It was saddening to learn about the arrest of the young performers that appeared in the video below.

The photographer and her friends was arrested for what Tehran police chief Hossen Sajedinia called a “vulgar clip which hurt public chastity”.

The arrest on Tuesday of these young performers sparked a media frenzy and a storm on social media, with many Iranians expressing shock at the arrests. Some observers question whether it is a “crime to be happy in Iran.”

In the video, the girls are seen not observing the hijab, a series of rules that oblige women in Iran to cover their hair and much of their body when outside. Further, dancing is prohibited in the Islamic republic, while mingling with the opposite sex is strictly frowned upon. The clip was seen as an affront to public morality and decency by Iranian authorities.

Iranian conservatives are wary of young Iranians abandoning Islamic teachings in favour of a Western values – a phenomenon authorities and leaders describe as part of a “soft-war” against Iran.

This clip should be seen as an expression of youthful exuberance and happiness, and not an attack against the state.