Response from Hassan Rouhani's Office to Criticism from Qom's Society of Teachers

Following the strong reaction from the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary to the statements made by the President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani's office criticized what it termed 'the selective and purposeful distortion of the President's words.' The office stated that Rouhani's intention was to highlight the 'tolerance' of Shia Imams towards criticism, not the 'criticizability of the infallibles.' On Tuesday, January 25, Hassan Rouhani's office condemned what it referred to as 'marginalization' and 'selective and purposeful distortion of the President's words.' The statement emphasized that the phrases 'the criticizability of the infallibles' and 'even the Imam of the Time can be criticized' were neither present in Rouhani's remarks nor could be inferred from them. According to this statement, Hassan Rouhani spoke about the necessity of tolerating criticism in governance and emphasized that even Shia Imams allowed people to express their opinions and criticisms during their rule. The statement indicated that Rouhani's remarks reflect 'tolerance, magnanimity, and acceptance of criticism from the people regarding the components of governance, not the infallible.' The Iranian President's office stressed that Rouhani's statements 'not only have many historical, jurisprudential, and theological indications but also do not imply the criticizability of the infallibles and cannot be inferred in this way.' According to a released video, on January 18, Rouhani stated in a meeting with the managers of the Ministry of Economy that 'all officials are subject to criticism and we have no infallibles. Now, if the twelfth Imam appears, then he can also be criticized.' Rouhani also mentioned that the Prophet of Islam 'allowed criticism. There is no one above the Prophet. When the Prophet spoke, sometimes someone from the Muslims would ask him whether the statement he made was his own opinion or a revelation from God. If he said it was from God, then there would be no argument. If he said it was from me, then they would criticize and say, I do not accept it.' The Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary and several clerics in Iran strongly attacked these statements on Sunday, January 24, and called on officials to refrain from entering religious matters.