Molavi Abdolhamid Criticizes Khamenei: No Need for Referendum, Listen to the People

Abdolhamid Ismailzahi, known as Molavi Abdolhamid, criticized Ali Khamenei during Friday prayers in Zahedan, stating that instead of a referendum, officials should consider remedies and heed the people's demands, as the outcome of a referendum is already known. On Friday, April 27, he said: 'Any regime in the world, Islamic or non-Islamic, must be with the people, and no regime can survive by force.' He referred to Khamenei's remarks rejecting a referendum, saying: 'It has been said that people want a referendum because they are hopeless. One official rejected this proposal because they know and it is clear what the people want. When the result of a referendum is obvious, what is the need for a referendum? When the outcome is clear, it is better to think of remedies and solutions. I recommend that you listen to the people's voices and comply with their demands. These same people voted overwhelmingly for the Islamic Republic in '57.' Last month, Khamenei stated that various issues in the country are not subject to a referendum. Previously, some opponents, including Molavi Abdolhamid, had called for a referendum last February, stating that the only solution to the current political crisis in Iran is to hold a referendum to determine what political system the majority of the people want in Iran. Molavi Abdolhamid also advised scholars to stand with the people and urged the armed forces not to confront the people, saying: 'You are the children of the people, and if the people want change from you, change yourselves.' He pointed to the strikes of oil project workers, stating that the national currency has completely lost its value and the people's problems are serious, with no action seen from officials. He lamented the many problems in the country, noting widespread strikes among workers and factories, with workers claiming they cannot live on their wages. Many are so underpaid that they sleep on the streets. This is a difficult situation for the Iranian nation. Inflation and rising prices have emerged, and people are caught in many problems, with no action taken by officials to resolve these issues. He further stated that actions that upset the people should not be taken. The judiciary assured us that the issue of Bloody Friday would be handled impartially, but now they say they cannot seek retribution because they do not know who was hit by the bullet... How is it that you identified the killer of that officer and executed him? When the people kill an officer, you find them immediately, but when an officer kills people, you cannot find them. He added: '38 of the victims of Bloody Friday were declared martyrs. I consider this a positive point as it is a kind of acknowledgment of the victimization of these people. These people were unjustly killed. This was not human error. In hunting, a person may be killed by human error, but what you did was not human error. Who ordered these actions? The people want to know who gave the orders for these attacks.'