Election Satire by Rouhani's Campaign in Ilam Sparks Controversy

The election satire from Hassan Rouhani's campaign in Ilam, addressing the eighth Imam of Shia Muslims, led to the announcement of a day of public mourning in the province and protests from several religious authorities. In the latest news, the Ilam judiciary has reported the arrest of one individual in connection with this matter. During the inauguration ceremony of Hassan Rouhani's campaign office in Ilam, held two days ago, a humorous text expressed 'grievance' towards the eighth Imam for being the Imam of 'principlists' and not of 'reformists.' The text also included sharp indirect criticisms of Ebrahim Raisi, the custodian of the Astan Quds Razavi, regarding the 'use' of the facilities of this institution in the presidential election. The reading of this text, reported by local media, was conducted by Ali-Mohammad Mohammadi, the head of Rouhani's campaign in the city of 'Ivan' in Ilam, and it faced backlash from some religious authorities, the provincial commander of the IRGC, and conservatives. Reports indicate that the intensity of the protests was such that the prosecutor of Ilam province issued an arrest warrant for this member of Rouhani's campaign. Shortly after these reports, the Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, quoted the head of the Ilam judiciary as saying that one person had been arrested in connection with this issue by security forces. This news agency identified the arrested individual as the presenter of the inauguration program who read a letter containing insults to sacred beliefs and disrespect towards the Imams, particularly Imam Reza. The protests have spread from the Friday prayer leaders in Ilam to religious authorities in Qom. According to reports, the Friday prayer leader of Ilam has declared a day of public mourning in response to this issue. Mohammad Naqib Lotfi, as the representative of the Supreme Leader in Ilam province, also expressed condolences in a letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei regarding the 'insult' to the eighth Imam by individuals he referred to as 'blind-hearted seditionists and hypocrites of the time.' In his Friday prayer sermon this week in Ilam, Lotfi stated that 'insulting and disrespecting religious and revolutionary values by reformists and supporters of one reformist candidate is one of their strategic policies and inspired by foreign masters.' Other Friday prayer leaders in various cities of Ilam province have also reacted to this issue, calling for action against the 'insulters.' Naser Makarem Shirazi, a Shia cleric in Qom, issued a statement demanding punishment for the 'wicked individual' who, according to him, has brought the 'high status of Imamate into ridicule.' Mohammad Ali Alavi Gorgani, another Shia cleric residing in Qom, also issued a statement declaring that 'insulting the infallible Imams under the pretext of political games or freedom of expression or any other excuse has no effect other than desacralizing the pure status of those infallibles.' Sadeq Hosseini, the commander of the IRGC in Ilam province, also issued a statement calling on the judiciary to 'take legal action against the offending individual and any potential behind-the-scenes actors.' The deputy of the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice of the Islamic Coalition in Ilam province, the People's Front of Revolutionary Forces in Ilam province, and the provincial Basij media council have each issued separate statements condemning what they termed 'insulting' the eighth Imam of Shia Muslims. Simultaneously, Mohammad Shariatmadari, the head of Rouhani's campaign, expressed regret over the incident and condemned 'any political exploitation of this event.' In his letter addressed to the head of Rouhani's campaign in Ilam province, Shariatmadari deemed the reading of a text that is 'inappropriate for religious decorum at the inauguration of the campaign office in Ilam province' as 'inappropriate for religious decorum.' He acknowledged that reading such a text has led to 'wounding the feelings of some scholars and believers' and called for 'immediate action' against the 'offending individual,' stating that 'any potential activity of this individual in the campaign should be prevented.'