Mohammad Javad Larijani says we cannot hold a referendum on Islam
While opposition to mandatory hijab has turned into a growing wave in Iran and some have suggested holding a referendum on major issues, including hijab, Mohammad Javad Larijani, a former member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, says a referendum cannot be held on the rulings of Islam.
Larijani says referendums cannot be held on principles, and this is only possible for subsidiary matters, such as whether the country should have a prime minister or not. Regarding Islam, we cannot hold a referendum, for example, a group might say let’s have a referendum on whether some Islamic rulings should be implemented or not. This is against the constitution and cannot be a subject of a referendum.
The leader of the Islamic Republic, in his recent meeting with a number of Basij students, reacted to repeated requests for a referendum by saying, ‘Where in the world do they do this? Do all the people who must participate in a referendum have the ability to analyze this issue? What kind of talk is this?’
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