Campaign to Prevent the Destruction of Qeytarieh Park; Creating Islamic Neighborhoods as Possible Reasons for Mosque Construction in the Park

In response to the construction of a mosque in Qeytarieh Park, an online campaign has been launched to prevent the destruction of this park. This campaign, addressed to the head of the judiciary, the president, and the head of the Administrative Justice Court of the Islamic Republic, has received significant support on social media. The petition states that "Tehran is a densely populated city with a shortage of parks and green spaces; therefore, in recent years, the municipality has not only failed to take effective action in this regard but has also widely engaged in the destruction of trees in various parts of Tehran, including Zafaranieh Park, the National Botanical Garden, Chitgar Park, Saadabad Palace, and now intends to destroy the historical Qeytarieh Park despite its ancient trees." It continues that "despite the severe air pollution in Tehran and the city's need for trees, this action has irreparable consequences; as citizens of the capital suffer from depression, the presence of ugly buildings, congestion, and a lack of urban green space are causes of many mental illnesses. Therefore, we, the citizens of Tehran, demand the prevention of the destruction of Qeytarieh Park." Despite the increasing protests against the mosque construction in Qeytarieh Park, the mayor of Tehran emphasized the implementation of this project, stating that mosques will be built in all parks of the capital. Alireza Zakani, the mayor of Tehran, considered the construction of mosques in the city's parks as one of the municipality's fundamental programs and claimed that the concerns of critics regarding the preservation of the tranquility of parks and remaining trees in the capital are "incorrect," asserting that no trees will be harmed in the construction of these mosques. Simultaneously, Nasser Amani, a member of the Tehran City Council, reacted to the municipality's action by stating: "The construction of a mosque in part of Qeytarieh Park is not only not a respect for Islamic rituals but will also lead to the destruction of rituals and skepticism among a large segment of citizens." He deemed the Tehran municipality's action illegal on social media platform 'X' and added: "Any construction in parks, except for essential services, is prohibited, and changing their use without the approval of legal authorities is seriously forbidden, especially since there are two mosques within 300 meters of Qeytarieh Park, which makes the construction of a mosque in this park unjustifiable." Although there are various opinions and perspectives regarding the reasons for the mayor's insistence on constructing a mosque in Qeytarieh Park and other parks in the capital, the 'Iran Watch' site examines this issue from another angle. According to this news and analytical site, Alireza Zakani's contradictory statements and those of his allies regarding the reasons for building a mosque in Qeytarieh Park have not only failed to satisfy public opinion but have also caused widespread anger among Tehran's citizens. This site claims that the creation of "Islamic neighborhoods" is one of the possible scenarios for such projects. According to Iran Watch, Hassan Zadeh, the commander of the Mohammad Rasoul Allah Corps, first unveiled the keyword "Islamic neighborhood" after protests a few years ago; a plan that aims to expand the presence of Basij forces in various areas of Tehran centered around mosques. The site further states that after meeting with the commander of the Mohammad Rasoul Allah Corps, the mayor of Tehran agreed to this plan, which primarily aims to control neighborhoods, citizens, and suppress protests. In this project, the construction of mosques will enhance the position of Basij forces, and by commercializing part of the mosques, the budget for these forces will also be secured. According to Iran Watch, considering that this plan begins in the northern regions of Tehran, which have the highest civil discontent, it seems that such a scenario is more plausible than other reasons for constructing a mosque in Qeytarieh Park. The domino effect of park destruction under the pretext of mosque construction; 'Andisheh Park' has been fenced off. Parks are at risk; the insistence of the mayor of Tehran on building mosques in the capital's parks despite opposition.