TEHRAN -- A top Iranian cleric warned against the "threat" of the Internet and satellite television to Iranian society and called for counteracting such influence with films on the history of Islam.
"The danger of the Internet and satellites that broadcast from a close range threatens us," Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati told worshippers at a Friday prayer gathering at Tehran University. "They broadcast disgraceful, immoral pictures and threaten all humanity and morality and chastity."
Jannati, secretary of the powerful Guardian Council, said it would not be enough to tell people not to tune in to foreign media, and that active intervention was necessary.
"The radio and television (must) set up more networks and make attractive films about the lives of the imams, the prophet (Mohammad), and the early history of Islam," the conservative cleric said.
In his sermon, broadcast on Tehran radio, Jannati warned that if action was not taken, "Islam and the revolution would be damaged and people would give in to passions."
Under Iranian law, satellite television receivers are banned and hoisting a satellite dish is punishable by a fine and the confiscation of the equipment.
Several Internet service providers and an Internet cafe are currently active in the Islamic republic, but users -- mostly government organizations and professionals such as journalists -- must obtain an official permit and sign a statement promising they would not connect to "immoral" sites or those "against national security."
The cost of Internet services, including email, is too high for the average Iranian, so Net use is relatively low among private citizens. But Iran's state-run radio and television operate Web sites, and even the conservative strongholds are entering cyberspace.
The majlis, or parliament, now has an information network called Khane-ye Mellat (People's Home), where users can read and discuss the debates and decisions of the legislators.
Copyright© 1999 Reuters Limited.
