NAZARIAN: That Oscar Win Was a Loss for Iran’s Freedom-Craving People – Breitbart News

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

Imsorry Im not with you tonight, Farhadi said in a prepared statement read by Iranian-American astronaut Anoush Ansari. My absence is out of respect for the people of my country and those of other six nations who have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the U.S.Dr. Firouz Naderi, a director of NASAs Solar System Exploration program, accepted the award on Farhadis behalf along with Ansari; two Iranian-Americans who should be lauded for their exceptional accomplishments.

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

The talented Farhadi won the Oscar in the best foreign-language category for his gripping drama, The Salesman. It is his second Oscar. In 2012, his drama A Separationwon him his first Oscar.

Farhadis criticism of Americas president as his own countrys people continue to suffer under an oppressive regime, with bloodied hands, must not be overlooked in light of his artistic achievement.

If Farhadi opposed Irans Supreme Leader the way he opposed President Trump, he would experience a far less fortuitous fate. Jail time and possibly death might have been in the cards for him. Instead of boycotting the Academy Awards, Farhadi could have used the opportunity of this great achievement, which highlights the brilliance of the Persian people, to make the case for Irans freedom.

On Monday, Irans top diplomat, Mohammad Javad Zarif, gave his stamp of approval to Farhadis message and echoedhis governments hypocrisy, tweeting, Proud of Cast and Crew of The Salesman for Oscar and stance against MuslimBan. [sic] Iranians have represented culture and civilization for millennia.

Artists, including filmmakers, continue to languish in Iranian jail cells as the regime cuts deals with the West and suppresses its own people as one of the worlds worst offenders of human rights.

Here are just a few Iranian filmmakers and artists who have served jail time for expressing themselves in a manner welcomed with open arms in the United States:

Atena was jailed because she depicted Irans parliamentary members as animals through her artwork. The U.S. Constitution protects the rights of its citizens to express themselves. In Washington, D.C., a highly offensive, anti-cop panting depicting officers as pigs was given a prime space in theU.S. Capital.

The Iranian regime and its supportershaveheld disdain for Western culture even beforethe 1979 revolution.

In August 1978, Islamic militants and fanatics within the current Iranian regime set the famous Rex Movie Theatre in Abadan on fire, killing hundreds of innocent cinema-goers. Reports later revealed that several anti-Shah Islamists set the theater on fire using gasoline and lighting it with a match. They then ran to the exterior of the theater and locked the doors so no one could get out, except for those who were able to escape through the roof.

In a speech this month in the East Azerbaijan region of Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said the regimes real war with the west is a culture war taking place on the TV and the Internet.

The real war is a cultural war, Khamenei reportedly said. The real war is an economic war, the real war is the war of sanctions, the real war is the arenas of work, activity, and technology inside the country This is the real war! He added, They draw our attention to a military war so that we ignore this war.

Irans rich cultural history has never been in doubt, but to deprive Irans people of their true potential and subject them to such cruel injustice is a sin. The Rex Theater fire will forever remain the symbol of the Iranian regimes true intentions: to stifle and suffocate its peoples ability to express themselves the way they would if they lived in the free world.

Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter and Periscope@AdelleNaz

Read the original here:

NAZARIAN: That Oscar Win Was a Loss for Iran's Freedom-Craving People - Breitbart News