The new fatwa issued by one of the religious authorities (Marja’s) in Qom regarding Facebook shows their increasing fear of the free flow of information. Iranian officials have been distrustful of Facebook from its outset. Before the events surrounding the 2009 presidential elections, Facebook was constantly filtered and unfiltered by the Iranian government. After the 2009 elections, the site was completely blocked, as Iranians utilized Facebook to transmit information about the demonstrations. Ever since, Iranian officials have repeatedly referred to Facebook, as well as other social networks, as a “means of soft war and anti-governmental activities.”
Iranians were hopeful that with the new moderate administration in charge Facebook might be unfiltered. Certain officials in President Hassan Rouhani’s administration, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, have Facebook pages themselves. Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Ali Jannati said in November, “I have a Facebook account myself. Facebook is a social network, and I do not consider using Facebook to be an illegal activity.” In September, Prosecutor-General Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i talked about the possibility of removing Facebook from the filtered list of websites, if it is no longer used for criminal activities. Certain political figures in Iran, too, have official Facebook pages: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Buijan Namdar Zangeneh and Zarif are among the most well-known.
