Special Clergy Court Dismisses Sunni Cleric from Friday Prayer Leadership

The special clergy court in Mashhad has dismissed a Sunni cleric from leading Friday prayers. The Baloch Activists Campaign reported that this cleric, Molavi Abdol-Ahad Parsa, was previously the Friday prayer leader in the village of Taghan and the head of the religious school in that village. This human rights campaign has also confirmed that this cleric is one of the prominent scholars in South Khorasan province. The Baloch Activists Campaign, citing an informed source, stated: 'Security agencies have also threatened the residents of Taghan village that if they protest the issued ruling and support Molavi Parsa, they will be deprived of all government services and budget allocations for the village council.' This informed source believes that the dismissal of Molavi Parsa is due to his support for Molavi Abdolhamid, the Sunni Friday prayer leader in Zahedan. The Baloch Activists Campaign has also reported that Molavi Parsa has been interrogated and threatened several times by security agencies following his support for Molavi Abdolhamid. Molavi Abdolhamid, the Sunni Friday prayer leader in Zahedan, stated on Friday, June 15, 2024, in his recent remarks regarding the presidential elections in July, that 'the president in Iran cannot do anything.' He emphasized that the prohibition of registration and participation of 'women' and 'Sunnis' for the presidency, as stated in Article 115 of the Constitution, is not in accordance with 'Islamic Sharia and international laws,' and for the past 45 years, three groups—'women,' 'Sunnis,' and those qualified and capable individuals who do not belong to a specific religious and political spectrum—have always been deprived of a significant right. Reports published in recent years indicate that the Islamic Republic has intensified its crackdown on Sunni clerics following the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests. In this context, the judiciary of the Islamic Republic had issued a death sentence for Mohammad Khodrnejad, a Kurdish Sunni scholar from the city of Boukan and one of the detainees of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests, which was recently commuted to imprisonment due to 'expressing remorse' and 'commitment to good behavior.' The Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, announced on Tuesday, June 11, the reduction of the sentence. The crackdown on Sunni clerics continues while the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom expressed concern in a statement following the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests about the intensified pressure on religious minorities in Iran and the detention of their leaders. The statement emphasized that many Sunni religious leaders, including those who called for peaceful dialogue between protesters and the government, have also been detained by the Islamic Republic. According to reports, the advocacy of Sunni clerics, particularly Molavi Abdolhamid, the Friday prayer leader in Zahedan, and the support of Sunni clerics for him are among the main factors behind the security and judicial actions against this group of clerics within the structure of the Islamic Republic.