Sunni Friday Prayer Leader: Iran's Constitution Needs Change

Mawlawi Abdolhamid, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, emphasized on Friday, January 19, that "some articles of the Constitution need to be changed," stating that "not all problems and pressures faced by the people are economic." According to the information portal of the Sunni Friday prayer leader's office in Zahedan, Abdolhamid Ismailzahi, known as Mawlawi Abdolhamid, said in his Friday sermon this week: "Not all problems and pressures faced by the people are economic; political and social pressures must also be addressed, and all people in Iran should be free within the framework of the Constitution." These remarks come after weeks of protests and demonstrations across more than a hundred cities in Iran, which began with economic grievances and later included social and political protests against the government. The crackdown on these protests resulted in over 20 deaths and more than 3,700 arrests. During these protests, the city of Chabahar in Sistan and Baluchestan province also witnessed a protest march where demonstrators shouted, "We will take back Iran" to the government. In his Friday speech, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan added: "Unemployment and the livelihood of the people are other issues that officials must address. Religious freedoms, which are deemed legitimate according to the Constitution, must be ensured, and the demands of the people must be considered." He further emphasized that "one ethnic group should not be preferred over others due to religion," stating that "some articles of the Constitution need to be changed." The Constitution of the Islamic Republic contains discrimination against Sunnis, declaring the official religion of the country as Twelver Shia Islam in Article 12, and reserving high positions in the system, such as leadership and presidency, for Shia Muslims in Article 115, thus excluding Sunnis and followers of other sects from holding these positions. Mawlawi Abdolhamid, who is the most recognized Sunni figure within the framework of the Islamic Republic, recently reported that he faces restrictions on traveling to most provinces of Iran. A while ago, Mawlawi Abdolhamid sent a letter to Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, once again calling for the elimination of discrimination against Sunnis in Iran. In an unprecedented move, Ali Khamenei responded to this letter, defining the framework within which officials are supposed to eliminate discrimination against Sunnis as "religious teachings and the Constitution." This is while Article 12 of the Islamic Republic's Constitution declares the official religion of the country as Shia and Article 115 contains discrimination against Sunnis. Meanwhile, the "religious teachings" that the Supreme Leader referred to in his response are defined by Shia authorities in Iran, who are responsible for interpreting and extracting directives from them. Now, in this week's Friday prayer in Zahedan, Mawlawi Abdolhamid referred to Ayatollah Khamenei's response to the aforementioned letter, saying, "We expected the National Security Council to communicate the Leader's command for implementation to all branches and institutions of the system." He emphasized: "Our expectation from the President is to expedite the implementation of justice and the elimination of discrimination, urging officials not to differentiate among people and not to be influenced by local pressures that exist in some ministries and offices." The Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan reiterated: "The implementation of justice and addressing the legitimate and legal demands of the people, as well as ensuring freedom and paying attention to people's problems, can lead to sustainable security."