Iranian actress Leila Hatami on Sunday angered authorities in Tehran by kissing the Cannes film festival’s president on the cheek, an act seen as affront to the “chastity” of the Islamic republic’s women.
A photograph carried by Iranian media shows Ms Hatami kissing Gilles Jacob at the opening of this year’s festival.
Under Islamic law, which has been in force in Iran since 1979, a woman cannot have physical contact with a man who is not a family member.
Iran’s Deputy Culture Minister Hossein Noushabadi criticised Hatami’s act at the Cannes Festival, saying it undermined the image of chastity.
“I hope that those who attend international arenas as Iranian women would be careful about the chastity and dignity of Iranians so that the image of the Iranian woman is not tainted before the world,” he said.
“If they respect Islamic norms and the national culture and beliefs of Iran, it would be a desirable thing for Iranian celebrities to go abroad, but if their presence lacks regard for social values and ethical criteria, the Iranian nation is not going to accept it.”
Hatami, who is on the jury this year at the annual Cannes festival, received worldwide acclaim after she starred as the leading actress in Asghar Farhadi’s Academy Award winning movie A Separation.
Agencies/Canadajournal
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Something is wrong with Islam – or whomever they are or whatever they call themselves. A kiss on the cheek does not promote an image of chastity? Is a kiss on the cheek really considered sexual? Then again, if it is I
am more of a stud that I thought!
Perhaps what those scheiskopfs in “authority” in Iran do not know is that those in the CREATIVE community have a habit of thinking that they ARE a family, so she was merely giving a peck on the cheek to a ‘brother’ who she hadn’t seen for a while. Nothing more or less. Anything else that anyone- especially those dunderheadded Allah assholes– think is going on shows truly where their minds are-IN THE GUTTER OR MAKE THAT THE SEWERS.