Religious Freedom and Dissent

Channel 4 News described Grand Ayatullah Montazeri as a senior cleric, dissident and heir apparent to Imam Khomeini (ra); they further described his current situation as living under house arrest although they conceded that he is allowed to leave Qom, preach and criticise the Iranian government. They did not make much of the fact that he was allowed to give an interview to a British state-regulated terrestrial TV channel, at a time when the Iranian government has officially accused Britain of sponsoring terrorism within Iran, notwithstanding that Grand Ayatullah Montazeri was charged by the late Imam Khomeini (ra) with giving succour to the terrorist organisation, Mojahedin-e Khalq.

The reporter Jon Snow, implied that Grand Ayatullah Montazeri found himself in his current predicament for championing human rights and his supports for an opposition group. The group referred to is Mojahedin-e Khalq, the bizarre nihilistic religious cult. Grand Ayatullah Montazeri gave succour to this organisation just after they carried out a terrorist attack (Operation eternal light) assisted by Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime against Iran. The terrorist organisation that currently enjoys the backing of the United States is responsible for killing more civillians in Iran and Iraq than the total number of civillians killed in the attacks on the United States on the 11 September 2001.

In Britain, Islamic clerics and leaders are regularly denounced as preachers of hate, terrorists and extremists, by all organs of the British establishment, including but not limited to: the unelected Prime Minister (de facto dictator), the Government, the Church of England, the Home Office (ministry of the interior), Parliamentarians, the Police, Crown Prosecution Service and by both the state controlled and the semi-official media. Yet to date, only two successful prosecutions have been brought against such individuals. Abu Hamza, a Wahhabi cleric and al-Qaeda sympathiser, was incarcerated on trumped up charges, purely to appease a notoriously Islamophobic Zionist media magnate, Rupert Murdoch, who had been waging a hate campaign against, Hamza, who is somewhat of an absurd Quixotic and inconsequential figure with minimal following.

Whilst the governing Labour party is not ostensibly committed to Zionism, the Government is manifestly so, and its Islamophobia is equally apparent. Thus it has been the political authorities rather than legal authorities that have spearheaded the persecution of Muslims. Numerous Muslim clerics and political leader have been incarcerated in Belmarsh gaol, placed under house arrest, and subject to draconian and oppressive control orders, all without trial and often these individuals are not only banned from communicating with the outside World, the media may not even identify these individuals. None of these individuals is deemed to present a risk to the British public but to foreign allies of the British government, in many cases they are defenders of Palestinian or Algerian resistance movements. Both nations are illegally occupied by tyrannical undemocratic regimes sponsored by the West .

Channel 4 News was able to carry out an interview with Grand Ayatullah Montazeri, in stark contrast to the situation in Britain. The conditions of control orders imposed upon Grand Ayatullah Montazeri are favourable to the restrictions imposed upon British Muslim clerics. It is the supreme leader Grand Ayatullah Khamenei (ha), who ensures Grand Ayatullah Montazeri and his followers personal safety.

Here is the letter by Imam Khomeini (ra) dismissing Grand Ayatullah Montazeri dated 6 Farvardin 1368, which is regarded as both a pardon and warning:

In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

To Mr. Montazeri.

My heart is broken and filled with blood now that I am writing a few words to you. Perhaps one day the people will realize the facts by reading this letter.

