Sunni Cleric Says “Religiousism” Led Iran to a “Dead End”

Iranwire – Iran’s top Sunni cleric suggested that exaggerated and affected piety and religious zeal has led the country to an impasse, as hundreds of demonstrations returned to the streets of the restive city of Zahedan for weekly protests against the Islamic Republic.

“Religiousism has led the country to a dead end,” Molavi, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of the south-eastern city of Zahedan, said on April 7.

The 76-year-old outspoken cleric urged Iran’s Shia leadership to end its brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters and release all political prisoners, saying that Iranians should not be punished for exercising their right to hold street protests.

Molavi called on the government to “listen to the voice of the people and to work together with them, regardless of their background or beliefs.”

He also expressed concern over the government’s mistreatment of women and girls who do not abide to mandatory hijab rules, saying violence “is ineffective and only causes more harm.”

Molavi has been a key dissenting voice inside Iran since the eruption of nationwide protests in September 2022 demanding fundamental economic, social and political changes. Zahedan is the capital of Sistan and Baluchistan, home to Iran’s Sunni Baluch minority of up to 2 million people.

Activists reported a large presence of security forces in Zahedan as hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets after prayers on April 7 for a silent march out of respect for the month of Ramadan.

Internet monitor NetBlocks reported a “significant disruption” to connectivity in the city, saying the incident “continues the weekly pattern of regional internet shutdowns targeting anti-government protests during Friday prayers.”

⚠️ Confirmed: Real-time network data show a significant disruption to internet connectivity in Zahedan, #Iran; the incident continues the weekly pattern of regional internet shutdowns targeting anti-government protests during Friday prayers 📉 pic.twitter.com/TXdU0eP7C3— NetBlocks (@netblocks) April 7, 2023

Zahedan residents have been holding protest rallies every Friday since September 30, when security forces killed nearly 100 people, in the deadliest incident so far in the nationwide demonstrations triggered by the September death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody.

Iranian authorities have cracked down hard on the women-led protest movement, killing more than 520 demonstrators and unlawfully detaining over 20,000, activists say. Following biased trials, the judiciary handed down stiff sentences, including the death penalty, to protesters.

The protests and clampdown on dissent have been particularly intense in western Kurdish areas and Sistan and Baluchistan.