Why have some Shia attached themselves to the Religious Authority yet not shown concern for the suffering of the Shia of Iran?

Perhaps this is one of the most sensitive subjects that faces the Islamic world, and specifically the Shia. Until now, I have not cautioned anyone on this sensitive subject nor spoken about it or pondered over it despite the fact that many Islamic countries, and countries of the region, have supported the Shia of different nationalities in affiliating to the Shia leadership in Iran.

I will now clarify this matter so that before anyone else, the Shia come to know the colossal dangers that are the result and will be the result of this affiliation.

The Shia in their religious zeal have a deep-rooted feeling of nationalism and have not even pondered over it. Perhaps, the best example of the Shia following the spiritual leadership and their deep-rooted nationalism is the Christians, who for close on to four centuries followed an Italian Pope, until the current Polish Pope was selected. The Christians throughout the world, despite their different nationalities, followed an Italian Pope without his link to the Italian people having any effect on the belief structure of other nationalities.

Similarly, the Shia in Pakistan, India, Africa, and Lebanon follow and refer their religious beliefs to the Iranian Religious Authority. Hence, the leader of the Shia is Iranian and his followers are of other nationalities.

Religious leadership in the last five centuries, and after Shah Ismail Safavi introduced Shi’ism to Iran, was mostly in the control of the Iranians. We exclude from this general rule some of the few leaders who were Arab.

Here we must answer the following question; why is the national Shia leadership mostly in the lot of the Iranians and not given to anyone else?

The answer to this question will become clear to us after clarifying two opposing matters:

Firstly, our simplicity as the Shia Imamiyyah and our sincerity to what is made incumbent upon us, like beliefs that are made binding to follow.

Secondly, the plotting and deception the Iranian Shia religious leaders practice; they perpetually train the Iranian leaders for religious leadership and jurisprudence, which they then restrict amongst themselves. Here a dangerous secret lies concealed, which none before has disclosed. It is that the local Shia have exceeded the boundaries in their religious zeal. Also, what becomes apparent is the manner in which the scholars keep the devout Shia ensnared through nationalism and tribalism.

Why do the Iranian Shia men always raise leaders from Iranian background to lead the religion and why don’t they nurture leaders from the Arabs, Indians, or Pakistanis; when amongst the devout Shia there are sufficient elements from these nationalities whose good qualities and merits they can benefit from; qualities a religious leader, a Mujtahid, or a Marja’ (Authority) and if you wish call him Guardian Jurist, is in need of, according to the standards of the people?

Here lies a hidden secret which has not been mentioned or written anywhere. The Iranian Shia leadership, and those behind it, believe that Shia religious leadership must be amongst the Iranians and none else. Since Iran is the heartbeat of the Shia, and in order for them to ensure that it does not get ‘stained’, it is necessary for it to remain in Iran and in the hands of the Iranians, so that it remains fortified. None can gain anything from it. It is also able to benefit from the resources and potentials of the Shia in Iran and their spending on the exporting of the Shia religious revolution which the concept of Wilayat al Faqih represents, as well as all the innovations and hollowness linked to it.

Thus, it is not possible for the religious leader to be an Indian, Pakistani, Arab, or any other background. However, the great danger I wish to indicate to, is not this, but rather that since the Shia of the world—Lebanese, Indian, Pakistani, African, etc.—have submitted to following the Religious Authority (of Iran) in beliefs; now, when the Iranian Shia leadership left the reins of spiritual submission and became an oppressive state and a political authority and rulership, this will mean that the Shia will now follow this political religious system of rulership, although they may not be among the subjects or linked to them in nationality, language, or its neighbours.

Certainly, since this alignment between the Shia and the Religious Authority of Iran has taken a political form, it threatens the Shia, Islam, and the neighbouring countries with dangers which cannot be enumerated. Hence, although the political system may be religious, it is rife with avarice, and has its own visions and dogma. Also, the political system does not contain any good morals, although it may be draped with the veil of din and ‘aqidah. For as long as this religious political system has followers of other nationalities, they will use them for ulterior motives which are not pure, but rather sick, to promote its influence and to expand its territory and authority.

A religious authority of this type will not find any difficulty in mobilising Shia of different nationalities to fulfil its objectives wherever they go.

