Suppression of Sunnis is Counter to National Unity!

Abdol-Karim Lahiji: - 2008.04.22

‎Following the arrest of cleric Mamusta Ayub Ganji, a Sunni Friday prayer leader in the ‎Kurdish town of Sanandaj in Iran, Abdol-Karim Lahiji, the president of the Paris-based ‎International Federation of Human Rights Leagues spoke with Rooz about the incident ‎and its implications.‎
Rooz (R): Under what conditions is a Friday prayer leader of the Ghaba mosque in ‎Sanandaj arrested and what is your take on it?‎

Abdol-Karim Lahiji (AKL): The arrest of Sanandaj’s Imam (Friday prayer leader) ‎follows the restriction that continue to be placed onto the Sunnis, including their clergy in ‎Sunni populated regions of the country. This is of course not the first time authorities are ‎imposing such constraints and policies. Just ten days ago two clerics were hanged in ‎Zahedan, also a Sunni stronghold. Yes, such things take place in the Islamic Republic of ‎Iran. And of course as usual, officials said that these individuals had affiliations with ‎rebels. But nothing about the issue such as when where the individuals tried, what exactly ‎were the charges against them, was any court-acceptable evidence available, etc has been ‎announced. ‎
R: What is the cause root of such acts?‎

AKL: The Islamic Republic (of Iran) is an ideological oligarchy. This means that a group ‎of people reserve special privileges for themselves. This group believes in the Velayat ‎Faghih, i.e. the rule of the clergy. Since the time Velayat Faghih was incorporated into ‎the constitution of the Islamic Republic, even before the constitution was ratified, the first ‎slogan that they began to spread was “death to opponents of Velayat Faghih.” So this ‎regime cannot live with any one other its die-hard supporters. This is the nature of the ‎regime. It is because of these inherent properties that the regime is considered totalitarian. ‎See how easily Mr. Ahmadinejad labels individuals as corrupt or spy.‎
R: What is the legal status of the accusations that are made this way?‎

AKL: They have been using the term “counter revolutionary” for their opponents ever ‎since the (1979) revolution. Then they provided a Shii cover for the term and came up ‎with things like Mohareb (rogue in Arabic) or Mofsed fil Arz (corrupt of the world in ‎Arabic) etc. And they do not discriminate in this regard and have no mercy on any one. ‎At one time they used to say that the Islamic regime has no tolerance for dissidents but ‎now it does not even tolerate those who support it. Even if that person is (former ‎president) Khatami or (former Majlis speaker) Karubi. ‎

R: What do you think is the effect of such measures on the religious minorities and ‎society in general?

‎AKL: The same situation that existed for non Muslims is now being practiced against ‎Sunnis, Sufis and any one who does not accept the Velayat Faghih idea. Even Shiites ‎who do not recognize this idea are persecuted. No one can doubt the religious leadership ‎of Mr. Montazeri (at one time appointed to succeed Khomeini). But they treated him very ‎harshly. We must take note that if the Iranian population has a 20 percent Sunni ‎following, this branch also has a national-ethnic identity and peculiarity by being a Kurd, ‎Baluchi, Turkmen, etc. And displeasing them can produce dangerous consequences ‎because of their regional position which exists since the first invasion of Iraq (i.e. 17 ‎years ago when northern Iraq was completely separated as Kurdistan). We have the same ‎gravity in Turkmen and Baluchi populated regions which are Sunni followers. So ‎discriminating a part of the population from the whole nation because of their religious ‎beliefs and pushing them to national-ethnic issues because nationality in Iran is identified ‎around the 12 Imam Shiite beliefs and Velayat Faghih only means that the Islamic ‎Republic has absolutely no belief in the national unity of the country.‎