Request from the Society of Teachers to Combat Cultural and Political Aggression in Cyberspace

The Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary, in its final statement of the tenth conference, described what it called 'cultural, political, and propaganda aggression, especially in the media and cyberspace' as an 'undeniable reality' and called for 'serious determination from executive and cultural officials' to confront this issue. According to Fars News Agency, this group emphasized at the end of their meeting on Thursday, December 9, that 'the cultural, political, and propaganda aggression of global arrogance, especially in the media and cyberspace, is an undeniable reality that requires the belief and serious determination of the country's executive and cultural officials and all those concerned for the system.' The authors of this statement believe that seminaries consider 'confronting this widespread enemy attack as their primary and inherent duty and believe that combating this extensive aggression and its destructive effects, especially in the area of social harms, will only be possible through the solidarity of all and proper planning while paying attention to the necessities of Islam and the revolution.' The Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary also described 'the presence of committed and revolutionary forces who are efficient and specialized in the cultural arena' as 'necessary and very important.' Members of the Society of Teachers have repeatedly and explicitly criticized the government of Hassan Rouhani in recent years, particularly its cultural policies, and have called for changes in the government's cultural policies and approaches. On August 6, Tasnim News Agency reported that the Society of Teachers had criticized some of the cultural actions of Rouhani's government and the statements and actions of some senior government officials in a letter to Rouhani at the end of June. Mohammad Yazdi, the secretary of the Society of Teachers, also reported on July 4, 2014, that this organization had confidentially warned Rouhani several times. He threatened that if the president did not pay attention to these warnings, 'the Society of Teachers may officially address the issues that have been confidentially and highly confidentially warned.' In recent weeks, close associates of the Supreme Leader and some prominent clerics have criticized the state of cyberspace and called for greater restrictions on internet use in Iran. For instance, Naser Makarem Shirazi, one of the Shia sources of emulation, described the internet as 'a very filthy and dangerous swamp' for the youth. On December 5, Mohammad Ali Mohammadi Kermani, the temporary Friday prayer leader of Tehran, criticized the spread of 'phone sex and internet sex' on Persian-language social networks, claiming that currently 'millions of websites are active in promoting corruption, prostitution, and obscene films and photos.' Meanwhile, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the Attorney General of the country, on Thursday, referred to the establishment of a 'Cyber Monitoring Deputy' in the Attorney General's Office of Iranian provinces, stating that 'anti-religious and anti-moral discussions and materials are published on social networks.' On December 16, Mr. Montazeri, while criticizing the performance of the working group determining criminal instances and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance for not addressing what he called 'anti-religion networks,' stated: 'Death to this freedom that leads everything to destruction; this is not freedom, but total bondage.' The Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary also described the recent approval of sanctions in the U.S. Congress as a 'violation' of the Vienna nuclear agreement and emphasized that this action would lead to a 'decisive and crushing response' from the Islamic Republic. The authors of this statement also referred to what they called 'the repeated breaches and betrayals of the Americans' regarding the Vienna nuclear agreement, considering the recent sanctions approved by the U.S. Congress as a 'lesson' and a message for the country's officials, emphasizing that 'the only way to maintain the dignity and pride of Islamic Iran is to rely on internal capabilities and a resistant economy.' The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives recently voted to extend the Iran sanctions law for another 10 years, which has faced protests from senior officials, including the President and the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, who evaluated this resolution as a 'violation' of the Vienna nuclear agreement. Meanwhile, U.S. officials claim that the extension of the Iran sanctions law is not contrary to this agreement and that these sanctions have existed since 1996. The 'Supervisory Board on the JCPOA' in Iran announced on Wednesday, December 8, that the implementation of the extension of the 'ISA' law, the Iran sanctions law, is considered a 'gross violation' of this agreement, and in response, it will implement 'necessary measures.'