Larijani: extremism and negligence not in leader’s line

Khabaronline – Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Ali Larijani said at a news conference on Saturday that extremism and negligence shown by some factions in the country are not in line with the views of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and those sages who provide advice out of their good will.

Answering the question of Khabar Online correspondent about his opinion on new developing political currents in the country, Larijani said: “The key point for all people and political currents is to follow their political path within the framework of the Islamic Republic’s Constitution and feel a responsibility to the country’s future, revolution and guidance of the leader. 

He maintained that raising suspicion against political rivals and falsification are at odds with the best interests of the country: “It’s not rational to regard any occasion as the origin of Islamic revolution’s history, since the real origin is clear. All of us should adhere to the Islamic principles, republicanism and the constitution. We must act honestly and heed to the preoccupations of martyrs of revolution and the imposed war, their messages and their wills. 

Iran’s top legislator also stressed that hard line attitude and fueling tensions will damage the Islamic Republic: “Unfortunately some have traced their benefits in growing conflicts. I believe although adventurous measures adopted after the latest presidential election troubled the country and endangered our interests, some extremists are trying now to find new fields to continue and lead the battles.”

Filed under: iran election, Iran News, Iranian protests, Majlis, revolution, ایران iran, Khamenei, Larijani

زهرا رهنورد: کوچک نمی شوید! فرصت را از دست ندهید! به پاسداشت زهرا(س) زندانیان را آزاد کنید /Zahra Rahnavard: Release all prisoners, starting with the women

پارسى

On the eve of the birthday commemoration of Fatemeh (daughter of Prophet Mohammad) and the anniversary of Women’s Week, Dr. Zahra Rahnavard (wife of Mir Hossein Mousavi) issued a statement in which she revered the esteemed character of Fatemeh and stated that the Prophet Mohammad’s daughter is a role model for all Muslim women.  She also advises the ruling powers to take advantage of the anniversary  and release all political prisoners, starting with the women.

As per Kaleme the complete statement of Zahra Rahnavard is as follows:

I would like to congratulate the noble people of Iran on the anniversary of the birthday of Fatemeh the daughter of Prophet Mohammad and Women’s Day.

I hope that this unique woman, with all her dimensions, such as her spiritual and holy teachings, her political and social role, her role as a gentle mother and wife has an everlasting place in the culmination of human aspirations.

In addition to its unmatched unity, the Green movement is also filled with duplication and freshness. This variety creates an opportunity for us to appreciate all beautiful human behavior, and to respect all justice seeking models across the globe.

Within the framework of our Islamic beliefs, we follow the example of Fatemeh and bow our heads in honor of her transcendent character.

We will not forget, not even for a moment the extreme suffering she went through to promote and advance Islam. Even though her young body is now connected with the darkness of the earth, her cause and spirit still remains for the believers and those who seek freedom.

The Green movement as a reform seeking movement realizes the importance of new religious thinking, narrated through the approach of Fatemeh to modern day individuals. Fatemeh is not only a role model for women, but also a complete and consummate symbol of Islam and this orthodox religion has been crystallized both in her personality and in her face. It is regretful that in the name of Fatemeh and under such conditions, the current ruling government is preparing for Women’s Day and Women’s week, particularly when they have digressed kilometers from her character, her religious behavior and ideals and are acting in a way that is contrary to her views. Justice and seeking freedom were only one of the dimensions of her personality and her example and holiness continue to provide light and hope for the believers.

Can we accept that the current ruling government believes in Fatemeh, whom one of her titles is the honest? Can they be believers when they lie to this extent? Can they be believers when they repress women and men? Can they be believers when they block and stifle the airways of freedom?

It is not surprising that in this day and week, the ruling government is incapable of hearing the cries of the children separated from their mothers – those innocent children who wait endlessly for the grace and caress of mothers that are either in prison or have been killed. Children who have no one to turn to but to the grace of God.

