With the uprisings against the existing regime in  Iran, minorities are given the opportunity to utter forty years of suppression by the Iranian regime. Sunnis, a multilingual and multi-ethical  religious minority of Iran, do not enjoy the same civil rights as a Shiite. For instance, Sunnis cannot hold authoritative positions in the government, and they cannot practice certain religious events publicly. Despite the fact that every city in Iran, whether it is populated with Shiites or Sunnis, has a Shiite mosque in it, the Sunnis living in the capital, Tehran, are not allowed to have a mosque of their own with a Sunni Imam administration.

Molavi AbdolHamid, a well-known Sunni Imam who has been the voice of the Sunni minority, leads the  protests against the existing regime after each Friday prayer.

What Sheikh AbdolHamid promotes is the idea of an internationally monitored referendum to determine the political system in Iran.His speeches did not become softer after several attacks were conducted on Friday protests. On the contrary, his criticisms against the government became even stronger.

Sheikh AbdolHamid has supported some of the conservative presidents during previous presidential elections, but it is noteworthy to say he also criticizes them after witnessing their unfulfilled promises. He criticized the fundamentals of the regime and the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic. The vitality of Sheikh AbdolHamid’s opposition is in the critical frame of his speeches. He demonstrates that the Islamic regime, besides the social and economic failures, has also failed to practise  Islam and he focuses on unity and brotherhood among muslims in his speeches.

By: S.R