Criticism in Friday Prayer of 'Inappropriate' Remarks by Some Candidates

Several Friday prayer leaders implicitly criticized Hassan Rouhani's statements during his electoral campaign on the day of the Iranian presidential elections, with the Tehran Friday prayer leader calling for 'repentance and apology' from candidates whose remarks were not in line with the 'dignity of the revolution.' According to Fars News Agency, Mohammad Ali Mohammadi Kermani, the Tehran Friday prayer leader and Secretary General of the Combatant Clergy Association, stated in his sermon on May 29: 'If candidates have said something that is not in line with the dignity of the revolution and this good people, they should repent before God and apologize to the people.' He added: 'There were violations in the elections, and those who were not committed to the law received a strong slap from the righteous people that has made them disgraced.' Mohammadi Kermani's remarks could refer to Hassan Rouhani's statements during the presidential election campaign, where he accused institutions under the Supreme Leader, including the Revolutionary Guards and the Astan Quds Razavi, of interfering in the elections and criticized the performance of the judiciary and state media. In this context, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also stated on Wednesday, May 27, that some 'words' raised in the presidential debates were not 'worthy' of the Iranian people. Mohammadi Kermani is the Secretary General of the Combatant Clergy Association, which supported Ebrahim Raisi in the presidential elections. Several Friday prayer leaders in Iran, including Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad and father-in-law of Ebrahim Raisi, and Mohammad Naqi Lotfi, the Friday prayer leader of Ilam, have also outlined criteria for their ideal president. 'Acceptance of the leadership,' 'continuous struggle against economic corruption,' 'reform of the corrupt and sick administrative system,' and 'jihadist management and revolutionary spirit' are among the characteristics these Friday prayer leaders mentioned. Gholamreza Hashemi, the Friday prayer leader of Bushehr, also stated that some individuals, by 'exploiting' the election campaign atmosphere, 'wanted to revive the dead body of the leaders of the sedition, but the more breath is blown into these bodies, the more aware and awake the people become.' During the presidential election campaign, supporters of Hassan Rouhani repeatedly called for the lifting of the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi. In response to some of these slogans, Hassan Rouhani stated that with your votes, give me 'muscle power.' He acknowledged during his campaign that he had been unable to fulfill some of the promises he made in the 2013 presidential election. Lifting the house arrest of the leaders of the 2009 protests was among the electoral promises of Hassan Rouhani in the 2013 elections, which he has been unable to implement after coming to power. Meanwhile, critics of Rouhani, including human rights monitoring organizations, have criticized the lack of improvement in human rights conditions and the continued pressure and repression in universities during his tenure. 29 members of the European Parliament also emphasized the necessity of holding 'free and fair' presidential elections in Iran and the release of political prisoners before the elections in a letter to Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief. Criticism of the UNESCO 2030 Document by Friday Prayer Leaders The Tehran Friday prayer leader, in another part of his speech, referred to the UNESCO 2030 document as a 'disgraceful document' and criticized the issuance of an order for its 'implementation' by Hassan Rouhani's government. He added: 'Fortunately, the aware and vigilant leader who defends the sanctity of religion, the Quran, and the revolution has given the necessary warnings to the government in this regard.' Several other Friday prayer leaders in other cities of Iran, including the Friday prayer leader of Varamin, also described the acceptance of this document as 'treason.' The statements of the Friday prayer leaders in Iran come as Eshaq Jahangiri, the First Vice President of Iran, announced that the 'lies' about the UNESCO '2030 Education Action Framework' document were published with the aim of 'hurting religious sentiments and undermining' the eleventh government. Iranian government officials state that the Islamic Republic has no commitment to fully implement the UNESCO 2030 document and will discard parts of it that contradict 'sharia principles.' However, Ayatollah Khamenei, criticizing the 'quiet implementation' of the UNESCO '2030 Education Action Framework,' stated that the Islamic Republic will not 'submit' to this document. The Supreme Leader's remarks regarding the 'quiet implementation' of this document came while the government resolutions are sent to his office. After Khamenei's criticism of the UNESCO 2030 document, Iranian officials announced that the implementation of this document had been halted. Media close to Hassan Rouhani recently published images of bulletins that they claimed were distributed by Ebrahim Raisi's campaign headquarters, alleging that the implementation of the 2030 document would 'promote' homosexuality in Iranian schools. Hassan Rouhani also described the publication of these bulletins during the election campaign as an 'insult' to Iranian teachers and students.