Approval of the 'Enhancement of Professional Ethics in the Administrative System' Regulation; Enjoining Good Deeds by Employees Made Mandatory

The government of the Islamic Republic has determined that practicing 'enjoining good and forbidding wrong' is one of the requirements of 'professional ethics' in the administrative system, making 'enjoining good' a mandatory duty for employees within Iran's administrative system. According to the website 'Shenasnameh Qanoon', which publishes government resolutions and announcements, the Cabinet of the Islamic Republic recently approved the 'Enhancement of Professional Ethics in the Administrative System' regulation at the suggestion of the Legal Deputy of the President and the Administrative and Recruitment Organization of the country. Based on this regulation, employees must have 'practical commitment to Islamic norms and rituals and the absolute guardianship of the jurist' and prioritize Islamic moral values, including 'simple living and avoiding laziness'. Another requirement of this regulation for employees is 'guardianship adherence'. The most emphasized issue in this regulation is the obligation for employees to carry out 'enjoining good and forbidding wrong', which could lead to increased social tensions. 'Enjoining good' in Iran is pursued with the order of 'fire at will' by high-ranking officials, which has led to various conflicts within society, from interference in the dress of women accompanying their families to 'enjoining good' resulting in the death of a student named 'Armita Garavand' and the filming of a woman worried about her sick infant, all outcomes of 'enjoining good' by government supporters in Iran. Analysts believe that this trend will lead to confrontations among the people and create divisions in society, which could pave the way for a new wave of protests and societal reactions to increased restrictions on their social freedoms.