Conflicting Reports on the Society of Teachers' Protest Letter to Rouhani

Conflicting reports have emerged from various news sources in Iran, citing members of the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary regarding a critical, warning, and 'confidential' letter sent to Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran. The Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday, June 30, that the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary sent a letter to Hassan Rouhani, requesting him to 'correct' certain government approaches. According to this news agency, the letter criticizes some of the government's cultural policies and 'the controversial statements and actions of certain senior government officials.' The members of this society have asked Rouhani to 'correct' his 'behavior' as 'any support [from the Society of Teachers] for the government is conditional on behavior and performance within the framework of Islamic values.' An unnamed senior member of the Society told the news agency that this letter has been delivered to the President himself. The Fars news agency, another outlet aligned with conservatives, also confirmed the sending of this letter through an unnamed senior member of the Society of Teachers, who stated, 'This letter is confidential, and if the government does not take action, it will be made public.' In contrast, the state news agency IRNA, citing Morteza Moqtadaei, the Vice President of the Society of Teachers, denied the existence of such a letter. Mr. Moqtadaei stated that 'such a thing is not confirmed by the Society of Teachers, and the Society's statements will be announced through official channels.' IRNA also reported that two other members of the Society expressed ignorance about the existence of such a letter in conversations with the news agency. ISNA, a news agency close to the government, reported that the office of the Society of Teachers did not confirm the sending of the letter to Hassan Rouhani. The Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary is considered one of the most serious clerical organizations critical of the eleventh government, which had previously sent a 'confidential' letter to Hassan Rouhani criticizing government policies. The news of the sending of this 'confidential' letter was announced on July 4, 2015, by Mohammad Yazdi, the Secretary-General of the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary. At that time, Mr. Yazdi stated that if the President does not pay attention to these warnings, 'the Society of Teachers may officially raise the issues that were mentioned confidentially and super-confidentially.' Three days after these statements, Ahmad Khatami, another member of this organization, described the letter as 'compassionate and advisory.' The majority of the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary supported Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the 2009 presidential election and Ali Akbar Velayati in the 2013 presidential election, and they are considered critics of Hassan Rouhani's government. Members of this society have repeatedly made direct and sharp criticisms of Hassan Rouhani's government, especially its cultural policies, and have repeatedly called for changes in the government's cultural policies and approaches. In the latest of these criticisms, Hashem Hosseini Bushehri, a member of the Society of Teachers, spoke about the emergence of a 'cultural invasion' in the streets of Qom and said, 'If an enemy infiltrator penetrates the cultural sphere of this society, it will take away the peace and tranquility from the border guard.' Hosseini Bushehri added that those responsible in this regard 'will be held accountable in the presence of the Almighty on the Day of Judgment.' Without mentioning Hassan Rouhani by name, he criticized the clergy's performance in dealing with the phenomenon of 'cultural invasion' and spoke about the neglect of Ali Khamenei's demands to 'present an Islamic lifestyle.' He added, 'When scholars and religious clerics behave in a dual manner in dealing with cultural issues, it is clear that our youth do not accept any of these words.'