Ayatollah Seyed Jalaleddin Taheri : Iranian Election ‘Illegitimate and a Usurpation’

In citizenship, Crime, History, Internet, Iran, Islam, News, Opinion, Politics, religion, Twitter on 2 July 2009 tagged #Iranelection, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ayatollah Ali Khamieni, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Seyed Jalaleddin Taheri, Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, Guardian Council, Iran, Iranian election, Isfahan, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh, Mousavi, Rooz Online with 1 comment

Isfahan’s Ayatollah Seyed Jalaleddin Taheri has perhaps used the strongest language of a clergyman to denounce the controversial and contested tenth President election in Iran. Jalaleddin goes so far as to call the regime totalitarian and accuse them of bending Islamic doctrine to their political benefit:

This protesting cleric resigned in 2002 from his position as Isfahan’s Friday prayer leader and issued a frank public statement criticizing the policies of the Islamic republic. In his latest statement Taheri, who supported Mir-Hossein Mousavi in the recent presidential election, blasted the regime’s senior officials for supporting a particular candidate during the election: “Did the imam [Khomeini] believe that those who are supposed to be impartial should formally and official support a particular candidate? Can the Guardian Council, several of whose members publicly supported and continue to support Mir-Hossein Mousavi‘s rival, address electoral complaints?”

Isfahan’s former Friday prayer leader then made an implicit comparison between Ayatollah Khomeini and the present supreme leader, asking, “Did the imam [Khomeini] allow the public property of Muslims to be used by one candidate without any limits….and has religion given you such permission? Why does the protection of law only apply to you and your friends, and [why] do religion, law and the imam only become dear when you can benefit from them… where does your totalitarianism end?”

In the conclusion to his statement, Taheri writes, “I thought that in light of the interests of the nation, revolution and country, perhaps the regime’s officials would address irregularities that occurred prior to and during the election in a fair and just manner, but it is obvious that officials are not willing to address the fraud and rather intend to suppress the protesters using security and terror tactics. I, as a minor clergyman, in unison with the majority of people who lost their vote, consider this election to be manipulated and null, and consider the reappointment of the head of the government for a second term, to be illegitimate and a usurpation.”

This Election is Invalid [roozonline]