Reason for Denial of Permit for Hossein Shari'atmadari's Speech at University: 'Preserving the Dignity of the Guest'

The newspapers Kayhan and Javan reported the denial of a permit for the speech of the editor-in-chief of Kayhan newspaper at Amir Kabir University. Simultaneously, Reza Sarraf, the cultural deputy of Amir Kabir University, alluded to student opposition to Hossein Shari'atmadari's presence at the university, stating: 'The supervisory board opposed holding Hossein Shari'atmadari's speech at the invitation of Basij due to reasons of preserving the dignity of the guest,' adding that 'no permit had been issued from the beginning to be revoked.' The newspaper Etemad reported on Hassan Rouhani's presence at Iran University of Medical Sciences on the occasion of Student Day, describing it as a 'different' 16th of Azar, noting that one of the differences this year is 'the composition of those invited to attend the ceremony,' with 'winners of Olympiads, Quranic, cultural, and literary competitions' invited to the speech hall of the eleventh government president. Statements by Ali Tayebnia, the Minister of Economy, regarding the 'discovery of a 12 trillion tomans financial corruption' received widespread attention in the Sunday edition of Iranian newspapers. The newspapers Iran, Shargh, Shahrvand, Te'adol, Jahan San'at, Etemad, Kasb o Kar, Aftab Yazd, Ebtekar, and Khorasan and Javan published Ali Tayebnia's statements about the 'discovery of 12 trillion tomans corruption' as a front-page headline or one of the headlines on their Sunday editions. The newspaper Ebtekar reported on the announcement of 'prohibited winter clothing,' stating that on Saturday, the police of moral security announced 'examples of bad clothing in winter,' declaring that women wearing 'leggings' and those using 'inappropriate designs on their coats, short and tight coats' are considered poorly dressed by the police. The newspaper Ebtekar noted: 'A new point is that a 'hat' is not considered a hijab by the police, and a person wearing a hat instead of a scarf or hijab is not considered to be properly covered.' The newspaper Jahan San'at reported on 'the loss of 700,000 jobs during the one-year activity of the government of Hope and Prudence from summer 92 to summer 93 in the three sectors of industry, mining, and agriculture,' stating that this issue has also been confirmed by Hassan Taee, the Deputy of Employment at the Ministry of Labor. Amir Mohabian, a principlist figure, reacted to reports about the formation of a party by some factions of the principlist camp, telling the newspaper Aftab Yazd: 'The problem of principlists will not be solved with a new party.' The newspapers Shahrvand and Etemad reported that Mahmoud Vaezi, the Minister of Communications, announced that 'identity verification' is on the agenda of this ministry and 'the identity of users will be verified before entering the internet.' The newspaper Iran reported the 'arrest of four members' of the 'Circle of Mysticism' and stated: 'Four male and female professors of the Circle of Mysticism were arrested by intelligence agents on Kish Island.' This newspaper referred to the 'Circle of Mysticism' as a 'deviant cult' and noted: 'Despite the arrest of its founder due to its 'master-cultivation' structure, it continues its activities.' The newspaper Kasb o Kar published a report about an institute promoting marriage, which, in addition to its website, has advertisements seen in areas of Tehran and charges 179,000 tomans for introducing 'four suitors.' The revelation of financial corruption of 3 and 8 trillion tomans has been overshadowed by the disclosure of 12 trillion tomans of financial corruption. Statements by Ali Tayebnia, the Minister of Economy, regarding the 'discovery of 12 trillion tomans of financial corruption' received widespread attention in the Sunday edition of Iranian newspapers. The newspapers Iran, Shargh, Shahrvand, Te'adol, Jahan San'at, Etemad, Kasb o Kar, Aftab Yazd, Ebtekar, and Khorasan and Javan published Ali Tayebnia's statements about the 'discovery of 12 trillion tomans of corruption' as a front-page headline or one of the headlines on their Sunday editions. The newspaper Iran, dedicating its front-page photo to Ali Tayebnia, reported on the 'exposure of 12 trillion tomans of corruption' in a press conference by the Minister of Economy. According to this newspaper, the Minister of Economic Affairs stated regarding the discovery of 12 trillion tomans of corruption: 'This figure relates to the turnover of activities in a financial period. Accordingly, I negotiated with the CEO of the relevant bank, and it became clear that all funds have returned to the bank,' but 'the process of the mentioned corruption lasted about two years.' Ali Tayebnia pointed out that 'no harm was done to the bank and the resources of depositors,' stating: 'The perpetrators of the mentioned corruption are currently in prison, and considering the lack of issuance of bank guarantees through a system established in this regard, there is no longer the possibility of issuing fake guarantees, and the way has been