Ayatollah Alavi Boroujerdi: Critics Are Well-Wishers, Not Servants of America and Israel

Ayatollah Alavi Boroujerdi, while criticizing the crises facing society, emphasized: critics are well-wishers, not servants of America and Israel.

In the first session of the advanced jurisprudence course for the new academic year today, Wednesday, September 26, 1404 (corresponding to September 17), Ayatollah Alavi Boroujerdi, while examining the country’s current problems, explicitly criticized mismanagement in the economic, social, and infrastructural sectors, saying: “Whoever criticizes is not a servant of Israel and America, rather some criticisms stem from sincere concern. People today see the realities and are not satisfied with slogans and labels.”

He regarded the crises in water and electricity as a clear sign of the lack of national planning, and referring to widespread factory shutdowns due to power outages and the escalating increase in electricity bills, added: “This trend has directly become a factor in inflation and has placed doubled pressure on the weak sectors of society.”

He also considered the water crisis as one of the country’s serious threats and emphasized: “We are not among water-rich countries, but we have seas in the north and south. Today, desalination of seawater is a fundamental industry. Neighboring countries have turned their deserts into forests; why haven’t we invested? Why didn’t we plan ahead?”

The seminary professor introduced the solution to overcome economic problems as the attraction and preservation of domestic and foreign capital, and while criticizing the sole focus on government investment, clarified: “The solution to economic problems is attracting domestic and foreign capital from the people. Solving production challenges is not possible with government investment alone.” Referring to the wealth of Iranians abroad, he reminded: “Iranians outside the country have at least 80 trillion in assets and their hearts beat for Iran; we must create the conditions for the return of these capitals.”

He considered one of the fundamental conditions for achieving this goal to be the existence of an independent judicial system, and added: “We want an independent and impartial judiciary. A judge must know what economics is. If an entrepreneur has fallen behind on his bank installment, don’t send him to prison and don’t close his factory. Today there are people in prison who could create thousands of jobs every month.”

Boroujerdi, while emphasizing the necessity of healthy economic competition, considered the direct presence of military and security institutions in the economy as a serious obstacle to private sector development, and clarified: “The economy must be free and competitive, not that one institution is exempt from taxes while the private sector is crushed under pressure.”

In another part of his remarks, he introduced foreign relations as a prerequisite for economic development and said: “Trade and investment only take shape in the shadow of rational and conventional relations, and relations with countries do not mean surrender to them. Relations between countries in the world are shaped based on interests, not friendship or rhetorical enmities.”

He also criticized the prioritization of the country’s public budgets and pointed out: in circumstances where people are suffering from power cuts and livelihood crisis, allocating resources to building new mosques has no justification, because many existing mosques are half-closed. He emphasized that revitalizing mosques requires an efficient imam, not new buildings.

This prominent seminary professor concluded by once again emphasizing: “Our intention is to serve. We remind and speak out of sincere concern and a sense of duty, and we hope that God will grant us the success to take steps toward advancing the people’s interests.”

What we are witnessing today reflects the depth of the crisis in the Islamic Republic. A government that always considered itself beyond criticism has now reached a point where even prominent clergy and seminary professors have spoken out in protest.

When the voice of criticism rises from within the seminary, it shows that public discontent can no longer be denied. These voices remind us that inefficiency, corruption, and lack of planning have not only destroyed the lives of ordinary people, but have also shaken the foundations of the system’s legitimacy in its closest social circles.