{"id":7303,"date":"2020-01-07T12:02:43","date_gmt":"2020-01-07T09:02:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/?p=7303"},"modified":"2020-06-03T13:14:24","modified_gmt":"2020-06-03T10:14:24","slug":"repressing-sufism-in-iran-ideological-differences-or-concerns-about-increasing-popularity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/monitoring-and-translation\/reports\/repressing-sufism-in-iran-ideological-differences-or-concerns-about-increasing-popularity\/","title":{"rendered":"Repressing Sufism in Iran: Ideological Differences or Concerns About Increasing Popularity?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Due to the harsh conditions suffered by the Gonabadi\nDervishes in Iranian prisons, a number of them were transferred to hospitals\nafter their health conditions deteriorated with the contraction of several\ndangerous diseases. In light of this, Iranian lawmakers have called for urgent\nand serious consideration of the challenges facing Gonabadi Dervishes as well\nas the conditions they endure inside Iranian prisons by the head of the Iranian\njudiciary Ebrahim Raisi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Several members of the Gonabadi Order have gone on a complete\nhunger strike, with Iranian authorities paying no heed to their demands. This\nis not the first time that the Dervishes have gone on strike. The strikes have\noccurred repeatedly since their crisis with the government in February 2018.\nAccording to international human rights reports, the Dervishes are subject to\nseveral forms of repression, prosecution, and torture. They have been denied\nfood, medicine and sleep in addition to serious abuses committed against\ndetained female members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I- A History of Abuse<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In the past, Iranian officials concealed their ideological\nand sectarian motivations driving their crackdown on the Gonabadi Dervishes.\nRather,  Iranian officials have\nattributed their crackdown to legal violations by the Gonabadi Dervishes.  This means that  Iranian officials do not admit to the fact\nthat  Gonabadi Dervishes are oppressed by\nthe state. The Iranian government is following in the footsteps of the Safavid state\nin cracking down on  Sufis and oppressing\nthem.  Throughout history, Sufi  Dervishes were subject to prosecution at the\nhands of the Safavids in Iran. The term \nSufi was considered synonymous with atheism. The Nimatullahi  Sufi\nOrder moved its activities to India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the Safavids and during the era of the founder of the Nimatullahi  Sufi Order, Nooraldin Shah Nimatullah Kerman,<\/strong>  Amir Tumir ordered Nimatullah to leave Khorasan although he did not have any inclination to revolt or seek power. Tumir was concerned about Nimatullah\u2019s influence due to his  large number of supporters in Khorasan. Khorasan Before the Safavids and during the era of the founder of the Nimatullahi  Sufi Order, Nooraldin Shah Nimatullah Kerman,<\/strong>  Amir Tumir ordered Nimatullah to leave Khorasan although he did not have any inclination to revolt or seek power. Tumir was concerned about Nimatullah\u2019s influence due to his  large number of supporters in Khorasan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When clerics took power after the 1979 revolution, they dealt\nwith  Sufi Dervishes in a similar manner\nas seen during the Safavid period. The pro-Velayat-e Faqih religious elite does\nnot consider the Gonabadi Dervishes as a legitimate sect within Shiism, but as\nheretics who misinterpret religious texts going against  Shiite consensus or, in other words, threaten\nVelayat-e Faqih. Others view it as a Sunni group that embraces Shiism\nculturally  inan attempt to exclude \nGonabadi Dervishesfrom\nShiism as a sect and question their Shiite legitimacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since  Iranian\nauthorities  view  Gonabadi Dervishes as heretics who do not\nrepresent Shiism, they launched a crackdown against their members in 2009 due\nto the group\u2019s support for Mehdi Karroubi in the elections and their\nparticipation in the protests against repression and electoral fraud. The\nIsfahan Friday prayer leader warned against Sufism. Bulldozers destroyed the\ntomb of the Sufi  Nasser Ali in the\ncemetery of Takht-e Foulad situated in Isfahan. The artifacts of the tomb had\nbeen looted, which distressed the Sufis and heightened their sense of\noppression and humiliation. In 2010, reports revealed a plan by the religious\nelite to totally obliterate Gonabadi Dervishes in Iran. In 2011,  Iranian authorities launched a massive\ncrackdown on the Gonabadi Dervishes. \nThose arrested were subject to solitary confinement, were not allowed to\ncontact their attorneys  and  denied fair trials, according to human rights\norganizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All these violations against \nSufis in Iran have had a negative political impact.   This raises questions about the reasons\nbehind this state crackdown and the aims of the religious elite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