closed.' The Minister of Economy discussed the dimensions of the national corruption of 12 trillion tomans and similar cases, stating: 'Perhaps in one case, 12 trillion tomans of wrongdoing occurred. A paper company was formed that, in collaboration with agents from some agencies and retired individuals, was involved in document forgery in taxes and obtaining loans from the bank. One of the companies used a fake invoice from this company and voluntarily paid 120 billion tomans to the tax organization to expedite its processes. There have also been cases in customs; if prevention is a priority, we have also been active in supervision and confrontation.' The newspaper Iran simultaneously published more details about the 12 trillion tomans financial corruption from Mohammad Parizi, the Deputy of Banking and Insurance at the Ministry of Economy, stating: 'This corruption relates to a few months ago that was discovered, and 100% of the resources have returned to the banking system through judicial actions.' The Minister of Economy and his deputy did not mention the names and identities of the real and legal perpetrators, including the name of the bank involved in the 12 trillion tomans financial corruption. The newspaper Shargh, in the front page of its December 6 issue, referring to the 'discovery of 12 trillion tomans of financial corruption,' wrote: '12 trillion tomans is a new financial misconduct figure that the Minister of Economic Affairs has unveiled; exactly four times the 3 trillion tomans misconduct that was raised a few years ago and still resonates in public consciousness.' This newspaper, referring to the statements of Ali Tayebnia, the Minister of Economy, about the discovery of 12 trillion tomans of financial corruption in one of the banks, wrote: 'After the 3 trillion tomans financial misconduct, which was dubbed the 'largest economic misconduct in the history of Iran,' the 8 trillion tomans case of Babak Zanjani was raised, and now the Minister of Economy and Finance announces that recently cases in various banking, tax, and customs sectors related to financial and administrative misconduct are being pursued, and some of their figures are also large, which will be announced once finalized by the judicial authorities.' However, 'in one case, the total value of the wrongful actions amounts to 12 trillion tomans.' Shargh emphasized that 'it seems that the figures of that historical misconduct are fading and being sidelined compared to the new figures, as the announced figures from new discoveries leave no room for the previous major misconducts to remain at the forefront and in a way belittles them.' Hossein Raghfar, an economist, in an editorial in Shargh about 'the grounds for the surge of economic corruption,' referred to 'crony capitalism' as an economic term that 'took deep root in Iran during the ninth and tenth governments' and wrote: 'This variable is one of the main factors for increasing inequalities, disproportionate resource allocation, and very high inefficiency in the economy.' This economic expert pointed out that 'the Minister of Economy vaguely referred to the astonishing 12 trillion tomans corruption in the banking system and considered it only one of the cases under investigation in the banking, tax, and customs sectors,' writing: 'It is not surprising that other cases of major financial abuses will also be announced.' Hossein Raghfar emphasized in his editorial in Shargh that 'even if these figures have returned to the bank and are accessible in its funds or credits, the mere act of transferring such large amounts is a concerning sign of widespread financial misconduct, and just because the funds have returned does not mean that the issue should be considered resolved.' Behind the scenes of Hassan Rouhani's presence at the '16 Azar' ceremony at Iran University of Medical Sciences, the newspaper Etemad reported on Hassan Rouhani's presence at Iran University of Medical Sciences on the occasion of Student Day, describing it as a 'different' 16 Azar, noting that one of the differences this year is 'the composition of those invited to attend the ceremony,' with 'winners of Olympiads, Quranic, cultural, and literary competitions' invited to the speech hall of the eleventh government president. According to this newspaper, Mohammad Reza Davoodabadi Farahani, the cultural and student deputy of the Ministry of Health, emphasized that 'the audience present last year had no specific logic,' stating, 'This year, a mechanism has been defined so that the individuals in the hall have proven their worthiness to be present through their efforts; the winners of Olympiads, Quranic, cultural, and literary competitions' are present. The newspaper Etemad also reminded that another 'difference' of this year's Student Day is 'the holding of the ceremony at Iran University of Medical Sciences, a university that is not managed by the Ministry of Science but is under the Ministry of Health, although 'Mohammad Farhadi, the Minister of Science, is a lecturer at this university.' According to the newspaper Etemad, the third 'difference' is the selection of