Resistance Against Pressure Groups; Reformists' Presence in Universities

In its Tuesday issue, the newspaper Qanoon published a note by Sadegh Zibakalam warning about the consequences of 'Iranizing Ashura and Muharram,' stating: 'Aside from the historical inaccuracies of such a connection, it is also not a correct action from the perspective of increasing differences between Shia and Sunni.' Sadegh Zibakalam, a university professor and political analyst, emphasized in his note that 'we should not Iranize Ashura and Arbaeen,' warning about the repercussions of such actions and stating: 'Muharram, Karbala, and Ashura are part of Islamic history and cannot be attributed to Iranian nationalistic motives or 'Pan-Persianism' on one hand and anti-Arab racist sentiments on the other against Arabs and other sects.' Meanwhile, the newspaper Resalat quoted Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, in its front page, stating: 'The massive Arbaeen march is a combination of faith and love and is one of the divine rituals,' adding, 'I wish we could be with the Arbaeen pilgrims.' The newspaper Shahrevand dedicated its front page photo to 'crowds behind the borders of Iraq,' reporting: 'While reports indicate an unprecedented crowd behind the Mehran, Shalamcheh, and Chazabeh borders, the deputy commander of the police force says pilgrims should return to their cities of origin, as there is no possibility for them to exit the country.' The newspaper reported: 'Two days before this year's Arbaeen, the Mehran border, one of the main terminals for travelers and pilgrims, was closed, and now visas are only being issued in Ahvaz, Kermanshah, and Mashhad.' Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, the lawyer for some detained journalists, denied the statements made by Ahmad Khatami and the news published in media close to conservatives regarding these journalists, stating to the newspaper Bahar: 'No confessions have been made, nor has anyone been released.' The newspaper Arman reported that according to the deputy of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, eight people died in Kerman due to swine flu. The newspaper wrote: 'While the travel of hundreds of thousands of Iranians to Iraq has increased warnings about the entry of infectious diseases into the country, according to a news report released yesterday, eight citizens in Kerman have contracted the dangerous swine flu and lost their lives.' The newspaper Etemad, while publishing two photos on its front page of reformist figures at various universities, wrote: 'The opening of the political space at universities took on a different color and flavor with the presence of Mohammad Reza Aref, a prominent academic figure of the reformists, and subsequently, Mohammad Reza Khatami, Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, Ali Shakouri Rad, Elias Hazrati, Azar Mansouri, Elaheh Koulaei, and several other reformist figures went to the meeting halls of various universities to express their positions and those of the reformist front under the pretext of inaugurating a student organization or for a political occasion.' This newspaper reported that Azar Mansouri, a member of the Central Council of the Unity Party of Islamic Iran, who was attacked and had her speech canceled in Yasouj two days ago, was the main speaker at the 'Women and Challenges Ahead' conference at Isfahan University on Tuesday. The newspaper Shargh also reported on its front page Ali Motahari's emphasis on 'resistance against pressure groups,' quoting this representative as saying: 'We must resist and confront pressure groups because these actions harm the revolution instead of helping it.' The newspaper Javan, close to the Revolutionary Guards, reported on its front page about 'the beginning of the separation of moderation from reformism,' stating: 'Some previous speculations about the possibility of an alliance between reformists and moderates have proven incorrect, and new alliances are emerging in the political arena; alliances that could disrupt previous perspectives on the election results and, of course, significantly impact the final results on March 9.' This newspaper emphasized that 'on the other hand, conservatives are not in a favorable position either and must act with greater decisiveness to maintain their unity.' The newspaper Tehadol reported on 'the liberalization of airline ticket prices on 170 routes,' quoting officials from the Civil Aviation Organization stating: 'After extensive expert work and based on the implementation of a clause from the country's fifth development plan and the approval of the Supreme Council of Civil Aviation, ticket prices on 170 domestic routes have been liberalized, while 87 routes remain under