Iran Eyewitness: Watching the Supreme Leader's Mission in Qom (Azadi)

Our old friend Mr Azadi returns from a report from Iran on the Supreme Leader's high-profile visit to the religious centre of Qom:

I think the legitimacy of the Supreme Leader is decreasing, not only within the maraje (senior clerics) but also amongst the people. Although Ayatollahs Vahid Khorasani, Safi Golpayegani and Mousavi Ardebili are under pressure to meet Ayatollah Khamenei, they have not yet given way.

Of course, media centres have been trying hard to show a holy image of the supreme leader and to boost his popularity. For example, IRIB has broadcast a set of short documentaries about Ayatollah Khamenei. These have been so ostentatious in their presentation and claims, bringing protests from conservative websites such as Tabnak (linked to Secretary of the Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei and Alef (linked to key MP Ahmad Tavakoli, an ally of the Larijani brothers) that the images have been exaggerated and even "unreal".

The computer centre of Howzah (semaries) has put out a CD called "The Scent of Presence" (Atre Hozoor) to show the Supreme Leader's holy image. Some centres have published a family tree to "prove" that Khamenei is one of the descendents of Hussain, the third Shi’a Imam. Young clerics have signed a petition requesting that the Supreme Leader publish his "unique" book of Islamic law (Tozihul Maseal).

And, of course, there are the informal stories of Khamenei and his friendly attitude toward youngsters and people. I am sure that the Supreme Leader's itinerary will soon be published as a senstational diary. 

Yet the irony is that all this publicity indicates that Ayatullah Khamenei fears the loss of both his legitimacy and popularity. The failure of senior clerics to meet the Supreme Leader is critical: despite decades of effort, Khamenei has still not been acclaimed as a marja. While he may be politically superior to these clerics, he ranks below them in Shi'a's hierarchy.

This is why the trip to Qom, Khamenei's first in more than a decade, is significant: this Supreme Leader is unprecedented in trying to obtain the highest clerical status through the use of mass media. Crowds are shown welcoming him, he gives a speech to a packed square, and he is exalted through the state's broadcasting and print outlets. 

But a true Grand Ayatollah does not establish his credentials through TV, newspapers, and computer screens. His legitimacy comes from reputation and the informal declarations of followers when they are away from the video cameras. A Grand Ayatollah cannot announce his authority; it is conferred upon him by the respect of peers and worshippers.

So Khamenei can pursue his campaign in Qom, which now enters its fourth day, with more and more publicity, but he cannot succeed unless there is a shift in his reception behind closed doors as well as on the television screens.