Warning from the Society of Teachers to Rouhani's Government Following Music Concert in Qom

Continuing the protests of principlist clerics against the holding of a music program in the city of Qom and its "aftermath," the Society of Teachers of the Qom Seminary has threatened the government regarding the potential reaction of "devout people" to these actions and has warned of "irreparable material and spiritual damages". According to Mehr News Agency, on Saturday, October 2, the Society of Teachers of the Qom Seminary described the "holding of a concert in the city of Qom" as a "disgraceful and illogical" act, adding that the "obvious and shameful aftermaths" that occurred are unacceptable and a movement far from the dignity of this city. This political-religious organization claims that this event "not only targeted the sanctity of divine commandments but also did not respect the sanctity of the shrine of the Ahl al-Bayt". In its statement, the Society of Teachers of the Qom Seminary warned that "the patience and tolerance of devout people and great religious authorities are limited". This organization has threatened Hassan Rouhani's government, stating, "Do not let the people intervene in dealing with these movements with their ugly aftermaths, as in that case, the material and spiritual damages may not be easily compensable". Previously, Lotfollah Safi Golpayegani, a religious authority, had also protested against the concert in Qom, but Abbas Daneshi, the director of culture and guidance in Qom, stated that no concert had been held in the city, only a few revolutionary songs were performed. However, on Saturday, Daneshi apologized for the "immoral and inappropriate behaviors of the participants" in this music program. The director of culture and guidance in Qom and the protesters did not mention the details of this music program. Earlier, some news websites, including the Shabestan news agency, published images from the music program showing that men and women sang together. The images published by Shabestan also show that one female member of the group, after the performance, possibly took a selfie with her family members. In this regard, the director of culture and guidance in Qom stated that "the scenes that formed as encouragement for the group and appreciation for its members, even if occurred by mahram individuals and family members of the group, are inappropriate and unacceptable behaviors". Meanwhile, Ahmad Khatami, the Friday prayer leader of Tehran, while protesting the "aftermath" of this music program, stated that he has seen the videos and images of this program. However, he did not refer to the details of the events that occurred in this program. Protests against the "aftermath" of this music program come at a time when some religious authorities have objected to the very idea of holding concerts in Qom. In this context, Hossein Noori Hamedani, a religious authority, stated that Qom "is not a place for holding concerts". According to Rasa News Agency, he added, "Some officials believe that we should hold concerts to make young people happy; I tell them if you really care about the youth, instead of this, take steps to facilitate marriage, work, and life for the youth". The statements of these religious authorities about the prohibition of holding concerts in Qom come at a time when Ali Jannati, the Minister of Culture, in his latest remarks announced that this ministry has "backed down" regarding the holding of concerts in the Razavi Khorasan province and "more so" in the city of Mashhad. This position of the Ministry of Culture was expressed after several repeated objections from Ahmad Alamolhoda, the representative of the Supreme Leader in Razavi Khorasan province, against holding concerts in this province. After the Ministry of Culture's retreat regarding the holding of concerts in Razavi Khorasan province, several other Friday prayer leaders have also called for the cessation or limitation of music concerts in their cities, and in the latest example, the Friday prayer leader of Yazd, alongside religious figures from Mashhad and Qom, stated that holding concerts in Yazd province is also prohibited. This comes while Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, on Tuesday, August 23, criticized the Minister of Culture's retreat, stating, "Anyone who wakes up in the morning and finds a podium cannot legislate, and the minister should not comply because the minister must abide by the law". Following that, 32 members of parliament issued a written notice protesting the Ministry of Culture's "retreat" from cultural programs in Mashhad. In this context, the Islamic Guidance stated: no concert has been held in Qom, only a few revolutionary songs were performed. The Minister of Culture reiterated the "backing down" regarding the holding of concerts in Mashhad. The holding of a concert in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari led to the cancellation of a session due to the protest of the Friday prayer leader. The concert issue reached Kermanshah: a warning from a Revolutionary Guard commander regarding "licentiousness". The Iranian Minister of Interior stated that the jurisprudential opinion regarding concerts must be within the framework of the law.