Founder of 'Modesty and Hijab Workshop' in Gilan Dismissed After Reports of Sexual Relations with a Young Man

Amid reports of sexual relations between Reza Taqati, the director of the Culture and Islamic Guidance Department of Gilan, and a young man, some sources reported his dismissal without providing details. The news site 'Gilan News' reported on Wednesday, July 19, that Reza Taqati was dismissed 'due to the controversies that have arisen in recent days,' and Abdolreza Ali Panah was appointed as the acting head of the Culture and Islamic Guidance Department of Gilan Province. Gilan News did not provide further details. At the same time, the Telegram channel of Radio Gilan, which has a hundred thousand followers, wrote that Taqati's dismissal was ordered by the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Ebrahim Raisi's government. The Iranian government has not yet taken an official position on this matter, but Mohammad Mahdi Esmaeili, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, said in a video that apparently followed a cabinet meeting, 'I have dismissed several managers of organizations related to the ministry for not taking the law of hijab seriously.' Videos have been circulating on social media for a day claiming that Reza Taqati has a sexual relationship with a young man. No report has been published regarding the identity of the other man in the video, but the conversation between the two men includes a discussion about the burial place of the late poet Hossein Abtahi. Voice of America cannot independently confirm that this video belongs to Reza Taqati. It has been reported on social media that Reza Taqati is married and has three daughters, and is considered one of the enforcers of mandatory hijab in Gilan. Taqati, born in 1978 in Rasht, was appointed as the director of the Culture and Islamic Guidance Department of Gilan by the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance after the establishment of Ebrahim Raisi's government. His previous positions in government included being responsible for veterans in the Culture and Islamic Guidance Department and also being the founder and editor of the 'Qalam' magazine for cultural and artistic centers of mosques in the province. After his directorship, he had a prominent presence in senior management meetings in Gilan and was one of the managers who called for action against opponents of mandatory hijab during last year's protests. In May of this year, Reza Taqati announced the establishment of a hijab hypermarket in Gilan and also ordered the formation of a modesty and hijab exhibition in the central hall of Rasht to produce clothing compatible with Iranian-Islamic culture. The IRNA news agency reported on June 15 that Taqati had established a neighborhood-based cultural headquarters for modesty and hijab in Gilan. However, his position on Instagram had previously become controversial. In an Instagram story, he referred to 'immodesty and inappropriate clothing' in cities as a 'product of the cultural laxity' of Hassan Rouhani's government and asked his followers for help to 'clean up these inappropriate scenes' from the city.