Iranian authorities have described as "satanic" an underground rock gig over the weekend which saw 200 revellers arrested.
Alcohol and drugs were seized in the raid at the town of Karaj, near Tehran. The conservative Islamic state takes a strict stance against what it perceives as the decadent aspects of western culture, describing as "immoral" events which see unrelated men and women drinking and dancing together.Senior police official Reza Zarei was quoted as saying, "Most of those arrested are wealthy young people ... who came to this party with the goal of attending a provocative, satanic concert."
The event was apparently promoted on the Internet, and was attended by tourists as well as locals.
Meanwhile, Gwen Stefani has promised to cover up during her scheduled concert in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, following last week's outcry by a Muslim student group, outraged over the "obscene" nature of the performer's stage attire.
The Star newspaper quoted promoter Maxis Communications as saying, "[Stefani] will abide by the Malaysian authorities' guidelines to ensure that her show will not be offensive to local sensibilities.
