Reasons for the 'Deliberate Non-Implementation of the Cultural Engineering Plan by the Rouhani Government'

The head of the representative office of Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, in Iranian universities has accused Hassan Rouhani's government of deliberately refraining from implementing the 'Cultural Engineering Plan' of the country. Mohammad Mohammadian, in an interview with the 'Tasnim' news agency on Saturday, referred to this plan as a national priority. This member of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council stated that the government currently controls at least 50% of cultural institutions and that 'if the government does not come on this path, it is of no use.' Sociologist Saeed Peyvandi, residing in France, argues that Rouhani's government avoids implementing such an ambitious plan for two reasons: firstly, Rouhani does not believe in the plan's execution and usefulness, and secondly, he knows that implementing these programs would increase the gap between the people and the government. According to this sociologist, institutions and organizations that propose such plans do not need the people's votes. A group of conservatives has identified Rouhani's government as one of the critics of this cultural plan. Recently, Gholamali Haddad Adel, a member of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, stated that 'the government has viewed the cultural engineering bill critically.' Majid Mohammadi, a sociologist and political analyst residing in the United States, considers the function of these criticisms to be political, noting that such pressures are often observed close to elections or during periods when specific results are expected from the government. Mohammadian mentioned that the government has 'opinions' regarding this plan that have not yet been presented to the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, and the plan's creators are still waiting for its announcement and implementation by the eleventh government. However, Majid Mohammadi deems this expectation unrealistic, pointing to issues of budget and the government's capacity to implement this cultural plan. Iranian officials have repeatedly stated that 85% of the country's cultural budget is not under the executive branch's control and is spent in organizations and institutions that fall under the leadership's authority. The Cultural Engineering Plan aims to counter 'cultural invasion,' change the lifestyle of the Iranian people, and strengthen religious and cultural foundations in Iranian society. Saeed Peyvandi argues that before the implementation of this plan, the results of past impositions on society should be examined. He questions whether Iranian society is receptive to such top-down impositions. This sociologist referenced initiatives such as hijab enforcement and the Islamization of universities, stating that all these plans indicate that imposed projects have failed, and this plan will not have a better future. The formulation of the Cultural Engineering Plan began in the early 2000s at the request of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council and was completed in 2012. In recent years, the Supreme Leader has repeatedly warned about changes in the lifestyle of the Iranian people, identifying one of the grounds for these changes as the humanities taught in schools and universities. Since 2009, the Supreme Leader has called for a transformation in the curricula of humanities courses in educational centers.