Arbaeen, a government-led staged event with religious hostage-taking of minorities

The Islamic Republic government has turned Arbaeen into a stage of fake solidarity by exploiting religious minorities.

For years, the Islamic Republic has turned the Arbaeen march into a propaganda tool, using it to demonstrate ideological power and expand Shiite influence in the region. This propaganda project is being carried out at enormous expense from the pockets of the Iranian people, while the country is struggling with economic crises, widespread poverty, and livelihood instability.

But the darker side of the story is the scenario of using religious minorities as an instrument. By exerting direct and indirect pressure on the leaders of non-Shiite religions, the regime forces them to participate in this show in order to convey a false image of “religious freedom” and “national solidarity” to the world. The establishment of the “Armenian and Assyrian Christian procession” on the Tamarchin border is a clear example of this propaganda engineering, an action that on the surface shows religious coexistence, but in reality is part of a legitimization project for a system that is itself the main factor in the repression and discrimination against these same minorities.

"Dariovush Azizian," the priest of the Eastern Assyrian Church in Urmia, said about holding a Christian procession during the Arbaeen ceremony: "The commandment of Jesus Christ is to love our neighbor, whether he is a Christian or not, as long as his shadow is similar to ours, his color and race are not important. We have lived together for many years, especially in the villages. Urmia also has Sunni brothers and sisters who hold a procession on the pilgrimage route near the Tamarchin border. I remember that my father used to give alms to the mourning gatherings in the village during the mourning period for Hussein (peace be upon him). We pray for those who walk this path to make their pilgrimage in peace."

These seemingly peaceful displays are in stark contrast to the reality of life for religious minorities in Iran, who face severe restrictions, suppression of rituals, security threats, and systematic discrimination. In such circumstances, talk of “neighborly love” or “altruism” is nothing more than putting on a repressive facade with the color of religious diplomacy.

For the Islamic Republic, Arbaeen is not only a reminder of a religious tradition, but also a propaganda platform that exploits even the suffering and faith of minorities to bolster its propaganda machine. This is neither solidarity, nor respect, but a fabricated display of religious hostage-taking.