Reaction of the Deputy Minister of Cultural Heritage to Arrests Related to 'Proposal at Hafezieh in Shiraz'

The Deputy Minister of Cultural Heritage and Tourism of Iran reacted to the incident known as 'Proposal at the Hafezieh Tomb' and the arrest of the manager of this historical and cultural site and the director of the Cultural Heritage Department of Fars Province, stating that 'injustice' has occurred. Ali Darabi, the deputy to Ezzatollah Zarghami and the Deputy Minister of Cultural Heritage in the government of Ebrahim Raisi, criticized the 'free attire' of the participants in this 'proposal' ceremony and condemned the 'position and statements and behavior of the governor of Fars'. He also published a photo of the 'manager of the Hafezieh complex', who had recently been honored by the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of the Islamic Republic on the occasion of 'International Museum Day'. Darabi added that worse than the governor's remarks, which ordered action against the managers, was the 'action of the Shiraz prosecutor's office' in 'summoning and arresting' the director of the Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Department of the province and the manager of the historical Hafezieh complex. He referred to the efforts of the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Cultural Heritage for the release of these managers and reported that the director of the Cultural Heritage Department was released on bail, but the manager of the Hafezieh complex remains in custody. Shortly after the publication of this post, Iranian media reported the release of Zahra Adhami, the manager of the Hafezieh complex in Shiraz. State media of the Islamic Republic reported on Tuesday, June 8, quoting Mohammad Hadi Imanieh, the governor of Fars, that following the publication of a proposal that he called 'contrary to custom' and which occurred in the 'Hafezieh of Shiraz', two managers of this complex were 'arrested' and the director of the Cultural Heritage Department of the province was also 'banned' from attending the administrative environment. This action by the governor and the judicial system of the Islamic Republic faced widespread reactions among social media users, which continues to this day. Ibrahim Darughazadeh, a filmmaker and former secretary of the state-run Fajr Film Festival, also tweeted about the 'arrest' of the manager of the Hafezieh complex in Shiraz, stating: 'The Taliban has conquered Iran without a bullet!' Behrouz Shahrokhnia, a political activist, wrote regarding this incident: 'In the Hafezieh proposal incident, the only one to blame is Khwāja Shams al-Dīn Muḥammad Ḥāfeẓ Shīrāzī, who caused such immorality by being buried in such a place. He must be arrested as soon as possible and face the consequences of his actions.' Rouhollah Jom'eie, an advisor to Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior in Hassan Rouhani's government, also tweeted referring to the publication of a 'romantic film' of 'two young people's proposal in Hafezieh Shiraz' and the 'reaction' to them and local cultural heritage managers, stating: 'Although the woman's hijab is unofficial, it cannot be considered more unlawful than poverty, corruption, discrimination, inflation, incompetence, and...'. This event and the rapid reactions of officials come at a time when Shiraz has faced serious challenges in the destruction of some old areas in the field of cultural heritage in recent months, yet none of the senior government or judicial officials of Fars Province have addressed the issue, rather the process of destroying the historical fabric has accelerated.