Speaking at the Friday prayers gathering in Zahedan on May 1, 2026, Shaikh-ul-Islam Mawlana Abdol-Hamid stated that people had been facing difficulties in meeting basic needs, and the country’s economic conditions have become extremely critical.
In another part of his speech, the Friday preacher of Zahedan strongly condemned the security pressure on Ulama, and the statements made by a high-ranking provincial official in Sistan-Baluchistan province.
He said that such pressure and statements at this sensitive time harm unity and security. He called for the appointment of moderate and middle-ground officials in Sistan-Baluchistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking at the Friday prayers gathering in Zahedan on May 1, 2026, Shaikh-ul-Islam Mawlana Abdol-Hamid stated that people had been facing difficulties in meeting basic needs, and the country’s economic conditions have become extremely critical.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-speeches"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abdolhamid.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abdolhamid.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abdolhamid.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abdolhamid.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abdolhamid.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3768"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abdolhamid.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3769,"href":"https:\/\/abdolhamid.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3768\/revisions\/3769"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abdolhamid.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abdolhamid.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abdolhamid.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abdolhamid.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Inflation and Unemployment in the Country are at Their Peak
<\/strong>According to the report from the office of the Friday Imam of Zahedan, Mawlana Abdol-Hamid said: \u201cUnfortunately, the country’s economic condition has never been this bad. On one hand, twenty years of political and economic sanctions, and on the other hand, the war and sea blockade have placed a severe burden on the country’s economy and the people.\u201d
He added that inflation had increased to such an extent that no one has the strength to cope with it. Prices have increased several-fold, and the Iranian people are crying out. In these circumstances, the unemployment rate has become very high, and the greatest burden is falling on laborers and villagers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Government and Authorities Should Pay Serious Attention and the People Should Practice Thriftiness
<\/strong>The Friday Imam of Zahedan emphasized: This situation requires the serious attention of the government and officials. I urge the people to practice thriftiness. I also request the women to adopt contentment, understanding the circumstances, so that life does not get stuck in a total dead end. My second piece of advice is to take care of needy families and prisoners in these situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Security Pressure on Ulama Has a Negative Impact on Unity and Security
<\/strong>Mawlana Abdol-Hamid, in another part of his speech, harshly criticized the increasing security pressure on Ulama, and said that recently some scholars have been summoned to the Special Court in Mashhad on trivial pretexts and minor issues. These problems are arising because of some extremist individuals within the province [of Sistan-Baluchistan].
He clarified: These extremist provincial officials are not serving unity and security with such pressure; rather, it is having negative effects. Although there are some moderate officials in the province who are useful, some officials have shallow thinking and want to impose their personal likes and dislikes.
The prominent Iranian scholar warned that if this unilateral pressure continues, we will not remain silent. War has its own pressures, so do not add further pressure in these circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mawlana Fazl-ur-Rahman Kohi Only Spoke for the People Through Criticism; his Leaving the Country is a Loss for the Region
<\/strong>Mawlana Abdol-Hamid mentioned the departure from the country of Mawlana Fazl-ur-Rahman Kohi, the Friday Imam of Pashamag, Sarbaz district, stating that he was never behind inciting sedition, but only criticized and he was the voice of the people. He was sent to prison twice, and pressure continued on him even after his release. Forcing such a scholar to leave the country is a great loss for the region. Well-wishing people should be valued rather than pushed against the wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Personal Criticism from a Provincial Official has no Reality
<\/strong>Reacting to personal criticism from a high-ranking official of Sistan-Baluchistan province, Mawlana Abdol-Hamid said: For some time, an official has been making personal criticisms. I usually do not respond to such matters, but today it is necessary to clarify some issues. This official, based on false reports, criticized that a certain person went to village when the war started, whereas this is a total lie. In the early days of the war, all officials were not present in their offices; I was also not in my office and stayed near the Makki Mosque at home for a few days at the insistence of the people.
He added: This official also criticized a tweet of mine in which advice for a “just agreement” was given. Criticism is a good thing, but saying that you expect justice from enemies is not appropriate for anyone. We spoke of a just agreement, not a unilateral one, and we will talk about justice and equity throughout our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
National Authorities Should Replace the Extremist Officials in the Province
<\/strong>The most outstanding Iranian Sunni scholar called for the appointment of moderate officials in Sistan-Baluchistan, and asked the central authorities not to send extremist officials to this province. Given the sensitive conditions, these individuals should be removed from here. If the province is in the hands of moderate people, there will not be any issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The People of Sistan-Baluchistan are Wise and Have Never Betrayed Their Homeland
<\/strong>Mawlana said: The people here have proven that they will never betray their country. Contrary to what some officials have claimed, even during wartime conditions, the people safeguarded the security of the province. During the war, we did not face a problem of insecurity; rather, it is the current pressures that could become a cause of instability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Supreme Leader\u2019s Representatives Should be Chosen from Among Local and Moderate Individuals
<\/strong>Shaikh Abdol-Hamid emphasized at the end that under the new circumstances, the new authorities should reconsider the matter of such provincial appointments. I have said many times before that just as members of the National Assembly are local, the representatives of the Supreme Leader should also be selected from among local people and from the ethnic and religious communities. The Holy Qur\u2019an states: \u201cAnd Allah had already taken a covenant from the Children of Israel, and We appointed from among them twelve leaders\u201d (Surah Al-Ma\u2019idah: 12). Similarly, it says elsewhere: \u201cAnd We did not send any messenger except in the language of his people\u201d (Surah Ibrahim: 4), meaning that every messenger was sent speaking the language of his people.
He said: We have Sistani brothers here with whom we share kinship ties. Therefore, the new circumstances require that representatives be chosen from among local individuals; if not from among the Baluch community, then at least from among moderate and balanced Sistani brothers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"