Prominent Sunni Cleric Urges Respect for Rights of Women, Baha'i Adherents
Leading Friday prayers in Zahedan, regional capital of Iran’s restive southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan, prominent Muslim imam Abdolhamid Ismaeelzahi praised the “significant historical role” of Iranian women, calling them “heroes of numerous accomplishments” whose voices government leaders should heed.
Long known for his vocal support of Iran’s ultraconservative president, Ebrahim Raisi, Ismaeelzahi's sermons have assumed an increasingly anti-establishment tone since nationwide protests roiled the country after the September 2022 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian Kurd who had been arrested for allegedly violating Iran's strict dress code for women.
"You desire to suppress the protests of women, yet as long as these women do not attain their rightful status, neither I nor you can silence their voices," said Ismaeelzahi.
"Engaging in debates without addressing the underlying issues is futile," he added. "Unless you liberate women from prisons, release political prisoners and grant women the respect they rightfully deserve, it becomes meaningless."
Demonstrators took to the streets following prayers, chanting slogans against the Islamic Republic despite heightened security measures in the area.
The outspoken cleric also expressed his opposition to state mistreatment of practitioners of the Baha'i faith, saying “these individuals may not adhere to Islam, but they are fellow human beings, citizens and Iranians, and their rights should be respected."
Although the Islamic Republic recognizes minority non-Muslim faiths, including Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism, it does not extend the same recognition to Baha’ism.
Accusations of Israel ties
Baha'is in Iran are accustomed to accusations of links to Israel, whose northern port city of Haifa hosts a center of the Baha'i faith that was established following the exile of a Baha'i leader well before the state of Israel was created, according to Agence France-Presse.
The cleric in February told leaders of Iran’s government, “If you cannot solve the people’s problems, leave and let someone come who can,” according to activists interviewed by the French news outlet.
While Iran's ongoing protests are widely reported to be in reaction to the death of Amini, some of the regime’s most brutal crackdowns have taken place in Sunni-populated regions such as Zahedan, where Iranian leaders call the protesters “insurrectionists.”
Although Iranian leaders say the uprisings have been effectively staved off, protests persist.
Ismaeelzahi’s office on Wednesday announced that Iranian intelligence officials had recently barred him from traveling outside the country as he was planning a Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse.