The Society of Teachers Joins the Oversight Institutions of the Government

The Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary has taken on a supervisory role at the request of Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, and has unofficially become one of the oversight institutions for the performance of the eleventh government. Previously, this political-religious organization was mainly mentioned during elections, issuing statements and engaging in behind-the-scenes negotiations to prepare a list of conservative candidates. However, in less than a year, this society has not only sent several letters to Hassan Rouhani but has also summoned Mahmoud Alavi, the Minister of Intelligence, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, and Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, to private meetings to seek explanations on various domestic and foreign issues. In the latest reactions from this society regarding Rouhani's government performance, Mohammad Yazdi, the Secretary of the Society of Teachers, and Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, one of its members, have directly criticized the cultural performance of the eleventh government. Yazdi's public warnings to Rouhani and some cabinet members come amid reports of Khamenei's directive to the Society of Teachers to hold government members accountable. Morteza Moqaddam, Secretary of the Supreme Council of Islamic Seminaries, stated that the leader of the Islamic Republic has asked members of this society to summon the ministers of the eleventh government to explain their policies, decisions, and actions. He also mentioned that Khamenei requested that the Society of Teachers remind officials in case of any 'shortcomings.' The breaking of silence, formal warnings, and public confrontation with recent statements by Mohammad Yazdi directed at Hassan Rouhani and Ali Jannati mark a new phase of criticism from the Society of Teachers towards the government. In July of this year, the Society of Teachers announced that it had sent several 'confidential' and 'top-secret' warnings to the President, threatening that if Rouhani ignored these warnings, the society might formalize its reminders and confront the eleventh government. Although the details of these warnings have not been made public, it seems that cultural issues are one of the main points of criticism from this conservative clerical institution towards the government. In his recent stance against some government activities, Yazdi stated that Hassan Rouhani must be careful with his words, and Ali Jannati, who reached the ministry using the 'privilege' of his father Ahmad Jannati, should not attempt to eliminate the 'privilege' of the Secretary of the Guardian Council. Yazdi's explicit warning to Rouhani that he must understand that public trust in him is only 'legitimized' by Khamenei's endorsement and that by continuing his current approach, he will lose 'a large part' of society can be interpreted as a formalization of the Society of Teachers' reminders to the President. However, in the Secretary of the Society of Teachers' confrontation with Ali Jannati and the Ministry of Culture, signs of 'confrontation' are also evident. Yazdi explicitly stated that music and its promotion and solo singing by women in Islam are 'haram' (forbidden), and Ali Jannati cannot discern 'doubtful' cases in this regard. His reference is to the recent statements by the Minister of Culture, who, after criticisms from some clerics and hardline conservatives regarding the ministry's activities in the music sector, stated, 'A jurist who wants to give an opinion must know Islamic jurisprudence well and also understand music to issue a ruling on it.' The Minister of Culture, praising mystical music, indirectly addressed some clerics and clerics, stating that this ministry does not consider their jurisprudential opinions in its actions, and its 'criterion' regarding music is Khamenei's views in his capacity as 'source of emulation,' 'leader of the revolution,' and 'a person familiar with artistic issues.' Jannati also made controversial statements regarding whether solo singing by women is haram or halal, stating, 'This is another discussion that should be addressed in its own context.' The ambiguous statements by the Minister of Culture regarding solo singing by women come at a time when several clerics, including Nasser Makarem Shirazi, Jafar Subhani, Hossein Nouri Hamadani, and Mohammad Ali Alavi Gorgani, have criticized some officials' support for women's solo singing. The Secretary of the Society of Teachers, after a long silence, seriously warned Ali Jannati, saying, 'If you do not fulfill your duty, do not expect support; rather, expect opposition, and know that with the path you have taken, if clerics speak out against you tomorrow, you will not be able to have a proper life in the future.' Yazdi did not provide further details about the future problems in Ali Jannati's life if clerical criticisms against him increase. It seems that the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary, in addition to entering a phase of formal and public reminders, has also activated some of its arms and representatives in other institutions to increase pressure on the government. The critical statements from Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, a member of parliament and a member of this society, regarding the increased likelihood of impeaching Ali Jannati can be evaluated in this context. The inefficacy of the 'interaction' committee with the clergy is evident as the summoning of government officials to Qom and the increasing criticism from clerics regarding the cabinet's performance occur while ministers and government officials have been regularly informing high-ranking clerics and sources of emulation about their plans by traveling to Qom since Hassan Rouhani took over the executive branch. In September of this year, following increased criticism from some clerics regarding the performance of the eleventh government, the President initiated a working group to enhance 'interaction' with clerics, particularly the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary. This working group was supposed to alleviate the 'concerns' of clerics and members of the Society of Teachers in cultural, economic, and social areas. However, the continuation of warnings and criticisms from clerics, as well as the publicization of the Society of Teachers' reminders regarding the President's and government's performance, indicates the ineffectiveness of the government's 'interaction' committee with the clergy. Nevertheless, high-ranking cabinet members and the President himself do not acknowledge this ineffectiveness and condemn 'deviant' individuals and groups for attempting to create a rift between the government and the clergy and for sending 'false' information to Qom.