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A cleric reads a book in the library of a religious research center associated with the seminary in Qom, 120 km (75 miles) south of Tehran Feb. 2, 2009.[/caption]Hassan Rouhanis victory in the Iranian presidential elections resulted in variety of reactions within Irans different social andpolitical circles. Although he is wearing what is the official clerical robe in Iran, the experience of the previous elections show thatHawzais not necessarily allied with, or supportive of, a cleric as the president. From time to time, non-clerical candidates have managed to attract more attention from the influential members ofQoms seminarywith their ideas and policies.
Unlike the first and second term of AyatollahHashemi Rafsanjanis elections, this time around theHawzaof Qom did not have a unified view toward a single candidate. Nor did they have a binary split between two opposing candidates, as in Ahmadinejads second term.
UsuallyHawzadoes not give an official opinion regarding the candidates, although the Society of the Seminary Teachers of Qom, try to present the position of a limited number of clerics connected to the establishment as the official position of theHawza.Generally observing, the body of theHawzawas divided into three sections in this election: the traditionalist majority who have traditional right wing tendencies and the two minorities of reformist and radical right. The traditionalist majority group, which usually shows tendency toward Hashemi Rafsanjanis outlook and position, in this election and in absence of Rafsanjani, was divided into different branches. Each one of the candidates, exceptSaeed Jalili, had attracted a portion of this group. Saeed Jalili belonged to the radical faction ofHawzaand in particular the group aroundMesbah Yazdi.
In light of the above observations, Rouhanis victory, as a representative for both the traditional conservatives and the reformists, satisfied the majority of clerics in theHawzaof Qom, although some of them had not voted for him. In addition, a general observation of votes cast in the city of Qom also confirms the claim that Rouhanis portion of the votes in theHawzawas probably high. Rouhanis votes in this city were more than 200,000 andalmosttwice as much as Jalilis votes, the runner up in Qom.
The traditionalist body of theHawza, in addition to what people expect of Rouhani regarding improvements in the economy and an end to sanctions, also hopes for an improvement in societys perception of the clerics. Once again a cleric with a moderate and logical outlook has been elected president and his success would naturally improve the general opinion of the clerical establishment.
Among the radical faction of theHawza, the reactions were different and usually more subdued. Mesbah Yazdi, who is considered to be the leader of this faction, and his supporting entourage had officially endorsed Saeed Jalili. With a very meaningful silence, he has avoided any conflict with the successful candidate and has not reacted to his candidates defeat. Previously, in fact only a few days before the election,Mohsen Ghoroorian, a former student of Mesbah Yazdi,had asked himnot to repeat the mistake he made in the previous election and basically not to endorse any of the candidates. Mesbah Yazdi was an ardent supporter of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad until halfway through Ahmadinejads second term, when the two had a falling-out. Ghoroorian had previously, on a few occasions, criticised his former teacher and as a result, was removed from the organization that is run under Mesbahs supervision.
Customary reaction of the radical faction was expressed byAlireza Panahian, a cleric connected to theBasijand theRevolutionary Guards(Sepah, IRGC). In an interview withRaja News, he claimed that using the label defeat is a mistake and suggested that his faction is the winner in this election for the following reasons. First, thePrincipalistshad done their duty and thus are absolved in the divine judgement. Second, Rouhani belongs to thePrincipalistsand is an official member of the Combatant Clergy Association (Rouhaniyat-e-Mobarez). Third, Rouhani has avoided using secular and anti-revolutionary words and phrases that is used by the Reformists. And fourth, his victory was the result of the mistakes made by Ahmadinejad and is not a sign of change in the way society views the Reformists.
From some of the other points made by others connected to the radical faction of theHawza,itappearsthat they are preparing themselves for the role of the oppositional, and critical, faction to the future government
Irans recent elections, similar to Irans all other important events, is closely followed by theHawzaof Najafas well. In spite of its secular manner, theHawzaof Najaf displays great concern about the affairs of the Shiite societies. Religious authorities of theHawzain Najaf, in accordance with their common practice, had not endorsed any of the candidates and did not have a position regarding the Iranian election. However, the happiness and the satisfaction expressed by a few of its instructors in an interview withAl-Monitor, coupled with the consistent moderate direction of thisHawza,demonstrates the presence of a positive assessment of the election results.
The most important change worthy of consideration, in relation to the element of theHawzain this recent election, was its moderate avoidance of political advocacy and the attempt to create a distance between its own religious obligations and the political obligations of the statesmen. This change is evident by the marginalization of the radical faction and the caution exercised by most of the religious authorities, and high rank instructors, in expressing an official opinion regarding the elections. This secularist outlook, if continued and strengthened, will result in an assimilation of the conduct of the twoHawzasof Qom and Najaf.
By Al-Monitor
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