Mawlawi Abdulhamid: The Government Has Not Fulfilled Any of Its Promises to the Sunni Community

The Sunni Friday Prayer Leader of Zahedan emphasized the demands of the people of Sistan and Baluchestan in three areas: "national," "ethnic-religious," and "Bloody Friday." He stated, "The government has not fulfilled any of the promises made to the Sunni community." Mawlawi Abdulhamid, on August 12, during a meeting with the managers of religious schools in Sistan and Baluchestan, noted that "our demands revolve around three main areas: national demands, ethnic-religious issues, and the Bloody Fridays." He added, "The incident of Bloody Friday in Zahedan was not a 'human error' but rather intentional and a result of the discrimination that our community has faced for the past forty-four years. Therefore, the people's demand for the condemnation of the Bloody Friday incident in Zahedan and the punishment of its perpetrators and instigators is a logical demand, and our people will not be satisfied until this crime is condemned and the perpetrators are punished." According to the information office of the Zahedan Friday Prayer Leader, Mawlawi Abdulhamid reiterated in this meeting, hosted by Dar al-Uloom Zahedan at the Makki Grand Mosque, that "the government has not fulfilled any of the promises made to the Sunni community." He further emphasized, "We are not dependent on any individual or party inside or outside the country; rather, we are independent and concerned about the interests of the Iranian nation. We think about humanity and seek the interests of all people. We stand by the nation." Mawlawi Abdulhamid also commented on Iran's diplomatic relations with some countries, stating, "Iran's relations with all countries of the world, not just with those who are hungry, have been and remain one of the demands of the Iranian people, but the most important are the internal policies that need adjustment. Unfortunately, they have not taken a single step in this direction to alleviate the people's distress. Solving internal problems and maintaining the nation is more important than relations with other countries. We have repeatedly said that if you change your internal policies, at least your opponents inside will decrease." On Friday, August 4, Mawlawi Abdulhamid's absence from the Friday prayer speech in Zahedan raised questions among his audience. The information office of the Zahedan Friday Prayer Leader responded to this ambiguity in a statement, saying, "Sheikh al-Islam Mawlawi Abdulhamid was present at the Friday prayer ceremony in Zahedan on August 4, 1402, but due to minor illness, he did not give a speech at this ceremony." Additionally, the news agency of the Iranian Human Rights Activists reported that Abdulalim Ismailzahi, the son of Mawlawi Abdulhamid, was summoned to the Zahedan Intelligence Department on Wednesday, August 2, and was interrogated. He was also asked to appear at the IRGC Intelligence Department in Zahedan on Saturday, August 5. Following the killing of dozens of worshippers in the "Bloody Friday" incident in Zahedan on September 30 last year, the city has been the scene of anti-government protests every Friday after Mawlawi Abdulhamid's often critical sermons. In these demonstrations, people emphasize the need to identify, introduce, and deal with the perpetrators of the Bloody Friday incident in Zahedan.