Iranian police have arrested six youths for taking part in the viral sensation of singing and dancing to American R&B singer Pharell Williams’ mega-hit “Happy”.

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Since the song was released in November, people from all corners of the world have posted their own “Happy” videos.

In the “Happy We are from Tehran” clip, which was posted online on Monday, three young men and three unveiled women are shown dancing to the tune on the capital’s streets and rooftops.

The move did not go down well with Iranian authorities, however, leading to the youths’ arrests.

"After a vulgar clip which hurt public chastity was released in cyberspace, police decided to identify those involved in making that clip," Tehran police chief Hossein Sajedinia was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.

"Following a series of intelligence and police operations and after coordinating with the judiciary, all the suspects were identified and arrested."

ISNA said the detainees had "confessed to their criminal acts".

Under Islamic law, in force in Iran since the 1979 revolution, women must cover themselves from head to toe, but conservatives accuse some young Iranians of abandoning the Islamic values and turning to a more Western way of life.

More than a decade ago a "morality police" unit was formed to verify that women scrupulously respect the dress code in public.

The Internet is heavily filtered in Iran, with the authorities blocking access to popular social networking sites.

Since President Hassan Rohani's election last June, civil liberties and women's rights have returned to the forefront of the political agenda.

A moderate, he had campaigned for greater cultural and social freedoms in the Islamic republic, specifically urging police tolerance over the veil.

But conservatives regularly denounce what they see as laxity on the part of the authorities on women covering up or on behaviour deemed offensive to Islam.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

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