Iran's Culture Minister Urges Cultural Activities In ‘Closed’ Mosques

In a bid to reignite the faith of Iranians and to encourage them back to the mosques, the Minister of Culture has called for more mosque-based cultural activities.

Mohammad Mehdi Esmaili said that “the majority of cultural and artistic activities should take place in mosques.” He added that he has the support of Ebrahim Raisi's administration, which comprises many active mosque-going members, who are rallying around the slogan of "returning to mosques."

Esmaili’s remarks come as growing numbers of Iranians are becoming weary of the regime's justification of Islam as the base of its brutal dictatorship, reflected by months of violent protest since September in the wake of the death in morality policy custody of Mahsa Amini, arrested for the inappropriate use of her hijab.

In February, a senior Iranian cleric said 50,000 out of 75,000 mosques across the country had been closed due to a sharp decline in attendance.

Mohammad Abolghassem Doulabi, who serves as the intermediary between Ebrahim Raisi's administration and the country's seminaries, expressed concern over the reduced worship participation calling it a "worrying admission" for a state that has been constructed around the principles of Islam.