Seyed Yusef Tabatabai Nezhad

Tabatabai Nejad, as the Friday prayer imam of Isfahan, and the representative of the Supreme Leader in Isfahan province, has played a role in suppressing freedom of expression and calling for violence against cyberspace users. On 20 June, 2016, Tabatabai Nejad criticized the Ministry of Communications for their lack of effort in censoring the Internet in his Friday prayer sermons, adding: "I tell the Ministry of Communications and Telecommunications that if you can deal with the leaders of networks that cause immorality and you hesitate, you have not done your duty, the Ministry can find these people and shut them up."

Isfahan Friday Imam strongly criticizes the lack of hijab in the city, ISNA, 20 June, 2016

https://web.archive.org/web/20171005201935/http://www.isna.ir/news/95031712301/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%B4%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B5%D9%81%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%AD%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%A8%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1

Yousef Tabatabai Nejad has repeatedly played a role in violating women's rights,calling for violence against women who do not meet the standards of Islamic dress and behaviour. On 20 June, 2016, Tabatabai Nejad criticized the non-observance of the Islamic hijab in his Friday prayer sermons, saying: "We have not done enough during the Cultural Revolution. During these years, we have not even been able to establish gender segregation in the universities." He called on citizens to deal with unveiled women and called on law enforcement to use "children of Hezbollah", (a term to refer to the fanatic supporters of the regime) in dealing with unveiled women.

On 1 December, 2011, Tabatabai Nejad again called for violence against women who did not properly observe the hijab, and said: "The issue of hijab is beyond the scope of warnings, and in order to deal with bad hijab, we must raise the stick and use force." "Enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil was done in ancient times by people named Muhtasib who flogged the wrongdoers."

On 17 May, 2019, Tabatabai Nejad called women's cycling a social vice and supported the ban on women cycling by the Isfahan prosecutor. Also, on 11 July, 2016, Tabatabai criticized women's cycling in the city and called on the media and government institutions to stop women cycling in public places. Following these remarks, the prosecutor of the city of Torqabeh and Shandiz banned women from cycling in these two cities.

On 2 October, 2020, in a meeting with the Deputy of Intelligence and Security Affairs of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the Police Commander of Isfahan Province, he said: "The community should be made unsafe for those [bad hijabs] who are few in number and should not be allowed break norms easily on the streets.” The remarks met with widespread public reaction, with many calling it an implicit support for acid attacks on Isfahani women in recent years.

Isfahan Friday Imam: To deal with bad hijab, we must raise the stick, Donyaye Eghtesad, 1 December, 2011

https://aftabnews.ir/fa/news/590279/%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B5%D9%81%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AF%D9%88%DA%86%D8%B1%D8%AE%D9%87%E2%80%8C%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%85%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B9%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%86%D8%AF-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%AE%DB%8C-%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AF%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%85%D8%B0%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%BE-%D8%B3%D9%85%DB%8C-%D9%85%D9%87%D9%84%DA%A9%E2%80%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA

Isfahan Friday Imam: Women's cycling is a social vice, Aftab News, 17 May, 2017

https://aftabnews.ir/fa/news/590279/%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B5%D9%81%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AF%D9%88%DA%86%D8%B1%D8%AE%D9%87%E2%80%8C%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%85%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B9%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%86%D8%AF-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%AE%DB%8C-%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AF%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%85%D8%B0%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%BE-%D8%B3%D9%85%DB%8C-%D9%85%D9%87%D9%84%DA%A9%E2%80%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA

Isfahan Friday Imam: Do not promote women's cycling / Scholars say it is not permissible, selected, 11 July, 2016

https://www.entekhab.ir/fa/news/560869/%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B5%D9%81%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AF%D9%88%DA%86%D8%B1%D8%AE%D9%87-%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%AC-%D9%86%DA%A9%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7-%D9%85%DB%8C-%DA%AF%D9%88%DB%8C%D9%86%D8%AF-%D8%AC%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B2-%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%86%D9%88%D8%B9%DB%8C-%D8%A8%DB%8C%E2%80%8C%D8%AF%DB%8C%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA

Widespread negative reaction to a Friday Imam's request to deal with the "bad hijab", BBC Farsi, 3 October, 2016

https://web.archive.org/web/20201003122257/https://www.radiofarda.com/a/iran-social-reacts-to-imam-wanting-to-enforce-hijab/30871734.html

Isfahan Friday Imam strongly criticizes the lack of hijab in the city, ISNA, 20 June, 2016

https://web.archive.org/web/20171005201935/http://www.isna.ir/news/95031712301/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%B4%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B5%D9%81%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%AD%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%A8%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1