Iran’s Friday Prayers: Anniversary of the Revolution and Elections
One day after the 37th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Friday prayers’ leaders dedicated a significant volume of their sermons to appraisal of Iranians’ turnout in the anniversary gatherings. Elections naturally came up as the next key theme two weeks before the polls for the parliament and the Assembly of Experts.
In Sanandaj, capital of the Kurdistan Province, Mamoosta Khodaei praised the Kurdish community’s participation in the anniversary. In Arak, Ayatollah Dori Najafabadi also expressed gratitude for the “meaningful”, “epic” participation of the nation in the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, calling it a sign of the nation’s solidarity. In Gorgan, Ayatollah Nourmofidi called the anniversary gatherings another proof to the strong bond between the nation and the Islamic Republic establishment. “The Iranian nation’s uprising proved that political life with no dependence on the West or East is possible,” he added. In Mashhad, Bagher Farzaneh also hailed the anniversary gatherings, calling it “mind-boggling for the world”. In Ghazvin, northwest of Tehran, Friday prayers’ leader Ayatollah Abedini spoke of “the Iranian nation’s all-out support for the Islamic establishment”, boasting that the United States and the West cannot manage to gather the same number of supporters, “no matter how much they propagandize and set rewards for their citizens”.
In Tehran, Friday prayers’ imam Kazem Seddighi advised the congregation not to be enticed by the candidates’ “material promises”, but vote for those who are committed to realize the orders of the Supreme Leader, particularly his call for ‘resistance economy’. In Arak, Friday prayers’ sermonizer Dori Najafabadi invited the citizens to vote, while setting the agenda for the next parliament. “In addition to implementing the post-JCPOA plans, the next parliament should increase the gross domestic production and enact the Supreme Leader’s orders on resistance economy” Dori said. In Sanandaj, Mamoosta Khodaei also called for massive turnout of Iranians of all tapestries to vote in the “decisive elections” of late February. In Isfahan, Mojtaba Mirdamadi called for all Iranian citizens to participate in the elections. “The presence of all individuals at polls keeps the face of country and the establishment against enemies who have tied all their hopes to the [low] reception of the two upcoming elections” he said.