3 

What happened in Tehran on the day of Ashura?

A critical Look

Everyone is curious to know what exactly happened in Iran on the day of Ashura. The friends and well
wishers are concerned and the enemies and those who harbor grudge are happy. Here we desire to
have a look at the ongoing events in Iran and briefly cast a glance on the background of these events.

Violation of sanctity of the day of Ashura

These sad events started on the morning of the day of Ashura when lovers of Imam Hussein (as) were all
busy in mourning for the tragedy of Karbala across Tehran. The day whose sanctity is respected by all
the people around the world and for Muslims in general and the followers of Ahlul Bait (as) in particular
it is a day of mourning. However for a small group of people about whose identity we will speak soon it
was a day of clapping, whistling and going on a rampage across the city.

Who are these people?

Identity of these people is well known from the kind of clothes they wear1 and the kind of things they
speak. The identity of these people can be defined with the help of following attributes,

1. They have sold themselves to the Western ideals, culture and lifestyle
2. They have a strange kind of hatred for Islam
3. They do not respect any of the Islamic values and sanctities
4. They are a tool in the hands of the enemies and their proxy inside Iran
5. They prefer Shah (monarchy) over Islamic governance
6. They desire good relations with the leading oppressors of the world, viz. US and Israel
7. They prefer Nationalism over Islamic concept of one Islamic Ummah ( and hence they hate
Arabs)
8. They do not like that Iran is supporting Islamic movements across the world.

Needless to say that these people have these qualities in varying amounts and not all are same. Some
people show some of these qualities more intensely than others.

But the important point that is worthy of attention is that the number of such people is few and this
group has existed since the Islamic Revolu4on in 1979 and mainly such people are to be found mostly in

1
http://media.berbs.us/images/iranian-woman-protester1.jpg
Tehran which is the center of cultural attack from the West. Otherwise the people of Iran respect Islam
and majority of them prefer Islamic governance over any other form.

However the Western (or should I say Zionist!) media is trying to portray that “hundreds of thousands of
people are on the streets!”2, “this is like a second revolution in Iran”3 and was busy fabricating many
such similar stories.

What did they do?

Now let us have a look at what these people were doing on the day of Ashura. The day on which
everyone in Iran was busy mourning for Imam Hussein (as).

1. Clapping and whistling on the day of Ashura

Some of these people were clapping and whistling in order to cheer other rioters who were
setting the public property on fire on the day of Ashura.

This was caught on video:

h?p://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKoBevdr5c&feature=youtube_gdata

2. Attack on the mourners of Imam Hussein and efforts to disrupt mourning ceremonies
The mourners of Imam Hussein (as) were attacked by these rioters. The following is an interview
with one of the mourners who became a victim of the attack.

h?p://www.farsnews.com/media.php?nn=8810080573 [Persian]

Other than this those who watch Iranian channels saw several other interviews of people who
were beaten up by the rioters and maybe they might show these interviews again on PressTV or
IRINN (http://www.irinn.ir ) channel for those who wish see more proof of these claims.

Following is the Album of photos showing aftermath of efforts to disrupt mourning ceremonies

h?p://www.irna.ir/View/FullStory/Photo/?NewsId=863270

3. Burning and destruction of property

These people went on a rioting across the city setting vehicles, banks, shops and public property
on fire.

This was also caught on camera. Please see,

http://www.irna.ir/NewsMedia/Photo/Larg_Pic/2009%5C12%5C28%5Cimg633976173983281250.jpg

h?p://www.irna.ir/NewsMedia/Photo/Larg_Pic/2009%5C12%5C28%5Cimg633976133226406250.jpg

2
h?p://www.4me.com/4me/world/ar4cle/0,8599,1950176,00.html , see fourth line from top.
3
h?p://www.guardian.co.uk/commen4sfree/2009/dec/28/iran-revolution-protests
 h?p://www.cnn.com/video/world/2009/12/28/griffin.sayah.iran.future.cnn.640x360.jpg

The details of the damages were provided by PressTV .

Please see: h?p://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=114838&sec4onid=351020101 [English]

How many people died? How did they die?

In these unfortunate events according to the official reports 7 people lost their lives. The details of
which were provided by Iranian news outlets.

Please see, h?p://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=114882&sec4onid=351020101 [English]

h?p://www.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8810081405 [Persian]

But a more important question is how did these people die? The causes of death included stabbing to
death, throwing from the bridge, being hit by a vehicle, some unknown causes and gunshots. Two of the
eight people were killed by gunshots.

The chief of police in Tehran said no weapon was used against the rioters. The police and the anti-riot
police are only allowed to carry batons and the Police used tear gas and pepper sprays to disperse the
rioters.

Also during the same period time ten people affiliated to the terrorist organization MKO were arrested
in Tehran4 and the Police gave a possibility that those who were killed with gunshots were killed by the
terrorists.

