Ali Motahari: Perhaps Imam Reza Would Also Attend Concerts

In a detailed conversation with a group of students, the Vice President of the Iranian Parliament criticized the recurrence of "brazen financial misconduct" in Iran, deemed part of the economic revelations in the country as "political," called for an end to the house arrest of the leaders of the Green Movement, and speculated that even the eighth Imam of Shia Muslims might have "attended concerts." According to a report on Tuesday, November 2, from Student News Agency, Ali Motahari made these statements on Monday evening among students at Semnan University. He attributed the shortcomings of some institutions in the Islamic Republic in fulfilling their duties as one of the reasons for the "disorder" in financial matters in Iran, adding: "Unfortunately, some abuse their positions and grant favors and gifts to acquaintances." Mr. Motahari urged "supervisory bodies and the judiciary" to investigate this issue and expressed regret that "these events occur brazenly and are repeated" in the country. The Vice President of Parliament also regarded some recent economic revelations in Iran, such as the "unveiling of astronomical payslips," as "political" and stated: "Currently, these issues are being gathered in the government... Know that part of these issues has been politicized... to undermine the government with these movements. Rest assured that these issues and noises are excessive and have not been like this." According to him, "Not all the issues raised imply embezzlement and theft, and the judiciary should return this money. The question is where this audacity comes from." The widespread financial corruption in Iran has reached a level where, according to Ahmad Tavakoli, a former parliament member, even supervisory bodies have been somewhat contaminated, leading to almost regular news of embezzlements and billion-dollar withdrawals by individuals working in government agencies or those affiliated with the government. In the case of the "astronomical" payslips, which were first revealed by conservative critics of the government, some government members accused the whistleblowers of "political maneuvering." Following that, the illegal transfers in Tehran's municipality were exposed by reformist media, and despite the arrest of Yashar Soltani, the editor of the ArchitecNews website who first published the documents of these transfers, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the Tehran prosecutor, also confirmed the occurrence of these violations. "The house arrest has only allowed them to study for a year" Ali Motahari, in another part of his remarks, once again referred to the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard, deeming their continued house arrest as contrary to the "Constitution." He warned: "Continuing the house arrest is not in the country's interest... and if something happens [to these three], it will create problems for the country." This parliament member again blamed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran, and the Guardian Council for the events of 2009 and called for the trial of the house-arrested individuals through legal channels. He continued: "Unfortunately, these individuals have been under house arrest for six years, and this house arrest is no joke; they have only been allowed to watch television and read for a year, and we must end this issue and terminate the house arrest." Motahari also pointed out that "some" believe that the Supreme Leader's opinion is "to continue the house arrest, and therefore no one takes action." He considered this view "dangerous" and warned the youth and supporters of Islam that "they should not think that preserving and saving Islam is achieved by depriving freedom of expression." His statements come at a time when individuals affiliated with the hardline faction in Iran have always claimed that Mousavi, Karroubi, and Rahnavard are in the best conditions and that the regime has placed them under house arrest to protect their lives. Meanwhile, Hassan Rouhani, whose electoral promise included efforts to lift the house arrest of these three, has yet to achieve success in this regard. "Perhaps Imam Reza Would Also Attend Concerts" Ali Motahari also referred to the cancellation of concerts in Mashhad and expressed his opposition to "excess and deficiency" in this regard. He stated: "Perhaps if Imam Reza were here, he would attend concerts. Some say you do not preserve the sanctity of Imam Reza, and these matters should also be examined." His reference is to the months-long controversy over holding several concerts in Mashhad, which have been repeatedly canceled due to the opposition of Ahmad Alamolhoda, Ali Khamenei's representative in Khorasan Razavi and the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, despite having permits from the Ministry of Culture. In this context, it seems that the Ministry of Culture's concession to Alamolhoda and other hardline forces in Mashhad has led Friday prayer leaders in several other cities in Iran, including Qom, to oppose holding concerts in their cities and provinces. Mr. Motahari, at that time, criticized the actions of the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, stating that Khorasan Razavi does not have "autonomy" that special laws govern it. He also reacted to Alamolhoda's remarks that concerts cannot be held next to the dome of Imam Reza, stating: "There is no such thing as the sanctity of Imam Reza."