Eighty eight professors of the engineering faculty of Tehran University by issuing an open letter to Ayatollah Khamenei (the Supreme Leader) objected to the attacks of the government’s forces to various universities. According to the report by Amir Kabir University’s Newsletter, these professors in their letter, while referring to the attack of the forces supporting Ayatollah Khamenei and armed with cold weapons, pepper spray and tear gas to Tehran University on December 7th and 8th, write: “It is still very difficult for us to accept that a group with several tools and weapons and with previous coordination can attack the university and for two subsequent days beat and hit students – the pure sons and daughters of this land –, destroy public properties, insult the university professors and disrespect the center of country’s engineering.”

The Assembly of Teachers and Researchers of Qom Seminary School, one of the reformist groups, by issuing a statement on Sunday, criticized the illegitimate denial of Grand Ayatollah Saanei’s stature as a Marja (religious reference) by Mohammad Yazdi (in the name of The Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary School). The Assembly of Teachers and Researchers of Qom Seminary School announced: “The stature of being Marja is not like government posts so that a person, group, organization or assembly considers for itself the right of appointing or dismissing one (the stature of being Marja).” This religious organization considered the action of the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary School in denying the stature of Marja of Grand Ayatollah Saanei to be solely a political move.

Grand Ayatollah Bayat-Zanjani in response to the inquiry regarding the illegitimate action of Mohammad Yazdi (in the name of The Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary School) in announcing that Grand Ayatollah Saanei is not qualified to be a Marja (religious reference) in a letter while firmly emphasising on Grand Ayatollah Saanei‘s high level as a respected Marja, advised all of Grand Ayatollah Saanei’s followers to obey and honour his rulings and added that it is certain that the recent insults and attacks against some of the most senior religious figures and respected organisations of the seminary school such as The Assembly of Teachers and Researchers of Qom Seminary School (reformist), which in the best case is due to stupidity and lack of common sense, would be useless and would have an outcome opposite of what those committing these acts were hoping for. At the end he hoped that those committing these baseless acts acknowledge that these kinds of actions would only weaken the stature of the seminary school.

The Assembly of Combatant Clergymen in reaction to the illegitimate act of Mohammad Yazdi (in the name of The Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary School) in announcing that Grand Ayatollah Saanei is not qualified to be a Marja (religious reference) by issuing a statement announced that there is absolutely no doubt in the high stature of Grand Ayatollah Saanei as a respected Marja and this position was not given to him by a statement of a group that could be taken away from him by a statement of another group!

Following to the continuation of the provocative actions of the authoritarian movement to expand the wave of brutality and repression across the society, the Mojahedin of Islamic Revolution Organization (reformists) issued another statement subsequent to its last statement after the bitter events of Ashura, in which, by outlining the characteristics of the Green movement of the nation from its viewpoint, calls on everyone to have endurance, resilience, tolerance and forgiveness and to resort to peaceful and civil means [in their protests]. In this statement, the Mojahedin of Islamic Revolution Organization indicates that “The current movement’s main demand and focus is the rejection of despotism and guarantee in citizenship rights and basic freedoms defined in the constitution”. The Mojahedin of Islamic Revolution Organization in another part of its statement by stating that “Authoritarians have always used the two tools of religion and security” reminds that “Any encouragement for retaliation against the brutal and oppressive actions of the authoritarians is playing a role in the scenario that they have planned and directed”. At the end the Mojahedin of Islamic Revolution Organization adds: “Based on the available evidence and signs the governing authoritarians’ campaign for psychological war, has prepared some groups for directing the protests towards awry slogans and encouraging the protestors to engage in physical confrontations.”

The Islamic Iran Participation Front (reformists) in a statement announced its firm and complete support for Mir Hossein Mousavi’s five step solution that was laid out in his statement #17: “The Islamic Iran Participation Front with full confidence in the path that Mir Hossein Mousavi has opened for the Iranian nation, announce its firm support for his solutions and reiterates its alliance with him. Although this movement (Green Movement) during the past seven months have left a difficult time behind but its progress has never stopped and this success was not possible unless with the endurance and unity of all members and leaders of the movement. Mir Hossein Mousavi’s statement # 17 is a response to the urgent and immediate need of the Iranian nation and the country; and if it is received and understood by its audience well and its solutions for the least [of people’s demands] be met, it can bring hope and prosperity for the country.”

Following the release of an illegitimate statement by Mohammad Yazdi (pro-coup hardliner cleric and the secretary of the Assembly of Teachers of Qom Seminary School) in the name of the Assembly regarding the religious authority of Grand Ayatollah Saanei (a senior cleric supporter of Green movement) as a Marja, a hardliner supporter of a coup government in the parliament has started his efforts to collect signature in order to get more support over this baseless claim but most of the independent clerics in the parliament refused to sign this petition and considered this a political move that is harmful to the position of religious figures. It is also important to note that some of the most senior and respected members of the Assembly of Teachers of Qom Seminary School, including Grand Ayatollahs Amini and Javadi-Amoli ,also reacted to this illegitimate move by Mohammad Yazdi and announced publicly that they have not been participating in any of the meetings by the Assembly recently and still are not attending these meetings and also they do not consider these acts in favour of the religion and the Seminary School at all. One should note that this pathetic act comes at the time that in the recent days there have been many attacks by plain clothes militia supporters of the coup government at the offices and house of Grand Ayatollah Saanei while the buildings were vandalised and police and security forces did absolutely nothing to stop them!

Ahmad Reza Dastgheyb, reformist representative of the people of Shiraz in parliament, in an interview with ParlemanNews regarding the recent attacks on Ghoba Mosque by pro-government plain clothes militia said that in recent days a group attacked Ghoba Mosque, where was one of the main spiritual bases during the revolution and the Iran-Iraq war and where Grand Ayatollah Dastgheyb (member of the Assembly of Experts and a supporter of Green Movement) holds his sermons, and vandalised the building and insulted the mosque. He added that some also attacked the house of Grand Ayatollah Dastgheyb in Shiraz. He said that unfortunately the security council of Fars province (where the city of Shiraz is located and a body appointed by Ahmadinejad) ordered for the evacuation of the mosque and although people and followers of Grand Ayatollah Dastgheyb refused to leave the mosque, but they were forced to leave the mosque and the police sealed the mosque afterwards! He also added that last night when Grand Ayatollah Dastgheyb wanted to travel to Shiraz from Tehran to get a hold of situation and comfort his followers, the security forces escorted him out of the plane and did not let him to travel to Shiraz! This member of the parliament stressed that these attacks on the mosque and the house of a senior religious figure and a member of the Assembly of Experts as well as the insults by the officials is making the people very angry and upset and although Grand Ayatollah Dastgheyb asked people to stay calm and be patient, but the authorities should immediately end their hard-line and harsh behaviour.