Published: October 24, 2011
Op-Ed Contributor
Iranian Actress to Be Lashed With Whip 90 Times
By Robert Paul Reyes
"Australia has expressed concern over reports that an Iranian actress has been sentenced to jail and 90 lashes for being in a film critical of Iran." -The BBC News
If John Travolta was sentenced to 90 lashes for his rotten acting in "Battleship Earth", nobody Democrat or Republican, Muslim or infidel dog would complain.
But Vafamehr is a gifted and serious actress, and it's an outrage that she will be harshly punished for acting in a movie that the authorities perceive as a threat to their regime.
Vafamehr stars in "My Tehran for Sale, which was made in Australia, and was never released in Iran. The film is about how artists in Iran are not allowed to speak their minds. No kidding!
Thank goodness we live in a democracy that cherishes the right of directors and actors to express their artistic freedom even if it's contrary to the prevalent paradigm. An artist in America is free to engage in projects, even if they are inflammatory, self-indulgent, and politically-incorrect.
Lashing sentences are not uncommon in Iran, but they are rarely carried out. If the West speaks out against this inhumane sentence meted out to Vafamehr, there's a good chance the Iranian actress may be spared from this cruel form of punishment. Hollywood and Main Street America needs to speak out against this injustice!
Follow Robert Paul Reyes on Twitter: http://twitter.com/robertpaulreyes
Robert Paul Reyes is a NewsBlaze writer on Politics, Pop Culture and Pointless Pontificating. Contact him by writing to NewsBlaze.
* The views of Opinion writers do not necessarily reflect the views of NewsBlaze
Search News
