Criticism of 'Misbah Yazdi's Insult to the People'

The newspapers Jomhouri Eslami and Abrar sharply criticized the remarks of Mohammad Taqi Misbah Yazdi, who described the 'leader of the Islamic Republic as beyond the merit of the Iranian people.' The Jomhouri Eslami newspaper, in an editorial titled 'Why Bad Defense?' characterized Misbah Yazdi's statements as 'bad defense of the leadership' with 'disregard for the people,' stating that his words are 'one of the clear examples of activities aimed at weakening the leadership.' The Abrar newspaper also criticized the 'strange words of the political leader of the Stability Front' on its front page, pointing out the 12 billion tomans budget and other resources allocated to him in Iran's annual budget, addressing Misbah Yazdi: 'While Ayatollah Misbah considers the Iranian people unworthy, this position and status in the Islamic Republic, especially the 12 billion tomans allocated to his institution in the annual budget, is owed to these very people; money that is sourced from the taxes of these hardworking people.' The Kayhan newspaper, in an editorial titled 'Why the Enemy's Focus on General Soleimani?' wrote: 'The name of General Qassem Soleimani has become a refrain in numerous analyses and news at regional and international levels. In this context, Soleimani's friends praise and admire him, while his enemies acknowledge his greatness and actions but portray him as a mysterious, dangerous, and unacceptable figure. However, Soleimani is largely different from the image and perception created about him, whether by friends in admiration or by enemies in enmity.' On the eve of Student Day (16 Azar) in Iran, the Resalat newspaper quoted Kazem Sedighi, Tehran's Friday prayer leader, stating: 'Creating tension and a bipolar atmosphere in universities is treason.' The Etemad and Shahrvand newspapers reported on environmental activists' opposition to Hassan Rouhani's statements regarding converting 'Ashuradeh into a tourist area.' The Etemad newspaper wrote: 'The President of the Eleventh Government announced last week in Golestan that the obstacles to implementing the tourism project for Ashuradeh have been removed and this project will soon be executed while observing environmental requirements,' but these statements 'worried many environmentalists and activists in the country. There are concerns about how much the implementation of this plan will adhere to scientific and legal environmental standards, and whether another Urmia Lake will emerge, this time in northern Iran and the easternmost corner of the world's largest lake?' Ismail Kahrm, an advisor to the head of the Environmental Protection Organization, also told Shahrvand newspaper: 'During Ahmadinejad's presidency, we fought hard to prevent Ashuradeh Island from being lost, but unfortunately, we saw that Mr. Rouhani is following the same line taken by the previous government during his trip to Golestan.' The Shargh newspaper reported the conclusion of investigations into the Martyrs Foundation and its report to the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, mentioning the discovery of '700 billion tomans in financial corruption' and '15 billion tomans in embezzlement' during this investigation, and wrote that Masoud Zaribafan, the head of the Martyrs Foundation during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government, stated in a strange phrase: 'If the accused are not insured and bank-related, why don't they reveal it?' This newspaper quoted Amir Khajasteh, a member of parliament and head of the investigative committee into the Martyrs Foundation, stating: 'We will use all relations to expedite the review of the report by the judiciary because this time the families of the martyrs are involved, and the rights violations must be revealed sooner.' The Iran newspaper reported on its front page about 'the ultimatum from the Minister of Health to opponents of the Health Community Plan,' stating that Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi, during his speech at 'the symposium of professors of medical sciences universities and the medical community's Basij,' announced the 'existence of a sabotage team against the Ministry of Health' and referred to the obstruction by some doctors in implementing new treatment tariffs, saying: 'Some friends, despite being consulted, have undermined everything and then issued statements, but these individuals think that the entire medical community consists of themselves and that they see everyone in Tehran. All these friends amount to between 150 to 300 people; however, their noise is loud, but we strive to pay attention to the majority of the people, as the religious leaders say, and