Houses of Ayatollah Montazeri and Sanei Attacked

A group of plain clothes agents attacked the house of the reformist grand ayatollah Sanei on Tuesday.  They broke the windows of ayatollah Sanei’s office, took down the sign atop this Shi’ite grand ayatollah’s office and replaced it with a picture of the current leader of the Islamic republic.

In a separate act, a group of people numbering around four thousand, torn down mourning posters and banners on the walls of ayatollah Montazeri’s house and smashed the windows of the offices of the senior cleric who enjoys a large following throughout Iran.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Montazeri announced that in order to prevent people from being hurt, ayatollah’s Montazeri’s commemoration ceremonies on the third and seventh day after his passing would not be held.

On Monday, attackers broke the windows of ayatollah Montazeri’s house and climbed the wall of his compound to enter the house of Saeed Montazeri, ayatollah Montazeri’s son, who lives next door to his father, breaking his windows as well. 

Prior to the attacks of these plain clothes agents, Fars news agency which is closely linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, wrote, “A group of Qom residents plan to hold a gathering and demonstration at 15:30 local time to protest slogans chanted during Mr. Montazeri’s funeral procession against the leader and Iranian government authorities.”

Despite all efforts to mobilize a large crowd, fewer than one thousand Basij and plain clothes forces gathered and engaged in threatening others and damaging property.  As the police stood by idly, Ahmad Panahian, the speaker of the group, called for “destroying hypocrites’ bastions.” 

Quoting Panahian, the Fars news agency wrote, “Those who have made plans for the seventh and fortieth [day since passing] of the deceased in Qom have dug their own graves.”

Panahian also said, “Those who stand against the supreme leader are America’s agents and considered to be America’s mercenaries.”

The protesters then issued a statement attacking Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Kroubi, ayatollah Sanei and Hashemi Rafsanjani, accusing them of taking advantage of ayatollah Montazeri’s passing.

The statement calls on the Qom Seminary Teachers Association to “disqualify the grand ayatollah” status of ayatollah Sanei.  The “arrest and prosecution of disturbers” was another demand of the protesters yesterday.  Meanwhile, ayatollah Nouri Hamedani, the lone grand ayatollah supporting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said that it is not permitted to remain silent in face of slogans chanted on Monday in Qom.”

Ayatollah Sanei’s Supporters Announce Readiness
Attacks on ayatollah Sanei’s house took place as this grand ayatollah had supported popular protests since the June 12 election.  On Monday, according to ayatollah Sanei’s office, plain clothes agents prevented this grand ayatollah from entering the holy Masoumeh shrine to participate in Meyyat prayers [to pay respect to the spirits of the deceased].  In response, ayatollah Sanei said: “I have participated in all funeral processions of grand ayatollahs in Qom since 1954, and have to say that the funeral of the revered ayatollah Montazeri was unlike any other, in terms of both the quantity and quality of participants.”

These developments enraged Ahmadinejad’s supporters so much that they attacked the house and office of this Shi’ite grand ayatollah several times in the past two days.  They signed a banner stating: “We, people of the revolution and students at the Qom seminary school ask the revered members of the Qom Seminary Teachers Association to confirm the disqualification of Sheikh Yousef Sanei’s grand ayatollah status and rid the Muslims of this trouble, as it has carried out its revolutionary and historic duty repeatedly in sensitive times.” 

The call prompted a reaction from ayatollah Sanei’s supporters.  According to Rooydad website, thousands of the grand ayatollah’s supporters and emulators in Qom and other cities in Iran contacted ayatollah Sanei’s office declaring their readiness to defend him and the Shi’ite clergy. 

Nowruz website announced that in response to attacks on ayatollah Montazeri and ayatollah Sanei’s houses, a large number of the two Shi’ite grand ayatollahs’ supporters have headed towards Qom from the cities of Isfahan and Najafabad.