Riveting

If Mesbah-Yazdi has a hundred bad features, he has at least one that is good, which is his explicit statements.  He has repeatedly stated that even the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) do not fully understand the idea of velayat-e-faghih (Guardianship of the Jurists). I will let you know why in the following short writing.

If we consider the human condition, whether right or not, there are more than a few billion people who believe in God and divine prophets. Millions belong to various religious or spiritual sects. There are maybe more than one hundred million Shiites in the world. However, on the principal of velayat-e-faghih, we have reached a place where some like Mesba-Yazdi and Hossein Shariatmadari claim quite loudly that high-level officials not only misunderstand the principle, but they do not practice or have deviated from it. 

It is interesting that many who were once close to Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of this governing theory, have refused it or have been accused of deviating from it. This includes Bani Sadr, Montazeri,Soroush, Shariatmadari, Karroubi, Sanei, Mousavi Ardebili, Mousavi,Khatami, Rafsanjani, Khomeini and Mousavi Khoeini and Hassan Khomeini. And recently those closer to them, Ahmadinejad, Mashaie,Baghaie, and Javanfekr …

Yet no one has ever doubted their Shiite faith. 

Now the question is, what is it about this principle that even the close associates of the Imam and the current leader have not understood it, or if they have, they refuse to practice it? Is it acceptable to say that millions of Shiites, including thousands of Shiite religious scholars, sources of emulation, cultural and political elites, academics, students, artists, journalists, and even four former and current presidents, Khomeini’s Prime Minister, tens of former and current Ministers and lawyers have deviated in theory and practice from the principle of velayat-e-faghih?

The error is in the theory of the principle itself, and the way it has been implemented in the current practice of the leadership. I will provide the answer from within the thought and practice of this leadership.

If we take a look at the ideas and practices of Ayatollah Sistani in Iraq, we will find that not only he does not believe in the principle of   velayat-e-faghih, but he does not also identify himself as the vali-faghih (Guardian Jurist). He advocates for the unity of Shiites, non-Shiites, and even seculars in Iraq. He has similar conditions such as those available to Khomeini in 1979. In Iran, even the National Front had accepted the leadership of Khomeini.

Today we have reached a place where Khamenei intervenes in every aspect of the government operations to the extent that even Ahmadinejad has risen up to oppose him. 

Naturally, no rational or normal human being would accept the guardianship of another human being forced upon them.

This is the key to unlock the secret of the dead-end of velayat-e-faghih. 

Heshmatollah Tabarzadi / Ordibehesht 1390

Rajaie prison in Karaj

Student Committee to Defend Political Prisoners