Misbahi-Moghadam: The Clerical Community is Informed About the Saeed Tusi Case

The spokesperson for the Combatant Clergy Association announced that in the recent meeting of this political group, a report on the case of Saeed Tusi, a famous Quran reciter, was presented. However, due to the lack of "official news" on this matter, the group does not intend to comment on the case. According to ISNA news agency, Gholamreza Misbahi-Moghadam stated on Saturday, November 8, in response to a question about the report on Saeed Tusi's case in the recent meeting of the Combatant Clergy Association: "We only heard the report regarding Saeed Tusi, and since no official news has been announced, we do not want to make any comments." Mr. Misbahi-Moghadam did not provide further details on this matter. The Combatant Clergy Association is one of the main organizations of conservatives in Iran, and some officials from various branches of government are among its main members, including Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the current Attorney General of the country. Regarding Saeed Tusi's case, it is said that the investigation was halted due to the influence of some judicial officials and officials from the office of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Recently, the spokesperson for the judiciary announced that a decision to dismiss the case regarding immoral acts against him has been issued, but investigations regarding incitement to corruption are ongoing. Saeed Tusi is a well-known Quran reciter who recites the Quran at official programs of the Islamic Republic, including events organized by the office of the Supreme Leader of Iran. In this context, Sadegh Larijani also denied the influence of judicial officials and the leadership office in this case and criticized the media coverage of the case. Nasir Makarem Shirazi, a Shia source of emulation in Qom, has also recently criticized the "rumor-mongering" and reports from foreign media regarding this case. This cleric's objection to the publication of reports about Saeed Tusi's case comes at a time when the plaintiffs in this famous reciter's case have stated that after being disappointed with the judiciary's pursuit of the case over the past five years, they have decided to speak out about it. Meanwhile, some famous Quran reciters, including Abbas Salimi and Mohsen Mousavi-Boladeh, have called for the case to be addressed. Masih Mohajeri, the editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper Jomhouri Eslami, also emphasized in the editorial of this newspaper on Thursday that "transparent, swift, and decisive handling of the accusations and announcing results without hesitation will always benefit and strengthen the system." He noted the situation of social media, stating that "those who think they are serving the system by hiding the truth should know that they are inflicting a great blow on the system and themselves." The daily newspaper Javan, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also stated in its editorial on Thursday that if Saeed Tusi's "deviation" is proven, he "must be punished" and that "we must be prepared for anything from acquittal to execution." This newspaper called on the judiciary to "be accountable for why it has not resolved a case since 1389 (2010) and why it has not clarified the social arena before others." The editorial also stated that "the leadership of American and British media in this matter leaves no doubt that ridiculing the system through the lens of religion is their strategy, and their foot soldiers point every true and false issue as an arrow towards the system." Regarding this case, two of the plaintiffs have stated in an interview with Radio Farda that they do not have personal safety. According to these plaintiffs, Saeed Tusi is being prosecuted on charges such as "sexual assault" based on complaints from the families of several teenage Quran reciters, but ultimately, due to the intervention of "Ali Moghadam, the head of communications at the office of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic," the "head of the judiciary," and the "prosecutor of Tehran," a decision to dismiss the case was issued for him. Some news websites have reported that the number of plaintiffs in this case is more than ten, but some have not filed complaints and have stated that "they will be present in court as witnesses." This famous Quran reciter denied these accusations on October 29, stating that opponents of the Islamic Republic have made him a "proxy for insults" against the Supreme Leader of Iran.