students who will speak in the presence of the President of the Islamic Republic, with it being announced that during this ceremony, Hassan Rouhani will 'listen to the speeches of ten representatives of student organizations' that are 'not political.' This newspaper reported that this 'non-political' aspect has not pleased critical student factions of the government, and on Saturday, 'the Independent Islamic Student Associations Union announced in a letter to Hassan Rouhani that it would not participate in the Student Day ceremony, citing that the conditions for expressing opinions for legal student organizations are not provided.' Etemad, referring to the agreement between the Ministries of Health and Science for holding the Student Day ceremony at Iran University of Medical Sciences, quoted Zia Hashemi, the cultural deputy of the Ministry of Science, stating: 'We always value and accept the activities of student and political organizations, but student organizations are diverse and present various viewpoints. Students have issues in the professional sphere that, alongside elite athletes, create a rainbow of student activities.' According to this newspaper, coinciding with Student Day in Iran, Hesam al-Din Ashna, a cultural advisor to Hassan Rouhani, also stated that 'confrontation,' 'silence,' and 'cooperation' have been three paths of interaction between the student movement and the government, stating: 'The era of critical cooperation of the student movement with the government has arrived, and this movement both asks questions and provides answers.' The reason for the denial of the permit for the speech of the editor-in-chief of Kayhan at Amir Kabir University; 'preserving the dignity of the guest.' The newspapers Kayhan and Javan reported the denial of a permit for the speech of the editor-in-chief of Kayhan newspaper at Amir Kabir University. Simultaneously, Reza Sarraf, the cultural deputy of Amir Kabir University, alluded to student opposition to Hossein Shari'atmadari's presence at the university, stating: 'The supervisory board opposed holding Hossein Shari'atmadari's speech at the invitation of Basij due to reasons of preserving the dignity of the guest,' adding that 'no permit had been issued from the beginning to be revoked.' The newspaper Kayhan reported on the opposition of Amir Kabir University officials to Hossein Shari'atmadari's speech at this university, stating: 'While it had been announced long ago that Hossein Shari'atmadari, the editor-in-chief of Kayhan newspaper, would hold a speech and Q&A session at the invitation of the student Basij on the occasion of 16 Azar at this university, the officials of Amir Kabir University opposed Shari'atmadari's presence despite the prior invitation and insistence of the student Basij at this university.' This newspaper emphasized that the opposition to Hossein Shari'atmadari's speech in front of the members of the student Basij at Amir Kabir University has faced widespread reactions from members of parliament, politicians, and university scholars, including Rouhollah Hosseinian, who stated: 'The government must take more action than just apologizing for this precedent and prevent these unnecessary strictures.' Kayhan, meanwhile, quoted Reza Sarraf, the cultural deputy of Amir Kabir University, hinting at the potential opposition of Amir Kabir University students to Hossein Shari'atmadari's presence, stating: 'The supervisory board opposed holding this speech to preserve the dignity of the university guest.' However, this newspaper wrote: 'This statement from the cultural deputy of Amir Kabir University describes the students of that university as mischievous and disrespectful individuals who do not even maintain the dignity of the guest, and thus to prevent their inappropriate behavior, the guest's speech must be stopped.' But 'it can be confidently said that the main body and the vast majority of the academic community in the country are aligned with the revolution and the system, and it is unclear based on what logic supporters of the revolution are expected to insult someone who is a staunch defender of the revolution.' The newspaper Javan also reported in response to the denial of the permit for Hossein Shari'atmadari's speech at Amir Kabir University that 'many convicted individuals and elements involved in the sedition are speaking at various universities in Tehran and other cities on the occasion of 16 Azar,' but Reza Sarraf, the cultural deputy of Amir Kabir University, stated: 'The supervisory board opposed holding Hossein Shari'atmadari's speech at the invitation of Basij due to reasons of preserving the dignity of the guest,' adding that 'no permit had been issued from the beginning to be revoked.' Sohrab Salahi, the head of the Basij professors' organization, also told the newspaper Javan: 'This situation particularly applies to recognized figures of the system and revolution who are concerned about the system achieving its lofty goals. I do not understand why the famous Quran slogan about 'harsh against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves' is not being applied here.