they say you insulted the medical community by introducing a phone number, but shouldn't the government listen to the people's pain?' According to this newspaper, Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi pointed out that 'in the past 15-10 years, the medical field has indeed been wronged, and the actions we have taken are due to that negligence, as we believe that if sufficient attention had been paid to payments and health books, these current problems would not have arisen.' The Shahrvand newspaper reported that Leila Nikrosh, head of the Department of Publishing and Distribution of Educational Materials at the Ministry of Education, announced that 'images of devoted teachers, those who lost their lives in their work, meaning in teaching, will be included in textbooks.' The criticism from the Jomhouri Eslami newspaper regarding Misbah Yazdi's remarks; 'Bad Defense of the Leader.' The Jomhouri Eslami newspaper, in an editorial titled 'Why Bad Defense?' pointed out that some clerics, including Ahmad Alamolhoda and Mohammad Taqi Misbah Yazdi, 'utter statements that are not only incorrect but also waste time, squander resources, and engage forces in futile tasks,' stating: Mohammad Taqi Misbah Yazdi 'last week at the memorial of the martyrs of the Imam Khomeini Institute in Qom said: One of the great blessings for us was the late Imam, who was very great, and after his passing, the existence of his successor, the Supreme Leader, is a blessing that I swear to God our society does not deserve such leadership. He has the highest management levels in society, and the greatest enemies of society are those who work to weaken the leadership.' This newspaper noted that 'Ayatollah Misbah Yazdi's words, which have not yet been denied despite the uproar in the media, have two parts.' The first part of this statement considers the Iranian people unworthy of having a leader like the Supreme Leader, and the second part states that the greatest enemies of society are those who work to weaken the leadership; however, 'regarding the second part, we completely agree with Ayatollah Misbah Yazdi and emphasize that the first part of his statement is one of the clear examples of activities aimed at weakening the leadership.' The editorial writer of the Jomhouri Eslami newspaper emphasized that 'to prove the incorrectness of the first part of Ayatollah Misbah Yazdi's statement, there are many reasons,' citing two of these reasons and stating: 'First, the philosophy of governance is fundamentally to strengthen monotheism and justice among the people with the aim of serving God's creation and guiding them towards worldly and otherworldly happiness. Accordingly, the philosophy of the existence of an Islamic ruler is to serve the people,' and therefore 'if an Islamic ruler, who is referred to as the 'leader' in the constitutional definitions of the Islamic Republic and in the common expressions of our society, possesses high qualifications and is considered a divine blessing, the leader himself should be grateful to God for granting him such qualifications and being able to serve the people well, and thus saying that the people do not deserve such leadership is not correct.' This newspaper also referenced the statements of previous and current leaders of the Islamic Republic, including Ali Khamenei, the current leader of the Islamic Republic, who on September 15, 1998, stated: 'I take pride in being able to serve you, the people. The only Lord is the Almighty God, and by His command, the righteous and infallible servants are the ones who follow Him. We are imperfect, inadequate, and weak servants. Our greatest skill is to be able to do something amidst all our weaknesses that, God willing, aligns with our duties.' The Jomhouri Eslami newspaper also published part of a speech by Ayatollah Khomeini in which he stated: 'I boldly claim that the Iranian nation and its millions of masses today are better than the people of Hijaz in the time of the Prophet and Kufa and Iraq in the time of Amir al-Mu'minin and Hussein ibn Ali.' The editorial writer of the Jomhouri Eslami newspaper emphasized that with the opinions of figures like Mohammad Taqi Misbah Yazdi, 'we have three concerns,' one of which is 'bad defense of the leadership, and that those who enter unnecessary discussions contrary to the leader's opinion occupy the community with side issues and, secondly, speak of the leadership in a way that insults the people. This is not only not serving the leadership but also weakening it.' This newspaper stated: 'The second concern is for the gentlemen themselves, who, instead of properly utilizing their position and status, speak in a way that raises questions in public opinion,' and