Insideofiran/2011-02-28 - In acknowledgment of Karroubi’s role in raising global awareness of the Iranian regime’s mistreatment of Sufis, the Sufi will join the1^st March protests in order to show their support of Karroubi.

The following is the text of a Saham news interview with Dr Seyed Mustafa Azmayesh, who is the International spokesman of "The World Association for preservation of human rights in Iran" and is also member of Gonabadi Sufi order.

How do you analyze the Iranian Government’s house arrest of opposition leaders? Do you think the government will be effective in suppressing the people?

Firstly, house arrest of leaders of the green movement, is not only illegitimate but illegal and is not part of Islamic belief system or of any democratic republican system. According to Hojatoleslam Mehdi Karroubi this process of house arrest all it achieves is to "humiliate the legacy of the state" and has brought Islamic Republic into a standstill. Through this act the regime has tried to arrest the popular movement and force the current Iranian regime down the throats of those who have rejected it as well as undermine the people’s ability to determine their own fate.

But this process is illegal and illegitimate and it will fail. House arrest of leaders of the green movement is not based on any judicial verdict and has no basis under any religious laws. It is in reality against all form basic human rights of citizenship in Iran .On the other hand we can see that Iranian Regime has intensified its efforts to suppress the people through the use of repressive measures. However, use of intensive repressive measures is likely to negate the regimes effort to put a stop to the opposition movement as in all likelihood it will probably accelerate and further radicalize the protest movement in Iran. Each repressive measure will in all likelihood have the unintended consequence of step by step bringing different classes and sectors of the Iranian people into streets and thus increase and diversify the breadth of the opposition movement; and act as to further illegitimatize the sovereignty of the current regime in the eyes of the Iranian people. Therefore, repressive steps such as arresting the leaders of green movement will only add fuel to the fire of green movement and will increase people's determination to condemn the violence in the coming days.

What is the position of the Gonabadi Sufis’ regarding this act by the Iranian Government?

Since the establishment of the `Islamic republic of Iran’, Gonabadi Sufis have experienced constant repression and oppression by the regime. From beginning of the Islamic revolution in 1979, the Sufis have had their houses of worships burnt down and demolished by the authorities and even their well known leaders have been attacked and captured in the name of ‘Sharia Law’, The details of these acts of oppression are too long to go into right now. Needless to say the Gonabadi Sufis and also in general most Iranian citizens have a very biter memory of the ever increasing number of attacks on Gonabadi Sufis since 1996.

These evil acts are organised and planned, and spread through widely published misleading books which are full of lies, and are written by with unknown authors. Then we also see the broadcast of meaningless TV program’s called “Armageddon”, and opening of exhibitions, that aim to give Sufism and Islamic mysticism a bad name and image. These programs are, supervised by “Community Qom Mullah’s Seminary” and “Ministry of Culture”.

In meanwhile the Iranian citizens have always admired the courage of Mr. Karroubi, just as they do today, when in 2006 he wrote with strength and endurance open letters to the authorities criticizing the unlawful actions by the regime against Sufis’ and informed the world about the injustice of Iranian authorities against the Sufi’s. He even invited the independent clergies to defend the rights of Sufis. This is why all of different Sufi groups in Iran voted for Mr. Karroubi in June 2009 election.

What factors have caused those who have previously served in the government to now face imprisonment by the same government who now accuses them as having immoral visions?

All these false accusation such as “immoral visions” ,“Head of conspiracy “, “anti-revolutionary” etc… labeled against people inside and outside of Iran does no longer work, and has turned to be joke.

The leaders of Iranian freedom movement have repeatedly stated they are in favour of defending all Citizens’ Rights, including those ethnic and religious minorities’, as well as those who come from different social classes in then society both men and women, and they have stated their ‘willing to pay any price for it’.

The reason of the current condition in Iran is the gradual growth of extreme faction within the regime that does not believe in Islam or democracy. This same faction has in the past few years has tried to gain all the power within the country. They achieved this through denying people’s rights and roles in determining their faith, and forcing them to become servants and slaves of the system. In political science, such a policy is not a theocratic or religious leadership, but is defined as “religious fascism”.

How do you see the current situation evolving? Can the radical forces continue to run the country like this?

We have reached a critical point. Extremist forces can no longer manage the society because it lacks the capacity to manage and plan accordingly. With this kind of continual turmoil one cannot even control one bureau, let alone a great country like Iran. Especially, when we consider the current international geopolitical of the twenty-first century; and also given the recent dramatic turns of events and the popular revolutions against dictatorships around the world. In the very near future we will see that the current repressive monopolist lose its capacity to suppress the progressive forces and people behind this movement. Hojatol Islam Karroubi in his latest message emphasized that day of final victory is very close, and through tolerance of current pressures a sweet and pleasant victory will be gained by the Iranian people of Iran.

  

What should the  local government authorities and Marajeh (Religious authorities) do in this regard

 Answer V – In view of Muslims, silence of the Marajeh in circumstances such as this is not acceptable in anyway. Fortunately, we also observed on Saturday that Grand Ayatollah Alhozma  Datgheib Shirazi, Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Yusef Sanei, and Grand Ayatollah alhozma Bayat Zanjani all spoke with venturesome and courage and broke their  silence, and condemned all such illegal acts against the leaders of the movement, and demanded the immediate halt to oppressive actions against Mr. Mousavi and Karroubi.  They reiterated that what’s has been done to these leaders are illegitimate and illegal actions.

Will proclamation be issued for Sufis to join the 1^st of March (10^th Esfand) protests? Will the Sufis attend the protest?

As in the twenty fifth of Bahman and first of Esfand the eyes of world saw for themselves the attendance of the valiant Iranians both inside Iran

It seems that again on last Tuesday of present Iranian year, we will  once gain witnessed the company of the overwhelming majority of our countrymen in various cities of East, West, North and South of Iran.

There is no doubt that different unions and different social classes of our countrymen will participate in this wide and inclusive movement.  However, Hojatol Islam Karroubi and Mousavi have supporters among all classes in society.

And especially after the elections and during the past 21 months these two leaders have proved to the people that  they are honourable men, and as more people realize the accuracy and legitimacy of their positions more people have joined the ranks of  their supporters.  This is something that cannot be hidden from the wide population and tens of millions of people with different beliefs, views and opinions.

If I am allowed to tell in another way is that permission has not been given to the Gonabadi Sufis to participate in demonstrations on last Tuesday of current Iranian Year. But also calls for them to not participate in the demonstration has also not been given.

As a result in a diverse society such as the one in Iran one can infer that many Iranian citizens, both Shias and Sunnis as well as ethnic minorities are likely to attend the protests and identify themselves on the tenth day of Esfand in various Iranian cities in order to protest the illegal detention of green movement leaders and asking for their unconditional immediate release.  I am sure among the crowd you will certainly see Sufis of Gonabadi order.

At the end of day as the Spokesmen for  international relations of World Association for perseveration of Human Rights in Iran, I like to inform people that if  by the end of 11^th of Esfand (2^nd of March) the situation concerning the leaders of green movement Sheikh Mehdi Karroubi and Mousavi is not resolved then the World Association for preservation of human rights together with international organizations such  as Amnesty International will start to hold a series of street plays and demonstrations, and gathering in order to distribute leaflets and raise the public awareness in the cities of Strasbourg (France), Copenhagen (Denmark), London (England) and Berlin (Germany), until the release of the  of leaders of green movement.

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