Accusation on the Police

But the Western media claimed without providing any proof that police had opened fire on the rioters.
This accusation was repeated in the media across the whole world. None of these media outlets
provided any proof for their claim. Please see some examples here,

1. Reuters: TIMELINE: Police open fire in opposition protests in Iran

(h?p://www.reuters.com/ar4cle/idUSTRE5BQ0P320091227)

The entire news item does not mention anything about police opening fire on protestors. Only
towards the end the report says, ‘Police in Tehran say they were investigating the "suspicious" deaths’

2. Time: Police opened fire on an anti-government demonstration commemorating the Shi'ite

holiday.
(h?p://www.4me.com/4me/photogallery/0,29307,1950178_2017439,00.html)

Two lies in one line. Firstly police were not carrying weapons and so could not open fire and
secondly the demonstrators were not commemorating Shi’ite holiday but rather they were

4
h?p://www.presstv.com/classic/Detail.aspx?id=114774&sec4onid=351020101
 disrupting the people mourning for Imam Hussein (as). The only mention about opening of fire is
to be found in the subtitles of the first photo where it says, ‘Police opened fire on a
demonstration in Tehran killing at least four people, according to witnesses,’

It is ironical that the police and the innocent people who were busy mourning were beaten up, stabbed,
hit by stones by rioters but the Western media tried to portray as if the police and the people had
attacked those who stood for “democracy” and “freedom.”

How come these people dared to do these things on the day of Ashura?
But a more important question that must be asked is: In the past these people never dared to carry out
such acts but this year and that too on the day of Ashura who encouraged them to commit these acts?

The answer to these questions should be searched in the events that started 6 month ago aRer the
Presiden4al elec4ons (June 2009). A group of people from the poli4cal spectrum in Iran aRer seeing that
they have lost the elections under the pretext that there was fraud in the elections started an
unnecessary conflict. They were invited many times by the government officials to provide proof and to
stop this conflict. But they went on with it. As a result slowly all the enemies who desired to harm the
Islamic Republic of Iran entered this group because this provided them a platform to carry out their
destructive activities.

Unfortunately the leaders of this so called “Green” movement did not do anything to distance
themselves from these Islam haters and enemies of Islamic Governance. So much so that these people
using the same “Green” banner came out on the day of Ashura and committed what they committed.

However it is necessary to make a clear distinction between these two groups:

1. The group of political figures (that is the leaders of this so called “Green” movement) and their
supporters who - intentionally or not - prepared the grounds for enemies of Islam and Islamic
Governance to break the sanctities of Islam.
2. The group of Westernized misguided people who hate Islam and anything related to Islam and
who saw this as a good opportunity to carry out their destructive activities.

But this should also be kept in mind that if the leaders of this so called “Green” movement do not clearly
distance themselves from these rioters and Islam haters they will be considered as part of them and
they will be responsible for whatever has taken place or will take place.

Reaction of the people inside Iran

Those who are living in Iran or they watch the news channels broadcasted from Iran like PressTV, IRINN,
etc are well aware that people in Iran are angry at what happened on the day of Ashura. They have all
united to express their hatred towards these people who violated the sanctity of Imam Hussein and
Ashura.
Iran was witness to spontaneous protests in many cities (like Tehran, Qum, Kermanshah, Mashhad,
Tabriz, etc). Please see the link below for photos of the protests,

h?p://www.irna.ir/View/FullStory/Photo/?NewsId=866630

People from all the sections of the society, important personalities and organizations condemned these
actions and demanded that the perpetrators of these events should be punished severely. Among the
important personalities and organizations that condemned these events include,

1. Ayatullah Makarem Shirazi.(http://www.makaremshirazi.org/persian/news/?nid=651[Persian])

2. Ayatullah Noori Hamadani. (h?p://www.rajanews.com/detail.asp?id=41933 [Persian])
3. Ayatullah Jawadi Aamuli. (http://www.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8810081298 [Persian])
4. Assembly of Experts5 (h?p://www.irinn.ir/Default.aspx?TabId=15&nid=167683 [Persian])
5. Organization of seminary teachers of Qum6 (same link as above)

Protests scheduled on Wednesday across Iran

Also to voice opposition to all those who committed these acts and all those who are directly or
indirectly responsible for these events protests are organized all across Iran on Wednesday December
30, 2009 at 3 PM Tehran standard 4me (11:30 AM GMT).

Those interested can watch the live telecast of these protests on PressTV and other Iranian channels.

Also it is obvious that these protests will not be given any coverage in the Western media and those who
do not have direct access to these channels can watch them through live feeds from the Internet.

The enemies are happy and cheerful

There is a saying, “Friend of your enemy is not your friend.” Today if we want to understand the reality
of these people who are causing trouble in Iran it is necessary for us to see who is supporting them.

