Molavi Abdolhamid: Imprisonment and Killing Are Not Solutions

The Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, Molavi Abdolhamid, stated in his sermon on May 5 that arresting, imprisoning, and killing are not solutions; rather, dialogue, listening to opposing views, and the satisfaction of the people are the ways out of the current crisis. He warned that the path the government is taking leads to a dead end. In another part of his speech, he mentioned that the government had many opportunities to lift sanctions but instead wasted them. According to Molavi Abdolhamid, the sanctions benefited certain individuals and 'aqa-zadeh' (children of influential figures) who sold oil on the black market but did not benefit the people. He referred to corruption and embezzlement, indicating that there are whispers about selling many other things. The Sunni Friday prayer leader emphasized that governance is not done this way. Following Abdolhamid's speech, the people of Zahedan, like the previous seven months, held protests to express their opposition to the Islamic Republic. In one of the videos shared on social media, a group of protesters in Zahedan chanted, 'Basiji Sepahi Daesh, you are the one.' In another instance, protesters shouted 'Freedom, freedom.' Another slogan from the protesting Zahedanis was 'Khamenei, have shame, leave the country.' After dozens of worshippers were killed in the 'Bloody Friday' of Zahedan on October 8 last year, this city has witnessed anti-government protests every Friday following Molavi Abdolhamid's often critical sermons, during which protesters have chanted slogans against the entirety of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei, the Revolutionary Guards, and other government institutions.