In your recent letter to me, you said that, in accordance with the Shari’ah, you give priority to my views over your own. I consider Allah my witness when I point out the following issues:

Since it has become clear that after me you are going to hand over this country, our dear Islamic revolution, and the Muslim people of Iran to the liberals, and through that channel to the hypocrites [Mojahedin-e Khalq], you are no longer eligible to succeed me as the legitimate leader of the state. You, in most of your letters, speeches and stances, have shown that you believe the liberals and hypocrites [Mojahedin-e Khalq] should rule in this country. It is so clear that your remarks have been dictated by the hypocrites [Mojahedin-e Khalq] that I did not see any point in sending a reply. For instance, thanks to your speeches and written work, the hypocrites [Mojahedin-e Khalq] took advantage of your stance in defense of their ilk to promote a number of their comrades—who had been condemned to death on charges of waging an armed struggle against Islam and the revolution—to positions of authority. Can you see what valuable services you have offered to arrogance? On the issue of the murderer Mahdi Hashemi, you considered him to be the most religious person on earth. Despite the fact that it was proved to you that he was a murderer, you kept sending messages to me to spare his life. There are so many other examples, similar to that of Mahdi Hashemi, that I cannot be bothered to mention them all.

You no longer have the power of attorney on my behalf. Tell the people who bring you gold and money to take them to Mr. Pasandideh’s residence in Qom or to me in Jamaran. Praise be to Allah, you yourself will not have any financial commitments from this date.

If, in accordance with the Shari’ah, you do consider my views to be superior to yours (which certainly the hypocrites [Mojahedin-e Khalq] will advise you that it is against your interests to do so; and no doubt you will become busy writing things which will further deteriorate your future), then you should listen to the following words of advice I am giving you. It breaks my heart and my chest is full of agonizing pain when I see that you, the fruit of my life’s labour, are so ungrateful. However, by relying on Almighty Allah, I give you the following words of advice, and it will be up to you whether you make a note of them or not:

One: Try to change the members of your bureau so as to avoid feeding the hypocrites, Mahdi Hashemi’s clique, and the liberals from the sacred charity funds donated to the Imam.

Two: Since you are a gullible [sadeh lowh] person and are provoked easily, do not interfere in political matters, and maybe then Allah will forgive you for your sins.

Three: Do not write to me ever again, and do not allow the hypocrites [Mojahedin-e Khalq] to pass state secrets to foreign radio stations.

Four: Since you became a mouthpiece of the hypocrites and your speeches have conveyed their wishes and letters to the people via the mass media, you have inflicted heavy blows on Islam and the revolution. This is a great act of treason against the unknown soldiers of the Lord of the Age, [al Mahdi] may our souls be sacrificed for him, and against the sacrifices made by the illustrious martyrs of Islam and the revolution. If you wish to save yourself from hell fire, you had better confess to all your sins and mistakes and maybe then Allah will help you.

I swear to Allah that from the start I was against choosing you as my successor, but at the time I did not realize you were so gullible. To me you were not a resourceful manager but an educated person who could benefit the religious seminaries. If you continue your deeds I will definitely be obliged to do something about you. And you know me, I never neglect my obligation.

I swear to Allah that I was against appointing Mahdi Bazargan as the first prime minister, too, but I considered him to be a decent person. I also swear to Allah that I did not vote for Bani-Sadr, as the president either. On all these occasions I submitted to the advice of my friends. In the midst of my pain and suffering, I wish to address our dear people from the bottom of my broken heart:

I have made a pledge with my God not to forgive evil individuals ever, if I am not obliged to do so. I have made a pledge with my Allah that pleasing Him is much greater priority than pleasing my friends and other people. If the entire world were to rise against me, I would never abandon justice and the truth. I do not care about history and current developments. I am only interested in performing my religious duties. In addition to my pledge with Allah, I have promised the decent, noble, and honest people to inform them of the facts when the time is appropriate. Islam’s history is full of instances of treason by its prominent figures against Islam. Try to make sure that you are not influenced by the lies broadcast by foreign radio stations. These radio stations dictate their lies with so much joy and enthusiasm these days. I beseech Almighty Allah to grant patience and tolerance to this old father of the dear Iranian people. I beseech Allah to forgive me and to take me away from this world so that I no longer have to experience the bitter taste of my friends’ treachery. We all submit to Allah’s will. We have no power without Allah’s will. Everything comes from Him.

Wishing you peace,

Ruhollah al-Musavi al-Khomeini