TALK ABOVE A WHISPER

TALIK ABOVE A WHISPER

According to the Articles 5 and 111 of the Iranian Constitution being just and pious are the most important qualities of the Supreme Leader. Should he becomes incapable of meeting his constitutional characteristics, he will be dismissed. These Articles among a few others are the foundation of an anonymous letter written by a group of Iranian clerics demanding the Assembly of Experts to dismiss the Supreme Leader. The move is the latest and perhaps strongest blow to the Supreme Leader’s reputation in the aftermath of the disputed election on 12th of June. Giving the anonymous nature of the letter, its authenticity as well as its effectiveness is in question. However, the letter indicates the vulnerability of someone who has been untouchable for many years. The synergistic effect of the letter with the slogans such as “death to Khamenei” recently shouted by Iranians in demonstrations could be the last straw for the Supreme Leader’s authority.

The clerics who wrote the letter decided to practice Taqieh,” Muslims have every right to lie or not to tell the whole truth to deceive their adversaries for expediency.” They also complained about the enormous pressure on clerics to keep them silent in case they would turn the more traditional section of the society against the regime. The clerics found this impossible to disclose their identity because of their fear of Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guard and secret services.

The bravery and nobility of the clerics who wrote the letter can not be over stressed because by criticizing the Supreme Leader they have touched one of the most sensitive issues inside the establishment. They have clearly passed the red line which was unimaginable before the events of last few weeks.

For the last two months, the whole world has been watching the brutality of the Iranian regime against its own people. The harsh crackdown on the street protests, mass trial, forced confession, torture, rape and killing were all witnessed by viewers around the world. It is the Iranian people who have been shouldering the responsibility of this campaign. The mothers who have lost their loved ones and still looking for justice, the fathers who lost their children in the cemetery and days after had to bury them in the same place, these are the people who are under enormous pressure. For those prisoners who would have to suffer from the post traumatic disorder for the rest of their lives the meaning of the pressure is more than just a feeling. Those boys and girls who were savagely been raped in the darkness of solitary confinement surely deserve more than an anonymous letter. May be and just may be it is not a good time to practice Taqieh. These people definitely need action and they need it now. Tomorrow is too late.

Shahin M