The enmity of some of the Western countries (especially the US and Israel) towards Islam and Muslims is
not hidden for anyone.

Enemy support for those who violated the sanctity of al Hussein

How strange it was to see all the enemies of humanity, murderers, those guilty of genocides united
together to support rioters in Tehran. You could see smile and happiness on their faces. From Obama in
US to David Miliband in UK, from France to Germany all were voicing their support for the people who
violated the sanctity of the day of Ashura.

5
It is a group of more than 80 Mujtahids (Ayatullas) that appoints and monitors the Vali e Faqih
6
Known as Ja’ame e Mudarriseen
Propaganda campaign of the Western media
These events were utilized to its fullest by the media across the world. From English channels in the
West to the Arab channels in the Middle East everyone was trying to exaggerate the events and make it
appear as if “a revolution” is on its way in Iran.

We cannot expect the enemy to be sympathetic towards us and expect that they be fair in their
reporting and that they do not lie and twist these events to their benefit. The sad part is that we
ourselves fall prey to their propaganda and sometimes we have more faith in their reporting than in
Qu’ran. Qu’ran clearly and explicitly says,

“O you who believe! if an evil-doer comes to you with a report, look carefully into it, lest you harm a
people in ignorance, then be sorry for what you have done.”7

This does not mean to say that whatever they say is wrong. But it means that when you read any news
or opinion from the Western sources at least make sure that you verify its correctness several times
from other sources before you believe in it or spread it to others.

All the enemies unite against Vilayat e Faqih

Another important thing that is worthy of attention is that the enemies through some excuse are
turning the direction of their attack towards Vilayat e Faqih. Any small problem happens in Iran and you
see the enemies blaming it on Vilayat e Faqih.

If we carefully study the analysis, the blogs, the editorials written in the Western media on this issue we
will see that the direction of their attack is on Vilayat e Faqih. This is because the enemy is more aware
than us of the importance of Vilayat e Faqih in the system of Islamic Governance. Also it for the very
same reason those who are opposed to Vilayat e Faqih are given coverage in the Western media and
they are glorified in the Western media as the champions of “Democracy” and “Freedom”.

Here are a few samples,

http://abcnews.go.com/International/iran-ayatollah-kadivar-iranian-regime-opposition-
movement/story?id=9433282&page=1

http://www.sphere.com/world/article/the-advantages-of-doing-nothing-about-iran/19294976

What is our duty?

Usually we all play the role of bystander in these conflicts. This mostly is due to lack of proper
information or not knowing what is the responsibility in such situation. However it is possible for us to
play a more proactive role in these issues.

7
Sura al Hujuraat, verse 6
Spread hope not despair
The first reaction that some friends and sympathizers show at such events is panic and loss of hope.
They think that everything is over, Iran is destroyed, the revolution is gone, etc. and they spread this
despair and hopelessness to others. But the truth of the matter is that the revolution is stronger than it
has been in any time before. With the able leadership, well equipped armed forces, thousands and
thousands of young and old people who are standing firmly behind the leadership and who are ready to
give their lives for Islam, Iran is far from being weak. This does not mean that there are no problems
inside Iran and everything in Iran is perfect. Yes, there are problems in Iran that should be addressed
and taken care of. But is it fair that instead of trying to correct the shortcomings of the Islamic System
we go on criticizing and as a result weakening the Islamic System. But rahter we should always have a
balanced and positive outlook.

Do not fall for the enemy propaganda

This probably is the biggest challenge for those who live outside Iran and are constantly bombarded with
different kinds of Western (or equivalently Zionist) media outlets.

The solution to this issue that we should develop a critical look at all that is being fed to us. We should
try to verify news from different sources and we should try to look for contradictions.

Apart from this our only source of information should not be the main stream media. There are some
other media outlets that provide a more critical and realistic picture about the ongoing events but
unfortunately these websites are not very well known and not many people refer to it.

As an example the website informationclearinghouse.info can be referred.

Have Husn e Zann (Good opinion) about the believers

It has been seen many times that whenever any news is published by a source that is connected to Iran
or other believers there are people people say, “Oh these people are biased. You cannot trust them.” Or
they say, “Ah these people are controlled by the government.” But on the contrary when any news is
published by BBC (which is also affiliated to British Government) or some other similar such news outlet
we tend to believe them without any questioning or doubt.

This is exactly opposite of what Islam has ordered us. It has ordered us to have good opinion about
believers and accept their testimony about events unless if we have clear proof against them. Also Islam
has ordered us that when an evil-doer comes to you with any news you should not accept it unless you
have verified it. Again I would like to refer to the verse of the Holy Qu’ran that explicitly says,

“O you who believe! if an evil-doer comes to you with a report, look carefully into it, lest you harm a
people in ignorance, then be sorry for what you have done.”8

Wasalamo Aalaikum wa Rahamtualla

8
Sura al Hujuraat, verse 6