Abdolhamid Ismaeelzahi

Abdolhamid Ismaeelzahi (Persian: عبدالحمید اسماعیل‌زهی; born 1946/1947) is an Iranian Sunni Muslim cleric who is regarded as a "spiritual leader for Iran’s Sunni Muslim population" though his influence is limited to the Baloch population, according to Reuters.[3] Ismaeelzahi, a Baloch, enjoys support of the overwhelming majority of Baloch people in Iran, who hail him as their Molavi.[2]

Shaykh al-Islām Molavi
Abdolhamid
Abdolhamid in 2014
Official nameAbdolhamid
Personal
Born
Abdolhamid Ismaeelzahi

c. 1946 or 1947 (age 75–77)[1]
ReligionIslam
NationalityIranian
RegionBaluchistan
DenominationSunni
JurisprudenceHanafi[2]
MovementDeobandi
EducationPhd
Websitehttp://abdolhamid.net/

He is the imam of the Makki Mosque in Zahedan[4] and the director of the Jamiah Darul Uloom Zahedan, the main seminary in the city.[5]

Views

Ismaeelzahi is a vocal critic of the status of freedom of religion in Iran and an advocate of nonviolence.[6] He has stated that capital punishment is "not suitable" and should be "used only when there are no other alternatives".[6]

On 2 August 2017, he sent a letter to Ali Khamenei addressing concerns over the "issue of religious discrimination in Iran", which was publicly replied to.[7]

Relations with Taliban

He traveled to Chabahar on November 25, 2013, and told the directors of religious schools in Sistan and Baluchistan:

"All these groups are not takfiris. For example, the Taliban group is not takfiri. The differences that we have with the method of their functions will remain, but this group is not takfiri."[8]

In 2018, Ismaeelzahi issued a statement and considered the signing of the peace agreement between the "Afghan Taliban Movement" and the "American Government" as "a great success of the present era" and an example of "the victory of right over wrong".[9]

In August 2021, Ismaeelzahi said about the Taliban that the vast advances of the Taliban in Afghanistan are the result of God's help and the people's support for them, and the goal of the Taliban is to implement the Islamic law and the way of the Prophet and the decree of God.[10]

Travel restrictions

Ismaeelzahi is under alleged travel restrictions imposed by the establishment. In July 2014, he was barred from leaving the country.[1] In 2017, it was reported that the restriction was intensified, barring him from any travel except to Tehran.[11] However, in December 2018, he was allowed to visit Muscat, Oman to meet the Iranian Baluch minority living there.[12]

Accolades

See also

References
  1. Philipp Breu, translated by John Bergeron, "Sunnis in Iran: The Zahedan network", Qantara, retrieved 15 November 2017
  2. Ahmad Reza Taheri (2013), "The Sociopolitical Culture of Iranian Baloch Elites", Middle Eastern Studies, 46 (6): 973–994, doi:10.1080/00210862.2013.810079, S2CID 144860635
  3. Bozorgmehr Sharafedin (6 August 2016), Sami Aboudi and Robin Pomeroy (ed.), "Iranian Sunni cleric says executions may inflame regional tensions", Reuters, retrieved 15 November 2017
  4. Adelkhah, Fariba (2015). The Thousand and One Borders of Iran: Travel and Identity. Iranian Studies. Vol. 27. Routledge. p. 116. ISBN 978-1317418979.
  5. Brigitte Maréchal; Sami Zemni, eds. (2013). The Dynamics of Sunni-Shia Relationships: Doctrine, Transnationalism, Intellectuals and the Media. Iranian Studies. Vol. 27. Hurst Publishers. p. 175. ISBN 9781849042178.
  6. Behdad Bordbar (13 April 2014), "Iranian Sunni cleric says government asked for help to free soldiers", Al-Monitor, retrieved 15 November 2017
  7. "Iranian Sunni leader voices concerns to Khamenei", Al-Monitor, 7 September 2017, retrieved 15 November 2017
  8. m4j3d (13 December 2014). "گزارش سفر اخیر مولانا عبدالحمید به چابهار". پایگاه اطلاع رسانی شیخ الاسلام مولانا عبدالحمید (in Persian). Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  9. SunniOnline; sunnionline (2 March 2020). "واکنش مولانا عبدالحمید به امضای "توافق‌نامۀ صلح" بین طالبان و آمریکا". سنی آنلاین. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  10. "مولوی عبدالحمید: طالبان از نصرت خدا و حمایت مردمی برخوردارند – DW – ۱۴۰۰/۵/۲۳". dw.com (in Persian). Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  11. "Iran's Sunni Leader Says Discrimination Is A Big 'Problem'", Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 12 November 2017, retrieved 15 November 2017
  12. @Khaaasteh (23 December 2018). "Iranian top Sunni cleric Abdulhamid, who was said to be banned from leaving Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan province…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. "This week in human rights in Iran (December 18-January 8)", Majzooban, 2013, archived from the original on 16 November 2017, retrieved 15 November 2017
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