Incident at the Quran and Etrat Clinic in Qom

The incident at the Quran and Etrat Clinic in Qom refers to a confrontation between a woman and a cleric who was allegedly filming her secretly. After the woman became aware of the filming, she demanded that the cleric delete the footage, but he refused. In March 2024, the release of footage of the incident on social media and in the press sparked widespread reactions.

The Incident

On Saturday, February 18, 2023, a video was released showing a confrontation between a woman and a man in clerical garb. The beginning of the video shows the cleric secretly filming the woman with his cell phone. The woman is sitting on the ground, leaning against a wall, and holding a baby. Her shawl is resting on her shoulders. The video then shows the woman confronting the man, berating him for filming her without her consent and demanding that he delete the footage. Media reports identified the person filming the woman as a student and teacher at the Qom Seminary.

Following the release of the video, news reports based on channels close to supporters of the Islamic Republic claimed that the woman had been arrested and the clinic had been shut down. However, the office of prosecutor of Qom denied these reports and said that he had ordered the identification of the people who had released the video of the incident. The incident occurred on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, and the video was first released a few days later by Iran International.

Reactions

• Sakineh Sadat Pad, assistant to Ebrahim Raisi in pursuing social rights and freedoms, said: "...Why does that cleric who wants to enjoin good and forbid the wrong take pictures and videos?" She also expressed regret over the polarization created in society.
• Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, former Minister of Communications, said: "The Shia clergy has been a refuge and shelter for people, not an informant and photographer!"
• Abbas Abdi, a journalist, said that considering this incident, the status of the Shia clergy among people has changed 180 degrees compared to before the revolution. He also said: "In Mashhad, a poor person freezes and dies in a municipal waste bin due to the cold, but no cleric is present there to take pictures or read the prayer of the deceased."
• Seyed Mohammad Ali Ayazi, a member of Assembly of Qom Seminary Scholars and Researchers, considered taking pictures of people an invasion of their privacy.
• Minou Khaleghi, referring to this incident, considered proposals such as fines for being unveiled as against the public will.
• Mohammad Ali Abtahi considered the result of the act of the akhund in the video as "hatred towards religion and clerics."
• Abbas Salehi, former Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, called the act of the akhund "informing" and against the duty of enjoining good and forbidding wrong.
• Mohammad Fazeli, reacting to this incident on his Telegram channel, advised the officials of the Islamic Republic to respect people's privacy and wrote: "...Learn from the dark history of the union of power and religion in the Christian Church, from the Dark Ages."

Salita

After the release of the video showing the confrontation between a woman and a cleric, a group of supporters of the Islamic Republic regime coordinated on social media to call that woman a "saliṭah" (loosely translated as a crude or rude woman), pointing the finger of accusation at her. In response, some women's rights activists protested against the historical insults against themselves by using the hashtag #ما_سلیطه‌ایم (#we_are_salita).

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