In a May 2010 speech at the Organization for Honoring the Imam Khomeini, Hadi Khamenei, the younger brother of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, harshly criticized his brother's policy of allowing members of the messianic Hojjatieh circle to infiltrate the ranks of the regime – in clear contravention of the instructions of Islamic Revolution founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
In 1980s, the Hojjatieh circles in Iran, which held that no Islamic government should be established until the Hidden Imam (the Shi'ite messiah) appeared, clashed with Ayatollah Khomeini. In 1983, the Hojjatieh announced that they were stopping their activity due to his vehement religious opposition to their views, and thereafter they remained on the political and religious margins in Iran. After Ali Khamenei's appointment as supreme leader, and especially after the rise to power of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, they began to act in the open again, and today, their influence on the regime's centers of power is significant. Ahmadinejad is apparently affiliated with the Jamkaran group within the Hojjatieh, which is led by his mentor, Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi. [1]
Hadi Khamenei's criticism of his brother, Supreme Leader Khamenei, focuses on the leader's legitimization of the messianic Hojjatieh circles in their penetration of regime circles, their inculcation of their messianic outlook, and their takeover of the centers of power. These messianic circles make frequent statements about the imminent appearance of the Hidden Imam; for this, they are criticized by Iran's traditional ayatollahs, who reject the legitimization and politicization of the messianic stream in the Shi'a.
In his speech last month, veteran oppositionist Hadi Khamenei warned against a messianic coup within the Islamic Revolutionary regime, by the very same figures who had in the past opposed the path of Islamic Revolution founder Ayatollah Khomeini.
It should be noted that Hadi Khamenei's daily newspaper Hayat-e No was shut down by the regime in December 2009 because of its opposition to Ahmadinejad.
Following are the main points of Hadi Khamenei's speech:[2]
Those Who Were Not Close to Ayatollah Khomeini Are Now His Commentators
"...One of the dangers that threaten the [Islamic] Revolution and the [ideological] line of the Imam [Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini] is the presence of those who were distant from the Imam [Khomeini] prior to the Revolution, and were among his opponents. All of the friends of the Imam [Khomeini] and of the Revolution attest that these elements, which were not close at all to the Imam's [ideological] line, are appearing today in society as people who allow themselves to offer their views on the thinking of the Imam [Khomeini], and to interpret his line [of thought].
"Today, they can be mentioned as a danger to the [Islamic] Revolution. Of course, there is no way to express a clear opinion about their modus operandi, because they are operating in a very convoluted manner."
The Public Must Be Warned – Lest It Be Misled By the Hojjatieh
"Actually, it must be said that the Hojjatieh association is one of the branches of this [messianic] group, and some say that this group [the Hojjatieh] is the core of the faction that opposes the Imam [Khomeini] in the guise of supporting [his ideological] line. The current generation does not know this [about the Hojjatieh], and may perhaps be misled by this group. The supporters of the Revolution must expose these figures, and tell the people the truth [about them].
"Unfortunately, most of the country's media is in the hands of this group, and they [i.e. the Hojjatieh] have managed to inculcate their mode of thinking in society, and infiltrate the regime via a 'soft war,' so as not to be identified. This is a very dangerous matter, because what characterizes a 'soft war' is that no one notices it..."
Supreme Leader Khamenei Also Allows the Military to Engage in Politics – Which Ayatollah Khomeini Opposed
"One of the clear[est] instructions of the Imam [Khomeini] was his ban on the military interfering in political matters. But this has happened... and in contravention of the Imam's instructions – and [some even] justify this.
"It is now appropriate for people to ask this group [the Hojjatieh] about its clear position on these instructions by the Imam."
Endnotes:
[1] This radical Shi'ite group is named after the Jamkaran Mosque near Qom, which, according to the Shi'ite belief, is where the Hidden Imam disappeared and where he will reappear. Ahmadinejad's government has invested immense funds in turning the mosque into a pilgrimage destination.
It should be noted that there is no evidence that Ahmadinejad officially belongs to the Hojjatieh, but he clearly shares their messianic beliefs and ideological orientation. About Ahmadinejad's messianic beliefs, see MEMRI Inquiry &Analysis No. 357, "The Doctrine of Mahdism: In the Ideological and Political Philosophy of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Mesbah-e Yazdi," May 31, 2007, http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2217.htm and MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis No. 229, "Iran's ‘Second Islamic Revolution’: Fulfilled by Election of Conservative President," June 28, 2005, http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/1402.htm.
[2] ILNA (Iran), May 31, 2010.
