Most Mullahs Prefer Strategic Parliamentary Committees to Culture and Justice

Iran’s parliamentary committees for culture and for judicial or legal issues have proven to be unpopular with MPs in the 11th session of parliament; and if it were not for the power of the presidium, both committees would probably already be closed. And even a push by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has failed to convince his followers amongst the parliamentary membership to apply for these committees.

A last-minute transfer of several MPs, including Dr. Ehsan Ghazizadeh Hashemi, a physician, from the Health Committee to the Cultural Committee, meant that the committee reached quorum. But the Judicial Committee still awaits more MPs to accept membership.

One of the main reasons for the delay in the formation of these committees is the fact that some MPs — whose expertise is apparently in culture or judicial matters – are more interested in entering non-specialist committees than pursuing their specialized work in parliament. These other roles can provide them with more personal benefits.

Which group of MPs specializes in culture and justice?

To answer this question, we need to look for artists, writers, lawyers and judges serving in parliament, but we can rarely find representatives with these qualities; especially artists, writers and lawyers, who are generally considered "non-insiders" in Iran and rarely find an opportunity to sit in parliament.

Looking at the cultural and judicial institutions in the Islamic Republic, from the Islamic Propaganda Organization and the Office of Propaganda to the key positions of the judiciary, they are all in the hands of the clergy. But are there not enough clerics in parliament to fill the vacant seats on the two cultural and judicial committees?

In this parliament, there are 32 clerics who wear clerical robes. A number of other MPs have also been trained in seminaries, in Quranic or theological studies, who do not wear clerical garb. The quorum of each committee is 19; that is, adding six representatives to the clergy, both the cultural and judicial committees could have been completed without delay. But of the 32 clerics serving in parliament, only five joined the cultural committee and three joined the judiciary and legal committee. Three also joined a separate Article 90 committee which deals with legal issues.

In other words: only 11 clerics out of the 32 expected to join the judicial and legal committees actually did so. What committees did the other 21 join?

Agriculture, Water and Natural Resources Committee

Joining this committee – which oversees agriculture, water resources, livestock and poultry, fishery, the environment and meteorology, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Jihad for Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency and Natural Resources, the Meteorological Organization and three other major government agencies – requires a specialization in related fields. Do the clerics who joined this committee have any such experience? Only one, Amir Gholy Jafari, has some experience in these areas from previous public service in the south of Iran; yet, even he has no expertise in the related areas.

Economic Committee

This committee – which oversees economics, customs, insurance, taxation, capital markets, and supervises the performance of the Ministry of Economy, the Central Bank, the Privatization Organization, Customs, Banks and Credit Institutions, the Tax Administration, and others – requires members to have a degree in either economics or accounting and finance and to have experience in a ministry or institution responsible for economic affairs. Which of the four clerics serving on the committee have the relevant expertise or experience? The parliamentarian Mohammad Hossein Hosseinzadeh Bahraini has specialized in economics – the other four have no expertise or experience in the relevant fields.

Energy Committee

The Energy Committee works closely with the Ministry of Oil and Energy to legislate and oversee Iran’s energy production and policy. Scientific or professional knowledge in the fields of oil, energy, water, dam construction and power plants is required to join this committee. But neither of the two clerics who joined this committee have any relevant experience or knowledge. The only connection between them and this committee is that they both represent cities in Iran’s oil-rich regions.

Industries and Mines Committee

The two clerics on this parliamentary committee – which is responsible for overseeing Iran’s industry, mining and trade policies – are trained in philosophy and Islamic jurisprudence and no previous experience in any of the committee’s fields.

Program and Budget Committee

The  Program and Budget Committee is undoubtedly parliament’s most important committee because it reviews Iran’s development plan and annual budget while also overseeing the country's finances. Mohammad Reza Mir Tajeddini, a representative from Tabriz, is the only cleric in this committee and is a graduate of the seminary with a doctorate in theology. He was previously the head of the Islamic Propaganda Organization of East Azerbaijan Province and the parliamentary vice president of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran.

National Security and Foreign Policy Committee

The National Security and Foreign Policy Committee is another one of the most important parliamentary committees, overseeing defense, security and foreign policy. Mojtaba Zolnoori, a representative from Qom, is the only cleric on the committee who also happens to be the committee’s chair. Zolnoori, like other clerics in parliament, has a seminary education, but is a military man rather than a cleric. He was the commander of the 83rd Brigade of the Revolutionary Guards and the deputy head of the Supreme Leader’s office in the Revolutionary Guards.

Education and Social Committees

Four clerics have also joined the Education and Research and Social Committees; these are more suited to the clerics’ training, as the committees oversee education and social problems, and also matters related to the seminaries and the clergy.

One cleric has not yet joined any committee and it is still unclear where he may land.

Conclusion

Clerics who had previously been active in cultural affairs, before entering parliament, have often refused to attend the two cultural and judicial/legal committees, and have preferred unrelated committees over those more related to their field backgrounds. The cultural and judicial/legal committees are therefore still struggling to each reach a quorum.