A Brief Look At The Gonabadi Dervishes’ Situation In Iran: Two Dervishes on The 87th Day Of A Hunger Strike
In recent days, news of the “dry” hunger strike and deteriorating physical condition of two Gonabadi Dervishes, Saleh Moradi and Kasra Nuri , has been widely publicized (1).
The rulers of the Islamic Republic of Iran promote only that interpretation of Islam presented by government-approved religious scholars and are opposed to, and regard as problematic, all other non-official and differing interpretations [by other independent Muslim denominations]. They view the progress of dissident Islamic sects as contradictory to and in conflict with their goals and consider the followers of other religions and Islamic sects, particularly those that believe in the concept of separation of church (religion) and state, as enemies that undermine the religious credibility, influence, and legitimacy of the Islamic Republic, within the community of believers.
In the course of the last decades, the list of the regime’s judicial and security-driven reactions to the followers of other religions and religious sects, with the purpose of violating the rights, persecuting, and preventing the activities of the same, has been very long and has encompassed a wide array of groups ranging from Christians, Jews, and Baha’is, to Sunni Muslims, Dervishes, and newer religious and spiritual groups, such as the Al Yassin community, Erfan Kayhani, Mirza’i Followers, and tens of other small religious denominations.
In recent years, security and judicial pressure on Gonabadi Dervishes and violations of their rights has been on the increase. Gonabadi Dervishes constitute a community of millions of Shi’a Dervishes all across Iran, whose Sufism-based religious style is different from the Shi’a literalism propounded by the leaders of the Islamic republic; they consider themselves a peace- and fraternity-seeking, non-political group. Their religious doctrine, their large number spread out all over the country, and their commitment to abide by the viewpoints of their leader, Dr. Nur Ali Tabandeh, is considered a security threat by the Islamic Republic. Their spiritual leader’s political and executive background at the onset of the Revolution, as well as his special place in the Dervish community,(2) is viewed as yet another threat.
In past years, the Iranian Government, in breach of its international obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), including upholding freedom of religion, which encompasses freedom to express one’s religious beliefs and perform religious rites and teachings,(3) has not only violated the Gonabadi Dervishes’ religious rights, but has proceeded to treat them as a security threat and has prosecuted them:
1- 1-Since 1986, governmental forces have destroyed Gonabadi Dervishes’ Hosseiniehs (places of worship named after the Third Shi’a, Imam Hossein) in a number of cities, including Qom (February 2006), Borujerd (November 2007), and Esfahan (February 2009). In some cities, such as Qom and Kuar, this destruction has taken place after days of surrounding the Hosseiniehs and upon use of extreme violence, assault and battery, and widespread arrests. For instance, according to Dervishes’ sources, in the course of the destruction of the Hosseinieh in the city of Qom alone, 400 Dervishes were injured and 2000 were arrested. (The number of arrests was so large that no less an authority than the Qom Provincial Governor declared it to be 1000.) In the last such action undertaken, in September 2011, and upon the laying of the groundwork by seminary students who issued threatening statements said to be supported by the government, a number of plainclothes agents destroyed certain shops owned by Dervishes in the town of Kuar in Fars Province. This resulted in skirmishes and the arrest of dozens of Dervishes by security and police forces. The Dervishes’ news sources indicated a large number of injured as well as the killing of one Dervish named Vahid Bana’i.
2- The destruction of their places of worship is not the only means of putting pressure on the Dervishes. In the last few years, hundreds of citizens have been arrested and tried in various cities for this particular religious belief, and have been sentenced to prison and flogging. For instance, on May 4, 2012, 189 Dervishes were tried in Borujerd on charges of disturbing the public order. Also, tens of their followers have been expelled from universities and government jobs and/or their permits to practice law revoked.
3- Even the Dervishes’ attorneys were not safe from persecution. In September 2011, Mostafa Daneshju, Farshid Yadollahi, Amir Eslami, and Omid Behruzi, were arrested and are still being held at Evin Prison, without due process. These lawyers have been in solitary confinement since January 15, 2013. The reason for holding them in solitary is their objection to the denial of due process, including denial of the right of access to an attorney and expiration of the legal period of detention without bringing charges (by Judge Salavati of Tehran Revolutionary Court, Branch 15), as well as carrying out such illegal acts as assault and battery of the accused. Furthermore, three of the Dervishes’ website managers have been transferred to Evin Prison’s Ward 209 along with the attorneys.
In order to object to the pressures exerted on the detained attorneys, two of the Dervishes imprisoned at Shiraz Prison, Saleheddin Moradi and Kasra Nuri, began a hunger strike on January 16, 2013. Since the beginning of the year 1392 (March 21, 2013), they have refused to drink and to eat. It has therefore been 87 days since the initial date of the strike, and 23 days since the “dry” hunger strike. Their health has deteriorated significantly, and their critical condition has lead prison authorities to force-feed them intravenously. The Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation calls on human rights activists and the international community to take action to prevent another human tragedy from occurring in the Islamic Republic’s prisons, before it’s too late. The Foundation also calls on the Iranian government to observe the prisoners’ basic rights, safeguard their lives, and put an end to illegal actions regarding imprisoned Dervishes and their attorneys, who continue to be detained in solitary confinement.
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[1] Dervishes are members of a Muslim (specifically Sufi) religious order who have taken vows of poverty and austerity. Dervishes first appeared in the 12th century; they were noted for their wild or ecstatic rituals and were known as dancing, whirling, or howling dervishes, according to the practices of each particular order.
[2] Dr. Nurali Tabandeh is head of the Ne’matollahi Soltanalishahi Gonabadi Dervishes. He was chosen as successor to Mahbub Alishah, the previous leader, upon the latter’s passing in 1992-93 and pursuant to his will. He holds a PhD in law fromFrance and has been the attorney for many clerics and university professors before the Revolution, as well as a writer and translator of numerous works in Farsi and French. After the Revolution, he was Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance for a time, Head of the Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca) and Pilgrimage Organization, and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. Nurali Tabandeh was arrested and exiled many times, both before and after the 1979 Revolution. In the 2009 presidential elections, he announced his support of candidate Mehdi Karubi.
[3] Article 18: 1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching. 2. No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice. 3. Freedom to manifest one’s religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others. 4. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardians to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions.
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