Pharrell‘s joyous world wide anthem “Happy” was the source of some troubling news out of the Middle East this week when six young Iranians were arrested after uploading a video of themselves dancing to the upbeat tune. The were forced to apologize for “Happy in Tehran,” which the local police chief called “vulgar” and “hurt public chastity.”
Iran is known for it’s conservative stance on civil rights and the reaction to this video suggests there has not been much progress for the country for declaring a freedom of speech. One dancer stated that the goal of the video was to, “tell the world that Iran is a better place than what they think it is.” This assertion is going to be a tough sell to the many democratic nations that hold music and freedom of speech so dear to their culture.
The dancers have since been released from custody and were forced to make a public apology for making the video. Check out “Happy in Tehran” below and let us know how offended you are after watching it.
Photo Credit: www.artinfactmag.com/