Najafi is considered a member of Rouhani’s reformist political faction, serving seven months as mayor of Tehran from August 2017 to April the following year before resigning amid pressure from hardliners after a video leaked in which he was seen attending a school show in which girls were dancing. Women dancing and singing in front of a mixed-gender public is deemed illegal in Iran. A mathematician and professor, Najafi has also previously served as Rouhani’s economic advisor and education minister. Ostad’s family has appealed for the Islamic law of retribution to be applied - an "eye for an eye" form of punishment which would see the death penalty served in this instance.
