Abdollah Noori, one of the clerics, expects the leadership and religious scholars to break their silence.
Abdollah Noori, the Interior Minister during the reform era, expressed his condolences on the passing of Mahsa Amini through a message on his Telegram channel. His message is as follows:
And those who have wronged will soon know to what final place they will return. Surah Ash-Shu’ara, verse 227.
With a heart full of pain and sorrow, I offer my condolences to the grieving parents, relatives of the deceased, and those who care for Iran on the tragic and disastrous passing of Zhina Mahsa Amini, a young girl from our dear Kurdish compatriots. She was an example of the many distressed youths of this land whose sweet and precious life was sacrificed due to the mistakes and mismanagement of the regime and the ill-fated policies of the government, as well as the baseless excuses and unjustified violent actions of the police.
During the days of Arbaeen, instead of defending dignity and human rights, the most fundamental right of a defenseless and oppressed citizen was violated in such a way that it deeply wounded the public conscience, deserving tears of blood.
Regrettably, after 43 years since the inception of this regime, the mature, enlightened, and oppressed society of Iran still has to witness the words and actions of some rulers and government officials that defy reason, conscience, honor, and religious law. Their loud claims of governance in the style of Alawi justice have deafened the heavens, yet they have not found a clear understanding or worthy plan to address the foolishness and disorder.
Human experience clearly shows that punitive, harsh, and unethical behaviors and actions by coercive forces never lead to a good outcome, but their heavy, ominous effects remain in the fabric of society and in the hearts, souls, and memories of the people. Those who, from a position of power, speak of religious zeal and present themselves as anti-arrogance and supporters of the oppressed, where are they to see that with ridiculous and baseless reasons, the noble life of an oppressed person has been taken unjustly and arrogantly, and once again a tragic event of this kind has been imposed on a family or families? Which free, aware, and independent person, and which responsible, timely, and compassionate individual consents to the fact that with the slightest rule and standard, merely with an excuse and under the guise of guidance and leadership, a human life is ended, leaving the conscience of a society in sighs, regret, and sorrow?
The atrocities committed by the coercive forces under the guise of the morality patrol that occasionally manifest in society not only are incompatible with human, religious, and ethical standards but also add to the discredit of the regime. Undoubtedly, committing such actions in a regime that has labeled itself as Islamic also reflects on religion and religious institutions, severely damaging their dignity and credibility. It is expected from the clerics, leadership, and religious scholars to break their silence to fulfill their responsibility to defend the rights of the people and to cleanse religion and the clergy from such accusations, and to eradicate the roots of ignorant, fundamentalist, and Taliban-like thoughts of some who have found a place within the regime. They should demand a clear, transparent, and decisive reaction from the relevant authorities to pursue and punish the instigators and perpetrators of these actions and atrocities.
I express my disdain and disgust for these types of actions and warn and admonish government officials to base their supervisory and guiding measures on reason and logic, to remove the harsh behavior and the flash of their swords from over the people, and not to commit further injustices against the patient and oppressed nation, especially the youth, who are the hope of the future. They should know that the principal right of enjoining good and forbidding evil to correct the government’s deviations rests with the people, and the rulers must not only serve and be servants of the people but also be accountable for their actions before them.
Abdollah Noori, September 17, 2022