Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution
The Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution is one of the governing institutions of the Islamic Republic,established to spread Islamic culture at all levels of society, and to prevent the spread of ideas and thoughts contrary to cultural values approved by the government, especially Western ideologies. The Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution was formed by making changes to the "Cultural Revolution Headquarters", which was formed in 1980 by the order of Ruhollah Khomeini, the then leader of the Islamic Republic. It was responsible for religious and ideological inquisitions, and mass purges in Iranian universities and educational and cultural centres. This involvedexpelling thousands of academics, from professors, to students and staff who had ideas contrary to that of the Islamic Republic.
The Cultural Revolution headquarters (CRH) was a seven-member council consisting of Mohammad Shariatmadari, Mohammad Javad Bahonar, Mohammad Mehdi Rabbani Amlashi, Hassan Habibi, Abdul Karim Soroush, Shams Al-Ahmad, and Jalaluddin Farsi. In a speech to the members of this staff, Ruhollah Khomeini asserted CRH’s duty to review the backgrounds and thoughts of all professors and students, and also called for monitoring the speech and behaviour of professors and students in educational environments.
In 1982, the Cultural Revolution Headquarters became the "Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution" (SCCR) and its scope of activity was greatly expanded. In practice, the role of legislation in the field of public culture, macro-cultural policies, and the implementation of many repressive and discriminatory policies of the Islamic Republic, especially in the field of women and religious minorities, was assigned to theSCCR. One such policy is the drafting of a document dated 25 Feb, 1991, on the Baha'i religious minority, which explicitly states that the state must "block the ways of progress for Baha'i citizens."
The full members of the SCCR are appointed by the Leader of the Islamic Republic. Its legal members are the heads of the three branches of the government, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, the Minister of Science, the Minister of Health, the Minister of Education, the Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, the Vice President, the head of the Radio and Television Organization (IRIB), head of the Islamic Propaganda Organization, head of the Organization of Islamic Culture and Communication, head of the the Supreme Leader’s Representation offices in Universities, head of the University Jihad Organization, head of the Women's Social Cultural Council, chancellor of the Islamic Azad University and heads of parliament’s cultural, education and research, and health.
The Council is chaired by the president. The secretary of this institution was Saeed Reza Ameli Renani until January 17, 2023. The current secretary of this institution is Abdol Hossein Khosro Panah Dezfuli.
The UK government sanctioned this institution on July 6, 2023.The sanction statement mentioned that The Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution (SCCR) the SCCR set Iran’s policies on cultural and educational matters, including wear of the hijab, which is implemented by the Morality Police who were responsible for beating Mahsa Amini before her death in custody in September 2022.
The European Union sanctioned this institution on March 21, 2023. In the statement of the European Union, it is said that the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, a government policymaking body concerned with science, education, religion, and research policy. the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution, a body which promoted several projects undermining the freedom of girls and women and discriminating minorities.
This council approved the "National Document on Islamic-Iranian Dress Style" on May 28, 2024. In this document, it is stated that within the framework of promotional and propagational actions, there should be a "deterrent confrontation with unconventional and improper fashion and clothing of well-known, famous, and celebrity figures in the fields of sports, arts, cinema, and media." Also, within the framework of legal-supervisory actions, it calls for the "guidance, supervision, and continuous monitoring of the observance of hijab and Sharia-compliant dress codes and cultural indicators, especially regarding women, for uniform or official or supplied clothing of public and governmental institutions and organizations. This is particularly focused on entities that interact extensively with various segments of society on a daily basis, such as teachers, bank employees, insurance staff, health and medical centers, service centers, welfare-public transportation, etc., and the adoption of necessary binding incentivizing and punitive measures."