Thursday
Jul302009
Iran: Ayatollah Montazeri and Others on the Khatami-Mousavi-Karroubi Letter (29 July)
Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 7:32
The Latest from Iran (30 July): Memorial Day
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UPDATE 0705 GMT: Ayatollah Bayat-Zanjani has also responded to the letter of Mousavi-Karroubi-Khatami. He echoed Ayatollahs Montazeri and Sanei in their denunciation of the Government's disregard of the vote of the people, the mass arrests and detentions of protesters, and the torture of prisoners. Calling these actions a "horrific evil". The Ayatollah asked all of those concerned about the future of the establishment, including politicians and higher-ranking officials and judges "to take a stand against this horrific evil and try to purify society from this evil"; otherwise, "the most corrupt of you shall rule upon you".
UPDATE 0645 GMT: Mohammad Motahari, the son of Ayatollah Motahari, a prominent religious figure in the Revolution who was assassinated in 1980, has written a lengthy article assessing Islam and the treatment of protestors and detainees. He concludes, "Whether there was foreign interference or not, whether a velvet revolution was or wasn’t planned, whether the ruling system was in danger or not, no matter who the primary or secondary culprits may have been, none of this gives an infinitesimal right to tyranny and oppression." (hat tip to the "Pedestrian" blog)
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Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, the one-time successor to Ayatollah Khomeini and a long-time challenger to the current regime, has responded to Saturday's letter from opposition leaders Mehdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and Mohammad Khatami asking for Grand Ayatollahs to intervene on the issue of detainees and on the legitimacy of the Government.
What have the rulers gained from the crisis that they have caused? Have they gained anything other than making an absolute majority of our beloved people angry and discontented, placing a huge distance between themselves and the people, weakening the prestige of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the world, and inflame the suspicions and sensitivities of many citizens of other countries and human rights organizations throughout the world? Have those who decided to perpetuate these recent horrific events forgotten the fate of the Shah and other totalitarian regimes? Was the Shah able to resist the wave of people's protest and discontent by using [methods such as] brutal suppression of freedom movements, media censorship, imprisonment and torture of political activists and protesters, coerced confessions and false propaganda?
Why have the "wise men of the tribe" given a mandate to a bunch of fanatical individuals who lack rationality and are enslaved to paranoid fancies and cabalist tendencies, individuals whose behavior casts serious aspersions upon the legitimacy of this establishment that is the result of so much investment, leading the young to doubt the principles of the revolution and religious governance?
Why are you inducing the security forces and the basij to commit fratricide and brutally suppress the people? Was this the goal of establishing these forces? What crime have those dear detained individuals committed that you are imprisoning and forcing confessions out of them and consequently deliver their dead bodies to their families? Have they done anything other than protest calmly and peacefully the multitude of irregularities, crimes, misdemeanors, fraud and illegal actions observed in the election and demanding their rights? These coerced confessions are absolutely worthless from the viewpoint of Islamic Law and those who perpetuate these acts are committing mortal sins and must be tried in a just, impartial and open court so the people sincerely believe that their rights are considered.
I warn all decision makers, before the crisis gets deeper and gets out of hand, they should act sensibly, logically and according to Islamic Law, and prepare a sensible and satisfactory reply to the demands of the people. They must bear in mind that the Iranian public are wise and sensible and will find it unacceptable if the culprits are not punished....
[I ask God to grant] health and prosperity for the dear and noble people of Iran, glory for our dear Islamic religion, power to reinstate the the ignored rights and freedom for the prisoners detained under false pretenses.
Receive our latest updates by email or RSS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis
UPDATE 0705 GMT: Ayatollah Bayat-Zanjani has also responded to the letter of Mousavi-Karroubi-Khatami. He echoed Ayatollahs Montazeri and Sanei in their denunciation of the Government's disregard of the vote of the people, the mass arrests and detentions of protesters, and the torture of prisoners. Calling these actions a "horrific evil". The Ayatollah asked all of those concerned about the future of the establishment, including politicians and higher-ranking officials and judges "to take a stand against this horrific evil and try to purify society from this evil"; otherwise, "the most corrupt of you shall rule upon you".UPDATE 0645 GMT: Mohammad Motahari, the son of Ayatollah Motahari, a prominent religious figure in the Revolution who was assassinated in 1980, has written a lengthy article assessing Islam and the treatment of protestors and detainees. He concludes, "Whether there was foreign interference or not, whether a velvet revolution was or wasn’t planned, whether the ruling system was in danger or not, no matter who the primary or secondary culprits may have been, none of this gives an infinitesimal right to tyranny and oppression." (hat tip to the "Pedestrian" blog)
---
Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, the one-time successor to Ayatollah Khomeini and a long-time challenger to the current regime, has responded to Saturday's letter from opposition leaders Mehdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and Mohammad Khatami asking for Grand Ayatollahs to intervene on the issue of detainees and on the legitimacy of the Government.
What have the rulers gained from the crisis that they have caused? Have they gained anything other than making an absolute majority of our beloved people angry and discontented, placing a huge distance between themselves and the people, weakening the prestige of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the world, and inflame the suspicions and sensitivities of many citizens of other countries and human rights organizations throughout the world? Have those who decided to perpetuate these recent horrific events forgotten the fate of the Shah and other totalitarian regimes? Was the Shah able to resist the wave of people's protest and discontent by using [methods such as] brutal suppression of freedom movements, media censorship, imprisonment and torture of political activists and protesters, coerced confessions and false propaganda?
Why have the "wise men of the tribe" given a mandate to a bunch of fanatical individuals who lack rationality and are enslaved to paranoid fancies and cabalist tendencies, individuals whose behavior casts serious aspersions upon the legitimacy of this establishment that is the result of so much investment, leading the young to doubt the principles of the revolution and religious governance?
Why are you inducing the security forces and the basij to commit fratricide and brutally suppress the people? Was this the goal of establishing these forces? What crime have those dear detained individuals committed that you are imprisoning and forcing confessions out of them and consequently deliver their dead bodies to their families? Have they done anything other than protest calmly and peacefully the multitude of irregularities, crimes, misdemeanors, fraud and illegal actions observed in the election and demanding their rights? These coerced confessions are absolutely worthless from the viewpoint of Islamic Law and those who perpetuate these acts are committing mortal sins and must be tried in a just, impartial and open court so the people sincerely believe that their rights are considered.
I warn all decision makers, before the crisis gets deeper and gets out of hand, they should act sensibly, logically and according to Islamic Law, and prepare a sensible and satisfactory reply to the demands of the people. They must bear in mind that the Iranian public are wise and sensible and will find it unacceptable if the culprits are not punished....
[I ask God to grant] health and prosperity for the dear and noble people of Iran, glory for our dear Islamic religion, power to reinstate the the ignored rights and freedom for the prisoners detained under false pretenses.
Reader Comments (3)
Montazeri, a pure spirit and a... supreme leader ;-)
A pure spirit yes, a s.leader? forget it. Persia is better off with a democracy. All these liars, torturers, rapists, should be put to justice as criminals against Human rights. Enough is enough. How long will the noble Persian people have to suffer under the boots of these ignorant and psychopaths pretending Islam is their goal. Power and greed is their goal, nothing else. This Ayatollah Montazeri is a pure spirit. True religious people all over the world have love and kindness in their heart. The rest are criminals.
DEMOCRACY FOR IRAN.
Separation of state and religion.
Thank you Monique.