Friday, July 17, 2009

Friday’s Prayer in Tehran: Sermons and Protests

Rafsanjani Delivering Friday's Prayer Sermons
Tehran. 17 July 2009. Getty Images

Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani today delivered the sermons at Friday’s Prayer in Tehran, calling for the release of the detainees of the post-election uprising in Iran and an end to restrictions on free press and freedom of expression. He said the country was in midst of a crisis and expressed hopes that today’s service was a turning point for future change in Iran.

Tens and probably hundreds of thousands of people filled the streets around the University of Tehran, the venue of Friday’s Prayer, and chanted slogans calling for release of political prisoners and in support of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi.

The massive show of force by the opposition supporters was a major setback for the government.

The police used tear gas and batons to break out the crowd of people on nearby Enghelab and Keshavarz avenues.

Highlights of Rafsanjani’s sermon:
  • Country is in midst of a crisis
  • Today can be a turning point for change
  • Detainees of recent events should be freed
  • Sympathy must be given to those who have suffered during the recent events
  • Creation of a political atmosphere of respect for freedom of expression and freedom of press
  • IRIB [the state-owned broadcasting system] should help create an atmosphere of tolerance and freedom
  • The period following the election was “bitter” days for people… all parties were losers
  • People need to work within the existing laws
  • If the Islamic Republic is not Islamic, then we will go wrong; if it is not a Republic, then it would not work

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This is good news a call for freedom a positive change,free press,freedom of expression because the opposite is wrong and not acceptable.Its a start


Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani today delivered the sermons at Friday’s Prayer in Tehran, calling for the release of the detainees of the post-election uprising in Iran and an end to restrictions on free press and freedom of expression. He said the country was in midst of a crisis and expressed hopes that today’s service was a turning point for future change in Iran.

Tens and probably hundreds of thousands of people filled the streets around the University of Tehran, the venue of Friday’s Prayer, and chanted slogans calling for release of political prisoners and in support of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi.

The massive show of force by the opposition supporters was a major setback for the government.


Highlights of Rafsanjani’s sermon:
Country is in midst of a crisis
Today can be a turning point for change
Detainees of recent events should be freed
Sympathy must be given to those who have suffered during the recent events
Creation of a political atmosphere of respect for freedom of expression and freedom of press
IRIB [the state-owned broadcasting system] should help create an atmosphere of tolerance and freedom
The period following the election was “bitter” days for people… all parties were losers
People need to work within the existing laws
If the Islamic Republic is not Islamic, then we will go wrong; if it is not a Republic, then it would not work.
This is good news,The Iranian people want a fresh start and freedom from wicked governmental regime that has the world worrying about them so they have put on import and export restrictions on Iran as a whole and so the Iranian people suffer from it and so does the country/Land of Iran.
Thomas