The ruling government chuckles at the faces of mothers waiting behind prison doors, hopeful to see their sons and daughters. Mothers who leave no stone unturned, running from one place to the next just to be abused, humiliated and given false promises. They chuckle at women whose husbands have either been buried for a long time or are being threatened and tortured in prisons. Mothers who look forward to their children marrying and completing their university education. Mothers who rather than celebrating with their loved ones are standing at their grave site engulfed with sadness and pain and participating in a festival of tears and sorrow.

As the day and week of Women is arriving in the holy name of Fatemeh, I announce to the ruling government to take advantage of this immense opportunity and for once prove the credibility of their words and actions. These occasions should not always be excuses for the robbers of freedom and murderers. For once take advantage of an occasion and use it as an excuse to free political prisoners.

Release all prisoners in the memory of the passing of Fatemeh. Start with female political prisoners. Be sure that you will not lose face and no one will claim that you have retreated. Later in subsequent steps provide freedom of press, individual freedoms, non interference in people’s private lives, free and fair elections, etc. in order to establish freedom and democracy.

We women ask the scholars and Grand Ayatollahs in all their religious glory, to force the ruling government to free prisoners and respond to the demands of the people.

Filed under: Ayatollahs, iran election, Iran News, Iranian protests, revolution, ایران iran, Reformists, zahra rahnavard

Opposition steps up calls for protests in Iran’s capital

Iranfocus – Tehran, May 30 – For the third week running, activists in Tehran wrote political graffiti on walls and distributed leaflets in different districts in the capital ahead of the planned anti-government protests in June which the opposition has called for.
 
Their activities have prompted authorities to finally acknowledge the campaign. The state-run Javan Online, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), wrote: “In the past few days, supporters of the leaders of the opposition distributed leaflets, inciting chaos and anarchy on 12 June”.
 
Javan added: “In the past few days, leaflets and statements have been distributed in the suburbs of the capital, including Pardis township, urging the public to join the 12 June anti-government protests, wreak havoc and destroy public property.”
 
On Saturday, activities wrote graffiti on the gates of Razi Park in Shoush Street. One of the slogans read: “June is the month of fighting, (Supreme Leader Ali) Khamenei is shivering.” 
 
They also distributed anti-government leaflets on the northern edge of Shoush Street in Khani-Abad district. One of the leaflets said, “Mothers, fathers, young men and women, come to the streets of Tehran on 10-20 June to free Iran. We can and we must topple this regime”
 
Large numbers of residents chanted “Death to Khamenei” and “Allah-o Akbar” (God is great) from rooftops Thursday night in Navvab, Tehran-no, Shahbaz, and Imam Hossein districts.
 
On Friday, activists distributed hundreds of anti-government leaflets in Doroudian, Hamedani, Arbabi, Ashtiani, Asgari, and Razi streets in south Tehran’s Chaharsad Dastgah and west Tehran’s Shahran districts.  The leaflets read: “Khamenei will be toppled in June. We invite you to come out onto the streets from 10-20 June”.
 
Iran’s main opposition has called for ten days of nationwide protests beginning 10 June.

Filed under: iran election, Iran News, Iranian protests, Iranian University Protests, revolution, ایران iran, 22 Khordad, Khamenei, tehran

Unionist Severely Beaten in Gohardasht Prison in Iran

Iranlaborreport – Rasoul Bodaghi, a member of the board of directors of the Iranian Teachers Trade Association, has been severely beaten in prison by the prison guards on May 28. The assault has taken place at 7:00 a.m. with one of the guards by the name of Ghasem Mohammadi cursing Bodaghi in Karaj Gohardasht prison where Bodaghi is being held. When protesting, Rasoul Bodaghi has been physically assaulted by two other Revolutionary Guards by the names of Sheikh and Aghvaii getting hit on different parts of his body.

Bodaghi has then been taken to the prison corridors, tied to the prison bars and repeatedly beaten sustaining injuries on his head, face, and his teeth.

His fellow inmates protesting the guards’ actions have also been beaten including Dr. Ahamd Zeid Abadi, the incarcerated journalist, member of the board of directors of the Iranian Journalists Trade Association, and the head of Islamic Iran Students (Advar Tahkim Vahdat).

Following the assault, the prisoners of conscience in Gohardasht ward number 6, in an statement, condemned the assault and called the attention of the world human rights organizations and activists on lack of any security on the lives of the political prisoners in Iran.

