Ardavan Taheri/Radio Koocheh
a.taheri@koochehmail.com
Translated from Persian by Avideh Motmaen-Far
avideh@avideh.net
“Ahmad Jannati” is the controversial Guardian Council Secretary who recently, by the order of the Supreme Leader of Iran, was retained as one of the Guardian Council jurisprudents. ”Jannati” whose opponents accuse him of having an obvious influence on the fate of Islamic Councils elections, parliament and presidency, has had a clear opposing position – even hostile- with reformists and in the recent months and after the Coup of 12 June 2009 has repeatedly used the Friday Prayer Tribune to destroy the reformists within the Islamic Republic. “Ahmad Jannati” whose name has been stirred with the supervision and approvals was a huge fan of “Mahmoud Ahmadinejad” in the recent presidential election, and as a temporary Tehran’s Friday Prayer Imam, protests against the green movement’s leaders that he calls ” intrigue leaders ” and accuse of receiving foreign aid for ”velvet revolution”.
After the public accusations of “Ahmad Jannati” against reformers, prominent individuals and leaders of reformist faction protesting the election results, in a clear and coordinated position, showed their querulousness to the obvious scandal mongering of Guardian Council secretary.
“Seyed Mohamad Khatami”, former Iranian President responded to the charges of “Ahmad Jannati “, and even ‘Mr. Mousavi” and “Karroubi”, the two green movement leaders, demanded religious leaders to react to such illegal behavior of “Ahmad Jannati “.
Mahdi Khazali: “A regime who believes in the legitimacy of a leadership should accept that responsibility involves the leadership as well. I mean if you gave him the legitimacy, should ask him the responsibility as well.”
Meanwhile, “Mahdi Khazali” in the past few years, contrary to his father,( “Ayatollah Abolghasem Khazali”, Guardian Council member and former member of the Assembly of Experts and radical advocate of “Ahmadinejad”) has had an explicit critical position against ”Ahmadinejad” and the radical political faction in Iran, and released in his blog an article entitled ”Jannati; have you faith?”. This was the opportunity have a chat through the ”Kooche Mahtabi” with ”Doctor Mahdi Khazali” that we can listen to together.
For the audience of Radio Koocheh Mr.” Khazali” talks about his motivation of writing this text:
”What I wrote is a deep belief since I was a teenager about the character of “Jannati” and I actually reached the conclusion that his beliefs are weak, or if that is the interpretation of this religion and not the religion that we believe in, in his mind he is very weak. And what he said this time, his baseless accusations created in me the incentive to react to him, because so far he has done whatever he has wanted. Some accuses -it’s a good discussion – him of being involved in crimes, steeling and more- to quote Mr. Karoubi. But this becomes the old game of ” throw a rock to the rock thrower”.
I wanted to respond by a story or a story from the Quran. Once when ”Abo Lahab” and his wife had hurt the prophet, God brought such a shame on them that they had to stay home. I wanted to put his real personage on display with this true tale. What I wrote is very true, word for word and was more than these, but I wanted to give people the opportunity to feel his true character through a story. He wants to stay in power, the question of religion and honor is another degree for him, once we made something and we put the name of the ”supreme leader” on it , but what we know is that he is very feeble-mindedness and power lover and he does anything to stay in power, even denying his own son.”
”Mahdi Khazali” has brought his protest to another level by his trial plan for ”Ahmad Jannati” and explains:
“But the important discussion that I would like to pronounce is that Mr.” Jannati” should be tried and we should be able to pursue this; him at least. Because Mr. ”Jannati ” is only a vadimonium, this is the secret of his being 30 years in the Guardian Council.”