supportive pricing.' According to this newspaper, Reza Jafarzadeh, the public relations manager of the Civil Aviation Organization, stated that the reason for liberalizing ticket prices on these routes is 'to enhance safety, create competition in service delivery, and provide options for passengers,' adding that 'the routes where ticket prices have been liberalized include those leading to Kish and Qeshm Islands, oil cities, and new routes,' while 'the ticket prices for some air routes leading to Tabriz, Yazd, Rasht, Sari, Nowshahr, Zabol, Isfahan, Ahvaz, Abumusa, Chabahar, Bushehr, Zahedan, Shiraz, Bandar Abbas, Kerman, Gorgan, Ardabil, Zanjan, Khorramabad, Birjand, Bojnourd, Urmia, Dezful, Arak, Ilam, Sanandaj, Yasouj, Sirjan, Lar, Rafsanjan, Bam, Shahrekord, Shahrud, Sabzevar, and Tabas remain supportive.' The newspaper Jahan San'at reported that 'the latest report from the Central Bank on the developments in Iran's monetary sector indicates an increase of 11.5% in the total liquidity of the country in the first six months of the current year,' while 'this growth rate during the same period last year, from the beginning of Farvardin to the end of Shahrivar 93, was 10.4%, indicating an acceleration in the growth of liquidity in the country.' This newspaper also quoted economic experts warning of a potential 'jump in inflation rates in the near future' due to the increase in liquidity. Zibakalam's warning about the consequences of 'Iranizing Ashura and Arbaeen' was reiterated in the newspaper Qanoon, which published a note by Sadegh Zibakalam warning about the consequences of 'Iranizing Ashura and Muharram,' stating: 'Aside from the historical inaccuracies of such a connection, it is also not a correct action from the perspective of increasing differences between Shia and Sunni.' Sadegh Zibakalam, a university professor and political analyst, emphasized in his note that 'we should not Iranize Ashura and Arbaeen,' warning about the repercussions of such actions and stating: 'Muharram, Karbala, and Ashura are part of Islamic history and cannot be attributed to Iranian nationalistic motives or 'Pan-Persianism' on one hand and anti-Arab racist sentiments on the other against Arabs and other sects.' The author of the Qanoon newspaper note quoted phrases such as 'Ashura is our national identity,' 'Ashura is intertwined with Iranian identity,' 'the world today recognizes Karbala and Ashura with Iran and Iranian identity,' 'it has been the pride of Iran and Iranians throughout history that they have not allowed the flag of Karbala and Ashura to fall,' and 'Iran and Iranians have been the revivers of true Islam in the guise of Shia,' stating that the enthusiastic commemoration of Muharram and Ashura over 14 centuries, despite all pressures and hardships, is a proud testament to this claim. Zibakalam wrote: 'I do not know how much insistence on presenting Muharram and Ashura as Iranian and linking it to Shia is historically accurate. Aside from the historical inaccuracies of such a connection, it is also not a correct action from the perspective of increasing differences between Shia and Sunni.' The author of the Qanoon newspaper note wrote: 'Aside from the problem of Iranizing Muharram and Ashura, we have been witnessing the tradition of walking to Karbala during Arbaeen for several years. A tradition that our state television has also insisted on and heavily promoted, and efforts are being made to increase the number of Arbaeen pilgrims as much as possible.' Zibakalam noted that this year, 'the tragic and sorrowful Mina incident and the potential threat of ISIS attacks after the Paris events have added to the fervor of walking to Karbala for Arbaeen.' He wrote: 'There is no doubt that many Iranians have been Shia for centuries, but Muharram and Ashura took on a different fervor since the Safavid era. Of course, before the Safavid dynasty came to power, Shia commemorated Muharram and Ashura, but with the establishment of the Safavid dynasty and Shia becoming the official religion of Iranians, it was natural that the dimensions of Muharram and its mourning would increase.' According to Zibakalam, paying attention to this historical background raises many ambiguities and questions regarding the attempt to create an 'Iranian identity' for Muharram and Ashura, as 'according to what the great figures of Shia have always emphasized, the uprising of Abab Abdullah and his 72 companions against the oppression of the Umayyad government was an effort to revive and restore the Sharia of Islam to what it was during the time of the Prophet.' Zibakalam emphasized that 'there seems to be a deep gap between the motivation of Imam Hussein to stand against Yazid's government and what some have been propagating