II- The Reasons and Dimensions of the Conflict<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It can be said that the main justification used by the\nIranian government to repress Sufis  is\nthe conflict between two currents: The Sufi Dervishes and the pro-Velayat-e Faqih\nelite. The pro-Velayat-e Faqih religious elite believes in cultural domination\nat the level of religion and sect. Therefore, to understand the issue of the Dervishes,\nwe should  study the general framework of\nsectarian and religious minorities who are deprived of  most of their religious, sectarian ,\npolitical and social rights in Iran.  We\nshould also  explore it by studying the\ndifferent anti-Velayat-e Faqih interpretations presented by ethnic and\nsectarian minorities or by movements \nfrom sub-sects.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iranian philosopher Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari spoke of\ncultural guardianship, arguing that it is a branch of Velayat-e Faqih. The\nIranian elite adopting Velayat-e Faqih believes in the absolute version of\nVelayat-e Faqih, which includes guardianship over cultural affairs, hence\nshaping people\u2019s identity and culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monitoring  Sufi Dervishes and cracking down on them is\nmainly attributed to their emergence as competitors to Khomeini\u2019s Velayat-e\nFaqih.  It is not a political rivalry\nsince the Dervishes believe in Intizar<\/em>\n(Waiting  for the Hidden Imam’s return) when it comes to politics.   The seeking of knowledge, and the jurisprudential\nand sectarian approach of Dervishes \u2013 based on attracting people through  spirituality and emotion \u2013  has not yet been distorted by them\nparticipating in governance and politics. People still love  Sufi Dervishes. And this has raised the\nconcerns of the Iranian religious elite supportive of Velayat-e Faqih as they\nfear  Sufi Dervishes could expand, spread\nand find acceptance among the Iranian people, which would enhance the Sufi\ninterpretation of Shiite Islam and inevitably reduce the clout of Velayat-e\nFaqih. Therefore, the government attempts to prevent this by using security\nmeasures at its disposal rather than through the Hawza. In a striking paradox,\nthis reminds us of what Tumir demanded from the founder of the Nimatullahi\nSufi  Order, to leave  Khorasan when he attracted a large number of\nsupporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, there is a historical concern that has been looming\never since the era of the Safavids against Sufis and Sufism due to\nconsiderations related to political legitimacy, not only because of the large\nnumber of supporters that Sufi Dervishes are able to attract. Although the\nSafavids, who were part of the Sufi current, came to power with the aid of the Sufis,\nthey turned against them when they felt that they posed a danger given their\nparticipation in the Safavids\u2019 ascent to power and takeover of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is in addition to another important dimension. It is\nrelated to the Iranian authorities\u2019 concern \nthat Sufis would turn to political activism due to their engagement in\nthe 2009 political dispute when they threw their weight behind Mehdi Karroubi\nin the presidential elections using their wide base of supporters. Hence the\nSufis violated their own Shiite doctrine of Intizar and strategy of no\ninvolvement in politics.  It is not known\nwhether this  transformation in the\nthought of the Dervishes is strategic or temporary. Or is this transformation\nmerely a response to the oppression inflicted on the supporters of the Green\nMovement  rather than a legitimatization\nof political activism by Sufi Dervishes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no official statement of the Gonabadi Order or its\nsenior leaders indicating that they have abandoned their historical position\nsince the era of their founder. This \nhistorical position is represented in staying away from politics and\nshunning revolution and governance. But there is evidence that the founder of\nthe  Gonabadi Order, Nour Ali Tabandeh,\nwas not supportive of Khomeini in the early days of the revolution. Instead, he\nwas close to religious leftist groups and adopted social democratic principles,\nwhich indicates another dimension of difference between the two sides. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reasons for differences arising between the ruling\nreligious elite and the Gonabadi Dervishes \ncan be detailed as follows: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1- The History of the Sufi Jurisprudential Conflict <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 The clerics have maintained a\nnegative position in general towards  the\nGonabadi  Dervishes.\nIt is a historic position that is beyond sect and geography. But the new\ndevelopment in Iran was witnessed when the clerics took power, which brought\nthe jurisprudential differences between them previously confined to the corridors of the seminaries into the public arena. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ruling religious elite who belong to the traditionalist\njurisprudential group worked to end the differences which  are deeply rooted in history and remain the\nhallmark of the jurisprudential community from the early days of Islam across all\nits sects to this day. The pursuit to end these differences was not confined to\nthe academic approach and interfering in the work of the seminaries, but it\nalso included using  security\napparatuses, which the government hints at using or uses to end scientific and\nsectarian differences against any group deemed heretical or astray. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2- Between  Pure Sufism and Hybrid  Jurisprudence<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here lies a problematic issue. The religious elite supportive of\nVelayat-e Faqih in Iran, \ncontrolling  both the state and\nseminary, is a  gnostic elite who\nrespects Ibn Arabi and\nadopts the transcendent theosophy school of thought.