Well-wishing, Inherent Duty of Ulama

In a meeting with scholars of Khash, Taftan, and Mirjaveh, nearby counties of Zahedan, (Sarhad region of Iranian Balochistan), the most influential Iranian Sunni leader referred to the current critical situation in Iran, insisting that scholars must work to create awareness among people, bring unity and solidarity in the society and always adhere to their duties.

‘Well-wishing is one of the main duties of scholars’, Shaikh Abdol-Hamid urged.

He alluded to unsolved problems of Sunni community in Iran during 44 years since the Islamic revolution, and rebuffed ‘secret dialogue’ with the statesmen and urged on conveying people’s demands publically.
The meeting was held in the Grand Makki Mosque of Zahedan on Sunday, September 17, 2023.

The Iranian top Sunni leader urged that scholars should be well-wishers to people, saying: “The holy prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, took an oath of allegiance from Jarir bin Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, that he would be a well-wisher to every Muslim. We should work for good, prosperity of all people – regardless of their faith and race – in this world and the hereafter. We should not wish evil for anyone. Let us pray for all people who live in our country and have common interests with us.”

The Iranian top Sunni leader denounced religious slogans and narrow thoughts, and said: “Some slogans and religious thoughts limit people. We must think for the interest of all people. Instead of limiting our thinking, it is better to expand it. Let us think about the common interests and goodness of all people.”

“We are well-wishers of all, and we believe that we should do what we say. We speak within the framework of Islamic and international laws and emphasize on justice and equal rights. I have reasons for what I am saying, and they are facts,” he said.

Officials have not fulfilled their promises to the Sunnis
Imam of the Grand Makki mosque of Zahedan referred to the efforts of Sunni scholars in pursuing the due rights of the community, and said: “More than forty years have passed since the victory of the revolution, but the Sunnis still did not get their rights. During forty-four years, Sunni scholars have worked to get their rights, the representatives of each period have pursued, but they failed to obtain their due position. During the campaigns of presidential elections, the authorities promised the Sunnis that they would appoint them as ministers, as deputy ministers and as provincial governors, but they did not. In fact, they do not have enough authority in this regard.”

“After years of struggling for civil rights, we have come to the conclusion that presidents and representatives do not have powers to fulfill their promises to Sunnis. In the last presidential elections, they did not fulfill their promises to the Sunni Community. Once we visited the farmer president Mr. Ahmadi Nejad with a group of scholars to object to the act of ‘Organizing Sunni Religious Schools’. We told him that the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution has proposed a resolution to bring Sunni religious centers and schools under the state control. He replied: This issue has nothing with me; it is about you Mullahs and clerics. I have no any authority in this matter. You clerics sit together and solve the issue,” said Shaikh Abdol-Hamid during his speech.

He continued: “During the second term of Mr. Ahmadi Nejad’s election, Mawlana Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, along with two other civil activists, had a meeting with Ahmadi Nejad in Tehran. They told him: we will support you on the condition that you choose a Sunni minister. In response, Ahmadinejad said: We do not have the authority to appoint a Sunni as minister, and we cannot do anything in this regard. If you ask us to build dams, provide electricity and water, we will do it for you without any condition.”

“Private negotiations” do not work
The eminent Sunni cleric of Balochistan went on to explain his words with more details, saying: “We have concluded that private talks with officials will not solve the problems. When I criticized, some objected: ‘Why you are criticizing openly. Tell us your problems, and do not criticize publically’. I said: If the president and supreme leader give us times for direct talks, we will not raise the problems publically. We cannot talk with security and military officials; because they have other jobs. We talk to politicians.”

“Negotiation with the commanders of IRGC is impossible; because they are military forces. If the Supreme leader cannot hear all the people, you authorities listen to them. People have pain and problems. If we had opportunities to talk with high ranking officials, and they paid to attention to our legal demands, we would not have raised our problems from public tribunes,” said the president of Darululoom Zahedan.

The Bloody Friday incident changed the conditions
Shaikh Abdol-Hamid referred to the Bloody Friday event of Zahedan that took place on Sep. 30 last year, and said: “Our people will not calm as long as perpetrators behind the Bloody Friday incident of Zahedan are not tried. After the recent presidential election, there were problems and I went to Tehran and stayed two weeks. Unfortunately, the officials did not respond to our demands, and we were disappointed. When we returned to Zahedan, the Bloody Friday tragedy occurred; this incident changed the situation.”

“Our people want punishment of perpetrators behind the Bloody Friday attack. People just calm down when the criminals are punished. Of course, our demand is not only limited to the bloody Friday event, but also we pursue national demands. The elimination of discrimination and inequality are among the big demands,” he raised people’s demands.

“All problems that we face are due to discrimination. If they killed us, it was also due to fanatic views. In Balochistan province, from Zahedan to Chabahar and to the bordering areas, if our people were in the armed forces, they would not be killed due to fuel transactions. Now our demands are national. All Iranians have problems today,” the Friday Imam of Zahedan believed.

“We do not think about religion, but we think about humanity, and when the problems of all Iranian people are solved, our problems will also be solved,” he said.

At the end, Shaikh Abdol-Hamid praised the unique unity and solidarity among Iranians and said: “Today the unity among the Iranian ethnic communities has boosted.”

He considered the preservation of unity and coherence, and emphasized on the importance of maintaining the independence.