in recent years in Iran, namely the creation of a Shia identity or a 'Shia Islamic Iranian' identity.' He wrote: 'Essentially, considering Karbala and the uprising of Abab Abdullah as a Shia protest movement against other Islamic sects is very much worth pondering, let alone that we want to mix elements of Iranian identity and Iranian nationalism with it.' The author of the Qanoon newspaper note emphasized that 'Muharram, Karbala, and Ashura are part of Islamic history and cannot be used with Iranian nationalistic motives or Pan-Persianism on one hand and anti-Arab racist sentiments on the other against Arabs and other sects,' stating that such an approach 'is regularly increasing due to our political differences with Arabs, especially with the Saudis, and the result is the deepening historical rift between Shia and Sunni,' while 'it is difficult to confine the movement of Abab Abdullah and his companions within the framework of a specific sect.' Zibakalam also wrote: 'The Arbaeen march is gradually taking on a Shia identity, especially since some Iranians this year may not mind showing the Saudis that look, several times more pilgrims have come to Karbala than the number of Hajj pilgrims, but no crane falls on anyone, no blood comes from anyone's nose, and not even one person gets trampled due to mismanagement and incompetence of officials and planners, and ultimately this message is also sent to ISIS that your threats could not prevent the lovers of Abab Abdullah from walking to Karbala.' The author of the Qanoon newspaper note implicitly criticized the actions in the Islamic Republic to replace Arbaeen and the pilgrimage to the tomb of 'Imam Hussein' in Iraq, stating: 'Let us not forget that the goal and motivation of Imam Hussein and his companions was to revive and reform the religion of his grandfather; undoubtedly, Arbaeen and the pilgrimage to 'that severed head' have their place, and the Hajj to the House of God has its place.' The lawyer for detained journalists denied Ahmad Khatami's statements. Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, the lawyer for some detained journalists, in response to Ahmad Khatami's statements and the news published in media close to conservatives, told the newspaper Bahar: 'No confessions have been made, nor has anyone been released.' This newspaper noted the continued detention of several journalists, including Eisa Saharkhiz, Ehsan Mazandarani, Afrin Chitsaz, and Saman Safarzadeh, stating: 'The case of the detained journalists is under the title of the project to combat 'influence,' and in recent weeks, some conservative media have raised many margins regarding this matter. According to the newspaper Bahar, the detention of these journalists 'was welcomed by some members of parliament and political figures, as Ahmad Khatami, a member of the Assembly of Experts, stated about these detentions: Recently, journalists who were arrested for collaborating with the United States stated in their confessions that they received some articles, were paid, and then manipulated the articles and provided them to American newspapers. These issues are very important, and we must be vigilant about them.' However, Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, the lawyer for Ehsan Mazandarani, the editor-in-chief of the Farhikhtegan newspaper, and Eisa Saharkhiz, denied Ahmad Khatami's statements and the media reports close to conservatives, stating: 'I must clearly say that I, as the lawyer of the case, can be present and be informed during the preliminary investigation stages of the case, and I do not have information about the details of the case to explain or publish news about it. How can Mr. Ahmad Khatami, who has no position in this case, know about the precise process of the case? Therefore, his words cannot be accurate and correct, and I explicitly deny such statements because I have not heard such things at least from my two clients, namely Mr. Saharkhiz and Mazandarani.' The lawyer for Eisa Saharkhiz and Ehsan Mazandarani also stated: 'Since the preliminary investigations of the case have been declared confidential, I have not been provided with any information so far,' and 'I emphasize that when the preliminary investigations of the case are confidential and the lawyer of the case is not informed, why should some media owners and speakers make statements on behalf of themselves about the case that are not accurate and precise? It is better to let the case go through its normal course.' Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai also denied the news published in the Tasnim news agency quoting him about the possibility of 'Ehsan Mazandarani's release within 24 hours on bail,' stating: 'Unfortunately, the officials...