Hundreds of Iranian Sufis protested in front of Tehran’s public prosecutors’ office this weekend, demanding to be jailed alongside their friends in prison, who they say are being treated terribly. Security forces violently cracked down on the protesters, arresting dozens.

Over the past decade, Iran’s Sufis have become increasingly marginalized, with the authorities closing down many of their places of worship. Since 2009, when their leaders supported opposition candidate Medhi Karoubi, the pressure has mounted even further. Dozens of their most famous representatives have been arrested on charges of belonging to a cult. And in the past few months, Sufis have reported that these detainees were being treated increasingly poorly in prison, leading to this weekend’s protests.

Sufism is a mystical branch of Islam. Its followers believe God is present in all things, and they are known for their chants and love of poetry. Sufis across the world are divided between Sunnis and Shiites; in Iran, they are Shiite. In recent years, Sufism has seen gains in popularity among Iranian youth.

This protester’s sign reads, “Sufism isn’t a crime”. All photos were gathered by our Observer. 

“They said that if being Sufi was a crime, they should all be jailed”
Farhad Noori is the editor of Majzoobane Noor, a website that supports the Nematollahi Gonabadi order of Sufism, which is the oldest and most popular one in Iran. He is exiled abroad, but in close contact with Sufis in Tehran. Several of the men in prison are journalists who have written for his publication in the past.

The situation for Iranian Sufis really started going downhill when [former president] Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took power. Places of worship were destroyed, many people lost their job, and we were targeted by a wave of poisonous propaganda from religious organisations. They saw us as a threat to religious order in the country, even though we are peaceful and do not proselytize.

Not only were dozens of prominent Sufis put in prison, but the lawyers who tried to defend them [who were Sufis as well] were promptly jailed, too. Punishment for Sufis and their supporters, all convicted for belonging to a cult, typically range from eight to ten years.

Protesters in front of the public prosecutor’s office. 

In the past few months, these prisoners have reported humiliating treatment. In Iran, political prisoners are generally allowed to wear different uniforms than the wider prison population, to allow them to be distinguished from criminals. However, recently, they’ve been forced to wear the normal prison uniforms. They’ve also been separated from each other and placed in different wings, even in different prisons. Moreover, some of them who needed medical treatment were denied it. To protest these conditions, they’ve gone on hunger strike, and have written their last wills. But the authorities are ignoring them.

Therefore, their sympathisers put together a campaign to get the authorities’ attention. They wrote to many people in government, including members of parliament, religious leaders, security branches and even the Supreme Leader. They wrote that if being Sufi was a crime, they should all be jailed. And if not, these prisoners should be released.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LiuLJYrskow

“The police used batons and electric shocks to disperse the crowd”

On Saturday, they gathered in front of the public prosecutor’s office and peacefully demanded to be imprisoned. However, they were surrounded by police and anyone suspected of being Sufi was forced into police vans. They were taken to many different police stations in the region, and later said they were treated very roughly, with police beating them and insulting them.

The police’s vans. 

The next day, protesters gathered again, and this time the police really cracked down. They used batons and electric shocks to disperse the crowd. More than 50 people, including women and children, were injured; many are still in the hospital with broken jaws, hands and legs. A nine-month-old baby suffered from severe breathing problems due to tear gas, but thankfully he recovered. Lots of people were arrested, but soon released.

Police put barriers up around the protest site. 

The prisoners still languishing in prisoner are continuing their hunger strike. Their family members told me that Tehran’s police chief is the only person who has responded to their concerns, and said that he would take the matter of the prisoners’ treatment to the proper authorities. These families have asked sympathisers to wait and see if anything comes of this before embarking on any new protests.

Protesters in front of the public prosecutor’s office. 

Police forces surrounded protesters. 

Protesters at hospital following the police’s brutal crackdown on the demonstration.