Bodaghi has been imprisoned since September 2009. He has been teaching in Iran for 20 years.

Two other members of the teachers union have also recently been arrested in the city of Yazd. They are Mohammad Ali Shahedi and Mohammad Ali Shirazi, members of the board of directors of the Yazd union.

On a separate note, Mansour Osaloo, the leader of the Tehran and Municipality Vahed Bus Workers Syndicate, has been transferred to ward no. 5 of Gohardasht, the special ward for those prisoners being treated with Methadone or inflicted with Hepatitis, and AIDS. The transfer follows the complaint by an inmate by name of Seyyed Mohammad Rouhollah Hashemi, serving time for murdering his brother and brother in law. It is reported that those behind the complaint are the head and the deputy head of security at Gohardasht.

Filed under: gohardasht, iran election, Iran News, Iranian protests, Iranian workers protest, revolution, ایران iran

اطلاعیه روابط عمومی دفتر فائزه هاشمی در مورد حمله عوامل ناشناس /The office of Faezeh Hashemi was attacked by plain-clothed militia

پارسى

In continuation of the attacks by the government’s agents, plain clothes militia and security forces on the family and allies of Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Expedency Council and the head of the Assembly of Experts, the office of Faezeh Hashemi was attacked and destroyed late last night by the plain clothe militia.

By issuing a statement, the office of Faezeh Hashemi confirmed this attack and reported that the goal of this violent barbaric attack was not robbery but rather was to terrorize, create fear and to harm.

Mousavi Facebook

Filed under: faezeh hashemi, iran election, Iran News, Iranian protests, Rafsanjani, revolution, ایران iran, Rafsanjani

موسوی: کشور با آزادی وعدالت اداره می شود نه با زندان اوین /Mousavi: Country is run by freedom and justice not by imprisonment

پارسى

Mir Hossein Mousavi met with a group of political prisoners who were detained during Shah’s regime, whom according to Mousavi fought in an atmosphere where there was no clear overlook of future and the only thing was the sense of pure duty of the individuals, an atmosphere where all efforts were made with the desire for achieving the principles, rule of Islam and a healthy society. Mousavi in this meeting said: “The beginning of the revolution started with the same atmosphere.”

If the general frameworks were preserved, Iran would have moved in a good direction

Mousavi while noting the problems of the early days of the revolution said: “No system is without problems” but also added: “If the general frameworks were preserved, Our Iran would have moved in a good direction.”

Mousavi by referring to the anniversary of the passing of Imam Khomeini and recalling the unique and historic funeral of Imam Khomeini in which millions of people participated, called this great participation a sign of the support of the nation for the revolution and what have had happened in the first decade of the revolution and said: “ Without trying to ignore some of the problems, but this [great participation] was a sign that many of the principles were achieved [at that time].”

We knew the front lines as a sign of our rightfulness

We cannot answer to the younger generation because we were derailed from the path

Mousavi said: “Always different governments give a series of indices as the indicators of their success, such as GDP, wealth prisuctivity or in case of non-material aspects such as education, human dignity and etc. which their significant is meaningful and can be discusses individually. At the beginning of the [Iran-Iraq] war the massive number of pure and loyal individuals whom the revolution gave to us, was the index and sign of the rightfulness of our system. We have always known the front lines as the sign of our rightfulness and also as a sign that the system have had been successful in achieving its principles. But unfortunately there has been gradual deviation and in the recent years we have also found some main problems such that today we cannot answer to the younger generation, and even when we explain to them that what were the goals of the early days of the revolution and after the revolution what changes happened in the country, yet we cannot convince them; and its only reason is because we were derailed from the path.”

Compare the unprecedented events of this year’s Book Fair with …

Mousavi in describing the before revolution atmosphere in comparison to after revolution by citing an example said: “Before revolution there was no freedom. The topics of printed and main books were very limited and [books] were circulated in an underground network. But after the revolution there were Book Fairs to show that this system does not believe in limiting thoughts and indeed a cultural revolution was formed. But even in this one case compare what we wanted to the unprecedented events of this year’s Book Fair in which even the books and writing of some of the Marjas (senior religious figures) were also banned. They eliminated the booth displaying Martyr Ayatollah Beheshti’s books, who himself was one of the founders of this revolution and as usual there have been restrictions on books on literature and social sciences. These are only small signs of the divergiance from the principles of the revolution.”

