Dear Mr Ahmed Shaheed 

Following your preliminary report on the human rights abuses in Iran,

unfortunately the oppressor ruling government of Iran has increased its pressures on its people and the incidents of human rights violations in order to show they have no respect for you, nor for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the opinions of the people around the world.

Every time the human rights violation against the Iranian citizens increases, the pressure intensifies on the different religious, ethnic and ideological groups in Iran.

Cry for help from our fellow Sunni Muslims’ has recently risen, because they have been banned by the authorities from praying in groups on Eid al-Adha day, even if it is in their own homes in Tehran, and many other cities in Iran.

Also at the same time pressure on the Sufis has increased, from books such as “Dar Koye Sufiyan” (Sufis Dormitory) and “Hassan Basri” which were intentionally published with incorrect content over the past seven years, and were distributed in tens of thousands in Tehran streets, subways, bus stations and other provinces.  It is clear that the Iranian governments excuse for repressing Sufis is that they see them as branch of Sunni Muslims; and as the government clearly has declared war against Sunnis therefore as a result they are in war with Sufis too. Wherever they seen a Sufi they try to destroy, or demolish their homes or fire them from their work.

A great example of this is the armed attack on Sufis in the small city of Kavar. In this attack the defenceless civilians shouted in fear for help, and during the attack number of Sufis were seriously injured and one was even killed (Vahid Banani).

Unfortunately I have to notify you that these bloody attacks have not stopped. Two month have gone by from the tragic attacks on the civilians of Kovar, but the violent and organised ‘Qum Seminary Basiji Students’ hostilities towards Sufis that are backed by the leadership of Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the Intelligent Service still continue. They persist in their attacks on the Sufi houses’ were they  arrest and imprison the Sufis in the Notorious Prisons of Tehran and Shiraz.   

At the same time that town of Kovar was being attacked, the directors of Majzooban Noor news website, (who are intellectuals’, Muslim writers, and lawyers) in Tehran and Shiraz, were arrested and imprisoned. Two months has passed by and they are still banned from seeing their families or even making a short call to them.

Some of the prisoners are; Mr Afshin Karam Poor, Hamidreza Mouradi Sarvestani, Saleh Mouradi Sarvestani, Farshid Yadoulahi, Omid Behrouzi and Amir Islami.

In addition, three weeks ago Mr Saleh Pazouki, was arrested during his military service, and his family is under a great pressure by the Authorities, as his father is Shahram Pazouki who is a well known professor in mysticism and is known internationally.

Unfortunately I have to say that the only crime of these fellow citizens who are in prisons of the Velayat-e Faqih system is that they are Sufis.

Referring back to the meeting we had together, I would like remind you of a Mullah called Madani Gonabadi,  who in an interview with multiple news agencies such as Javan online, Fars News and Raja News, stated that: “ Dervishes are like rats and they need to be destroyed with a strong poison so it is the duty of the government to get rid of them” his horrific statement reminds us of statement made by Gaddafi who stated “Libyan civilians are like rats and we have to destroy them”.

Furthermore,  I would like to emphasise the documents I had presented to you in our meeting regarding Mullahs’ who are called “Governmental Mullahs” such Hussein Ali Noori Hamedani, who have officially written fatwa stating that “ Sufism is a deviated sect and by participating in their ceremonies or even listening to verses of Quran or marrying them is Haraam” ( forbidden against Islamic Law).

As I previously mentioned to you, in Tehran there was exhibition called “ Satanism ” under  Cultural Ministry oversight and under the leadership of Mohammad-Ali Ramin, who is known as the architect of the movement for ‘denying the Holocaust’. In this exhibition all type of Mysticism and Sufism were shown as Satanism.

Moreover, there is movement for the revival of the research centres, such as ‘The Religious Studies’ in city of Qum and ‘The Association of Philosophy’ in Tehran, whereby famous professors from these centres are expelled and replaced by young and illiterate Mullahs such as Abdoul-Hussain Khosropanah, who then transform these centres to the places were they can brain wash fanatics and uneducated Basiji. Then they send the Mullahs who are graduated from these centres to Metro stations in Tehran, Mosques in other cities in order to brainwash the general public against Sufism and Mysticism, and to provoke the public sentiment against Sufis and mystics, so that they can then put the Sufis in danger.

Currently the Iranian National Television  is broadcasting a TV program called ‘Armageddon’, which consists of 120 programs, and in which all spirituality and paths of mysticism in the whole world are shown as branches of Satanism. The intention for creating these types of programs is to brainwash the Basijis’ and make them ready to attack Sufi and Dervishes centres in order destroy them and arrest, injure and even kill the Sufis in these centres.

Finally I would like to talk about the trained fanatic Basijis, who after burning down one of the Sufi worship houses in Broujered, held rallies in Tehran and other cities, and raised banners which said; “We destroyed the Sufis, Zionist you are next”, with this action they were preparing the path for suicide attacks in other parts of the world.

I do not want to make this letter any longer than it needs to be, so I end it with reference to the Great Sufi Master Hafez who said, “This is just one word from a thousand that was mentioned”

Dr Seyed Mostafa Azmayesh

The leading member of the International Organisation to Preserve Human Rights in Iran
9th November 2011