No "mixing of trades" in Iran
"Mixing of trades" in Iran might mean mixing of ideas.Iran clamps down on coffee shops
"They have become a haven for modern bookworms everywhere - a place to combine a love of the written word with the pleasures of cafe society.
"But now the trend of opening coffee shops inside bookstores has fallen foul of the authorities amid a general clampdown on social and intellectual freedoms.
"Four bookshops in Tehran this week closed their coffee shops after receiving a 72-hour ultimatum from Amaken-e Omoomi, a state body governing the retail trade...
"Amaken justified the closures by declaring that the coffee shops constituted an illegal "mixing of trades". However, critics suspect the move is aimed at restricting the gathering of intellectuals and educated young people...
"[O]ne bookshop owner told the Guardian.'We are trying through our trade association to find a remedy.'"
Labels: civil society, Iran, politics
posted by Ken Wedding @ 7:30 AM
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