependent on sharing a viewpoint. So that is a mark in favor of music transcending divides of race, class, religion, and region. Second, real changes in the structure of society are almost always social first and legal second. So a broader base for the former lends to the latter. Third, that interaction is predicated on the most difficult of things: being willing to learn to respect views you don't hold while also defending those you do.
But here is the rub: exerting pressure may be enough to save Confess. No country--representative Democracy or otherwise--wants a bad case of publicity, wants to jeopardize a potentially regime-saving chance to avoid further sanctions. Yet, still, they want to exert their right to exist as they are. So the gauntlet must be thrown down in favor of supporting those who yearn for social change, all the while recognizing that countless lives are lost in the process.
That arch I mentioned? It is slow. Too slow in fact. But I have to believe it bends towards good people, even if bad people often get too much of a say. I should add, however, that casually tossing about generalizations does nothing to help the good or stop the bad. So, in some regards, I render my own point moot.