Qom Seminary Scholars Denounce “Dog of Haider” Chant as an Assault on Shiite Scholarship

According to Saed News, the incendiary remark made during a large-scale mourning assembly in Qom has been denounced by clergy and media alike as a profound insult to both the seminary’s institutional heritage and the sanctity of the Ahl al‑Bayt tradition. The daily Etelaat editorial argued that the comment not only defames the Qom Seminary but, more gravely, desecrates the memory of Amir al‑Mu’minīn ʿAlī (peace be upon him), whose spiritual leadership underpins the seminary’s founding mission.

Established under the tutelage of the Imams Ja‘far al‑Sādiq and al‑Bāqir over fourteen centuries ago, the Qom Seminary has long served as a bastion for disseminating Qur’anic truths and the Prophet’s lineage. “This statement betrays a staggering ignorance of our religious heritage,” Etelaat cautioned, warning that it trivializes the rigorous scholarship and devotional scholarship that generations of ulama have undertaken.

Clerical authorities have urged an official denunciation and corrective measures, arguing that failure to respond vigorously risks undermining the seminary’s moral authority. “If such rhetoric is left unchecked,” one theologian noted, “the seminary’s role in guiding the faithful will be compromised.” Proposals range from mandating formal theological training for eulogists to establishing an accredited curriculum within the Faculty of Theology.

With video clips of the assembly circulating widely online, calls for amr bil‑ma‘rūf wa‑nahy ʿan al‑munkar (enjoining good and forbidding evil) have intensified. As the seminary’s custodians prepare to convene, the incident underscores the enduring interplay between religious expression and institutional legitimacy in Iran’s clerical establishment.