CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE OR FACE COLLAPSE, AYATOLLAH MONTAZERI WARNED
PARIS 18 July (IPS) Grand Ayatollah Hoseinali Montazeri warned that if the present leaders of the Islamic Republic do not adopt a "deep and basic change" in their attitude and behaviour with the society and the people, "it does not bode well for the future of the nation and the theocracy".
Answering questions faxed to him by the daily "L’Humanite", the organ of the French Communist Party, the dissident Ayatollah who lives under house arrest conditions in his residence in the city of Qom stressed that the warnings, criticism and observations he addresses to some of the leaders stems from the very same fears.
Mr. Montazeri, the highest religious authorities for the Muslim Shi’a, was placed under house arrest in October 1977 after he openly questioned the religious legitimacy and political credibility of Ayatollah Ali Khamenehe'i, the present leader of the Islamic Republic.
In an open letter addressed to the country’s senior clerics, more than five hundreds clergymen of various rank and different cities and religious circles called for the immediate and unconditional freedom of the Grand Ayatollah.
"The future of the country and the regime depends to the change in attitude of the present rulers in relation to the people and the goals of the revolution", Mr. Montazeri observed.
Ms. Francoise Germain-Robin filed the questions to Mr. Montazeri, who was dismissed as the heir to the regime by Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini months before his death on 1989, after Mr. Montazeri openly opposed the mass execution of political prisoners.
The Persian text of the questions and answers are reproduced by "Iran Emrooz", a Persian-language internet daily based in Germany.
Describing secularism and the separation of the faith from politics as the "natural result" of the defeat of religious governments, Mr. Montazeri said every time and every where that religion becomes a tool of politic and employed for political objectives or suppressing people’s freedoms, the natural reaction to it is secularism.
"If in our country the same situation occurs, where unfortunately we are witnessing that it is happening, the destiny will not be different", Mr. Montazeri pointed out.
After having noted that the present complex system of Iranian government he described as a "vicious circle", Mr. Montazeri suggested the revision and reform of some of the principles and articles of the Constitution as the "only way" to get out of the mess he was instrumental in its formulation and proposed to either merge the positions of the president and the leader in one and given to one single man or to place all the levers of the power in the hands of the pfresident leaving to the leader the role of the guide.
"If not, the contradictions and challenges would accumulate, preventing naturally the development and prosperity of the nation", he warned.
He attributed to the failure of the Islamic Republic to fulfil the revolution’s objectives and ideals to the "systematic, organised and methodical" sabotage and obstructions created by a powerful ruling faction in the one hand and the weaknesses, shortcomings and lost opportunities on the other hand, but stressed that one should not interpret people’s opposition to some of the officials with their antagonism with Islam.
Mr. Montazeri said though Islamic canons deals with both the religious and political aspects and regulates one’s whole activities, though Iranian clerics are familiar with politics and despite the fact that the Iranian clergy and clergymen played the leading role in the victory of the Islamic revolution, yet he would prefer to see them going back to their mosques, schools and teachings, leaving politics to the politicians.
"Now, since some of the clerics have occupied political positions and performed very poorly, the visage of the religion has received plenty of scars", he regretted.
Elsewhere, Mr. Montazeri denounced as "illegal and anti-religious" the imprisonment of some of outspoken clerics whom he said he knew them well and respected and described as "illegal and anti-Constitution" the notorious and controversial "Clergymen’s Special Tribunal" that, in his words, has "plagued our nation for many years". MONTAZERI L’HUMANITE 18701