Can Iran mold its internet-surfing young people into a “revolutionary youth” driven to steer the country toward an idealized Islamic civilization? It's hard to say, but Islamic authorities are certainly doing their best to curb un-Islamic influences in actual and virtual reality, stepping up their efforts in May. 

In early June, Iranian media reported that authorities had closed hundreds of restaurants for failing to observe Islamic principles and had introduced 2,000 new morality officers to police what they consider to be “bad hijab,” when women do not, in their eyes, cover themselves properly. Also, over the last few months, crackdowns have intensified against musicians and fashion photographers on Instagram, one of Iranians’ favorite social media platforms.

On May 23, anyone who visited the Instagram accounts of three musicians — Aso Kohzadi, a violinist; Mehrdad Mehdi, an accordion player; and Naghmeh Moradabadi, who plays the tonbak and tar, traditional Iranian instruments — was greeted with the message, “By the order of the judicial authority, due to publication of unlawful content, this internet address is seized and individuals involved with the topic of the lawsuit have been subject to legal proceedings.”

The band, avid users of Instagram, had posted photos and videos of their performances, including on the streets. In one clip, Kohzadi and Mehdi play a cheerful waltz on Isfahan’s iconic Naghsh-e Jahan Square, surrounded by a crowd of passersby. The judiciary has refused to comment on the reasons for blocking their Instagram presence, and Al-Monitor has learned that the three musicians have been instructed not to speak to the media. The cyber police, known by the Persian acronym FATA, has announced that it will file a lawsuit against those behind the Instagram accounts.