Jomhouri-ye Eslami Newspaper: Cut the Budget of Seminaries

In its editorial, Jomhouri-ye Eslami newspaper has proposed that the budget for seminaries and religious and cultural institutions be eliminated and added to the education budget. The editorial writer has emphasized that the aim is to strengthen seminaries, not weaken them.

In the editorial of its latest issue, Jomhouri-ye Eslami newspaper has proposed that the thirteenth government undertake a “bold action” in its first budget bill by cutting the budget for “seminaries and their affiliated institutions, as well as foundations and organizations that exist outside the bodies related to the three branches of government and belong to specific individuals and specific causes.”

The editorial writer noted that these institutions had no budget line in the country’s budget at the beginning of the revolution and this occurred gradually. He also claimed that Ayatollah Khomeini was opposed to allocating government budget to seminaries.

The editorial referenced the importance of seminaries being independent and not dependent on the government, stating: “Throughout history, seminaries were administered independently of governments and their budgets were provided through religious endowments and gifts from the people. This characteristic fostered the independence of seminaries and Shiite clergy and created the foundation for the spiritual power and extraordinary influence of sources of emulation and religious scholars in the hearts of the masses.”

The Jomhouri-ye Eslami editorial writer attributed the seminaries’ dependence on government budget as the reason for the distance that has grown between these institutions and the people, writing: “This distance should not be allowed to increase further, and by cutting the government budget for seminaries, conditions should be created for eliminating this distance.”

Beyond seminaries, the article also referenced other institutions whose budgets should be cut, including “foundations established to promote individuals,” which could be a reference to the “Foundation for the Preservation and Publication of the Works of Imam Khomeini,” as well as cultural institutions that, according to the newspaper’s editorial writer, “not only fail to serve culture but merely occupy buildings, vehicles and other facilities and pay salaries to individuals whose presence or absence makes no difference.”

Referencing numerous problems in education, the editorial writer proposed that the budget of these institutions be cut and allocated to education. The editorial concludes: “The thirteenth government must undertake this bold action from the very first budget it drafts. The country’s overall budget requires deep surgery. If you don’t perform this surgery today, it will certainly be too late tomorrow.”

According to a table published by Tejarat News newspaper, the budgets of many religious institutions saw significant increases in 1400 compared to the previous year. For example, the Seminary Services Center increased by 25 percent, the Organization of Endowments and Charitable Affairs by 41 percent, the Quranic Sciences and Knowledge University by 48 percent, and the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization by 64 percent.

Source: DW