Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - July 5, 2001 - Consultative Meeting with Maurice Motamed, Representative of the Jewish Community in the Sixth Parliament, and Complaints About Ayatollah Khamenei's Friday Prayer Sermons

After consulting with Seyyed Ali Asghar Hajazi on how Ayatollah Khamenei should respond to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's proposal and inquiry regarding revising the investigation and scrutiny of institutions under Ayatollah Khamenei, the response from the Supreme Leader to the head of the Expediency Discernment Council was received.

A session of the heads of the three branches of government was held, hosted by the then-head of the judiciary.

Consultative meetings with Seyyed Reza Niri and Hosseini, head and deputy of the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee.

Consultative meeting with Maurice Motamed, representative of the Jewish community in the sixth parliament, who expressed grievances about Ayatollah Khamenei's Friday prayer sermons, citing the story of the Jews and the Banu Qurayza and presenting a request from the Jewish community for the pardon of Jews condemned on charges of espionage in the Revolutionary Court of Fars Province.

Meeting with Sheikh Habibollah Mohammadian, the then Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, and Dr. Hossein Ali Shahriari (current representative of Zahedan in the twelfth parliament) to report on the conditions in this province and the behaviors of Mowlavi Abdolhamid, along with complaints about the indifference of the leadership office and Sheikh Abbas Vaez Tabasi, noting the lack of communication of these grievances for fear of potential backlash.

Full Text of the Daily Entry:

Mr. [Habibollah] Mohammadian, the Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, and Dr. Hossein Ali Shahriari, former president of [Zahedan Medical] University, came. Mr. Mohammadian stated that in the view of some scholars and clerics, certain behaviors have weakened the position of the Velayat-e Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist) compared to the time of Imam Khomeini. He mentioned that the clergy has been weakened, and in Sistan and Baluchestan, Shiites are weakened compared to Sunnis, with the policies of Mr. [Seyyed Mohammad] Khatami’s government leading to a Sunni dominance over Shiites. He remarked that Mowlavi Abdolhamid [Ismailzahi] is in complete control and expressed grievances regarding the indifference of the leadership office and Mr. [Abbas Vaez] Tabasi toward him, although he was reluctant to bring it up for fear of worsening the situation.

Dr. Shahriari also spoke about the weakening of Shiites and the danger of Sunni insurrection, noting that Sunnis are exploiting the cut-off of water from the Helmand River and buying up Shiite properties extensively. He suggested that they wish for the water to be cut off for a couple of years so that Shiites move out of Zabul, and speculated that they may have coordinated with the Taliban regarding the water cut-off. He mentioned that a large building in Zahedan is likely being constructed for an international Sunni university.

[Mr. Maurice Motamed], the representative of the Jewish community in Parliament, came to discuss the issues facing the Jewish community, mentioning that their situation has worsened compared to other minorities due to the atmosphere created against Israel and Jews. He expressed dissatisfaction with the Supreme Leader’s remarks in [the Friday prayer sermon at] the university [in Tehran], which discussed the Jews and the story of Banu Qurayza. He brought a letter from the leaders of the Jewish community requesting clemency for Jews convicted on espionage charges.

In the afternoon, Mr. [Seyyed Reza] Niri, [head of the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee], and Hosseini, [the parliamentary deputy], came from the Relief Committee. They complained about the government and parliament’s plan to merge the Relief Committee with other relief institutions and about the ministry of commerce not allocating funds to the committee, which was supposed to distribute 12% of subsidies to the underprivileged, along with 100,000 tons of flour.

In the evening, we were guests of Mr. [Seyyed Mahmoud] Hashemi Shahrudi, [head of the judiciary]. A session of the heads of the three branches of government was held. Discussions included the radical behavior of Ayatollah Montazeri and his associates, as well as the pardon of Mr. Abdullah Nouri, [former interior minister and editor of the newspaper Khordad], and the preparation of a regulation for coordination among the three branches, as well as expediting the formation of a court to file a complaint against America as a countermeasure.

Today, Ayatollah Khamenei responded to my letter regarding revising the investigation and scrutiny and agreed to propose a reconsideration in the Expediency Discernment Council based on Mr. [Mahdi] Karroubi’s [the Speaker of Parliament] request regarding the institutions under the Supreme Leader's oversight.