MORALITY among young Iranians is going down the spout, with water fights being the latest manifestation of the Islamic republic’s descent into decadence.
But Ahmadreza Radan, Tehran’s deputy police chief, is determined to knock the trend on the head:
Two Iranian women pictured brandishing outsize water pistols. Outrageous!
We have announced earlier that water fights and breaking the norms are forbidden … Â and the police will not tolerate that.
And he hinted:
There are other aims behind this play … These people have committed very ugly and immoral acts.
And General Ahmad Rouzbahani, head of the morality police, warned recently in a television appearance that police forces, in accordance with the law:
Will act forcefully against this type of action and will not allow such events to happen in public places, or anywhere throughout the country.
Iranian police have started cracking down on water fights springing up across the country with the arrests of several young men and women who took part in the latest organised water pistol battles.
A water fight in a Tehran park on Friday, thought to have been organised through social media websites, was broken up by police who arrested several of the revellers, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported yesterday.
Conservative Iranian Muslims don’t go a bundle on the sexes mingling outside marriage, and they have been scandalised by scenes of dozens of youngsters spraying each other with water in public.
Various websites have posted photographs of girls and boys in wet clothes throwing water balloons, firing water guns and splashing each other with water from bottles after the first water fights were reported in the capital a few weeks ago.
The fights have since spread across the country despite warnings from authorities.
They are seen as the latest manifestation of youthful rebellion by Iranians against Islamic norms which require women to cover their hair in public and wear loose-fitting clothes, and where much Western entertainment is banned as “immoral”.
Conservatives say the water fights must be stamped out to prevent what they say is the corruption of Iranian youths, much of which is blamed on a deliberate “soft war” by the West conducted through TV, films and pop music.
Six women and 11 men were arrested at a water fight earlier last month in the Gulf port of Bandar Abbas but released after 24 hours.
Hat tip: BarrieJohn
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
September 5th, 2011 at 12:50 pm
No fun to live in Iran or any other Islamic nation where the laws are religious and not secular.
So if you are a male you cannot have fun with water pistols or any other pursuit and must wait until death to have fun with your 76 virgins in paradise……If that is true for the men what do the women get in paradise so they can have fun too….?
September 5th, 2011 at 12:59 pm
What a great picture, those Iranian youngsters having such fun. The fact that the police are trying to prevent their own youth from enjoying themselves will develpoe resentment of the Iranian government’s hard line in these young people, who are the the countries future.I’m sure there will be lots of tears and pain, but the future looks brighter.
September 5th, 2011 at 1:42 pm
Yeah, those water fights really do go against all human ‘norms’. Better stick to stoning women to death instead.
September 5th, 2011 at 2:14 pm
WET BURQUA CONTEST :p
seriusly though I have some Iranian freinds who fled to this country to escape the zealots who run their country (and a few of them are now atheists, or are free to be open about it in this country) and they said that people in iran don’t want to live in any sort of “Islamic republic”.
it’s great to see these young people rebelling against the old farts who run their country and long may it continue until they are free from armoured dinnerjacket and the ayatollah and his band of clerics.
September 5th, 2011 at 2:15 pm
Because of the repression in Iran the youth have no natural outlet for what would be, in the west, their normal youthful outlook on life. That’s why things like this keep springing up, no matter how hard the authorities try to keep them down. All that is going to happen is that these youths are going to hate the regime even more than they already do.
September 5th, 2011 at 3:00 pm
It’s basically like the other Abrahamics: you can’t have fun, and if you do, you’ll die. We’re just lucky the Jews and Xtians have loosened up a bit, but they have been around longer. Give the mullahs 800 years and you’ll see.
I wonder how big a percentage of the Iranians really support these crazies?
September 5th, 2011 at 4:39 pm
@dogon: I have long wondered about that as well. It just can’t have occurred to a sex-obsessed old misogynist like Muhammed that there might be women in heaven whose needs would have to be met!
September 5th, 2011 at 4:44 pm
Chief Ahmadreza Radan = Reach: mad Nazi had fear!
September 5th, 2011 at 5:03 pm
Oh No! Not the evil water-pistols!
Religious law: If summat ain’t compulsory, it’s forbidden.
It’s Illegal, Or Immoral Or It Makes You Fat
September 5th, 2011 at 5:36 pm
Tower Hamlets infidels watch out – water pistol fights will be punishable by stoning within the next decade.
September 5th, 2011 at 6:13 pm
Newspaniard
Either that or the EDL morons will turn the place into a battleground. Rock and a hard place.
September 5th, 2011 at 6:23 pm
Thanks for that, Daz. Don’t miss the talking cow link that I’ve posted on the previous thread – it’s magic!
September 5th, 2011 at 6:28 pm
Organised through “social media websites.” Ah yes, it’s that damned internet again. The attraction, and availability, of a bit of fun compared to women being abused serfs must be overwhelming. Now Pandora’s box is opened it is not going to be closed again.
September 5th, 2011 at 6:37 pm
Would suicide (water) bombing be allowed?
September 5th, 2011 at 6:58 pm
Right now I reckon the Iranian authorities are shitting themselves as they watch Libya, Egypt and hopefully Syria, amongst others, fall in this so-called Arab spring. I sincerely hope they get what they deserve and soon.
September 5th, 2011 at 6:59 pm
I say we organize mass water fights here in our country in support of the Iranian youth!! Besides we can all use a little more fun every now and then.
September 5th, 2011 at 7:21 pm
Robert Stovold: Did you see the front cover of last week’s Private Eye?
http://www.private-eye.co.uk/c.....6&
September 5th, 2011 at 8:45 pm
AngieRS
That’s exactly what I was trying to say
September 5th, 2011 at 9:08 pm
@Megan: Great idea. Water fights to replace riots but no water cannons allowed.
September 6th, 2011 at 10:06 am
@Har
A number of Iranians in recent years have told me that their younger countrymen are quietly going atheist or turning to Persia’s indigenous religion, Zoroastrianism. They regard Islam as an Arab imposition on their ancient civilisation. I would not be surprised if political Islam in Iran were to collapse very suddenly in the future.
September 6th, 2011 at 1:16 pm
No fun in fundamentalism, but plenty that’s mental.