Speech in the Assembly of Experts (22 September 2009)

Date: September 22, 2009

In the name of the Great God,

To honorable members of the Assembly of Experts of Supreme Leadership

I will discuss several points, which I hope will be useful:

1. Notes on the constitution: We are all aware that our constitution does not contradict the Quran and the [Islamic] tradition. It was formulated by prominent clerics and intellectuals who had it reviewed by the Imam of nation (may the love and mercy of God be upon him).

But who is the guardian of this constitution? Can anybody other than the experts assume this role? Who is responsible for investigating deviations from the constitution and who should be held responsible for them? Only the Experts. But why is it that when it becomes necessary to meet and conduct investigations, they either find themselves incapable of doing so or do not meet at all? Even the president of the assembly, who was elected with more than 50 votes (out of 80), could not call for a meeting. Does this not demonstrate a complete lack of attention on the part of the Guardian Council towards upholding the basic elements of the constitution, including the way members of the council are selected? I have suggested that confirmations from two prominent scholars of Qom should be enough [for the selection]. It would have been great if the honorable Ayatollah Rafsanjani had followed up on my suggestion so that today we wouldn’t have this problem, so that many questions and concerns wouldn’t have been left unanswered. People are aware that the basics of the Guardianship of the Islamic Juror[1] are outlined in the constitution and they agree with it. However, if the constitution is not acted upon, the basics (articles 5 and 110) will be similarly neglected.

2. On the issue of insulting Imam [Khomeini’s] loyal supporters, who have for years offered their wealth, their dignity and their lives to the preservation of the Islamic Republic: this misconduct began four years ago and continued until recently when IRIB [Islamic Republic of Iran, State TV]. Prominent figures like Ayatollah Rafsanjani, Hojataleslami Karoubi, and the gentlemen Mr. Khatami and Mir-Hossein Mousavi have been berated so terribly that we have heard all over the cries of friends of the revolution and the laughter of its enemies. Was the drama that unfolded legal? Was it based on the constitution and derived from it? If not, why did all the Experts [here] keep their silence? Is it enough to sit down and grieve?

3. Why don’t we see the suspicious hands of Hojattieh[2] – that the great Imam saw as a threat to the revolution – behind the scenes? Who has leapt over the three branches of power – the parliament, the judiciary and the executive? Why doesn’t anyone take responsibility for all these transgressions? Why is it that the call for justice is answered with military force? Does this suggest anything other than the existence of foreigners behind the scenes? We have had eminent religious scholars, such as Sheikh Morteza Ansari, Mirza Shirazi, Seyedna-Al-Esfahani, Seyedna-Al-Yazdi and the like. None of them ever thought to devastate society so as to create a context for the Coming [of Imam Mahdi][3]

4. What is this situation that has overcome our society and even our parliament? Whenever anyone makes a criticism – whether it be a Marja or a scholar – there are those who, in support of a specific group, prepare to remove that person from view. All this for some to be reassured and satisfied.

5. The Experts are responsible for protecting Islamic laws as well as the nation’s belief in the Quran and the traditions of the prophet (may peace be upon him) and his immaculate kin. This important responsibility has not been fulfilled in recent months and, unfortunately, the efforts of the Islamic scholars appear to have diminished.

6. To conclude, I would like to say that it is not too late to ask of this assembly and the honorable speaker to invite Mr. Mousavi, Mr. Khatami and Mr. Karoubi to speak. Do not assume that everything has ended. People have faith in you.

In other words, concealing the distrust of some part of society and neglecting it is unfair (for instance, the objections of the Islamic scholars, university professors, etc). It’s important to minimize this distrust as much as possible. If it’s not possible to invite Mr. Mousavi and Mr. Karoubi to this assembly, State TV should ask them to state their objections live. If that’s not possible either, they can do so through the Assembly of Expert’s website so that members can express their opinions about whether or not there has been a breach of the Constitution.

Seyed Ali-Mohamad Dastgheyb

September 22, 2009

[1] ولایت فقیه (VELAYAT-E-FAQIH)

[2] “Hojjatieh” (in Persian: انجمن حجتیه ) — also called Hojjatieh Society — is a Shia organization founded in Iran in 1953 (in Tehran) by Shaikh Mahmoud Halabi (a Tehrani mullah from Mashhad; 1900-1998) with permission of Ayatollah Seyyed Hossein Borujerdi. The organization was founded on the premise that the most immediate threat to Islam was the Bahá’í religion, which they viewed as a heresy that must be eliminated. The group also opposes both Sunnism and Imam Khomeini’s concept of Guardianship of the Islamic Juror (Velayat-e Faqih).Source: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hojattieh#cite_note-3)

[3] ظهور مهدی امام دوازدهم شیعیان

http://www.dastgheib.ir/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=586&Itemid=55