Enjoining Good: Increased Pressure on the Ministry of Culture

Mehdi Amini, the Deputy of Popular Organizations at the Central Headquarters for Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong, stated that the recruitment and organization of ten-member groups for enjoining good and forbidding wrong has begun. Since the approval of the Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong law, despite the initial resistance and refusal of Hassan Rouhani's government to implement this law, the Headquarters for Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong has started organizing forces that are mainly considered pressure groups attacking the government's cultural programs. On Wednesday, September 18, Mr. Amini told reporters in Semnan that with the organization of these groups, 4,600 groups will be formed for verbal admonition across the country. Thus, at least 46,000 people will be organized in the country within these ten-member groups. These groups are separate from other organizations and Basij forces that are independently under the control of this headquarters. According to the Deputy of the Central Headquarters for Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong, these groups will begin their activities in organizational areas, mosques, religious assemblies, and guilds after receiving the necessary training for verbal admonition. Mohammad Yazdi, the chairman of the Assembly of Experts, expressed hope during a recent session of the Assembly that the Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong law would be "well implemented" and that there would be "no leniency" in its enforcement. Mr. Yazdi's reference indicates that Hassan Rouhani's government, despite its opposition to this law and the announcement of the government's opposition by Mr. Rouhani to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, is compelled to issue this law for implementation. Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, stated on September 2, 2015, that "what was referred to us from the Dispute Resolution Council was that the implementation of the Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong law should continue, and if the government has corrective opinions in this regard, it should present them to the Parliament." Mr. Rahmani Fazli said, "The government will implement the Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong law, and during the time that the related reforms to this law are resolved, the Ministry of Interior will continue to pursue the issued law vigorously." Since the approval of the Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong law in the Parliament and subsequently the Guardian Council, the Ministry of Interior has been one of the critics of this law, deeming its implementation contrary to the powers and duties of the Ministry of Interior in general and governors, mayors, and district governors specifically. However, it seems that the Ministry of Interior is not the only ministry whose powers are under the supervision and intervention of the Headquarters for the Implementation of the Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong law. Recent emphases from the chairman of the Assembly of Experts and the statements from Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, indicate that the expectation of hardliners and conservatives is that the implementation of the Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong law can address what is referred to as "cultural problems." The original proposal was also raised and pursued in the Parliament by the Cultural Commission. Accordingly, it seems that the Ministry of Culture and its powers regarding the issuance of permits for cultural activities and its supervisory duties in cultural and artistic venues may also fall within the framework of a program that the Headquarters for the Implementation of the Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong law seeks to implement. This headquarters is chaired by Ahmad Jannati, a long-time critic and influential figure against the Ministry of Culture and one of the main organizers of pressure groups that operate against cultural and artistic programs and events across the country. The hardliner Rouhani has shown that the appointment of his son to the Ministry of Culture has not changed his approach. In June of this year, during a questioning session of the Minister of Culture in the Parliament that led to the issuance of the second yellow card to the Minister of Culture, Masoud Mir-Kazemi accused the Minister of Culture of insulting supporters of the Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong. This accusation stems from the fact that a significant portion of the actions of pressure groups in recent years has been carried out under the title of Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong. The implementation of the Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong law provides more legal legitimacy and formal recognition to the activities of this group of opponents of the Ministry of Culture's programs and grants them greater legal support. Article 10 of the Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong law explicitly obliges cultural institutions to implement the law and coordinate with the central headquarters and provincial and district headquarters for the implementation of the Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong law. Provisions of Article 16 of the law, concerning the duties of the Headquarters for Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong, include matters that directly fall under the responsibilities of the Ministry of Culture. Clause 4 of this article even considers determining behavioral patterns as one of the duties of this headquarters, which can be defined in a very broad sense. Article 23 of the law also provides for the allocation of part of the cultural budget to the headquarters. Although the Minister of Culture is considered one of the members of the headquarters, the composition of the members is such that the Ministry of Culture and, in general, ministers are always in the minority compared to the institutions under the leadership's supervision and critics of the Ministry of Culture and supporters of the head of the headquarters. Mr. Amini has only referred to the organization of verbal enjoining groups (which, of course, also includes chanting) but the Headquarters for Enjoining Good can organize groups for practical action based on Clause 3 of Article 17 of the law. It can also organize Basij forces for its programs. Furthermore, clauses 9 and 10 of the duties description can lead to the independent issuance of activity permits to institutions and organizations that the headquarters deems necessary. In other words, these clauses allow the Headquarters for Enjoining Good to establish dozens of organizations and institutions aligned with its goals in every province. Not only does the approved law grant extensive powers for intervention in cultural and social affairs to the headquarters, but the declaration by the head of the judiciary regarding the necessity for prosecutors to become more active in combating cultural problems and the Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong creates conditions for a wave of organizing forces that will limit the space for cultural and artistic activities in Iran and increase pressure on people in their daily lives. Article 4 of the law allows the headquarters to provide the necessary legal support, especially in judicial courts, for these groups. According to Article 13, it can even pay the blood money of these individuals in case of killing or injuring others. Article 23 also permits the allocation of budget from the cultural sector to these groups. Not only does the approved law grant extensive powers for intervention in cultural and social affairs to the headquarters, but the declaration by the head of the judiciary regarding the necessity for prosecutors to become more active in combating cultural problems and the Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong creates conditions for a wave of organizing forces that will limit the space for cultural and artistic activities in Iran and increase pressure on people in their daily lives.