Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi, an influential cleric living in Qom, criticized the fading of values held by the leaders of the Islamic Republic, saying that one of the high-ranking officials believed that Iran should be like Lebanon in terms of clothing.
Mr. Mesbah Yazdi, in a meeting with the commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said that some Iranian officials “are not looking for an Islamic state at all,” and that some of them, despite their religious education, have different views from Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the former leader of the Islamic Republic, and that “there are very few people whose hearts are one with the Imam.”
He said that a high-ranking government official during the revolution believed that Ayatollah Khomeini's influence was beneficial, but he did not have the power to govern the country.
Mr. Mesbah Yazdi added: “Or another official who currently holds one of the highest positions in the country, clearly said that we want to have a country like Lebanon where everyone can live and behave however they want, whoever wants to go out wearing a veil, and whoever wants to be naked, is free.”
He did not specify who the high-ranking official or officials he was referring to were.
Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi has been a staunch critic of Mohammad Khatami, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, and Hassan Rouhani. Supporters of reformists and moderates led a campaign against Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi in the recent Assembly of Experts elections. The Supreme Leader of Iran has called Mr. Mesbah Yazdi’s failure to enter the Assembly of Experts a “loss.”
Mr. Mesbah Yazdi said that some Iranian officials are “looking for a country whose science and technology can progress and achieve something under the shadow of America and its support.”
Praising Ayatollah Khamenei, he said that everyone should obey the Iranian leader's positions "without any arbitrary interpretation" and that "a person who says 'Supreme Leader' ten times in a speech but does not believe in Velayat-e-Faqih cannot fix the country."
Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi made these remarks last week among a group of IRGC commanders, and his official website published these remarks today, Wednesday, May 5.
Source: BBC Persian
