Grand Ayatollah (Montazeri) Declares 3 Days of National Mourning

[Turborama]

Source: Tehran Bureau

By MUHAMMAD SAHIMI in Los Angeles | 21 June 2009 -

Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, the most important living cleric in Iran, and one of the most outspoken foes of the conservatives and hard-liners, has issued a statement about the attacks of the security forces on the demonstrators and the resulting casualties:

In the name of God

We all come from Him and will go back to Him

The great and dignified Iranian nation:

With much sorrow I was informed that, during peaceful rallies to defend their lawful rights, the great Iranian people have been attacked (by the security forces), beaten, and bloodied, and killed. While expressing my condolences for this painful event and the losses, and feeling the pain of the nation, I declare Wednesday (June 24), Thursday and Friday days of national mourning. I express my strongest support for the Muslim nation (of Iran) in their defense of their rights in the framework of the Constitution that recognizes republicanism (direct and free elections, and respect for the votes) as one of the pillars of the (political) establishment, and declare that any action that would harm the republicanism of the system is not permitted (is against religion). Every one of our religious brothers and sisters must help the nation in defending its lawful rights. Based on this principle, any resistance in this direction (against people who are defending their right), particularly use of violence, beating, and killing of (the people of) the nation is acting against the Islamic principle that the nation must decide its own fate and path and, therefore, I declare it to be religiously haraam (the worst sin).

Hossein Ali Montazeri

Given the immense respect that Ayatollah Montazeri enjoys in Iran for speaking against the hard-liners and even standing up to Ayatollah Khomeini when thousands of political prisoners were executed in the summer of 1988, this declaration is bound to have a great effect, and should provide the impetus for continuing peaceful protests against the rigged presidential election.

Read more: http://tehranbureau.com/slider/grand-ayatollah-declares-3-days-national-mourning/comment-page-1/#comment-786

[timeforpeace]

1. There's a Grand Ayatollah too? Who knew?

[Dogmudgeon]

5. It's like fast food

Supreme

Grand

Exalted

Most High

High

Venti

Man-Sized

Honkin'

Large

Big

Medium

Diet

Small

Child's

Nouvelle

Low-Sodium

That's enough adjectives to cover ANY religious order!

--d!

[Odin2005]

12. DUzy!!!

[ColbertWatcher]

26. LOL! n/t

[PatrynXX]

10. Frankly I'm glad all this is coming out

Bush always made Iran about one guy and no I'm not spelling it. His initials are M. A.

I always knew he wasn't the actual leader....

Kinda like how Bush really wasn't the President... Dick Cheney was. (well it's the truth :P

Shit Bush outright stole it. More people voted for Al Gore and it was on paper.

[Posteritatis]

28. There's many ayatollahs and a few grand ones

Think bishop versus cardinal (though of course that's an imperfect comparison). There's a couple dozen worldwide.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. I'm glad to hear it!

I hope it will turn the violent tide...

K&R

[Metta]

3. Why don't these guys jus throw the bums out?

Anyone know?

[lindisfarne]

4. Why didn't Americans just thow Bush out in 2003? n/t

[Jack Rabbit]

6. Why didn't Americans just prevent Bush from taking office in 2001

. . . after having lost the election?

Bush is, to my knowledge, the only man who ever violated the presidential oath by the simple act of taking it.

[Fearless]

8. The Republican Guard is still against them.

[bertman]

9. The State has the weaponry.

[Posteritatis]

29. Because it's just that simple, right? (nt)

[humbled_opinion]

7. Can you Imagine

If this peoples revolution works and real change comes to Iran. It will be the great speech that our President gave in Cairo that was the catalyst for this change. It will be the victory of Obama in the USA removing the Oppressive Bush Doctrine the led countries to elect their leaders out of fear for what the USA may do with Bush at the helm... but can't you just imagine when the peaceful regime change comes to Iran it will be America that showed them the way. It will be the greatness of our President that led them there.

I Love This Country again... I am going to put my flag up this week.... Just because I am an American.

[AverageJoe5]

13. Some protesters were not peaceful

This Grand Ayatollah says the protesters were attacked while demonstrating peacefully. But on some of the video clips I've seen, some of the demonstrators can be seen setting gas stations on fire and throwing rocks at police; that's not peaceful behavior. What are the police supposed to do when rocks are thrown at them?

[Turborama]

15. "What are the police supposed to do when rocks are thrown at them?" Shoot 16 year old girls...

