Ayatollah Khamenei's Warning to Ayatollah Taheri - 2002-07-12

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of Iran, requested calm from the people following the resignation of one of the most prominent Friday prayer leaders in protest against the management of the country by hardline clerics. Ayatollah Khamenei warned Jalaal al-Din Taheri, the resigned Friday prayer leader of Isfahan, that criticism encourages enemies and counter-revolutionaries and is exploited by them. Khamenei also stated that he understands Taheri's concerns regarding the financial and moral shortcomings of the country. The Iranian leader emphasized the necessity of fighting poverty, corruption, and discrimination. Khamenei's statement was broadcast several times on radio and television before the Friday prayers yesterday. He defended the house arrest of Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri in 1997, who had previously been named as Khomeini's successor, and the prohibition of his political activities. In his resignation letter, Ayatollah Taheri criticized the arrest of Ayatollah Montazeri, stating that the conservative clerics of the Islamic government have paralyzed civil and elected institutions in the name of Islam. On Thursday, over 100 members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly announced in a letter that they support Ayatollah Taheri's critical views and expressed hope that the people would listen to his words. Several Iranian newspapers published reactions to Ayatollah Taheri's resignation, although the Supreme National Security Council has banned the publication of any opinions for or against the resigned Friday prayer leader of Isfahan. Throughout the 23 years of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Taheri is the first Friday prayer leader to resign in such a manner while openly and widely criticizing his position. Reformists hold the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the presidency, but hardline clerics who control the judiciary and armed forces also dominate state television. Additionally, the Guardian Council, controlled by hardline conservative clerics, can reject parliamentary legislation. The judiciary, under conservative control, has persistently and relentlessly obstructed any efforts to implement social and political reforms in the Islamic government of Iran.