Cardboard Khomeini and topless Farahani

What a start to the week.  The Iranians wanted to commemorate the return of the Ayatollah Khomeini to Tehran on 1st Feb 1979.  As we all know, that worthy is long dead and buried.  The alternates which spring to mind are a tableau depicting the scenes or clippings of the Ayatollah's arrival on big screens or even a holographic projection, if possible.

• But no.  All these are perhaps too western to the enlightened rulers of the Islamic Republic.  They made up a giant cardboard cut out of the Ayatollah.  Isn’t that something to guffaw about?
• Is it?  Cardboard or wood cut outs are/have been the norm in almost every country for umpteen decades.  Back home, we have the political banners and the tableaus on Republic and Independence days.

 
(image courtesy Guardian, UK)

• What took the cake was to make two goons to hold the cardboard cut out of Khomeini and march it around, re-enacting the Ayatollah's arrival 32 years back.  Now isn’t that crazy?
• But is it?  Just two days before that, the DMK strongman and party chief’s elder son  celebrated his 61st birthday.  His supporters took out his statue in procession.  /blink blink/

(image courtesy, photo grab from Junior Vikatan of 05/02/2012)

• The cardboard cut out of the Ayatollah inspected troops.  It was even proffered with a guard of honour.  Isn’t that absolutely crazy?
• Is it?  Then think about anointing the wooden cut outs of cinema stars with milk or beer, an accepted practice in my home state of Tamil Nadu!
• Similarly, the BJP spokesperson’s angst and attack on the GoI calling that the present administration is in a ‘governance paralysis’ on several fronts, including the Jarawa naked dance or the Human Tourism scandal, may appear as sound politics (no pun intended).
• Is it any different like the child made to take bath in the winter chill for the Republic day tableau in Madhya Pradesh, the state which is ruled by the principal national Opposition party - the BJP?

My Naughty half natters, ‘Isn’t there a popular Islamic belief that creating visual depictions of figures is prohibited?  If so, how can the Iranian state create such a visual cardboard cut out depiction of the Ayatollah Khomeini?’

And if it can break its own taboo, then why ban Golshifteh Farahani for breaking another taboo?
To me topless Farahani looks divine, not taboo, and certainly better than Alia Elmahdy.

/drool drool/

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