RNA – In his Friday prayer sermon to a large and fervent crowd of believers at Qom’s Qods Prayer Hall, Ayatollah Alireza Arafi referred to the upcoming February 21, 2020 Iranian legislative election and said, “A high turnout in the election will enhance the security and authority of the country and the Islamic Resistance Front. We see what role the valuable scholars have created for the country and the discourse of the Islamic Revolution.”
The head of the Islamic Seminaries of Iran stated that we need strong elections with a high turnout and said, “Security, economy and authority depend on a high turnout. More than any other election, the upcoming election will be watched by friends and foes alike. We all have a revolutionary and religious duty to encourage people to participate in the election and the Iranian people must create another scene of honour.”
He added, “A parliament must be established that monitors in a proper manner, recognizes the suffering of the people and is distant from economic and moral damage. We must build a revolutionary parliament that requires the people’s diligence.”
Ayatollah Arafi said, “The West and the House of Saud and reactionaries in the region whose elections are dependent on force or who don’t understand the meaning of elections are speaking of the Iranian elections. They are brazen powers who don’t know how to write about the Iranian elections, the hypocrites and remnants of the former [Pahlavi] regime, who were drowned in corruption and cruelty, make claims about our election.”
The jurisprudent member of the Guardian Council added, “The Islamic Republic and the Iranian people have held forty elections and thanks to God, healthy and strong elections will be held and the enemies will see that the people will not back down from the path of the great aspirations of Islam and the authority and glory of Iran and disappoint them all.”
In other remarks, he referred to the concerns of the Iranian officials, Islamic Seminaries and people regarding the situation of Shaykh Ibrahim Zakzaky, the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, and stated, “Shaykh Zakzaky is a warrior-leader who has offered his six children for the greatness of Islam and thousands of his supporters have been killed. Currently, this warrior and ill scholar is imprisoned. The Iranian people want Nigeria to act in a rational manner because Shaykh Zakzaky wants dignity for that country and they must negotiate with him.”
Ayatollah Arafi added, “International organizations must take care of Shaykh Zakzaky’s health. These organizations interfere and get involved in issues when they shouldn’t but when they have a duty, they are silent. We call on the Iranian government and the diplomatic apparatuses to pursue this issue.”