Seminary Teachers Association of Qom Criticizes Women’s Presence in Stadiums

The Seminary Teachers Association of Qom issued a statement criticizing the presence of women in Iranian stadiums and implicitly attacked the government of Hassan Rouhani. In this statement, “certain officials” were criticized for, according to the association, “creating polarization in the country’s atmosphere.”

The Seminary Teachers Association of Qom published a statement criticizing the presence of women in Iranian stadiums and accused “certain officials” of “creating sensationalism at every opportunity and polarizing the country’s atmosphere.”

This organization, which is close to the movement known as principlist, in its statement released on Wednesday, the 8th of Aban (October 30), in Iranian media, and referring to “the unprecedented Arbaeen procession this year,” asked “all officials” to “strive for the expansion of Islam in all dimensions.”

In the statement of the Seminary Teachers Association of Qom, it was also mentioned that during the days of Arbaeen “we witnessed certain indifference in the country in the form of directing women to men’s stadiums. Something that is certainly not in the path of reviving religion and upholding Islamic and revolutionary values.”

Following a prolonged dispute between FIFA and sports officials of the Islamic Republic, Iranian women finally managed on October 9, 2019, for the first time officially to attend a match between Iran and Cambodia at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium. FIFA had previously threatened to ban Iranian football if women’s attendance at stadiums was again prevented.

The vast majority of religious authorities and senior clerics, Friday prayer leaders and representatives of the Supreme Leader in various institutions, IRGC commanders and law enforcement officials, senior judicial officials and media affiliated with the principlist faction, including staunch opponents of women attending stadiums. In contrast, however, the Hassan Rouhani government and officials of the Ministry of Sports and the Iran Football Federation have attempted, very cautiously, to support women’s presence in sports stadiums.

Iranian women previously could only attend stadiums with an official invitation and in exceptional circumstances. There were also many instances where football fan women disguised themselves as men and entered stadiums or attempted to attend stadiums.

Criticism of “Certain Officials”

The Seminary Teachers Association of Qom, continuing its recent statement, stating that “the main responsibility of Islamic system officials is to solve economic problems,” claimed that “unfortunately, it seems that certain officials are trying, instead of solving these problems, to create sensationalism at every opportunity and polarize the country’s atmosphere.”

This principlist organization alluded to the efforts of “certain officials” to “polarize” the country’s atmosphere while Ahmad Khatami, the interim Friday prayer leader of Tehran and deputy chairman of the Seminary Teachers Association of Qom, had previously used the same term to criticize Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran.

Ahmad Khatami on September 8 last year, in response to Rouhani’s remarks calling the first parliament “the best parliament throughout the history of the Islamic Revolution,” and according to him, there was no oversight like today and even the People’s Mujahedin Organization participated in it, said: “I clearly see and hear that some of the directives and statements smell of polarization.”

Mohammad Yazdi, the head of the Seminary Teachers Association of Qom, also attacked Hassan Rouhani last month and addressed him saying: “How could someone who has the implementation of the guardianship dare to act against the Supreme Leader’s orders; such as opposition regarding cyberspace and… If you cannot run the country, step down.”

It appears that the recent statement of the Seminary Teachers Association of Qom, in addition to criticizing the presence of women in stadiums, with emphasis on “solving economic problems” as the “main responsibility of system officials,” is also pursuing electoral objectives.

The statement was released when fewer than four months remained until the eleventh parliamentary elections. As these elections approach, different factions of the Iranian government have already begun their activities to secure a larger share.

Previously, the remarks made by Ahmad Jannati, Secretary of the Guardian Council and head of the Assembly of Experts, on the second day of Mehr during the opening ceremony of the assembly’s session, which was interpreted as an attack on the Rouhani government and the tenth parliament, sparked much discussion in political and media circles in Iran because of its “electoral signals.”

Jannati, stating that “I have no hope in the current managers,” called for people’s demands and said: “We work for a day when they are replaced with young and revolutionary managers so that we can be freed from this shame and trouble we have suffered.” Jannati simultaneously emphasized the Guardian Council’s strictness in reviewing the qualifications of candidates for the eleventh parliamentary elections, which will begin on the second day of Esfand.

Source: DW