Motahari: They Do Not Allow Criticism of the Leader

Ali Motahari stated that Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, has declared that he welcomes criticism. He mentioned that 'some do not allow opposing views regarding the leader and have become more fervent than the soup itself, while the leader's opinion is not such.' On Sunday, December 6, Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran in the parliament, participated in a student meeting at Allameh Tabatabai University, discussing the criticism of the leader, the 2009 elections, the house arrest situation, and relations with the United States. According to ISNA, Motahari mentioned the possibility of criticizing the leader, saying, 'The leadership has stated in meetings with students that I welcome criticism; however, unfortunately, there are those who do not allow opposing views to be expressed.' He added, 'Even the infallibles encouraged criticism of themselves in their time, let alone the non-infallible leader.' Motahari did not provide further details about the 'group' that does not allow opposing views against Khamenei. His remarks about Khamenei's 'welcoming' of criticism come at a time when journalists and others in the Islamic Republic, including some workers, have faced imprisonment for their criticisms, labeled as 'insulting the leader.' Among them is Mohammad Nourizad, a writer and political activist critical of the Iranian government, who has faced imprisonment and beatings after publishing critical letters addressed to the leader. In another part of his speech, Motahari referred to the oversight of institutions affiliated with the leader, saying, 'The parliament has made considerations regarding this issue and the entry of some military personnel into the economic sphere, which will also cause problems in the future.' Regarding freedom of expression, Motahari noted that 'in some periods, freedom of expression has been acceptable,' stating, 'During the reform period, we enjoyed a good level of freedom of expression, and during the ninth government, there was also a degree of acceptable freedom of expression, but since the 2009 elections, freedom of expression has been restricted.' This parliament member also pointed out that he has always believed that the events of 2009 do not have a single culprit, stating, 'There are three roots to consider for those events: one is the mistakes of certain institutions, the second is the mischief of Mr. Ahmadinejad, and the third is the non-compliance with the law by Mr. Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mr. Mehdi Karroubi, who should have ended their protests sooner.' A member of the Cultural Commission of the parliament added, 'The actions of all influential individuals in those circumstances should be considered before making decisions about those events; it is not right to imprison three people and connect them to America and Israel, then say we will release them whenever we want.' Motahari, who claims to be the first to use the term 'fitna,' said, 'Initially, some principlists also doubted whether there was fraud in the elections; I might have been the first person to use the term fitna, but it is not right to misuse this word; we should not label anyone as a fitna-maker under any pretext.' The issue of the ban on broadcasting images of Mohammad Khatami was another topic discussed in this meeting. Motahari stated, 'The issue of Mr. Khatami being banned from being pictured is similar to the story of house arrest, and no one should be punished without a judicial order; when the issue of his broadcasting ban was raised in parliament, I asked the prosecutor what your evidence for enforcing this order is, and he had no answer.' Despite judicial officials emphasizing Khatami's broadcasting ban, the daily Information on Sunday, December 6, published an interview with Khatami along with a photo of this meeting. The parliament representative further stated regarding relations with the United States, 'We must enter into relations with any country while emphasizing our principles; in my opinion, if we enter into relations with the United States under these conditions, the revolution will not come to an end.'