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NEWSDESK
The Clerics vs. Modernity
- Details
- Written by Eman Jueid
- Category: In Other News
Militarizing the Cultural Arena
In a speech in 2003 Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated that
“More than Iran’s enemies need artillery, guns and so forth, they need to spread cultural values that lead to moral corruption. They have said this many times. I recently read in the news that a senior official in an important American political center, said: ‘Instead of bombs, send them miniskirts.’ He is right. If they arouse sexual desires in any given country, if they spread unrestrained mixing of men and women, and if they lead youth to behavior to which they are naturally inclined by instincts, there will no longer be any need for artillery and guns against that nation.”
It is striking here how the government uses military literature, vocabulary and metaphor to speak about culture. Since Khamenei is the commander in chief of the Armed Forces he also regards himself as the commander in chief of Islamic culture. He is the one who defines it and he is the authority who implements it.
READ MORE AT The Majalla
*Photo Credit: Thierry Ehrmann
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