Iran's Shakiragate

[Clarakore]

When the cameras panned to the Colombian singer Shakira cheering on her footballing husband, Gerard Piqué, during a Confederations cup match, to many it was just another shot of a glamorous celebrity. But in Iran, the few seconds of a woman with bare arms and a revealing top broadcast on national television for the first time prompted furious debate.

Hardliners in Iran attacked the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) network this week for a series of gaffes, showing "indecent" and "un-Islamic" images in the middle of its live sports coverage, including the glimpse of Shakira.

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[Sir Wearer of Hats]

so fatwa on her, thr brpadcaster or football in general do you think?

[Frank Merton]

Well it reminds me of a pop star having a bra accident and showing a boob, and all the blue noses out in force. The idea is the same, only the details differ.

The world would be so much better off with more skin and less blood on TV.

[Clarakore]

It could be an opening for Iranians to see a woman and man in the same group and think "no big deal" allowing their citizenry to further move away from the old ways.

The full article put this in context by the out-of-country volleyball game shown on television with a time delay that did not fully censor out Iranian exiles in Western clothes.

Exposure to a modern world is what the old regime attempts to filter but with globalism that task is becoming more difficult.

[Black Red Devil]

Geez. What's the big deal about seeing Shakira's arms?

They must have missed these shots,

Oops.