Sunni Cleric in Iran Says Hijab Should Not Be Imposed (Bloody Friday and Montazeri)
Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Iran was rocked last year by potent protests after the brutal death of Mahsa Amini (22). This young lady – and others since protests began – was killed by the tyranny of the Iranian state apparatus.
Mahsa died after being arrested by the Islamist morality police in Iran. Accordingly, her death galvanized the youth and other forces opposed to the theocratic oppression that is part and parcel of modern Iran.
Sunni cleric Molavi Abdolhamid (Molavi Abdul Hamid) – a religious leader who connects with the people of Sistan and Baluchestan and further afield – ushered his support for the protesters and others who oppose mass repression in Iran.
Abdolhamid said: “With munitions and militarism, no one can save the establishment.”
The revered cleric also said: “Release the young men and women [arrested in demonstrations], do not accuse them of moharebeh… Even if they are moharebeh, do not sentence them to the death penalty.”
Middle East Eye reports, “Abdolhamid’s sermons have attracted the attention of millions of Iranians, including Shia Iranians and atheists. He is now the most respected Sunni cleric in central and eastern Iran and the country’s best-known Sunni religious leader.”
Moharebeh means “enmity against God.” In Iran, this is punishable by death.
Abdolhamid in another sermon said: “My advice to the scholars is to be with the people, and my advice to the armed forces is not to stand in front of the people. You are people’s children; change yourself if people want you to change.”
The Bloody Friday incident continues to rock this part of Iran.
Abdolhamid called people killed on Bloody Friday (the Zahedan massacre) martyrs.
He said: “These people were killed unjustly. This was not human error. Killing someone while hunting may be human error, but what you did was not human error. People want to know who ordered these attacks.”
The Guardian reports, “Amnesty International said security forces unlawfully killed at least 66 people in September after firing at protesters in Zahedan, capital of flashpoint Sistan and Baluchistan province. Authorities said dissidents had provoked the clashes.”
Since unrest against state tyranny began after the death of Mahsa, hundreds have died at the hands of the state apparatus that rules by fear in modern-day Iran. Hence, tens of thousands have also been arrested throughout various parts of the country. Therefore, one can only imagine the suffering that is taking place behind closed prison doors – and how individuals fear the legal system that imposes horrendous sentences on people demanding greater freedom.
Mahsa Amini (22), Sarina Esmailzadeh (16), Hadis Najafi (22), Nika Shakarami (16), and many other innocents should be alive and enjoying life. Similar to the martyrs of Zahedan.
Instead, they were killed by the state apparatus of Iran.
Concerning the hijab – Voice of America reports, “A prominent Sunni cleric in Iran voiced support Friday for women who defy rules mandating they wear a hijab in public, saying such women are expressing their discontent and “demonstrating civil disobedience.”
The tyranny of the Iranian Islamic Revolution continues many decades after the momentous events of 1979. Yesterday, it was killing communists and socialists – today, females continue to face persecution for not dressing appropriately and face death at the hands of draconian forces.
Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri said (1989), “The denial of people’s rights, injustice, and disregard for the revolution’s true values have delivered the most severe blows against the revolution. Before any reconstruction [takes place], there must first be a political and ideological reconstruction… This is something that people expect of a leader.”
This esteemed religious leader who died in 2009 – went from supporting the Islamic Revolution to questioning the brutality that followed and the need for change.
The revered Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri – during a period of mass executions – uttered, “At least order to spare women who have children … the execution of several thousand prisoners in a few days will not reflect positively and will not be mistake-free … A large number of prisoners have been killed under torture by interrogators … in some prisons of the Islamic Republic, young girls are being raped … As a result of unruly torture, many prisoners have become deaf or paralyzed or afflicted with chronic disease.”
Clerical discontent from Ayatollah Montazeri (1992-2009) to Sunni cleric Molavi Abdolhamid – and others – is a reminder that some leading Muslim figures oppose clerical tyranny in Iran.
However, if recent history is to be judged since the momentous events of 1979, oppression will continue because the ruling religious and political elites seek to preserve power at all costs.
Accordingly, Iran faces serious generational differences, ethnic convulsions, political discontent, the call for greater female freedom, and other forces that will challenge the state apparatus that continues to rule by fear.
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