It's been 23 years since the Iranian revolution where Iran became an Islamic state. When it happened, a lot of Iranians wisely bolted for greener pastures. This guy is one of them: he's Mohamad Khordadian. He's a male dancer who is known for his work in both Iran and the US. He may be roughly the "lord of the Persian dance" and even after 23 years, there is no dancer more popular in Iran, or amongst the Iranian ex-pats in Los Angeles.
He returned to Iran a few months ago for the first time - for his mother's funeral. Apparently he made the mistake of dancing while he was there. Dancing with
women. Big mistake. As he was at the airport to return to LA, he was arrested by the Iranian authorities and given a suspended sentence of 10 years for his cultural crime of "corrupting the youth". He is also prevented from leaving Iran for 10 years.
As you ponder the amazing nature of a state that would give someone 10 years for dancing, consider that there is a man at the highest levels of the US government who is anti-dancing. He believes that dance is evil, and makes certain that as he sings fundamentalist religious songs, he is careful not to
sway -- because that would be dancing. He's the Attorney General of the US, John Ashcroft.
Luckily, in a free country, he is unable to enforce his personal views on the rest of the citizens. But it's stories like this that make clear what is truly evil and what is not, and the importance of maintaining the separation of church and state. And making sure that free expression and tolerance are not only permitted, but valued.