Iran doet Boeddhabeelden in de ban
Toegevoegd: zondag 17 feb 2013, 14:18
Update: zondag 17 feb 2013, 14:35
Boeddhabeelden zijn voortaan verboden in Iran. Iraanse autoriteiten zijn bezig beelden van de heilige figuur uit winkels in de hoofdstad Teheran te halen. De regering zou zo de verspreiding van het boeddhisme tegen willen gaan.
“De Boeddhabeelden staan symbool voor de culturele invasie”, zegt een Iraanse functionaris voor het behoud van cultureel erfgoed, in de Iraanse krant Arman Daily. Volgens hem zullen de autoriteiten niet toestaan dat een bepaald geloof wordt uitgedragen via dit soort beelden.
Het is niet bekend hoeveel beelden er al in beslag zijn genomen. Volgens de functionaris gaat het verwijderen van de Boeddha’s onverminderd door.
The Simpsons
Het is voor het eerst dat de regering zich keert tegen symbolen uit de oosterse cultuur. Barbiepoppen en poppetjes van de personages uit de animatieserie The Simpsons zijn bijvoorbeeld al verboden in Iran.
De regering beschouwt de poppen als producten van de westerse cultuur, die als verderfelijk wordt gezien.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Buddha statues have joined Barbie dolls and characters from “The Simpsons” TV cartoon as banned items in the conservative Muslim nation.
Authorities are confiscating Buddha statues from shops in the Iranian capital, Tehran, to stop the promotion of Buddhism in the country, according to a report Sunday in the independent Arman daily.
Iran has long fought against items, such as Barbie toys, to defuse Western influence, but this appears to be the first time that Iranian authorities are showing an opposition to symbols from the East.
The newspaper quoted Saeed Jaberi Ansari, an official for the protection of Iran’s cultural heritage, as calling the Buddha statues symbols of “cultural invasion.” He said authorities will not permit a specific belief to be promoted through such items. Ansari did not say how many Buddhas had been seized, but that the “cleansing” would continue.
Some Iranians buy Buddha’s statues to decorate their homes and cars. Most are made in China and come from Iranian free-trade zones in the Persian Gulf.
“As I understand, none of customers cared about Buddhism, they only bought it for decoration,” said Reza Sanaei, a shopkeeper who sells the statues.
A customer, Marjan Arbabi, said she personally did not like the statues. “But my parents have set of five Buddah’s statues at their home simply because they think the statues are beautiful,” she said.
Under the constitution, Christian and Jewish beliefs as well as Zoroastrianism are recognized beside Islam, the official religion of the country. The law, however, says that, in general, the rights of all non-Muslims should be observed.
Some Islamists do not support production of any statue, since they view it as a way to promote idols.
In 2010, several statues depicted prominent Iranians, disappeared from Tehran city’s streets and squares. Their disappearance was blamed on an unnamed group with a strict interpretation of Islam that bans the depiction of the human form in art.
nos.nl