Rouhani: We Cannot Ask Someone with Handcuffs and a Gun to Interpret Islamic Law

Despite the protests of several religious authorities regarding Hassan Rouhani's previous statements that the police's duty is solely to "enforce the law," he emphasized that "we cannot ask the coercive power of the system, which carries handcuffs and guns, to come and interpret Islamic law." According to Tasnim News Agency, on Tuesday, May 14, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, stated in a speech at the Presidential Office: "We cannot tell everyone that you are a jurist and you can interpret Islamic law; otherwise, nothing will hold together." He added: "Islam and strengthening the system require that everyone does their own job, but we do not do our job and want someone else to come and do it, and then we go and do others' jobs." On Saturday, May 5, he had stated that the police's duty is not to "enforce Islam," but only to "enforce the law." Following this statement, the day after, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, without referring to the President's position in a gathering of police commanders, said that "everything can be done for God." Rouhani's remarks also drew protests from several religious authorities and members of parliament, including Mohammad Yazdi, the head of the Assembly of Experts, who opposed Rouhani by saying that if the executive branch "says no to Islam, Islam will say no to it." In his continued speech on the topic of "Teacher's Day," the President of Iran emphasized that the government recognizes the right to protest for "all classes and professions." According to IRNA news agency, he referred to the workers' march after years, adding: "They consulted with me, and I said let them come; we must endure." Rouhani stressed: "We also recognize the right to protest for teachers... We know they have problems, and they also know we have problems." The International Workers' Day march took place after eight years on Friday, May 11, with the management of the Workers' House and the participation of thousands of workers in Tehran. This march occurs while several labor organizations, such as the Free Workers' Union of Iran and the Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran Bus Company, have repeatedly criticized the government's opposition to holding ceremonies by independent labor organizations on this day. Meanwhile, security police arrested Ibrahim Madadi and Davood Razavi, two board members of the Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran Bus Company, on the eve of Labor Day (May 1). On Tuesday and Wednesday, Mahmoud Salehi, Osman Ismaili, and Pedram Nasrollahi, three labor activists in the cities of Saqqez and Sanandaj, were also arrested. In recent months, thousands of teachers have also gathered and gone on strike in protest of their living conditions. Criticism of restrictions on foreign language education Rouhani, in another part of his speech, referred to "a series of restrictions" regarding foreign language education, stating: "To say that one must learn Persian and anyone who does not understand this language has a problem and should go learn it is not the right way. Today, some languages are the languages of science." He also mentioned the limitations on learning "some arts" in schools, saying: "Even if we close the classes, they will go to their friend's house to take classes, and they will gather and learn art, so restricting art is not the solution; it is safeguarding art." Rouhani had also stated on October 7, 2014, that "it is necessary to create a university where the language is English to attract foreign students through this means."