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NEW YORK: After Sunni Saudi Arabia banned 50 baby names in 2014 , it is Shia Iran which has now banned the use of the word `wine’.
The so-called ministry of culture, which has also banned the names of `foreign animals’ and `foreign presidents’ from all books, says censorship is aimed at stopping the `cultural onslaught’ of Iran by the West.
The Telegraph has quoted Mohammad Selgi, the head of book publishing at the ministry of culture, as saying, “When new books are registered with us, our staff first have to read them page by page to make sure whether they require any editorial changes in line with promoting the principles of the Islamic revolution, effectively confronting the Western cultural onslaught and censoring any insult against the prophets.’’
Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Khamenei wants the culture ministry to “focus on producing appealing books and films, designing video games, and developing attractive and meaningful toys” to counter a “Western cultural invasion of Iran that seeks to destroy Islamic identity”.
Looks like the Taliban, al-Qeda, the ISIS, Saudi Arabia and Iran are all competing with one another in dragging Islam back.
READ ALSO: Saudi Arabia bans 50 children names
