Following reports on the massacre of caricaturists and journalists at Charlie Hebdo, the world of Islam reacted resolutely and vocally distanced Islam from this heinous slaughter.
From the Al-Azhar Society to the Arab League and from Turkey to Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the most important Sunni Muslim centers strongly condemned the attack.
However, the fundamentalist regime ruling Iran showed a two-faceted reaction. On one hand it reacted at the lowest political level in the government – a statement from the foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham was issued. As far as the mullahs are concerned her position is insignificant since she is a woman.
Nevertheless, the spokeswoman condemned not just the “terrorist act in Paris” but the “use of freedom of expression and intellectual fanaticism that damages figures that are esteemed in religions and by nations”. It is clear that the second phrase is targeting the same caricaturists that fell victim to the shots by criminals.
At the same time, the spokeswoman blames the atrocity on the Western states and says: “Unfortunately, incorrect policies and duplicity towards the use of violence and extremism disseminates this kind of actions and behavior.” (IRNA state-run News Agency – January 7, 2015)
Meanwhile, the Supreme Leader (Ali Khamenei), the regime’s President (Hassan Rouhani), and the mullahs’ speaker of parliament (Ali Larijani) remained completely silent. The senior Ayatollahs in Qom that usually follow the official policies also chose to remain totally silent. What is the meaning of this silence other than satisfaction regarding an unimaginable savagery? Isn’t this silence more vocal than hailing the coldblooded attackers?
On Friday, January 9, Ahmad Khatami, a senior cleric who was the Friday prayer Imam of Tehran, broke this silence, by amazingly attacking France:
“Who is responsible for the killing of all these innocents in these countries? Who provides their weapons? U.S. dollars? British pounds? European Union euros? It were you who bred these beasts and serpents in your sleeves. One who sows the wind shall reap the whirlwind. These terrorists have been bred by you. These terrorists were bred by your political supports and that of your allies.
Now that you have tasted terror, know that this path that you have been travelling for 10 years and endorse the terrorists is astray; then abandon it.”
We would be off track to assume that these statements are addressing France or Western states. The mullahs in Tehran are carefully weighing their attack. Their principal addressees are those who are trying to earn legitimacy for these massacres.
A day earlier, the state-run news agency of Tasnim, affiliated with the Qod Force, went one step further and threatened France to either change its policy in Syria or face more terrorism that is on the way:
“The trend of developments in France is moving in the direction of a season of terrorist operations that was switched on by the attack on Charlie Hebdo weekly… the French security officials are most cognizant that to preserve security in various cities, a change in the French policy vis-à-vis Syria is essential.” (Tasnim News Agency, January 8, 2015)
In a similar article on the same day, Sharq Daily, affiliated with Rouhani’s faction, wrote: “Reviewing relations with Iran… can assist in brushing aside the atmosphere of violence.”
On the other hand, the Resalat Daily, one of the most important newspapers affiliated with Khamenei’s faction, wrote:
“Many jihadists have been supported by France and were very active in Paris. Thus, we can surmise that the recent terrorist act against the security in Paris is a consequence of France’s policy in its several years of support for the jihadists.” (Resalat Daily, January 8, 2015)
Meanwhile in Tehran, security officials prevented Iranian journalists from demonstrating in solidarity with their murdered colleagues. Why is a ceremony related to victims of a magazine prohibited? Were the mullahs’ fearful of the expansion of this demonstration to all streets and the start of an uprising or they could not tolerate respect for freedom of expression?
It seems like both reasons have strongly affected this decision.
On Thursday, January 8, in a public speech, mullahs’ leader Khamenei pointed to a fundamental principle of the regime: “Islam does not believe in pluralism. Instead, one should show firmness toward the enemies and kindness toward the friends.”
Why is it that during the nuclear negotiations with the P5+1 which includes France, the mullahs forgo the benefit of voicing solidarity with France?
There are two main reasons:
- First, any sort of solidarity with the victimized journalists is contradictory to the most fundamental rule that preserves the regime; i.e. the suppression ruling Iran. The fundamental principal of suppression demands inhibition of freedom of expression and the arrest, torture and killing of journalists, writers and intellectuals. Mullahs ceaselessly abide by this principal: there are no free and independent papers, young bloggers are sometimes killed during torture, and according to Reporters Without Borders, Iran is one of the biggest prisons of reporters in the world.
- If condemning the terrorist crime at Charlie Hebdo goes beyond a marginal opinion, it would then contradict the sanctity of fundamentalism which is the soul of the Iranian regime.
From the viewpoint of mullahs ruling Iran and coherent with their true stance, the tragedy at Charlie Hebdo is not a disaster for mankind but an opportunity to seize.
Their untold conclusion is: this is the product of the seeds that we have been planting for 36 years.
