Iranian public outrage forces 'correction' of kindergarten directive
Amid widespread public outrage, Iranian authorities had to revise an official order that sought to ban religious minorities from teaching at government-run kindergartens.
Images of a controversial administrative order went viral across Iranian social media in recent days, enraging large sections of the country's religious minorities. The internal document, a letter, announced new regulations at kindergartens operated by Iran's Rehabilitation Organization.
"Recruitment of religious minority members for any position at kindergartens is illegal unless those centers are exclusively hosting children of religious minorities," the letter states, bearing the signature of the director of the organization's Office for Children and Adolescent Affairs.
Amid the fast-paced rise of social media networks in Iran, documents of this sort are occasionally leaked, drawing reactions from the public and forcing officials to clarify the situation. The Rehabilitation Organization's internal directive quickly triggered angry reactions. One Twitter user called it "the latest case of injustice against minorities," while another called it "a disastrous decision."
The first formal protest came from Esfandiar Ekhtiari, who represents Iran's Zoroastrian minority in parliament. In a public letter, Ekhtiari addressed Mohammad Shariatmadari, the minister for cooperatives, labor and social welfare, to whom the Rehabilitation Organization directly reports.
