The Iranian government has banned the use of foreign words in commercials, the names of movies and on billboards, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
The decision, announced at the end of last month, reflects a concern expressed in the past several years by intellectuals and senior officials over the deterioration in the status of the Persian language due to the influence of the West and the progress of information technology, reported the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC).
The government announcement of its intent to ban the use of Latin letters on billboards had already been in effect in Tehran since in September 2007. Moreover, the Islamic Guidance Ministry said it would establish a headquarters to monitor the use of Latin letters and “incorrect, meaningless names” as well as bans of Latin letters on bags, shoes and writing utensils for students.
Deputy Telecommunications Minister for Information Technology Abdolhamid Riazi claimed in May 2007 that the Internet and cellular phones were the lead instruments of “cultural oppression” by the West. He recommended that the Persian language be preserved by encouraging its use in cellular phones, in computer software and on the Internet.
Barely a month later, a group of intellectuals published a paper warning against the declining use of the Persian alphabet due to the increasing use of foreign languages in computers and mobile phone technology.
Iran's vice president at the time decreed shortly thereafter that all official bodies use only the Persian alphabet for text messaging.