One of the Reasons for People’s Protests Against the Islamic Republic

In the latest issue of “Monthly Khimeh belonging to Mohammad Reza Zaeri,” a note titled “Astronomical Packages” has been published regarding the margins of contracts with brand eulogists. In this note, details of “eulogists’ earnings” and their controversial contracts have been exposed.

In Iran, eulogists are divided into three categories:

The first category consists of amateur and seasonal eulogists who pick up the microphone every year during Muharram. The second category includes semi-professional eulogists who have local fame. The third category comprises professional eulogists who operate in an unconventional price range from 3 million tomans per night to 60 million tomans per night. However, these professional eulogists, who are brand and super-brand eulogists, have agreements beyond financial contracts with the heads of congregations.

In 2015, news spread of 600 million tomans in wages paid to one of the famous eulogists. A report that Mahdi Fatemi (deputy coordinator and planning of the National House of Eulogists) did not deny. Additionally, none of the well-known eulogists were willing to provide pricing during phone interviews with “Faraz website” without intermediaries.

Mohammad Reza Zaeri (cleric and university professor) had previously stated that a Mazandaani entrepreneur brought a famous eulogist to Mazandaran every year and in one year, for a decade of Muharram, paid a villa worth close to 700 million tomans as a gift to this eulogist. Additionally, in 2018, a journalist wrote on Twitter that “Javad Moghadam,” one of the famous eulogists, received one billion tomans, meaning 100 million tomans per night, for each night of eulogizing at the Ghareeb Medina Amir Kola congregation.

Mohammad Hossein Balak, director general of Islamic Propaganda in Khuzestan, says: 7,500 formal and domestic Husseiniyas have been identified in the province and the financial turnover of these religious congregations in the first decade of Muharram is approximately 100 billion tomans.

(Khoorna News Agency – September 13, 2018) wrote: This figure, considering current inflation rates, is even higher now, and one should not forget that the amounts are higher than the statistics provided.

In addition to these amounts, the sums given to the Astan Quds Razavi, the shrines of the Imams and Imamzadehs are astronomical figures that could be used to develop cities in Iran. While during the corona period, different countries pursued different solutions, the congregations insisted on holding gatherings. Why? The reason is quite clear.

These amounts are a glimpse of the squandering by individuals affiliated with the Islamic Republic government, who have ruled Iran for years in the name of religion. These astronomical sums are being collected while, for example, ILNA reported on December 19, 2016:

Hamid, 11 years old from southern Kerman, writes this letter without any formal greeting, in the hope that important people who he thinks matter and who have come from afar to his remote village in white heavy vans will help him. After all, they said these travelers came from Tehran, which is where the elders of the village say the capital of the country is and where all the officials and important people live. The boy’s teeth hurt so much and he so desires to study in school that, apart from his family members, he writes a letter so that these seemingly important travelers might take it to officials and very important people of the country, so that perhaps someone will relieve the pain of his teeth, which enslaves his entire being to an unbridled torment. There are many like Hamids in Iran.

The problem of eulogists’ earnings is one side, and the problem of not reaching the deprived people is another side.

The real pain of the people is that many of these same eulogists, in recent protests, stand against the people and instead of standing on the side of justice, they stand across from the suffering nation of Iran. On September 22, 2022, famous eulogists Mehdi Rasouli, Seyyed Yousef Shabiri, and Jalil Mohammadi, along with a group in Zanjan, engaged in elegiac recitations against the people and expressed their support for the Islamic Republic. Many also appeared in the role of oppressive leaders.

This is one of the smallest reasons why today the eyes of the Iranian people have opened and they are directly protesting the very essence of this system. A system that came to Iran with promises of free water and electricity and a colorful table and religious promises, but every day lies, hypocrisy, and deception have replaced its original message.

“Silencing the voices of truth-seekers with bullets and batons is impossible.”