Deputy of Qom Seminary: The Majority of the Seminary Does Not Support Rouhani's Government

The Deputy of the Qom Seminary's propaganda department rejected reports about his role in organizing a gathering of clerics opposing the government, stating that "the majority of the seminary does not support Mr. Rouhani's government." Mohammad Hassan Nabavi said in an interview with Khabar Online on Sunday, September 4, that he had "not participated" in the gathering of clerics opposing the government. He also expressed ignorance about which entity issued the permit for this gathering, while stating that holding gatherings in the seminary is "not without accountability." Regarding the controversial slogan written at this gathering, he said: "This is a very wrong action and should not have given others an excuse; but the real question is, does this slogan really imply that we are going to kill a president?" He also stated that "the majority of the seminary does not support Mr. Rouhani's government." Nabavi emphasized his previous statements during last year's presidential election, saying: "Anyone who promotes corruption and seeks to gain votes by giving privileges to unveiled women... even if they gain votes, it is against Sharia." At a gathering held on August 25 with the theme of "demanding economic justice" at the Feyziyeh School, an image of a slogan that implicitly threatened Hassan Rouhani with the fate of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani became newsworthy. The Iran newspaper reported that the organizers of this gathering claimed: "The political center of the seminaries is also an organizer, and the propaganda department of the seminaries supports us." According to this report, the main members of the Teachers' Association and the "Imam Sadiq Brigade," which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, organized this gathering. The Teachers' Association is a group that supported Ebrahim Raisi in the presidential election. Hossein Tayebi Far, the commander of the special brigade of clerics known as the "Imam Sadiq Brigade," was one of the speakers at this event. However, following protests from Naser Makarem Shirazi and Hossein Nouri Hamadani, clerics in Qom, and the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary, the IRGC denied the involvement of its forces in organizing the gathering. Reports indicate that the "Imam Sadiq Brigade" has played a role in suppressing prominent clerics critical of the government during the leadership of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and some critical clerics, including Ayatollah Montazeri and Ayatollah Ahmad Azari Qomi, have spoken about the role of this brigade's forces in attacks on their offices and homes. In a famous speech that led to his house arrest, Ayatollah Montazeri stated that he had sent a message to Ayatollah Khamenei, questioning, "What right does this brigade have to come to Qom and incite a group of youth to disrupt the seminary?" On Sunday, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the judiciary, announced the formation of a case regarding this matter in the "Special Court for Clerics." A few days after the Qom seminary gathering, Iranian news websites reported that Mansour Arzi, a famous Tehran eulogist who is usually seen at events attended by Ayatollah Khamenei, repeated threats to kill Hassan Rouhani. Meanwhile, Laya Janidi, the legal deputy of Hassan Rouhani, stated that she would file a complaint against "the abusers of the president."