...in the heart?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x327090

Beat defenceless women?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x327206

[Posteritatis]

30. Don't mind that guy

He buys the Iranian government's position hook, line and sinker. I throw out "this guy's a paid shill" accusations annually at most, but I'm reasonably sure this "Joe" is here courtesy of the Iranian government from the way he's talked.

[Turborama]

32. That exact same thought has crossed my mind

He's been coming out with a lot of this sort of shit since the "election".

[David__77]

27. The Iranian people are not motivated by some speech by a foreigner.

That's imperialist hubris.

[humbled_opinion]

33. Your comments are small minded.

Its not hubris to guide the people to revolution. Obama would never try to occupy their land. Obama's words offer hope to the people far cry from hubris.

[NBachers]

11. That's how it's done

When Iran becomes a voice of reason to hold up as a shining example to our nation . . .

We'll see how Iran responds to these great words . . .

And how would it work out here in the same situation?

[scarletwoman]

14. This will be interesting. In 1979 it was the steady stream of "Days of Mourning"

that helped bring down the Shah.

The problem is, the Grand Ayatollah has no real political power. I'm minded of the classic quote, "How many divisions does the Pope have?"

sw

[Turborama]

16. Iran clerics criticize leadership over poll unrest

Source: Reuters

Pro-reform clerics in Iran stepped up criticism of the authorities on Sunday after more than a week of unprecedented popular defiance against the leadership of the Islamic Republic.

=snip=

"Preventing people from expressing their demands through civil ways will have dangerous consequences," Khatami, a Mousavi ally, said in a statement, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

His comment, implying criticism of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who has backed a ban on protests and defended the outcome of the election, found an echo with Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, the most senior dissident cleric. "Resisting people's demand is religiously prohibited," said Montazeri, an architect of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution who fell out with the present leadership and has been under house arrest for some years.

In a statement on his website, Montazeri called for three days of national mourning for those killed.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/21/AR2009062100766.html

[Warpy]

17. Montazeri is the slightly less mediaeval cleric

the protesters want to replace the dreadful Khamenei.

No, we in the US won't like him, either.

[Oregone]

20. Everyone changes with a little more power, ya know

[FreakinDJ]

18. Ratcheting up the presure - I smell regime change here

[DLnyc]

19. Yes, once there is a split at the top, it seems more likely that the pressure from

below will topple the old regime and make way for something new. Certainly not guaranteed, but significantly more likely.

[Oregone]

21. I don't think the "reform" people at top want something new

I think they just want to be the one's in charge

[plasticsundance]

23. Wanting to be on the CIA payroll ...

makes for some odd bed fellows. Kinda like when the CIA paid off the fundamentalist clerics to overthrow the freely democratically elected Mossadegh in 1953.

I wonder about how much outrage there was from the Europe, Israel, and the US over the Shah and his SAVAK. The SAVAK was so brutal, it could have made Saddam blush. Didn't the Shah receive fellatio from Hollywood on a continuous basis?

[DLnyc]

24. I understand your cynicism, but I think it may be overdone in this case.

Those who are coming out against Khamenei now are doing so at great personal risk. Typically, those who just want to "be the ones in charge" would take a much lower profile, I think, in order to maintain their lifestyle in case things don't go as planned (as opposed to risking imprisonment and/or death).

[Oregone]

25. Moussavi himself has said he believes in the Islamic system and is simply trying to get rid of the..

corruption (IOW, he wants Ahmadistraightjacket out and him in)

[Flaneur]

31. Careful what you wish for.

Remember last time there was regime change in Iran?

Not to mention the possibility of devolution into civil war and chaos. That's the thing about wars and revolutions...once they get started, you don't know how they are going to end.

[ohio2007]

22. Iranian film maker/protester in Paris interviewed

video;

Ahmadinejad Has Soiled The Streets Of Iran With Blood And Wants To Lead The Region To War

Al-Arabiya TV (Dubai/Saudi Arabia) : Iranian Filmmaker Samira Makhmalbaf: Ahmadinejad Has Soiled the Streets of Iran with Blood and Wants to Lead the Region to War



http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b6e_1245600085

[ohio2007]

34. I declare Wednesday (June 24), Thursday and Friday days of national mourning

Will he shit his burka if 'the opposition' uses the proclamationas cover
and calls for a general strike starting on wednesday ?

strange days indeed