Reactions to the Secret Filming of a Cleric; Gohar Eshghi: Clerics Should Fix Their Corrupt Minds

Social media users reacted to the release of a video showing a cleric secretly filming a woman holding her newborn at a medical center in Qom. The news channel "Al-Furqan," close to "radical religious factions" in Qom, announced that the woman, along with the clinic's director and staff, had been arrested. This government media accused the woman, who has now become known as "Qomi Mother" on social media, of "hooliganism" and labeled her a "brazen lawbreaker" who insulted the clergy. The video of the cleric harassing the young woman at the "Quran and Atrat" clinic was released one day after March 8, International Women's Day. The domestic media outlet "Shark Network" reported that its investigations indicate the woman is "the aunt of the newborn" and "according to a knowledgeable source, the cleric in the film is a student and a teacher at the Qom seminary." According to Shark, Dr. Masoud Moshref, the treating physician of the newborn, stated that "this incident occurred last Wednesday." The legal advisory group Dadban reacted to the video release by pointing out that "Article 619 of the Islamic Penal Code" stipulates that "any harassment of women in public places is a crime" and prescribes a punishment of two to six months in prison and up to 74 lashes for the offender, emphasizing that "it is clear that photographing a mother who, due to carrying her newborn and the stress and anxiety caused by illness and being at the clinic, is not mentally and physically prepared to pay attention to her compulsory hijab, constitutes a clear case of harassment." The mother of Sattar Beheshti, a blogging worker who died in custody and under interrogation, stated that "a lowly cleric" filmed the Qomi mother and faced public protests, saying: "These fat cat clerics should fix their corrupt minds instead of meddling in the affairs of the brave women of the country. They should not steal, kill, embezzle, or harass the people." Gohar Eshghi emphasized: "The women of this country gave you a strong slap last year. Do not forget. The people of Iran are not afraid of these petty games. Go pack up your things!" Fatemeh Heydari, sister of the bereaved Javad Heydari, one of the victims of the nationwide protests of 2022, pointed out the support of women present at the clinic for the Qomi mother, saying: "All the regret we feel when watching the video from the Qom hospital that 'I wish we were there at that moment' was shouldered solely by this woman." Masih Alinejad, a journalist and human rights activist, also emphasized that "we should not just be spectators of a harassing cleric and his violation of a woman's privacy for not wearing an Islamic hijab." Shima Babaei, a civil activist, shared an image of the "Qomi Mother" alongside a historical photo of a woman standing up to a cleric in the early days after the 1979 revolution, stating: "Iranian women are repetitions of each other." Ehsan Badaghi, a journalist, highlighted the writings of the cyber forces of the Islamic Republic regarding this incident on social media, emphasizing that these individuals are "paid" by the "central headquarters" and have been instructed to refer to the Qomi mother with the derogatory term "slut." He added: "Look at the accounts of the cyber forces. They know that by calling this mother a slut, the disgrace of that cleric will not be forgotten by the people." Maryam Foomani, a women's rights activist, also emphasized that after the release of the video of the "Qomi Mother's screams," other women are "one by one writing about how they have shouted in front of bullies like that cleric for the sake of this piece of cloth they want to force on our heads. That brave woman is one of us whose voice has coincidentally reached others." In contrast, pro-Islamic Republic users, whose observers refer to them as cyber forces affiliated with the government, attacked the staff of the "Quran and Atrat" clinic, accusing them and calling for "decisive action" against them. Meanwhile, Sakineh Pad, assistant to Ebrahim Raisi in "pursuing rights and social freedoms," expressed regret over the "polarization" in society regarding the video of the confrontation following the cleric's filming of the young woman, stating: "It is very bad that we have verbal violence among ourselves. This type of confrontation is very ugly that is taking place." She noted that the arrest of the woman protesting against the cleric has been "denied," referring to the "loss of authority" of the clergy and added: "It was very bad, and both sides were speaking to each other with violence. Based on rational, religious, ethical, legal, and customary principles, we should not lean towards one side. Both sides had an ugly confrontation. We women understand more. For example, I am worried about my child and stressed, and perhaps that type of confrontation and aggression is somewhat justifiable. Why does that cleric want to enjoin the good by taking pictures and filming? What kind of confrontation has he had that he has lost his authority and is being confronted? These need to be analyzed for their damage."