05/23/2011
GVF — A group of more than 130 Shiite clerics from religious seminaries in the city of Qom have denounced the continued house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi, the leaders of Iran’s opposition Green Movement.
In a statement signed by 133 clergymen in Qom, the scholars said they believed the on-going detention of the former Prime Minister and parliament speaker was against the interests of “Islam”, as well as the “security and stability” of the political establishment in the country.
“It is obvious that coercive and security-oriented confrontations against protesters and dissidents as well as resorting to an atmosphere of unease, accusations, and slander through the media and the country’s public spaces, will lead to nothing but an increase in radicalism and provocation of [the people] into anti-structuralism which is what the ill-wishers seek.”
Almost a hundred days ago, the leaders of the opposition movement were placed under house arrest after calling on Iranians to demonstrate in solidarity with protesters in the Arab world. Since their detention, the leaders and their spouses have been held in captivity without any official charge or trial, resulting in the outpouring of worldwide condemnation against the measure.
The statement, issued on behalf of scholars in Iran’s religious heartland Qom, home to more than fifty seminaries (Hawzas), went on to add: “to be concerned about the dangers that threaten our historical assets and achievements, is the burdensome duty of everyone.”