Candidates Without Religious Education Banned from Participating in the 'Scientific Exam of the Assembly of Experts'

The Guardian Council has announced details regarding the 'scientific exam' for candidates of the Assembly of Experts elections, emphasizing that those without religious education cannot participate in this exam. This implies that these individuals are not qualified to run in the elections. In the Guardian Council's announcement, a list of those exempt from participating in this exam was provided, which includes all current members of the Assembly of Experts. The Council also exempted those who participated in previous elections and were 'scientifically approved' from taking the exam in January. Additionally, participants in another exam held by the Council in September, regardless of whether they passed or failed, are barred from the January exam, meaning that if a candidate was not approved in the September exam, they will effectively be unable to compete in the Assembly of Experts elections. However, the important point in this announcement is the emphasis on having religious education as a prerequisite for participating in this exam, thus those without such education are effectively disqualified from the elections. Last week, with the registration deadline for the Assembly of Experts elections ending, the Ministry of Interior announced that over 800 individuals have volunteered to run, marking a 62% increase in registrations for this election. This situation did not sit well with observers of the Experts elections, as Ahmad Jannati, the Secretary of the Guardian Council, expressed regret over the increase in registrations, stating that 'some of them cannot even read an Arabic phrase correctly and cannot even read the Quran; I don't know why they create trouble for us.' Prior to him, Mohammad Yazdi, another member of the Guardian Council and the current head of the Assembly of Experts, also expressed concern over the increase in candidates, emphasizing that 'there are other hidden agendas behind these registrations.' Among the candidates for the Assembly of Experts this year are figures such as Mohammad Gharazi, a former Minister of Post, Telegraph, and Telephone, and a candidate for the presidential election in 2013, who is not dressed in clerical attire. Additionally, at least one case has been reported of a 26-year-old woman registering for the Assembly of Experts elections who holds a PhD in Arabic literature and claimed she could pass the scientific exam. Meanwhile, on Thursday, the spokesperson for the Guardian Council refrained from directly commenting on the necessity for Hassan Khomeini to participate in the scientific exam, stating that since the review [by the examining committee] has not yet concluded, he would not comment on this matter. Nejatollah Ebrahimiann, in an interview with the Etemad newspaper, stated that he does not want to get into specifics, adding that '[regarding Hassan Khomeini] Ayatollah Momen has expressed his views, and other jurists know what criteria to follow for evaluating qualifications.' Last week, news agencies reported, quoting Mohammad Momen, a member of the Guardian Council's jurists, that having a license for ijtihad from religious authorities is 'not a sufficient condition for the qualifications' of candidates for the Assembly of Experts and that 'the validity of the ijtihad license would lead some to insist on obtaining it from the grand religious authorities, causing them distress.' Mr. Momen also stated, 'Someone we do not know but teaches in the seminary, whose lecture recordings are available, teaches well, is knowledgeable, and has expressed opinions on political matters; this person does not need to take the ijtihad exam. Therefore, when the jurists of the Guardian Council determine that a person has knowledge and meets all conditions, meaning they have a scientific connection with them and their ijtihad and qualifications are proven, there is no need for an ijtihad exam.' Ayatollah Subhani criticized the increase in registrations, stating that as one of the drafters of the Constitution, the intention behind the Assembly of Experts was never what is about to happen now. According to the Rasa news agency, Mr. Subhani described the registration of over 800 individuals for the Assembly of Experts as a 'diminution of the Assembly's status' and stated, 'Many have approached me to obtain a confirmation; however, I have refrained from issuing ijtihad confirmations because I know these individuals are knowledgeable but not at the level of ijtihad.' He called for arrangements to be made so that 'individuals' ijtihad credentials are confirmed before registering for the Assembly, not afterward. Conversely, the ISNA news agency quoted Ali Akbar Velayati, an advisor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stating that people cannot be restricted from registering. Mr. Velayati commented on the criticisms regarding the increase in candidates, saying, 'I think it is not a problem for many to volunteer for the elections; after all, the Guardian Council is present and will evaluate the qualifications of the Assembly and Parliament representatives based on criteria.' He continued, 'It is true that Ayatollah Jannati said that the large number of registrations increases our workload, but apart from this (increased workload), there is no other flaw. I think restricting registration complicates matters and may lead to more fundamental issues that could prevent some from participating in the elections.' This principled figure close to Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that 'based on the criteria of the Guardian Council and supervisory oversight, it must be determined what qualifications a person has to participate in the elections and who will be chosen by the people from among qualified individuals.'