Khamenei's Response to Abdulhamid Regarding Discrimination Against Sunnis in Iran

In an unprecedented move, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic responded to a letter from Molavi Abdulhamid, the Sunni Imam of Zahedan, who criticized the "discrimination" against Sunnis. He wrote that the institutions of the Islamic Republic are obliged to "not discriminate among Iranians based on the Constitution." ISNA news agency published the text of this letter on Wednesday (September 6), which was signed by Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, the head of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's office. Khamenei stated in this rare letter that "all institutions of the Islamic Republic must not allow any discrimination or inequality among Iranians of any ethnicity, race, or religion based on religious teachings and the Constitution." These remarks from the Supreme Leader and his emphasis on eliminating discrimination "based on the Constitution" come at a time when Article 12 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran declares the official religion of the country to be Twelver Shiism, and Article 115 allocates high positions in the system, such as leadership and presidency, exclusively to Shiites, thereby excluding Sunnis and followers of other religions from holding these positions. The institutionalized discrimination in the laws of the Islamic Republic has led to the exclusion of religious minorities, dissenters, and opponents of the principle of Velayat-e Faqih and the Islamic Republic from the electoral competition. Khamenei further added in his response that "everyone must think together in a united and compact front for the dignity and honor of Islamic Iran" and not allow "enemies of this land and those who are dependent on this and that to sow discord and sabotage in this united front." Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani also noted in part of this letter that the Supreme Leader appreciated Molavi Abdulhamid's "interest" in the Islamic Republic and his "support and defense of the country and the lofty ideals of the Islamic Revolution." Tasnim news agency also published an image of this letter, stating that the Sunni Imam of Zahedan had requested more attention to the rights of religious minorities in Iran in his letter to Ali Khamenei. This is not the first time that Molavi Abdulhamid has written or spoken about the necessity of eliminating "discrimination" against Sunnis. He has repeatedly addressed this issue, including during a provincial trip by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his presidency to Sistan and Baluchestan, where he stated in a Friday sermon that to advance the province, "discrimination must first be eliminated." A few years ago, he also mentioned in one of his Eid al-Fitr sermons that he had written to Khamenei several times on this matter and had not received a response, expressing one of the concerns of Sunnis as the lack of direct communication with the Supreme Leader to convey their issues directly to him. In Esfand 1395, Abdulhamid wrote to Khamenei regarding rumors in some media about a "secret order" from the head of the judiciary to "accelerate" the execution of Sunni convicts in drug cases. He stated that this rumor had created "concern and anxiety" among Sunnis and requested his "wise and paternal consideration" in this regard. Previously, media had not reported any response from Khamenei to the repeated letters of Molavi Abdulhamid. Although the recent letter was published with the signature of the head of the Supreme Leader's office, it is one of the few almost direct responses to the requests of Sunnis. Molavi Abdulhamid had announced before the twelfth presidential election that most of the Sunni community, despite their "complaints" about the eleventh government, were inclined towards Hassan Rouhani and expressed hope that if Rouhani was re-elected, more efforts would be made to resolve problems. He stated in a meeting with Mahmoud Sadqi, a representative from Tehran in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, that "Iran does not belong solely to Sunnis, Shiites, or Persians, but belongs to all ethnicities and religions; and lasting national unity and security depend on eliminating discrimination and treating all citizens equally." After the elections, the Sunni Imam of Zahedan also stated: "The Sunni community does not demand too much; rather, it only seeks its legal rights and expects capable and competent Sunnis to be employed." Molavi Abdulhamid was not invited to participate in Hassan Rouhani's inauguration ceremony, which drew criticism. In this context, a former member of parliament stated that some clerics had requested that a Sunni minister not be introduced. Rouhani remarked that if religious minorities do not have equal rights, they should not pay taxes or serve in the military. Doshuki commented that "not inviting Molavi Abdulhamid to the inauguration ceremony was not a brotherly act."