Dead: Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri

In some corners of the world the politics and political agenda are closely tied to religion and sometimes the death of a religious figure brings the world’s attention to the politics of a region. That is the case with the death of Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri in Iran as noted in the December 21, 2009 issue of the Ottawa Citizen. Although he was instrumental in the deposition of the Shah of Iran in 1979 and was a close friend and confident of Ayatollah Khomeini he later became critical of the hard line leadership and fell out of favor. He called for legalization of political parties and condemned mass execution of political prisoners and spoke against the fatwa against Salman Rushdie. He became the voice of protest in Iran.

In the December 22, 2009 issue of the Citizen they ran an article entitled “Ayatollah’s death brings revolution back to life.” That article focuses on the effect of his death. Iran’s leadership is fighting back viciously to stop protesters who support Montazeri’s call for reforms in Iran. The mourners who support calls for reforms number “tens or hundred’s of thousand.” Even 12 leading Ayatollahs went to the funeral as did two defeated candidates in June’s questionable election.

The scenario could hardly be worse for the current Iranian regime but because of the timing of the death which coincides with a religious holiday the situation is indeed aggravated further. A perfect storm!

The Ottawa Citizen’s report on December 29, 2009 indicates other world leaders are weighing in on the crackdown in Iran. Obama is encouraging the opposition and even Russia who is a significant trading partner has called for restraint. Undeterred, the Revolutionary Guard and Basij ( the current Iranian regime) has indicated it is prepared to “ eradicate the plot and urge the judiciary to act firmly.” I wonder if arrested protesters will get a fair trial…ha .Translation, they will beat, kill and punish to the extent necessary to stop the protestors.

Perhaps it is when this type of desperation and brutal force are used so excessively that a brighter future, a fairer regime has an opportunity to take over. I hope Iranians are strong enough to persevere to see that day!