The Imam of Kashan's Intention to Declare Public Mourning Following Fatemeh Motamed-Arya's Visit

Following reports about a group of "self-styled" individuals attempting to disrupt a film critique event in Kashan featuring Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, the Imam of Kashan described the film critique session as a "gathering of amusement and play" and announced that he would declare a "public mourning" in protest against Ms. Motamed-Arya's presence in the city. According to Fars News Agency, Abdolnabi Namazi, the Imam of Kashan, on the evening of Tuesday, January 5, expressed his objection to Fatemeh Motamed-Arya's presence in Kashan and stated his intention to declare a "public mourning" on Friday in the city. He added: "Everyone, whether they are in Tehran, Isfahan, or in the county (Kashan), should know that Kashan, due to its historical significance in Shi'ism, cannot tolerate gatherings of amusement and play." The Imam of Kashan also implicitly criticized the handling of those who intended to disrupt Fatemeh Motamed-Arya's speech, saying that "unfortunately, some officials of responsible institutions justified that since she has a permit, no one should disturb her." Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, a famous and beloved Iranian actress, traveled to Kashan on Sunday, January 4, to participate in a Q&A session for the film "Yahya Did Not Remain Silent." However, a few days before her visit, Fars News Agency, close to the Revolutionary Guards, published an inflammatory report requesting the cancellation of this event and predicted that the "reaction of cultural sympathizers" in Kashan to the presence of this female actress would be "unpredictable." Meanwhile, Kaveh Ebrahimpour, the director of the film "Yahya Did Not Remain Silent," which was made with the permission of the Ministry of Culture, stated in an interview with ILNA that due to the presence of "self-styled" individuals at the cinema where the critique was held, he and Ms. Motamed-Arya entered through the back door. According to this director, the protesters were "shouting insults loudly" and "were making strong efforts to enter the hall and disrupt the session, which did not happen due to the prudence of the police and their management." He also mentioned that after the event, "two individuals climbed onto the roof of the car and attempted to break the windows to enter the vehicle, but the police prevented them." He stated that several motorcyclists were also "chasing" the car of him and Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, but they could not "reach them." Mr. Ebrahimpour noted that Ms. Motamed-Arya had suggested before leaving the event to talk with the protesters, and the police "accepted this suggestion," but the protesters were not even willing to accept this offer. Meanwhile, Fatemeh Motamed-Arya stated in an interview with Shargh newspaper: "I do not accept aggressive behaviors, insults, disrespect, lies, accusations, and lawlessness, and this is what happened there, and I have no interest in expressing and detailing the unpleasant anti-cultural events." Fatemeh Motamed-Arya is among the artists who supported Mir-Hossein Mousavi in the 2009 presidential election. Ms. Motamed-Arya and Mojtaba Mir-Tahmasb intended to travel to the United States in October 2009 at the invitation of the Academy Awards, but security forces at Tehran airport confiscated their passports and did not allow them to leave the country. Ultimately, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the public prosecutor of Tehran, announced in December 2009 that the travel ban on Ms. Motamed-Arya had been lifted. According to reports, Fatemeh Motamed-Arya was also banned from appearing on Iranian television after the 2009 presidential election. However, several news websites reported in November that this ban had been lifted, and Fatemeh Motamed-Arya's image had been shown for a long time in the form of a teaser for the film "Here Without Me." Following the rise of Hassan Rouhani's government, several concerts in various cities of Iran have been canceled or left unfinished due to the opposition of Imams and also individuals whom Iranian media call "self-styled" or "plainclothes". Meanwhile, Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran in the parliament, also traveled to Shiraz on March 9, 2015, for a speech at Shiraz University but was "attacked by plainclothes forces and beaten" at the airport and ultimately forced to return to Tehran. Mr. Motahari has repeatedly implied that the attackers were affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.