remarks like those of Mohammad Taqi Misbah Yazdi 'even worry his friends.' The editorial writer of the Jomhouri Eslami newspaper also wrote: 'The third concern is for the people, who, with all their sacrifices, loyalty, patience, and steadfast presence in the scenes that have paralyzed the great evil powers in their confrontation with the Islamic Republic and neutralized all their conspiracies, now face indifference such as being described as unworthy, while 'the Iranian people should be proud of all these merits.' The Abrar newspaper; Misbah Yazdi receives 12 billion tomans from the people and insults them. The Abrar newspaper also severely criticized the 'strange words of the political leader of the Stability Front' on its front page and advised Mohammad Taqi Misbah Yazdi to 'appreciate the people and the leadership.' This newspaper emphasized that 'they say if you want to destroy someone, don't attack them, but defend them poorly! This is exactly what Ayatollah Misbah is doing,' stating that 'Mohammad Taqi Misbah Yazdi, the political leader of the Stability Front, recently said: One of the great blessings for us was the late Imam, who was very great, and after his passing, the existence of his successor, the Supreme Leader, is a blessing that I swear to God our society does not deserve such leadership.' The Abrar newspaper also wrote: 'There is no doubt that the Supreme Leader manages the country wisely and sincerely in the path of the late Imam's ideals and has been a solver of many crises and problems, but this cannot justify the strange and bizarre statements that, rather than strengthening the leadership, undermine this position.' This newspaper, reflecting on Misbah Yazdi's statement 'I swear to God our society does not deserve such leadership,' asked the leader of the Stability Front: 'Is this statement strengthening the leadership and its reciprocal relationship with the people, or is it disrespectful to both?' The Abrar newspaper, referencing Ali Shariati's quote 'If you want to destroy someone, don't attack them, but defend them poorly,' stated: 'This is exactly what Ayatollah Misbah is doing, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Undoubtedly, the Supreme Leader of the system does not need such statements, and words like these precisely undermine the esteemed position of the leadership in the sacred Islamic Republic.' This newspaper also noted the budget and resources allocated to Mohammad Taqi Misbah Yazdi, stating: 'Ayatollah Misbah considers the Iranian people unworthy while this position and status in the Islamic Republic, especially the 12 billion tomans allocated to his institution in the annual budget, is owed to these very people; money that is sourced from the taxes of these hardworking people.' The Abrar newspaper questioned: 'If these people had not revolted, if they had not created those epics in the Sacred Defense, if they had not endured the hardships of the post-war period, if they had not withstood economic sanctions with dignity and poverty, would Mr. Misbah ever have achieved such a position?' This newspaper addressed Misbah Yazdi: 'Appreciate the people and the leadership, Mr. Misbah; this is not the way to show gratitude to the people to whom you owe everything. Look at your biography and current resources and compare where you came from and where you are now. Isn't it thanks to the struggles and patience of these people and under the shadow of the Islamic Republic that you have achieved significant resources? Therefore, respect the people and appreciate the blessing.' The Abrar newspaper also implicitly referred to the defeat of Misbah Yazdi's supported candidates in the 2013 presidential elections, writing: 'The people whose behavior and words deserve gratitude and pride from the leadership are never worthy of such descriptions from Mr. Misbah, and it is better for him to strive as a leader of a political party without exploiting religious beliefs to gain power through democratic and legal means and electoral and parliamentary struggles.' Environmental activists oppose Hassan Rouhani's promise to convert Ashuradeh into a tourist center. The Etemad and Shahrvand newspapers reported on environmental activists' opposition to Hassan Rouhani's statements regarding converting 'Ashuradeh into a tourist area.' The Etemad newspaper, in its Saturday issue, published a report about Hassan Rouhani's promise to implement a comprehensive tourism plan in 'Ashuradeh,' stating: 'The President of the Eleventh Government announced last week in Golestan that the obstacles to implementing the tourism project for Ashuradeh have been removed and this project will soon be executed while observing environmental requirements.'