
Iran to Lash Prominent Female Singer for Performing Online Without Hijab
An Iranian court has sentenced the prominent singer Parastoo Ahmadi and seven fellow artists to 74 lashes each over an online concert streamed on YouTube, a punishment the regime justified as a response to "hurting public decency by producing and publishing vulgar and immoral content." Word of the sentence, which also carries two-year bans on leaving the country and on any artistic activity, became public on Thursday, June 18, through Ahmadi's videographer and Iranian media.
The performance that provoked the authorities showed Ahmadi singing powerful, mournful songs to an empty hall, on a dimly lit stage adorned with a single large Persian carpet inside a traditional caravanserai complex. She was backed by a pianist, a drummer, a guitarist, and a bassist, all of them dressed in black. Ahmadi herself appeared in a long, flowing gown and deep red lipstick, performing with her hair uncovered.
That presentation was a direct challenge to the Islamic Republic, where women are forbidden to sing in public and are required to dress modestly and wear the headscarf. Ahmadi had livestreamed the concert on her own channel in December 2024, and it has since been viewed roughly three million times on that channel alone, and many thousands more elsewhere. The lashing sentence handed to Ahmadi and her musicians is the regime's answer to a performance that has now been watched millions of times around the world.
(TOI/VFI News)
Heavenly Father, we lift up Parastoo Ahmadi and all who suffer cruelty under oppressive regimes simply for lifting their voices. We ask in Yeshua's Name that You comfort and protect them, and that You grant courage to the men and women of Iran who long for freedom. Soften the hearts of those in power, restrain the hand of the oppressor, and let Your justice and mercy prevail. We pray that the day would come swiftly when the people of Iran can worship, sing, and live without fear.