Iran's dancing fish vendor. From Instagram stardom to arrest for 'violating public morality'

This growing fame was abruptly halted by  local authorities, who just last week arrested Bagheri himself, alongside several individuals who broadcast recordings of this vibrant vendor.

The relevant online content was erased, replaced with information declaring their actions guilty, and hence, taken offline.

The local police chief, Brigadier General Hossein Hassanpour, informed the press that police action was necessary because the spreading of Bagheri's dance clips "violated public morality" and "broke norms". During this event, four stalls also faced closure.

However, this was merely the beginning. Platform users disgruntled with the authorities' actions began broadcasting their dance videos in Iranian parks and streets, with folk tunes reminiscent of those of the jailed businessperson.

Dancing, in fundamentalists' perspective, is an act of immorality and is thereby considered entirely unacceptable behavior.

Still, there's no clear demarcation on the acceptability of music. Despite the Islamic Republic having a national orchestra and concerts being a common occurrence, state broadcasters have chosen not to broadcast any in the past forty years.

The views about this vary among different Islamic schools. Some contend that singing is allowed, but sans instruments; others believe that it's allowed only if the audience shares the same gender as the singer. Some consent to traditional drum-accompanied singing, and there are also those who find an absence of sexual undertones to be the only criterion for musical acceptability.

As the portal implies, in smaller centers, fundamentalist control dominates. Allegedly, the action against the singing and dancing fish merchant in Rasht, a Caspian Sea port, came in response to local Imam pressures.