Galaledine Taheri, a prominent cleric and prayer leader of Iran's central city of Isfahan, has resigned over the "chaotic situation" in the country, the reformist Noruz paper reported Wednesday.
Ayatollah Taheri, who said he cannot "tolerate the chaos any more" and denounced "generalized corruption at all levels" of religious power in Iran, also expressed his strong support for dissident cleric Hossein Ali Montazeri, the disgraced former successor of Imam Ruhollah Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic republic.
In an open letter written in a tone towards the nation's leaders that has not been heard since the 1979 Islamic revolution, the former associate of Ayatollah Khomeini denounced police measures against Ayatollah Montazeri who has been under house arrest in the holy city of Qom for the past thirteen years.
The cleric, whose letter was published in Wednesday's reformist press, justified his resignation as Friday prayer leader in Isfahan by listing "deception, unemployment, inflation, the daily rising of prices, the diabolical gap between the rich and poor, bribery, the cheating, the growing drug consumption, the incompetence of authorities and the failure of the political structure" of the regime as his reasons for stepping down.
"All this threatens the existence of our country and our people," Ayatollah Taheri asserted in his letter, clearly targeting the increasing domination of the nation's ruling conservatives over all of the regime's institutions.
"What must one do with this deviation and ignorance. The Shah and the United States no longer dominate this country for us to attribute the responsibility for the difficulties and the breakdown to them," the cleric said in his letter, which was dated July 9.
"I was authorized by Imam Khomeini to become the prayer leader of Isfahan 30 years ago. But unfortunately, under the current circumstances in the country I (must) resign," said the Shiite cleric, who played a prime role in the mobilization of the Isfahani people in favor of an Islamic revolution in 1978 and then finally in 1979.
Meanwhile, in a first reaction to Taheri's theatrical coup, members of parliament from Isfahan deplored his resignation and affirmed, "This is a particular painful loss."
"We, the elected representatives of Isfahan, understand the pain of this great religious dignitary and support him," five parliament members from Isfahan said in a letter, an extract of which was published by the reformist Noruz paper.
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
