Last Minute Valentine’s Preparation?
By Kerlyn Tan
To help preserve a country’s identity and to prevent the homogenisation of cultures, governments have applied censorship. In Iran, the culture ministry, under new regulations, has censored the use of the word “wine” alongside, the names of “foreign animals” and dignitaries in books published in Islamic Republic. According to Mohammed Selgi, head of book publishing at the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, new books will now be under the scrutiny of the ministry’s staff. This is to ensure that changes are enforced “in line with promoting the principles of the Islamic Revolution”, and to counter the penetration of Western ideologies and cultures.
