Criticism from Deputy of the Society of Teachers on Attention to the Cancellation of Speech in Mashhad

The Deputy of the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary criticized the presidents and parliament for focusing on the cancellation of Ali Motahari's speech in Mashhad, calling this event a "marginal issue" and hinted at Hassan Rouhani that addressing the billion-dollar embezzlement in the Teachers' Fund is more important than these "minor issues." According to a report on Friday, December 5, by Tasnim News Agency, Mohammad Reza Ashtiani described the cancellation of the Deputy Speaker's speech in Mashhad, which was carried out by the order of the city's prosecutor, as a "minor issue." He stated, "In principle, the elders and leaders of the country should act logically and thoughtfully and should not exaggerate minor issues like the recent incident in Mashhad." Mr. Ashtiani did not consider it "correct" for the presidency and the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly to pursue such issues, adding, "These matters are related to marginal issues and should not be addressed." Previously, Gholamali Sadeqi, the prosecutor of Mashhad, had indirectly accused Hassan Rouhani and Ali Motahari of "hysteria, blackmail, and deception." He sarcastically referred to Hassan Rouhani, who had called the cancellation of Ali Motahari's speech in Mashhad a "source of shame," saying that we "do not want to become president, nor do we want to determine who the president should be... Therefore, we never have the concern of what to do to win votes in the next election." The prosecutor of Mashhad added, "Those who are looking for deflection and hysteria and electoral discussions should know that we do not follow them and their path." The Deputy of the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary also advised representatives and members of the parliament's board not to create "margins" and said, "A person who is the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament should differ from other representatives, and issues that cause unrest in the country should not be exacerbated." According to him, "Many individuals in various parts of the country give speeches, and people listen to these speeches, but some of these gentlemen raise issues that are not correct." Mr. Ashtiani considered issues such as embezzlement and economic corruption in the country to be more important than the cancellation of Motahari's speech in Mashhad and sarcastically told Hassan Rouhani, "The eight-thousand-billion-toman embezzlement of the Teachers' Fund is an example of issues that are much more important than minor issues, and officials should pay attention to these matters." While conservative media introduce the eight-thousand-billion-toman embezzlement in the Teachers' Savings Fund as a "record," government-supporting representatives say that a significant part of this embezzlement occurred during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency. Following Ali Motahari's protest against the cancellation of his speech in Mashhad in an open letter to Hassan Rouhani, critical media published multiple interviews with several conservative figures and clerics in the Assembly of Experts, identifying the main problems of the country as unemployment, poverty, and corruption and embezzlement, urging him to prioritize addressing these issues. The Basij News Agency also reported on Friday, December 5, quoting Hashem Hosseini Bushehri, a member of the Assembly of Experts' board, stating that "the country's concern is livelihood problems, not the cancellation of a speech." He added, "The cancellation of a political figure's speech has no value; therefore, we must take action to create less tension among the people." Mehdi Taeb, head of the Ammar Headquarters and a staunch critic of the eleventh government, also described the cancellation of Motahari's speech in Mashhad as "a continuation of the atmosphere created following the cancellation of concerts as part of electoral maneuvering." He added, "If the president was to express shame, he would have said once that the Americans have betrayed, and I doubt that the president would feel ashamed about the cancellation of Mr. Motahari's speech."