iran unfiltered

Kadivar, a famous liberal cleric who appears no longer to wear religious garb, has an imporant interview with Germany's Der Spiegel.  (A question for readers:  Der Spiegel indicates that Kadivar is an Ayatollah.  Is that true?  I don't believe so, but I could very well be wrong.  If you know the answer, please send a message.)

The headline screams Kadivar's supposed belief that the regime will collapse.  The truth is that Kadivar's belief is much more mild:

"Kadivar:You are right that the Shiite theocracy in its present form has failed -- a fact that few have expressed as clearly as my teacher in the last few months. Incidentally, when Grand Ayatollah Montazeri had his falling out with Khomeini, three months before the supreme religious leader's death in 1989, he said: This state is so different from the one we dreamed of and worked to create. Still, it is not Islam which has failed, but rather a particular interpretation of Islam. I also want to express that there hasn't been a revolution in Iran yet. The opposition is becoming increasingly clear in the formulation of its objectives and more daring. Still, we need to remain patient. I do not know when, exactly, but I am convinced that the regime will collapse."

[This is a weekly series that shares an interesting piece of programming on Iran. Please feel free to share any suggestions for videos by using the contact form in the sidebar.]

In the wake of Ayatollah Montazeri's death, it would be remiss if we didn't include the following documentary -- "The Rebel Ayatollah" -- in our coverage.

The video can't be embedded, but be sure to watch it here.

 Upon Montazeri's passing, many have talked about Ayatollah Sanei as the new high-ranking liberal cleric.  The jury is still out on that designation.  Having served as an advisor the Iranian judiciary in the height of that institution's repression of dissidents in the 1980's, Ayatollah Sanei still has much to answer for.  But he  will be a significant player in the coming years.  And so it's worthwhile to watch this documentary by Maziar Bahari (made before his imprisonment) about Sanei.

Below are an initial set of videos showing the scenes surrounding Ayatollah Montazeri's funeral today in Qom.

Funeral procession:

People mourning in front of Montazeri's home in Qom:

In an interview with Rooz, senior opposition cleric Hossein-Ali Montazeri criticizes the regime's use of forced confessions following the June election and subsequent unrest.  He says: 

"The confessions that have been extracted in prison have absolutely no religious or legal value and cannot be the basis for the death or prison punishments that have been issued.  Those who are responsible and their accomplices for such confessions, are religiously and legally guilty and criminal."

This interview is the latest instance of opposition media outlets lobbing questions at Montazeri that allow him to rail against the ruling faction, and he is happy to oblige.

The website of Mehdi Karroubi's National Trust Party reports that on Friday senior opposition cleric Hossein-Ali Montazeri placed a phone call to Karroubi to express his regret at the violence used by government forces against Karroubi and Green protesters during the 13 Aban demonstrations.  Montazeri is quoted as telling Karroubi:

I am surprised - what kind of policy is this that even during a 13 Aban rally they treat people like this?  It's not clear ever since the election where these people want to take the country.

The main point of this story is not so much the content of Montazeri's message, but rather the fact that he's made direct contact with Karroubi.  More and more Montazeri appears inclined to be actively involved in the opposition movement.

As covered in this earlier post, Ayatollah Montazeri released a significant statement Tuesday on the eve of the 13 Aban protests.  

Here is the full translation of the statement (courtesy of Khordaad88 via Enduring America).