\nAt the same time, they are a traditional seminary-inspired and jurisprudential\nelite representing an Islamic movement. All these contradictions\nhave merged in a way that  is unprecedented in Shiite history.  On the other side, the Dervishes revere Ibn Arabi, but they read his approach in a passive\nway, not an active one and understand him within the framework of rejecting\ndifferences among sects and promoting tolerance among\npeople. Perhaps they also embrace bolder tenets such as annihilation and\nmetaphysics, and textual interpretations different from those embraced by supporters\nof Velayat-e Faqih. This is in addition to the fact that the Gonabadi Dervishes\nare not supportive of traditional jurisprudence. They focus on the essence not\nthe outside appearance, and hidden truths more than the evident ones. In\naddition to the foregoing, they don\u2019t believe in Velayat-e Faqih as they have  qotbs<\/em>\n(pillars, masters) who are like guardians in the Twelver Shia doctrine. A qotb \nis a guardian. Then how can the supreme leader\u2019s will supersede that of\nthe   qotb, who is in the position of the\nInfallible Imam? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3- Political  Sufism <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most Sufi orders do not seek power and do not play a role in\npolitics. Dervishes in Iran do not deviate from this line. But the Gonabadi\nDervishes\u2019 participation in the 2009 protests, the increase in their popular\nbases and the historical feud between the group\u2019s spiritual leader Nour Ali\nTabandeh and the leaders of the pro-Velayat-e Faqih current led the Iranian\ngovernment to become concerned and suspicious towards them, so it worked to\ncurb the group and its influence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

III- The Future of the Conflict Between the Religious Elite and the Dervishes <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In this respect, an important question is raised about what the\nIranian authorities in Tehran want. Do they want to totally obliterate the\nSufis from the country as the Safavids attempted to do over a period of time?\nOr will the   authorities just seek to continually\ncurb the Gonabadi\nDervishes in order to ensure the  domination of the state-endorsed version of\nShiite Islam  by cracking down on \nthose perceived as heretics? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is likely that the religious elite does not seek to obliterate\nthe Dervishes in Iran. Perhaps they seek to push them back to square one by\nemploying violent policies towards some of their  elements and changing the  principles \nadopted  when the Sufi Order  was established by Shah Nimatullah, who was\nfully aware of the negative impact when Sufi Dervishes engaged  in politics and revolution. This pushed him\nto commit his order to the affairs of worshiping God and asceticism. This\nphilosophy led the Sufi order\u2019s ideology to spread. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, it is also likely that the conflict between the two\ncurrents: the Velayat-e Faqih and Dervishes in areas not related to\npolitical theories and governance will definitely continue. The Gonabadi Order is\namong the foremost Sufi orders in Iran in terms of historical foundation. It\nalso  has the largest  number of followers and affiliates. The\ntwo  currents wrangle over the concept of\nSufism and Irfaan<\/em> (Islamic\nmysticism). They are in dispute over the ideal model and the endorsed\ninterpretation of Shiism. In terms of politics, Dervishes don\u2019t believe in\nVelayat-e Faqih. Jurisprudentially, there is a historical rivalry between Sufis\nand jurists. Hence, the two sides are in dispute over right<\/em> and salvation<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those embracing Velayat-e Faqih do not believe\nthat rightness could exist multiple times simultaneously. It only exists once,\nand every party claims to be representing what is right. Therefore, several\nlevels of sectarian thinking; deeming opponents to be worthy of admittance\nto Paradise or Hellfire, have emerged. The new\ndevelopment in this historical conflict\nbetween the pro-Velayat e-Faqih elite and Sufi Dervishes  emerged after the Iranian revolution.   The pro-Velayat e-Faqih elite took over\npower and worked to establish control and\ndomination through rendering prevalent its own interpretation of religion,\nembracing it as an undisputed ideology and presenting it to the people as the\nteachings of heaven, as Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari puts it. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Due to the harsh conditions suffered by the Gonabadi Dervishes in Iranian prisons, a number of them were transferred to hospitals after their health conditions deteriorated with the contraction of several dangerous diseases. In light of this, Iranian lawmakers have called for urgent and serious consideration of the challenges facing Gonabadi Dervishes as well as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":7304,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[3818,1659,185,12,263,2362,282,2466,2731,3823,3806],"class_list":["post-7303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reports","tag-amir-tumir","tag-ebrahim-raisi","tag-india","tag-iran","tag-iranian","tag-iranian-government","tag-khorasan","tag-rasanah","tag-rasanah-issues","tag-sufi","tag-sufism"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7303"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7987,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7303\/revisions\/7987"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}