Activity As Interior Minister
The Interior Minister has ultimate authority in matters relating to internal security (including prevention of drug smuggling and trafficking) through heading the Supreme Council of Internal Security (this committee operates as part of the Supreme National Security Council). In reality, his authority over all activities of the internal security forces is not absolute, because as previously mentioned, he officially reports to Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei, who serves as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
After assuming the position of Interior Minister, Najjar gathered all the employees of the Ministry, sharing both his worldview and the main tasks of the Ministry:
| “ | Relating to and being attentive to the tradition, mentality and customs of Iranian Islamic society, ensuring security and calm for the entire public and generating national unity... The family is based on the fundamentals of fondness and love, and one of the challenges of Western societies today is extreme individualism, pursuit of pleasure and lack of interest in the rest of humanity and family members. All of this has led to the disintegration of the family unit in the West. Today, the amount of time spent with the family has decreased, and this is the reason for the rise in the number of social calamities. The government will strive to increase its attention to social issues as well... Today, there is no danger of military attack, and the global imperialist regime is trying to develop a uniform global culture plan, to the detriment of the cultural identity of other societies. The true risk is that society will forget and lose its cultural identity, and it is our obligation to do our utmost to protect society's Islamic and Iranian identity. | ” |
During his term, there have been increasingly harsh punishments for dress code violations and morals. The enforcement of the dress code has gained significant momentum and dedicated mechanisms and organizations were established to promote enforcement along with measures "…to strengthen the Islamic faith." Throughout his term, he has taken a hard line when it comes to suppressing protests and the opposition in Iran, referring to them as fitna, and saying that they were acting against the best interests of the Iranian people. In the middle of July 2010 demonstrations, he called in Iran's Law Enforcement Forces (LEF), warning against a "Velvet Revolution" and "imperialist plots."
Najjar has warned against activity on social networks and satellite channels: "The West is taking advantage of electronic systems and the virtual world to undermine the security of our society and break down the family unit in Iran. This is a matter which must be thoroughly investigated." There has been an increase in Iran of monitoring of the Internet, arrests of bloggers and blocking of e-mail accounts.
At the same time, Najjar responded to the increased activity of the Sunni opposition (Jundallah) with a security clampdown on Iran's eastern borders. During his tenure, Najjar had to grapple with the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists and said (July 2011) that "this issue is our top priority" and that his Ministry had implemented a special program to guard nuclear scientists."
Read more about this topic: Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar
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