Iran Hardliners Attack Writer For Love Without Marriage Comment
Hardliner clerics and lawmakers in Iran are up in arms for a comment by a screenwriter perceived as condoning male and female partnership without marriage.
Hardliner clerics and lawmakers in Iran are up in arms for a comment by a screenwriter perceived as condoning male and female partnership without marriage.
The parliament has summoned Culture Minister Mohammad Mehdi Esmaili to offer his explanation about the comments made by a female screenwriter at the closing ceremony of Fajr Film Festival that was meant to celebrate the victory of Iran's Islamic revolution on its 43rd anniversary in mid-February.
In her controversial comments, Noushin Meraji had shyly defended the relationship between the protagonists in her screenplay who were not married but lived together. Hardliners and fundamentalist clerics were quick to raise the cry of blasphemy.
In a video that was released later, Meraji apologized for her comment. She said only 10 seconds of her remarks turned out to be controversial because it was made under huge media pressure during a news conference after the screening of the movie Namour [Damp]. She said what her comment did not mean that a love affair without a marriage was legitimate.
Meraji said in the video that she is a devoted Muslim and a family woman and stressed that she was deeply sorry if her comment led to a misunderstanding. But the temptation to start an outcry was too great for fundamentalists to miss the opportunity.
The Chairman of the Cultural Committee of the Majles, hardline cleric Morteza Aaq-Tehrani, however, said that he has already told the Culture Minister that "such an insult" cannot be tolerated by the Majles. This comes while Esmaili had explained the matter and apologized in a live interview on the state television Saturday night.
In an interview with Tasnim news agency, the lawmaker accused the screenwriter of undermining divine laws. Acknowledging that she had apologized he still insisted that the Minister should come to the Majles to offer his explanation.
In another development, the right-wing association of seminary teachers in a statement lashed out at the screen writer and criticized the Ministry of Culture and Guidance for the "un-Islamic mood" at the festival which "undermined Islamic values including hijab."
Later, female seminarians and Basij militia issued a separate statement condemning Meraji for her remarks. They said in their statement that "The government should slap shameless actresses in the face for their shameless behavior." It appears that the seminarians did not know that Meraji was not an actress. According to the statement, "As far as God is concerned, there is no difference between those who commit a bad act and those who advocate such an act." The statement added that "It is shameful that the festival has advocated adultery.”
However, former conservative lawmaker Ali Motahari criticized Meraji's critics and condemned the controversy surrounding her remarks. Motahari told Nameh News website: "Nearly all of those who criticized Merajicalled for punishing her by slapping her in the mouth or in the face. This is not how Muslim scholars should behave." He called on clerics at the seminary to follow the teachings of his father Ayatollah Mortaza Motahari and respond to controversial statements in a rational way and offer their own argument rather than attacking someone for controversial remarks.
Many do not trust hardliners because they have manipulated elections and created a monopoly of power, and reformists have been discredited because of their inability to make a difference in major decisions in the past two decades.
The warning comes as the most important reformist political figure, former President Mohammad Khatami intends to withdraw from all political activities, including offering his opinions or endorsing any politician or election. Khatami has been banned from political appearances and public speeches for many years. Even his photos are banned in the media.
Recently there were reports that Khatami and a few other polticians seemd to be regrouping to offer an alternative to the current political situation.
According to moderate conservative website Khabar Online, the reason for the shift is the decline in the popularity of political groups and parties, as well as "engineered" elections that have gradually eliminated any group that voters could turn to for political insight and guidance.
The website pointed to Khatami’s decision to withdraw from politics, saying that those who still had an inkling of hope in reforms have lost their main point of reference.
Khabar Online warned that "A headless society will be a menace for Iran's political future." This is a reference to the lack of intellectual and political leadership in the country while a totalitarian ruling system is monopolizing all institutions in Iran.
In the 2020 parliamentary elections and the 2021 presidential vote, the regime’s power centers controlled by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ruled out the candidacy of everyone other than hardline conservatives. The decision led to a parliament of everyone for himself rather than a single body of hardliners who were expected to speak in one voice. And in the presidential election, it was clear long before voting that regime insider Ebrahim Raisi would be the winner.
Khabar Online says this has led the people to no longer trust any political party and refuse to acknowledge the leadership role of political groups and parties as their point of reference. As a result, there is no one play a leading role in the society during turbulent times.
Social networks, such as unofficial trade unions, have to an extent replaced influential and trusted political groups. But although they have proved to be popular at times, the sensational nature of their activities prevented them from garnering true political support, Khabar Online wrote. This explains why protests by vocational groups including teachers and steel workers failed to turn into a strong political movement.
The website added that this situation has led to destructive consequences. The public has lost trust in government and politics, political groups have become weak and political elites of the regime have lost credibility.
Meanwhile, reformist newspaper Sharq wrote in a report about the same topic that was also carried by proreform website Fararu. The report argued that both the reformists and conservatives in Iran have lost their status as points of reference for voters and political activists, mainly because they fail to respond to the people's real problems.
Sharq argued that since 1979, all the political debates in Iran dealt with the dichotomy between "the status quo" and "the ideal situation." This was the source of all conflicts between the left and right. But the non-competitive 2021 presidential vote and Raisi's victory put an end to any pretence of political activism and competition within the regime. “This has dramatically changed Iran's political scene,” Sharq wrote.