System is moving toward monologue

Monologue leads to tyranny and dictatorship

Monologue is the most important factor inhibiting the development

Mousavi while warning about the continuation of this trend said: “The system is moving toward monologue so that it does not tolerate any other view. Monologue by itself leads to tyranny and dictatorship and there is no one that does not know that in addition to tyranny and dictatorship the most important factor inhibiting the development.”

Policies that targeted the transparency and free flow of information

Mir Hossein Mousavi emphasized: “What we are witnessing now is the policies that targeted the transparency and free flow of information and it is not surprising that in our country the issues of corruptions, lies and dictatorship is expanding, because if there are no free thoughts then in a monologue environment these issues are natural.”

Green Movement is for freedom and justice

There was a time that we wished for celebrating the day Evin prison would be shutdown but…

Mousavi in another section of his remarks discussed the relation between the Green Movement and the principles of the revolution and said: “Green is for freedom and justice. Justice for the people who participated in the revolution and this country with all its diversified ethnicities, cultures and languages belongs to them and justice in social, political and economical aspects is part of their rights, as well as freedom which has been one of our principles and if does not exist people’s rights will be violated. There was a time that we wished the prisons would be empty and we celebrate the day Evin prison would be shutdown, but now there are new constructions in Evin to make more cells in order to imprison more human and this is another sign of corruption and divergence which will no result.”

We did not want a government empty of content

Is it possible to defend such a system in the world?

Mousavi noted: “We did not want just to form a government and define a framework in the name of Islam but empty of content that has no sign of the principles and dreams that were emerged from our religion and beliefs. If a system is to stay but by filling the prisons or by beating and arresting students, Muslim workers and teachers, artists, filmmakers and journalists, can one defend such a system in the world?”

Movement that emerged from the true needs of a nation

Green Movement is a four season movement

Mousavi stressed that seeking freedom and justice is a serious demand in this atmosphere and said: “Green movement is an ongoing process which will not stop by arrests, threats and imprisonments or even by killings; because it contains the demands that have emerged from the true and human needs of our nation. This movement is a four season movement. It revitalizes and appears in different forms. It is so that it would be insignificant in a period or depends on a specific individual but rather it has emerged from the human demands of our nation and it is in continuation of the long-time struggles of our nation to achieve freedom and justice.”

The goals of the Green Movement are simple and clear

We don’t expect them to act fair, either in state-run TV and radio or…

Mousavi called the goals and mottos of the Green Movement, simple and clear and said: “when we say the constitution the issue is clear; when we say there must be no corruption and lies and there must be justice, the issue is clear. For sure promoting awareness is the greatest tool of the Green Movement. We don’t want to fight with anyone. We just are defending our rights and our tool is to spread awareness among the people and we are not blocking anyone’s path. They can propagate against us that we are not telling the truth. We don’t expect them to act fair, either in their state-run TV and radio or in their other media.”

“No Lies” was the serious demand of all the people

Mousavi by recalling the slogan of “No Lies” chanted by the people on the eve of the Election Day said: “During the election campaigns one of the most important and most effective posters that was made, was the poster that had “No Lies” sign on it. I saw it for the first time in Tehran and within 24 hours I saw it in one of the most remote areas of the country because it was the tangible and serious demand of the people.”

They cannot tolerate to see even one normal weblog free

Awareness is the Achilles Heel of the government

Mir Hossein Mousavi once again talked about the issue of awareness and the necessity of spreading awareness and emphasized: “The fact that they cannot tolerate to see even one normal weblog free and today even in cyber space there is not even one media in our hand that could be safe from filtering, all are signs that awareness is the Achille’s Heel of the government and it’s source of weakness. Therefore anyone in any place who feels responsible should make efforts based on his/her capability to spread political and social awareness even if it would be by saying a minor point in a gathering.”

