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.

One of the religious authorities in Qom reacted to the suggestion regarding the possibility of unfiltering Facebook. Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi criticized Jannati and considered the idea of unfiltering Facebook to be unnecessary. His comments drew criticism from both inside and outside the hawza. Sadegh Zibakalam, a Reformist professor at the University of Tehran, wrote a letter to Shirazi asking him to explain his religious reasons for considering Facebook forbidden. As part of his explanation for why it is wrong to regard Facebook illegal, he wrote: “If the problem is the fear of Facebook being misused by posting pornography or contents that violate public decency, then cinema and photography should be illegal, too. The prosecutor-general has also cited 'communicating with the enemy' as an additional reason why Facebook should be considered illegal. I am, however, confused as to what kind of information can be transmitted via Facebook that cannot be transmitted by other means!”

Shirazi’s answer to these criticisms was that Facebook is illegal since it extensively promotes corruption and a variety of other sins. He also compared it to heretical writings whose public availability is sinful and forbidden. He claimed that Facebook has no restriction or boundaries and is a place for corruption and immorality. This is while previously, Shirazi and a few other religious authorities had issued fatwas considering Facebook to be a legitimate outlet for publishing Islamic decrees as long as there is nothing corruptive in it. Shirazi himself has an official page on Facebook.