Written by Majzooban Noor
Abolreza ahmadi
Over the past few years, Dervishes of Nematollahi Sufi Orderhad faced so many coercive conflicts such as detention, threat, destruction and plumbing their khaniqas and Hosseinies by Islamic Regime of Iran. The regime of Islamic Republic of Iran has tried to take control of this Sufi Order and prevent it from being and getting widespread inside the country because of reasons throughout these years.
Considering the destruction, we can mention the destruction of monument of Dervish Naser Ali in 1387 or destruction of Dervish’s Hosseinie in cities like Qom and Boroodjerd or widespread (detentions) such as Mostafa Daneshjoo and/or Farshid Yadollahi’s case. What you are reading is an interview with Farshid Yadollahi ,lawyer of Dervishes of Nematollahi Gonabadi Silsilah(Sufi Order), concerning the situation of Gonabadi Dervishes. It should be noticed that Mr.Yadollahi himself is sentenced to 6 months imprisonment by Branch 102 of Kish Island’s court .
1.You were sentenced to 6 month imprisonment by the court. I wonder why the warrant was issued and what is the latest status of your case?
Because of Security Agency’s complaint in Kish Island, My respectable colleague Mr. Amir Eslami and I were accused of roorback by the served Judge Safinejad and consequently sentenced to a six-month imprisonment at public court of Kish Island, Branch 102. My interview with Radio Farda was said to be the reasons of The Security Agency ‘s complaint. The sentence met with strong opposition from the eleven lawyers who are involved in this case(or lodged an objection to) after notifying and the latest news about our case is that our case is under investigating in first branch of appellate court on Hormozgan province.
2.We witness that Dervishes have been faced with coercive behaviour of Regime through these years. What is the cause of such behaviour and what is the Regime’s demand of Dervishes?
There is a huge gap and far distance between government of law and law’s government in Iran, which leads to a kind of discrimination and prejudice in using (civil) citizenship rights. A specific policy governs the country which limits having any kind of freedom and human rights to be under their condition which is based on the interests of people in charge and interests of authority’s system in compliance with the sovereignty. Towards this attitude, every citizen who, intentionally or unintentionally, does not agree with the method of governing the country, would be placed in the opposition party and no individual does have the right of having independent thoughts and choosing the third option.
As other societies, the problem of Dervishes’ society with the regime is hidden in this equation. Every population thought like dervishes who choose third way by meaning that who do not have hostility or agreement with government planned and forced into campaign and will be forced to react and cope. Actors of this politic, put the religion in the monopoly of government cause all dissatisfaction in field of religious, politic, economic and society may change the attitude of people to the other religion’s readings which are not in guarantee of regime and the government loses public base-religious gradually. Therefore to compensate this problem and political deficiency, instead of improvement operations and reform of dissatisfaction atmosphere, including religious and civil, take their instruction on the politics of elimination and control people.
Unfortunately, misuse of religious for justification of politic and insist on it caused a hidden protest of people in a cultural reaction due to the regime’s behavior about their beliefs and attracted to the other than readings what is advertised and even some people change their religious and beliefs. Statistics tendency to other religions except Islam and even the anti-religious ritual such as Satanism confirms this fact.Darvishi and Sufism with regard to its deep roots in national and religious culture of the Iranians, in the current conditions and deadlock belief of people coming from the conflict between true religious believes with the outside world realities, is a safe and the best way out to survive in this dilemma.
3. In this regard, what do you know about Mr.Mostafa Daneshjoo who had been arrested recently and what is his status and why he is arrested?
The cause of his arrest was about the advocacy of 2 Gonabadi Dervishes in the city of Neka and he was sentenced to 7 month imprisonment. The story is: after going of some security agents to his clientele’s home Mr.Esmaeil and Mahmud Razazi without presenting ID card and judicial verdict and searching their home without observing aspect of Islamic regulation and during inspection gathered some spiritual cultural items and took them without offering any receipt , Mr.Daneshjoo’s clientele made a complain to the public prosecutor’s office of Neka and then after prosecutor’s office refer the complaint to the Assistant branch 3, complain of Mr.Razazi was sent to the police’s security sector to identifying the suspects and portraiture of them and Give an ascensive order to the police’s sector to find and identify someone who inter to privacy of people without judicial verdict. This indicates that at the time refer complaint, prosecutor and assistant did not know about permission to inter complainant’s home otherwise the law officer did not issue such an order. Afterward, Mr.Daneshjoo Agree the advocacy of these two people and made a complaint to the military court based on the complaint of these people. But this complaint was documented complaint against him and security agency of Mazandaran made a complaint against Mr. Daneshjoo under title of defamation and publishing false information according his complaint against security agents. Finally, After several stages of investigating and violation by branch 16 of the Supreme Court he was sentenced to 7 month imprisonment by branch 21 of appeals court of mazandaran. He is staying in prison from 28.2.90. He tolerates the prison in section 5 sari’s prison and has severe asthma. Shortly before, he was transferred to addict’s camp in an action against the law and regulations of the prison system but by protesting his family and his lawyers he want sent back to the sari’s prison.
4. What is your request from judicial system and therefore the government as a representative of Sufi’s community?
We’ve answered this question many times but unfortunately they did not listen and we have written letters to the Authorities and officials and express that we are citizen of this country and act in a constitution with us. But they did no action. According to Article 2 of the Islamic Penal Code meaning of crime is doing or not doing an act which specifies a complaint for it. Therefore, law defines the definition of crime and clarifies the line of goodness and badness according to the law Dervishi is not a crime and detection of belies is forbidden. Therefore, one more time, we ask Judiciary and officials, to act according to law with Dervishes and do not ignore their citizenship and human rights or at least, if they are not committed minimum standards of human rights, They should treat Dervishes based on the “”constitution””.
5. Can you give me brief information about the situation of Dervishes who were arrested or threatened?
Right now, 9 Dervishes are passing their imprisonment in Vakil abad Prison in Mashhad, Mr. Daneshjoo, Dervish’s lawyer, is in sari prison, Mr. Labaf is in exile in Babak city of Kerman and court case of 189 Dervishes in Boroujerd is under investigating and 4 Dervishes were convicted to 6 month imprisonment and lashes and court case of 6 Dervishes in Alashtar in the Lorestan province is under investigating in Enghelab court and recently, Mr. Azadi one of KHoramshar Dervishes was kidnapped and harassment . Therefore, a court case in Khoramshar has been formed and the follow-up but unfortunately his Lawyer Mr.Bahman Nazari has threatened by call to not continue following case. And numbers of Dervishes have been fired from their job in Bureau or even in private companies just because of Darvishi. Lawyers’ dervishes are constantly threatened, unfortunately, in the past few years we are seeing full of tension and grief time for every Iranian people such as Dervishes and follower of Sufi way of Nematolahi Gonabadi.
6. We appreciate your making time to have an interview with us. What is your final word at a glance?
God is the goal of Sufism in social affairs, but not the imaginary and illusionary God
Sufism looking for freedom but not freedom that their hostile be in their own prison, Sufism looking for justice but not justice that their functor be oppressors, Sufism looking for all spiritual and moral values based on sense not slogan, by action not talking and based on knowledge of God not by illusion. Sufism beyond all slogans, ask All humans to faith of God by act, peace, truth and serenity.
Source :http://www.hra-news.org/Khat-Solh/005.pdf