HUGE CONFLICT WITHIN
RELIGIOUS CIRCLES AND ITS REPURCUSSIONS
As it has
been expressed in Iranian history, the struggle between the
two religious societies in the river basin of Almiyyah of
the city Qom reveals step by step the point of views based
on the country’s political structure and religious sects.
These contradictory opinions makes us remind the religious
conflict during the Mashruteh period between the supporters
of the totalitarian regime and the supporters of the
constitutional monarchy.
In the
present day, there is an ongoing dispute between the
Official Ruhaniyat (spiritual) formation of the Hozaya
Almiyyah (Qom Religious Schools) and the group called
“Researchers”. The first formation consists of clergy that
have not been the students of Khomeini and who since the
very beginning of the revolution have opposed his opinions
and ideology. The second formation consists of the students
of Khomeini and those who have followed his path. The second
formation has continuously been pressurized on various
pretexts and especially after the death of Khomeini this
pressure has increased.
The
official pro-state Hozaya Almiyyah Qom is headed by former
Judicial Power President Sheikh Mohammad Yazdi, who is known
for his closeness to the religious leader. The second
formation is headed by Mousavi Tabrizi who used to be the
prosecutor-general during the Khomeini period. It is
possible to observe traces of the reactionary Hojatiyyah
movement in the Hozaya Almiyyah Qom. Those who have suffered
from the reactionary Hojatiyah have gathered in the second
formation. Thus, it is possible to better understand the
statements made by Hosein Mousavi Tabrizi about Ahmadinejad.
Mousavi Tabrizi is criticizing the claims of Ahmadinejad
concerning Imam Zaman and his saying that “the actual
purpose of the USA in occupying Iraq is to prevent
doomsday”. He states that: “Criticizing everyone and
everything and relating every affair with Imam Zaman is
nothing more than wasting the time of the people.
Unfortunately, in the present day, the ideas and opinions of
the reactionary Hojatiyyah associations are spreading within
society. Nevertheless, the progressive Hojatiyyah
associations are also active. Relating these with Imam
Zaman, while ignoring all the problems, shall only serve the
enemies and lead Iran to a tragic end. Prior to the
revolution, they used these same words to decrease the
responsibilities of the Shah. Pahlavi liked this rhetoric
and naturally the USA gave support for the spreading of
these ideas.”
Recently,
there is increasing tension between Masbah Yazdi and his
entourage and the institutions that adopt different
opinions. Some Friday Prayers and their leader Mesbah Yazdi,
known as the most important supporters of Ahmadinejad, act
stealthily in order to gain power. The activities of this
formation are worth of attention and should be examined
carefully. On the other hand, it should also be examined
whether there is any relation between the recent conflicts
among the RGA commanders with this formation. Yet, some
commanders from the RGA and the Security Forces are attached
to or feel sympathy for the Masbah Yazdi movement.
This
conflict within the state continues in the recent years as a
back stage struggle. The first indications of the struggle
between Masbah Yazdi and his entourage at one hand and the
other groups at the other hand were manifest in the election
of the chairmanship of the Khobragan Majlas. Ayatollah
Jannati and his supporter Masbah were defeated by
Rafsanjani. The reshuffle of the RGA and Security Forces
commanders was, as a matter of fact, an important dimension
of this conflict.
Following
the general elections, another dimension of these conflicts
was revealed with the reorganization process of the 8th
Majlis. When electing the Speaker of the Majlas, Ali
Larijani defeated and replaced the former Speaker Haddad
Adel. It is apparent that these two rivals are not mullahs.
However, Haddad Adal is a relative of the religious leader
and known for his closeness to him. Ali Larijani, who
entered the Majlis with the highest record of votes in Qom,
belongs to a family with an important religious reputation.
In previous periods, one of the deputies elected in Teheran
was filling this post. But, this time somebody from Qom has
taken over this office. In this way the traditional clergy
oligarchy has entered the majlis.
The
election of Larijani as the speaker of the majlis is not a
positive development for Ahmadinejad. Yet, these two figures
have repeatedly opposed each other due to the disputes on
nuclear efforts and the forceful resignation of Larijani as
the head negotiator on nuclear activities. Now the situation
is different, because this time Ahmadinejad is encountering
a Larijani who has a “strong support basis”. From now on,
Ahmadinejad has to become closer to the religious leader
since he has lost the support of Haddad Adal. However, this
closeness shall not be sufficient to be re-elected as
president in the coming elections. Because, the economic,
political and social report of Ahmadinejad is not very
brilliant. It seems that the time has come for Larijani and
his supporters…