Where are the focal points of spreading awareness?

Mir Hossein Mousavi outlined the focal points for spreading awareness and said: “We should spread awareness from family environments to the gatherings of friends and relatives and among the different classes and provinces. The Green Movement does not have a complex goal; we don’t want corruption and lies; we want respect for the people; we want to have a proper judiciary system that would not be oppressive. It must not be such that they force someone to confession then based on that confession execute him/her or beat the prisoners or release the prisoners and after a couple of weeks contact him/her and ask them to give forced interviews [and say as dictated in it] or if not agreed call them back to prison! It would be sufficient just to explain these issues to the people.”

How unfamiliar are those who have created these extensive prisons to the truth

Mousavi added: “I always say that how unfamiliar are those who have created these extensive prisons to the truth. How many times during the month of Ramathan and our national and religious celebrations there was the opportunity to return freely to the principles despite the past. This would have automatically made people optimistic. Even now if they say that free and competitive election will be held and there will not be cheating, you’ll see that people will breathe a sigh of relief.

Kahrizak prison was a national issue; tell it in front of the people so that it does not get repeated.

He emphasized: “A regime that cannot investigate the attack on university students’ dormitory with bravery and explain to people that what really happened and also cannot deal with those who cheated, is a weak regime. The strength of a regime is in its ability to explain problems. Regarding Kahrizak they claim to have sentenced three persons. Kahrizak is a national issue and for this reason all discussions about Kahrizak must be in front of people’s eyes so that it will not be repeated and people also be convinced that justice was served. Even this vague result that they (the authorities) announced and three people were sentenced must be explained that who these three people are and how they relate to those whose names were announced in the parliament [for being responsible for the crimes of Kahrizak] (reference to Mortazavi who was declared by the parliamentary committee responsible for the death of political prisoners at Kahrizak prison); the parliament that we know how restraint its reports are.”

We hope that the false path turns into the right path

Mousavi said: “We all hope that this false path turn into the right path. [Should this happen] people will be satisfied no matter who does it or in what circumstances. People have fought and have suffered to achieve freedom and justice and to not be under tyranny and dictatorship; to have posts and statures rotate so that everybody in any position remains responsible to the people. “

Did arrests manage to save Shah’s regime?

Mir Hossein Mousavi addressed the political prisoners from before the revolution and added: “These attacks and arrests don’t solve the issue. Didn’t Shah’s regime fall despite putting you in jail? The regime fell and I remember the result of those arrests but the question is whether those arrests saved Shah’s regime? The status of media and the flow of free information and news around the globe is very different from the era that you were imprisoned. First thing in the morning with reviewing a few websites, one can get all the news. Before, announcements were spread hand to hand with all kinds of difficulties and sometimes with dangers and at the end they would have reached only a few. Satellites and the international media and the communications are all very important [today].”

The country should be governed with freedom and justice, not with Evin prison

Mousavi emphasized: “Some think that by creating an atmosphere of fear and terror can manage the affairs but [the truth is that] the country must be governed should be governed with freedom and justice, not with Evin prison.”

Mousavi Facebook

Filed under: Evin prison, iran election, Iran News, Iranian University Protests, revolution, میرحسین موسوی خامنه Mousavi, ایران iran, 22 Khordad, میرحسین موسوی خامنه Mousavi

Clashes in central Tehran on Thursday May 27, 2010

Iranfocus – Serious clashes broke out on Thursday between a group of people and security forces near a petrol station in Tehran’s Vali-Asr (Mossadeq) Street. Chanting “Death to Khamenei” (Iran’s Supreme Leader) and “Allah-o Akbar” (God is great), angry residents clashed with the State Security Force, prompting them to fire into the air to disperse the crowd. The protest initially began over a shortage of gasoline at the petrol station.
 
Separately, activists continued to scribble political graffiti urging people to take part in June demonstrations. Slogans were seen on the back seats of buses, university walls and on banknotes in the capital.
 
The authorities have deployed undercover units to identify and arrest those writing graffiti or distributing leaflets. On Thursday, a woman was arrested on the charge of mal-veiling in Shahrak-e Gharb district, photographed on site and warned about her attire.

