By Najmeh Bozorgmehr

Financial Times

“When you pass by my tomb, ask for grace; It’s a shrine where the drunkards abound,” reads a poem by the legendary Persian poet Hafez.

These lines encapsulated the mood at the recent funeral of Khosrow Hassanzadeh, a prominent Iranian artist whose work was exhibited the world over. His death earlier this month, the result of alcohol poisoning from drinking aragh, a popular Iranian moonshine, shocked friends and peers.

Nowadays, many Iranians are angry at the Islamic republic’s ideologically motivated alcohol ban, which has existed since 1979 and ensures the continued flow of a dangerous black market supply of drinks. What has long been seen as pragmatism towards drinking — or at least turning a blind eye — is increasingly becoming unwieldy.

Strong public demand benefits the illegal multibillion-dollar business of importing alcoholic beverages and facilitating their production inside Iran, but a lack of regulation leaves ample room for things to go wrong. There is also widespread speculation that regime loyalists who back the Islamic decree might be sabotaging these bottles of illegal liquor, to discourage consumption of alcohol.

Local media has reported a sudden rise in deaths and loss of sight resulting from alcohol poisoning in recent weeks. Iran’s police chief, Ahmad-Reza Radan, has rejected the possibility of an organised sabotage attempt by Islamists, instead saying: “those who consume alcoholic drinks should know that some risks await them”.

Hassanzadeh, who was just 60, lost his sight and slipped into a coma before passing away 10 days later. Aragh was an essential part of his lifestyle as an artist. His partner, Shahrzad Afrashteh, who is a friend of mine, tells me that his was “not a death in vain” — rather, it was part of his dedication to an ancient Luti tradition. The ritualised practice of aragh is part of this tradition whereby men of honour salute each other each time they have a shot “by lowering their glass until they reach the floor, as a show of complete self-abasement and humility to the other”, she explains. “It is in this context that Khosrow’s drinking of aragh must be seen.” >>>