Statement from the Sunni Imam of Zahedan Regarding the Hajj Trip of Molavi Abdolhamid; 'A Lie' and Part of a 'Destruction Project'

The office of the Sunni Imam of Zahedan issued a statement on Tuesday, June 19, denying claims from a domestic news agency that Molavi Abdolhamid used 'forged documents and receipts' for his Hajj trip, calling it baseless and entirely false, and considering the dissemination of such 'lies' as part of a 'destruction project.' The statement from the office declared: 'After officials prevented the Hajj trip of Sheikh al-Islam Molavi Abdolhamid, some government-affiliated media have resorted to spreading falsehoods, accusing him of document forgery without mentioning his name. It is quite surprising that not only have they obstructed Sheikh al-Islam Molavi Abdolhamid's Hajj trip, but they have also denied his close associates and guards the opportunity to partake in this spiritual and worshipful journey, which contradicts the explicit text of the Holy Quran that instructs not to prevent anyone from the path of God and the Sacred Mosque.' The statement continued: 'Following this decision by government institutions, apart from the news dissemination, no actions have been taken by Sheikh al-Islam and his office; there have been no complaints or outcries. However, the publication of this news, which has tarnished the reputation of narrow-minded decision-makers, has compelled them to resort to accusations and slander, claiming that Sheikh al-Islam's Hajj receipt was forged! While this is a pure lie, Sheikh al-Islam is fundamentally opposed to forgery and lies.' The office emphasized that 'all documents related to this trip are held at the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, yet some media affiliated with government institutions are attempting to mislead public opinion and justify the erroneous and narrow-minded actions of the government, continuing their project to discredit critics. Those hiding behind these media, shamelessly spreading falsehoods, are the greatest enemies of these media, causing their discredit in society and among the general public.' On Tuesday, June 19, unofficial news sources also reported that the Intelligence Organization of the IRGC attempted to carry out a 'biological assassination' of the Sunni Imam of Zahedan, but this attempt was thwarted with the identification and arrest of an individual assigned to assassinate Molavi Abdolhamid. The Telegram channel 'Hal-Vash,' which covers human rights news related to Sistan and Baluchestan, reported, citing unnamed sources, that the security of the Makki Mosque in Zahedan arrested an individual disguised as a religious student who was assigned by the IRGC to assassinate Molavi Abdolhamid with 'poison.' According to this report, the individual is a 'Baluch' residing in the 'Delgan region' of Sistan and Baluchestan and had been living as a pious individual in the mosque, sleeping and worshipping there for a long time. However, the Fars news agency, affiliated with the IRGC, reacted to this news by stating: 'According to an informed source, individuals affiliated with Molavi Abdolhamid suspected a Sunni student of theft on June 17 and illegally detained him, and after three days of detention, handed him over to security officials, claiming he intended to steal and poison, but that individual denied these allegations in the presence of the son and office manager of Abdolhamid.' Fars further claimed: 'Based on investigations, the detained individual is from Chabahar and has a history of attending a religious school and several thefts. He stated that during the three days of detention, he was repeatedly interrogated and subjected to mental and physical torture, and Abdolhamid's agents forced him to repeat their statements.' Since October 2022, coinciding with nationwide protests in Iran and the killing of hundreds of protesters after Friday prayers in Zahedan by the security forces of the Islamic Republic, Zahedan has continuously witnessed public protests against the Islamic Republic led by Molavi Abdolhamid every Friday. According to leaked documents from the IRGC-affiliated news agency, the conclusion of the Supreme National Security Council and the Law Enforcement Forces in recent months was that Molavi Abdolhamid should be arrested, but in those documents, Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, ordered that 'during the review of the protests in Zahedan, Molavi Abdolhamid should not be arrested; rather, he should be discredited.'