Humorous Reactions to the Death of Raisi; From 'Seyyed Donkey of the Prophet' to Freedom from 'Clerical Evil' by God

The joy of Iranians over the death of Ebrahim Raisi due to a helicopter crash has received widespread attention on social media, with some users reacting to this event with humorous phrases and narratives; these reactions have also reached international circles. The French satirical magazine 'Charlie Hebdo' responded to the killing of Ebrahim Raisi and the violation of human rights, especially against women by the Islamic Republic in Iran, by publishing several cartoons. In one of these cartoons, a smiling woman without mandatory hijab is depicted wearing earrings shaped like helicopters, with two angry clerics standing next to a mosque behind her, captioned: 'Woman, Life, Freedom, Helicopter.' In another cartoon published on Charlie Hebdo's 'X' account, a helicopter is seen crashing, with a hand from the sky throwing a cleric out of it, captioned: 'God exists: He frees us from clerics.' This cartoon refers to the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in the heights of East Azerbaijan. Among the humorous reactions from users, some referred to words and phrases from Ebrahim Raisi, such as 'Angozman' and 'Parpakan.' One user on 'X' wrote: 'Seyyed Donkey of the Prophet, may your Angozman be Parpakan.' The phrase 'Seyyed Donkey of the Prophet' refers to a gaffe in a live program on state television where a guest mistakenly addressed Ebrahim Raisi as this instead of 'Seyyed Olad-e-Prophet.' A group of users who had 'vowed' to post nude images of themselves during the time from the helicopter crash to the announcement of Raisi's death fulfilled their promise, which also led to reactions. For instance, the Islamic Republic's state television, in a program, aired a message from one of the users who said if Ebrahim Raisi 'has been aborted, I will post nudes,' labeling those celebrating his death as 'immoral.' One user on 'X' shared statements from Hossein Ali Montazeri about the 1988 executions, writing: 'Jokes about Parpakan and Angozman and nudes should not make us forget that Raisi, as a main member of the 1988 massacre, was a professional killer whom the government branded as the Seyyed of the Oppressed with clownish antics like 'Did I offer you lunch?' Montazeri was the deputy leader during Ruhollah Khomeini's time who was sidelined after protesting against the mass executions of political prisoners and remained under house arrest until his death. Some users also pointed out the 'illiteracy' of Ebrahim Raisi and his temporary successor, Mohammad Mokhber, saying 'a fifth grader has replaced a sixth grader' and that 'the election circus' is coming up, predicting that 'the next president will definitely be a fourth grader.' A group of citizens referred to a 'National Helicopter Festival,' and some wished that the fate of Ebrahim Raisi and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian would befall Ali Khamenei and his son Mojtaba. In another reaction, political prisoners turned the Islamic Republic's 'public mourning' into 'public food' and shared dishes like 'Fall Omelette' and 'Ascension Pasta.' The joy of political prisoners over Raisi's death has faced reactions from officials, including attacks by intelligence forces in Karaj Central Prison. Following the continued joyful reactions of Iranians inside and outside the country to Ebrahim Raisi's death after the helicopter crash, Islamic Republic officials resorted to threatening and arresting citizens in Iran. Images of citizens celebrating after hearing the news of Ebrahim Raisi's death were shared, with one person asking, 'Can I take two for my wife as well?' The helicopter carrying Raisi 'completely exploded'; intelligence agencies prevented the publication of documents and remnants of the incident. The political teachers' association stated that Ebrahim Raisi's term was one of the 'darkest' stains on the education system.