Criticism of Clerics' Intervention in the Economy; Central Bank Trapped by the Jurisprudential Council

An Iranian newspaper has criticized the role assigned to the "Jurisprudential Council" of the Central Bank in the new structure of this bank, stating that the problem begins when this council gains the ability to reject the decisions of the Central Bank. The newspaper "Donya-e-Eqtesad" indirectly criticized the lack of economic knowledge and expertise among the Jurisprudential Council and their interference in specialized issues, believing that this council will challenge the Central Bank and undermine its independence. The report also emphasized that the presence of political figures and government ministers in the Central Bank's High Supervisory Board completely distances this bank from its "independent" nature and allows the government to change rules and regulations in its favor during critical moments. The presence of clerics in various sectors, including the economy, is one of the actions that has been quietly and steadily increasing. The economy and education are among the sectors where clerics have recently begun to infiltrate, creating some controversies. In this regard, Youssef Tabatabai, representative of Ali Khamenei in Isfahan, stated on September 5 that "educated clerics should effectively participate throughout the government, like banks, as cultural planners." In contrast to this view, which many experts believe reflects the ruling elite's mindset, Mohammad Taqi Fazel-Meybodi, a member of the Society of Researchers and Teachers of Qom Seminary and a professor at Mofid University, criticized the presence of clerics in non-specialized and religious sectors in September 2022, stating that this approach will ultimately lead to a more negative perception of the clergy among the public. Such oppositions, along with those from economists and analysts, have not led to any significant change, and as the behavior of the government and parliament indicates, similar programs are still being prepared and implemented. In this context, in July of this year, the Ministry of Economy of the Islamic Republic signed a memorandum of understanding with Qom Seminary to facilitate the entry of clerics into the economy and "Islamizing the economy." Following this memorandum, a clerical official announced the establishment of clerics in the General Directorate of Economic Affairs and Finance of Qom Province and the formation of working groups for taxation, customs, foreign trade, treasury and budget, capital market, popularization, and banking. Saeed Farahani-Fard, head of the collaboration office between the seminaries and the Ministry of Economy, stated that the date of signing the memorandum between the seminary and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance was "last year" and mentioned that the collaboration between the seminary and the ministry covers various areas including "policy, research, science, education, culture, propaganda, media, international, and social and construction services." Strengthening and deepening advanced jurisprudential and contemporary jurisprudence lessons on economic issues is an approach aimed at training experts and specialists in Islamic economics to strengthen the system's foundation. Accordingly, it was announced that a "Specialized Center for Islamic Economics" would also be established. Voice of America discussed the topic of "the cost of governance in the style of the Islamic Republic on the Iranian economy" in a program in June of this year, featuring economist Hassan Mansour, political analyst Ali Sadrzadeh, economist Farakh Zand, and Kourosh Zaeim, a member of the Central Council of the National Front of Iran. Restrictions have also reached "statistical analysis"; the head of the Central Bank called for the "analysis" of statistics while respecting "national interests." The Central Bank's contradiction: the inflation reported to the judiciary was 8% higher than the inflation reported for the country. Students are entering the medical field; the activity of two thousand "psychologist students" in the country continues. Data manipulation and the provision of false information persist; Raisi claimed to compensate for the budget deficit without borrowing. Research report: specialized fields in Iranian seminaries: from purity rituals to computer games.