Filed under: iran election, Iran News, Iranian protests, revolution, ایران iran, tehran

Midsize Enterprises at Peril in Iran

Iranlaborreport – The unrestrained import policy of the Ahmadinejad administration as a means to curb inflation has hit the mid-size enterprises in Iran hard.  Traditional industries, such as textiles, sugar cane refineries, tea, leather manufacturing, shoes, home appliances, etc., which once employed hundreds of thousands of workers, have been closing down one after the other in recent years. Domestic production has been unable to keep up with higher quality, cheap imports.

The textile industry is a case in point. While in the year 2000 textile mills employed 400,000 workers, many mills are currently in a dire situation.  Iran Termeh in Qom is one example. On April 17, Taghi Nassiri, a worker at Iran Termeh and former spokesperson for the High Labor Council at the plant, told Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA), “One feels pity that a plant once employing 3,000 directly and 20,000 indirectly is on the verge of collapse. Currently, only 200 workers remain, and they have not received wages and benefits for 26 months. If the authorities pay attention to the assets buried in this factory, even today, 1,500 could be working here.”

As reported by ILNA on April 21, about 70 to 90 percent of the needed materials for the textile industry are imported illegally, so adjusting import quotas will have no effect. Unofficial statistics show that last year, 23 billion dollars worth of illegal imports entered the country. Forty to 50 percent of these were textile and ready-to-wear products. The imports have had a crippling effect on the local production of such goods. Price-wise, domestically produced products have no way of competing with cheap products imported from China.

Even though production level in the textile and clothing industries varies dramatically, the situation in the area of blanket production is especially noteworthy, due to the uncontrolled level of imports. Of 83 facilities, only three are currently actively producing goods. In the production of  weaving sector, the situation is worse. Ready-to-wear factories face an even gloomier outlook.Compared to last year, they are operating at 60 percent capacity. In the area of machine-made rug production, the situation is not as drastic.

Currency exchange rate control schemes have benefitted the imports to the detriment of domestic production. With the policy of “targeted social assistance” or the cut in subsidies soon to be implemented, production costs locally should rise drastically and, with the foreign currency exchange rate held constant, local production should fall to even further disadvantage.

In the north, at Rasht Khavar in Gilan province, protest action by textile workers was reported on April 27. Workers who had not been paid for three months prevented management consultants from entering the factory. On April 25 in Qazin, 700 to 800 Farnakh textile workers, seeking seven months back wages and yearly bonuses, protested at the Ministry of Industries. On the morning of April 26 in Qazvin, 540 Mahnakh workers gathered to protest four months of back wages and bonuses. Mahnakh, Sarnakh, and Farnakh textile factories in Qazvin have been hit hard with many layoffs

Filed under: iran election, Iran News, Iranian protests, Iranian workers protest, revolution, ایران iran

Abdolkarim Soroush calls on Clerics to flee Qom for Najaf

insideIRAN.org – Abdolkarim Soroush, a prominent Iranian intellectual now living in the United States, wrote a letter to Iran’s Grand Ayatollahs and distinguished religious authorities May 23 urging them to leave the Shiite holy city of Qom in Iran for Najaf, a Shiite center in Iraq. Soroush argued that the ulema’s silence has been interpreted by the government as their stamp of approval for the immoral and illegal actions of the Islamic Republic.

In his letter, Soroush, who was once a supporter of Iran’s theocracy, attacked the idea of a “Shiite Islamic government” and called it nothing but a “fictitious tale.” According to Soroush, the current regime in Tehran bears no resemblance to the government of Ali, the first Shiite Imam and a revered figure by all Muslims.

Soroush’s call for the migration of ulema stems from the frustration shared by many anti-government activists and intellectuals about the apathy of Qom’s high-ranking clerics towards the actions of the Islamic Republic. There have been exceptions to the rule:Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri was an outspoken critic of the actions of the Islamic Republic both during Ayatollah Khomeini’s reign and during the tenure of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Grand Ayatollahs Yusef Sanei and Bayat-Zanjani have also been very critical of the status quo, especially the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But the majority of Iran’s Grand Ayatollahs and prominent scholars at Shiite seminaries do not openly criticize the government.