This means that the Religious Authority—since they are the spiritual leaders—takes advantage of the naïveté of some of the Shia to attack the cities which they are at loggerheads with. And without doubt, because the Shia are the minority in Muslim and non-Muslim countries, they are not able to enforce the wishes of the Shia Religious Authority as it pleases. So, the work that some of the Shia are doing—inspired by their Religious Authority—is actually a calamity against them and they will be the first victims of it, without considering the dangerous repercussions of those actions.

Now I will answer the second part of the question; why don’t the Shia [of other countries] attach themselves to the Shia suffering in Iran? And I say, the reason is as clear as the sun on a clear day, but unfortunately no one has pointed it out as yet. A fundamental reason for this is as follows.

As we mentioned, the Shia in the world do not give any consideration to nationality in their religious following and, therefore, many surrender themselves to the Shia Religious Authority in Iran.

But when affiliating with this Iranian party, they maintain their nationality and see the Iranians as a different nationality which has nothing to do with them. Hence, the Iranian culture does not have the same concern for the Arab Shia as it does for the Iranians, just as the Senegal culture does not concern others as it does the Senegalese. The Shia in India, Pakistan, etc., see the Iranian culture as a culture that is not related to them.

From this we understand that the Shia throughout the world do not realise or do not lend importance to the suffering the Shia in Iran endure. Here we see the dangerous double-sidedness of the Shia affiliation with the Shia Authority becoming apparent. Earnest concern has driven the non-Iranian Shia to support the Religious Authority, but the same earnest concern has not driven them to support the ordeal the Shia faction in Iran are enduring.

This erroneous attitude existed amongst the Shia even before the Shia Religious Authority took power in Iran, i.e., in the era of the Shah. The crimes perpetrated by the Shah never bothered the Shia in the rest of the world and his dictatorship over the Shia only grew stronger. In fact, their support for the Shah was intense, due to them considering him to be the patron of the religion.

I once said to Imam Sayed Muhsin al Hakim, one of the great leaders of the Shia in Iraq, who used to support the Shah and his rule, “Are you aware of the severity and tyranny that the Shia in Iran experience at the hands of the Shah?”

He replied, “Yes.”

I then asked, “Why do you not do anything?”

His answer was, “I fear that I might say something against the Shah that will result in the collapse of his authority, and then we will no longer hear the testimony ‘Ali is the Wali of Allah echoing in the streets of Tehran during the Adhan.”

I said to him, “Do you prefer that the nation of fifty million remain in hardship, misfortune, oppression, tyranny, and poverty, just so that this innovation remains on the airwaves of Tehran?”

He lowered his head and remained silent for a long while, and then said, “The Shah is a symbol of the Shia and it is incumbent upon us to uphold him.”

When this is the loyalty of the Shia scholarship to the political authority then what will the loyalty of the Shia commonalty be for the Shia Religious Authority?

Here I blame the media, who think that simply broadcasting the tragedies the Shia of Iran face, day and night, will lead to the Religious Authority falling in the eyes of the Shia. For the past ten years, the media, who are against the current Ruling Authority in Iran, continued to describe what the Shia in Iran faced in the name of Iranian nationality, but all of this has not moved the Shia conscience of even one of the Shia of the rest of the world. If the media had addressed the Shia of the world in a language they could understand and painted for them a vivid picture of the misfortunes the Iranians face as a misfortune the Shia face, stripping it of its nationality, then most certainly the Shia around the world will be riled up; they would be moved by the suffering of the Shia in Iran and they would finally come to see the true horrendous face of the Religious Authority.

In short, if only the Shia were to hear from the media that the Religious Authority has gone to war with the Shia: a war in which millions of Shia have been killed, three million displaced—left wandering in the far corners of the world—and in which 150 000 Shia youth have been executed, all of whom they depended upon to make this great Shia country flourish. There are 100 000 Shia held in captivity by this Authority for many years who they refuse to release. There are 150 000 political prisoners that are being tortured in prison under this Authority. There are also fifty million Shia constrained by the chains of oppression and persecution; while poverty, sickness, and hunger haunt them. Only when these details are learnt will the Shia of the world realise what pain and misfortune has afflicted the Shia of Iran.

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