Seyyed Mohammad Khatami: Saeed Hajjarian used to say that absolute velayat is for "regularization of Sharia", but today it is "regularization of custom"

In his Nowruz meeting, the head of the reform government told some political and media activists: "Republic has meaning and history, and the Islam that sided with the republic in the 1979 revolution was the Islam that had to adapt to the republic."

According to the report of the meeting, Seyyed Mohammad Khatami had a meeting with a number of political, cultural, social and media activists today, April 25, 2023. In this meeting, Seyyed Mohammad Khatami talked with the guests.

Referring to the current conditions of Iran and the difference between subversion and reformism, he said in this Newrozi visit: "Many of the problems of the Islamic Republic of Iran have become clear today, and its problems and defects have been slowly showing themselves for decades. Precisely because of this, the necessity and need for reform was felt since the 1990s.

Referring to the composition and concept of the Islamic Republic, the former president of Iran said: "The Republic has history, meaning and accessories." From the time of ancient Rome, Greece and until today, the republic has existed and developed in different forms, and today there are forms of it in the world and they have been successful in governance.

He continued: "Islamic Republic has a meaning in Iran or not, it should be discussed and its defenders have reasons, and those who believe in the antithesis of custom and religion also have facts and arguments for themselves, but I personally believe that the version of Islam that is compatible with custom, It doesn't cause any problems."

Khatami jokingly said about religious democracy: "Unfortunately, I used this concept for the first time, but we meant democracy as democracy and religiousness as religious ethics consistent with custom." Today, we see that the Islamic Republic has become inclined towards an Islamic government, while the founders of the Islamic Republic did not mean a mullahs' government.

Mentioning a memory from the beginning of the revolution and the life of the Imam (RA), the head of the reform government added: "One of the army commanders in the early days after the victory of the revolution - who I think was Timsar Mustafa Rahimi - was worried about the word Islamic Republic and wrote to the Imam He wrote and expressed his concern by citing reasons.

He continued: "I personally followed the letter and wanted to know what the Imam's opinion is." I asked the late Ahmad Agha [Seyd Ahmad Khomeini] what happened. Seyyed Ahmed Agha told me that the Imam read the letter not once but twice and told Rahimi to tell Rahimi that the Islamic Republic is not the government of a mullah, these people are worried that Islam is not compatible with the Republic.

Khatami noted: "Which Islamic Republic did the people vote for in the referendum to determine the system?" If we had said at that time that we are going to hit you in the head with Islamism, would anyone have voted for it?"

The former president of Iran emphasized that the Islamic Republic has gradually embraced Islam, saying: "They say that if a woman's headscarf is halfway back, there is no problem, and they are our children, but if the headscarf falls and four strands of hair are exposed, then They are not our children. Yes, Islam has something to say about bareness, and of course, there are many differences of opinion, but Islam is not a religion of stagnation, but it is flexible for time and place.

He pointed to the slogan of the woman of freedom and said: "The subversive says that this system must go, reformist thinking is based on low-cost changes and reforms." I believe that if you want life and freedom, don't look for it in subversion and revolution, if that happens, Iran will not have a good time. If we want "women, life, freedom", we must know that subversion will not make people's lives better.

In another part of his speech, Seyyed Mohammad Khatami addressed Mehdi Nasiri, a journalist and social activist, and said to him: "In my opinion, collect your scattered thoughts and articles in one book, you raise very important and correct issues. ».

In another part of his conversation with those present at Noorzoi's meeting, the head of the reform government, referring to the discussion of the absolute velayat of the jurist, recalled: "Mr. Saeed Hajarian used to justify the absolute velayat in the early years of the reform movement in the country (after June 1997) , this concept is to legalize the Shariah, while I think this combination and concept is actually "legalizing the custom".