Mawlawi Abdulhamid: Political Killings and Executions Have Not Deterred People from Their Demands

Mawlawi Abdulhamid, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, stated in his Friday sermon on February 23 that political killings and executions have not deterred the people from their demands. According to this prominent Sunni figure, the people of Iran have legitimate demands and want the country to be on the right path and for current problems to be resolved. He addressed the officials of the Islamic Republic, saying, 'Stop the executions.' The Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan further stated that Islam and the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran do not accept forced confessions to murder. He noted that the increase in executions has worried the entire Iranian nation and shaken the world. Mawlawi Abdulhamid warned that these executions are unjust and will have consequences for the country and the officials of the Islamic Republic. He expressed sorrow over the orphaning of many children and the widowhood of many Iranian women due to the executions of individuals accused of drug-related crimes, stating that these executions have had no benefit and have not reduced crime. According to this prominent Sunni figure, executing someone who has not carried a weapon and has not killed anyone is not permissible. The Islamic Republic has intensified the implementation of death sentences for prisoners convicted of drug-related crimes and murder, and has escalated the issuance of death sentences for political prisoners and protesters, with many of them at risk of execution; a situation that has faced widespread domestic and international protests. Mawlawi Abdulhamid reminded that the Iranian people demand justice, fairness, and freedom. Referring to the poverty and economic crisis in the country, he said that Iranians do not want their investments to be spent abroad because 'the light that is permissible for the house is forbidden for the mosque.' In another part of his speech, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan pointed to the exploitation of resources and mines in the Taftan region by large companies and the dissatisfaction of the people of this city, stating that these companies are destroying the region's environment and are refraining from spending national capital for the people of the region and their own country. He emphasized that the capital and resources of Taftan belong to all the people of Iran. Reports indicate that prior to the Friday prayer on February 23, security and military forces of the Islamic Republic were stationed around the prayer hall and Makki Mosque in Zahedan and conducted body searches of worshippers. According to the 'Halosh' website, these forces, as in previous Fridays, created a security atmosphere in Zahedan by being stationed around the prayer hall and Makki Mosque and the surrounding streets. Halosh also quoted informed sources stating, 'The entrances and exits of the city are also being controlled.' After the killing of about 100 worshippers in Zahedan during the 'Bloody Friday' on September 30, 2022, this city has been the scene of anti-government protests every Friday. Mawlawi Abdulhamid also criticizes the policies of the Islamic Republic and high-ranking officials of the government and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in his Friday sermons every week. A video showed the presence of government motorcyclists in the streets of Zahedan. Mawlawi Abdulhamid stated that the embezzlers are the same individuals who claim to be committed to Islam. He demanded that all those responsible for the 'Bloody Friday' incident in Zahedan be prosecuted. Mawlawi Abdulhamid called for an explanation from government agencies regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of Sepehr Shirani. The presence of government forces around Makki Mosque in Zahedan; Abdulhamid stated that the people of Iran are in 'severe distress.' Executions in Iran continue; strikes are ongoing in several cities, and people have visited the families of the executed.