“Doctor Khazali” believes that in dealing with the secretary of the Guardian Council in a legal manner, we must enter in the details and avoid the general accusations:
“Instead of generally speaking, I should say, we should give details. For example, Mr. ”Bigdeli”, a cleric from Zanjan applied his candidacy for the Leadership Assembly, did the test, and Mr. “Momen” calls him telling him that he has passed the test and obtained the best result. Shortly after “Jannati”s secretary calls him saying that Mr. ”Jannati “said that he did not pass the test. Mr. ”Begdeli” laughs and when asked why he laughs he answers that there is a huge gap between the first rank and not passing at all. Finally Mr. ”Karoubi” intervenes and Mr. ”Momen” says that he has passed with the best result but Mr. ”Jannati” does not want him on the job. So he goes to see Mr. ”Jahromi” a member of Guardian Council. Mr. Jahromi tells him “your file shows nothing, only the Ministry of Information has been informed by the police of Zanjan, that you have been arrested 10 days for insulting the Imam. They call the police and the head of police says;” there is not such thing, this is a lie.
” Then Mr. “Momen” and Mr. “Larijani”- now the head of the [Judiciary] – tell him he is accepted and they have rejected two other people; academic disqualification. Then Mr. ”Jannati” sends a letter to the Friday Prayer Imam telling him that he is approved and confirmed by the Governor General , and lies, lies, lies, and lies brings other lies, so finally the Friday Prayer Imam of Zanjan is chosen and not our Mr. ”Bigdeli”. This is one of the members who entered the ”Assembly of Experts”. Let’s check this file. You were the same person who said that Friday Prayer Imam was rejected and he is confirmed by somebody else and bring another person from another city, so he is not the only candidate, because he could not compete with himself. They bring another candidate from another city so he can come to the television and tells people to vote for the Friday Prayer Imam. This is an example of a beautiful and healthy competition! They bring another candidate to ask people to vote for the FPI. This is the ”raison d’être” of Mr. ”Jannati”. I believe that not only the reformist faction, people, anybody should do something to bring Mr. ”Jannati” who is responsible of all Guardian Council’s corruptions to the trial!”
Emphasize of “Doctor Khazali” on the trial of “Jannati” as the top offender in the Guardian Council, led me to ask him about the chain in which the Guardian Council Secretary, as an approval monitoring leverage is active and he said:
”Naturally, a whole is guided in this path, but I will mention that in the council.”
I asked ”Mahdi Khazali”: Considering the retention of “Ahmad Jannati” in Guardian Council for six more years by the Supreme Leader, whether the responsibility of Guardian Council Secretary violations, based on the constitution of this system, involves the Leadership?
“A regime who believes in the legitimacy of a leadership should accept that responsibility involves the leadership as well. I mean if you gave him the legitimacy, should ask him the responsibility as well. We accept that and with no compliment, for “Jannati” it is true that as a person, he is responsible, but his superior is also responsible, and the fact that he is confirmed again, is worrying. We have to work harder and not allow him to keep this seat.”
Mahdi Khazali: ”I mean we should not take Islam for responsible of what has happened so far. This is a government, who has demands, who has aspirations for power and can do anything to stay in power. None of these men behaviours can be justified with principles of Islam.”
Synchronized attacks from prominent reformists and “Mahdi Khazali” against the “Guardian Council Secretary”, have brought up this question now whether the possibility to overthrow one of the main anti-republican lumbar system, has come. Is this the reason of such coherent attacks to “Ahmad Jannati”? And “Mahdi Khazali” says:
”This is exactly the momentum that we need to get rid of him.”
”Mahdi Khazali” explains his political views and principals for the audience of Radio Koocheh:
You know, I do not have any tendency, really, and do not belong to the left or right. I agree with neither reformists nor conservatives. Maybe five years ago, I invented the word conservative reformists and reformist conservators and I believe that we need reformist conservators; A person who accepts a principle and does not develop rigour and calcification nor Dogmatism; accepts the reform. And reformist conservator who wants reform should accept a principal to pursue reforms; not trample everything! I am looking for a real religious government, unlike many who are looking for a secular system – which now has found much followers, I really believe in the Islamic system and believe that it responds to all my needs and really also believe that what is going on now is not related to Islam. I mean we should not take Islam for responsible of what has happened so far. This is a government, who has demands, who has aspirations for power and can do anything to stay in power. None of these men behaviors’ can be justified with principles of Islam. “
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