There are many reasons behind their silence. Some clerics, such as Ayatollah Ali Nouri-Hamedani, are prime beneficiaries of government stipends and other forms of funding for favorable ulema. Hamedani, who is featured frequently on Iran’s state-owned television, is an outspoken supporter of President Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Khamenei. Ayatollah Mohammad-Taghi Mesbah-Yazdi, a hardliner cleric who is mentioned as Ahmadinejad’s spiritual guru, is probably the most notable example of a pro-government cleric who has gained much from his unwavering support of the political system in Iran.

But there are many senior Ayatollahs whose lack of respect for Ahmadinejad is no secret to anyone, yet they do not openly criticize President Ahmadinejad or his political patron the Supreme Leader. This became evident when no Grand Ayatollah in Iran except the aforementioned Hamedani congratulated Ahmadinejad after his victory in the disputed June 12 election last year. Ayatollah Javadi-Amoli, for instance, resigned his post as Qom’s Friday prayer leader last winter in what many believed was a sign of protest to unjust actions of the government; he quietly moved to the margins and simply continued to hold his seminary lectures. There are many more like Amoli who have retreated to the corners of their seminaries in Qom.

The reason behind the silence of many prominent clerics is fear. Fear of facing the same fate as the late Ayatollah Montazeri, who was under house arrest and a constant barrage of attacks for the last two decades of his life.

Ironically, Iran – an Islamic Republic — has not been very kind to dissident Ayatollahs. Grand Ayatollah Shariatmadari, for instance, was arrested in 1982 when he was well in his eighties, and was forced to confess to his so-called crimes on Iranian television.

Soroush believes that it is difficult to change the opinions of those benefiting from the regime. But those who are silent because of fear must migrate to Najaf, where they can breathe what he calls the “air of freedom.” This might allow the ulema to operate in a more open environment in Najaf from where they could fairly criticize the government, not only for the injustices it has committed against the Iranian people, but for its cruel misrepresentation of Shiite Islam.

For more on Soroush, you can visit his website…

Filed under: Ayatollahs, iran election, Iran News, Iranian protests, Soroush, ایران iran, Qom

بیانیه مجمع روحانیون مبارز در بزرگداشت مناسبت های ماه خرداد /The Assembly of Combatant Clerics issues statement for the anniversary of the birth of the Green movement

پارسى

On approaching the anniversary of the Green movement’s birth, the Assembly of Combatant Clerics (reformist) issued a statement.

In its statement, the Assembly reminds of the historical importance of the month of Khordad from the beginning of Imam Khomeini’s movement against dictatorship to his passing and then yo the birth of the reform movement by the election of Mohammad Khatami and his re-election four years later, which all happened in the month of Khordad.

 The Assembly continues, that the great participation of people in last year’s presidential election could have paved the country’s path to a better future, but unfortunately the people’s enthusiasm was responded to unfairly by the regime and also the people’s protests in the most civilized and peaceful manner on Khordad 25th was brutally confronted by the government and instead of showing respect for the people and acknowledging their objections, the government called them rioters and created a heavy security environment, made arrests, and put pressure on people.

The statement continues that after a year many are in prisons with heavy and unfair sentences.  The Assembly of Combatant Clerics hopes that the situation changes as soon as possible and the freedoms asserted in the constitution be reinstated and some specific organizations stop their extensive interventions in politics, economy and culture. The Association also hopes that the plans and behaviours that are against the country’s national interests, especially in the international scene will be stopped.  

In the end, the Assembly reiterates that the solution to get out of the current crisis is to free all political prisoners and hold free elections.

Some of the leading members of the Assembly include;  Former President Mohammad Khatami, Mohammad Ali Abtahi, Mohammad Mousavi Khoeini, and the brother of the Supreme Leader, Hadi Khamenei.

Filed under: Ayatollahs, iran election, Iran News, Iranian protests, revolution, ایران iran, 22 Khordad, Abtahi, Khamenei, Khatami, Khoeini, Reformists, Sadouqi, Seyed Hadi Khamenei