Ashura 2023: Delivering a Crushing Blow to the Heart of Clerical Hypocrisy in Iran

Ashura 2023
Written by
Mehdi Oghbai

For over four decades, the clerical extremist rulers in Iran have maintained their claim to authority by pretending to emulate the Prophet Mohammad, quoting from the Quran, and asserting their divine mandate to control every aspect of people’s lives. The Supreme Leader even declared their ambition for global dominance under the banner of Islam, spreading their extremist agenda worldwide. However, in the unexpected turn of events during the month of Muharram in 2023, they faced a profound challenge they never saw coming – a resolute awakening of the true beliefs of the Iranian people.

Background:
Muharram, the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar, holds immense religious significance for Shiite Muslims. Its central focus is the solemn commemoration of Ashura, which falls on the 10th day of Muharram.

Ashura marks the tragic event of the Battle of Karbala in 680 A.D., where Imam Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, and his loyal companions valiantly stood against an oppressive and unjust ruler. Refusing to submit to the tyrannical caliph, who falsely claimed to represent the Prophet’s traditions, they paid the ultimate price for their unwavering principles.

Imam Hussein and his followers were surrounded, deprived of food and water, and mercilessly killed on the desolate plains of Karbala in Iraq. For Shiite Muslims, Ashura symbolizes the eternal struggle between truth and injustice and exemplifies the courage to defend righteousness in the face of adversity.

During Muharram, Shiite communities worldwide hold mourning ceremonies, and processions, and recite elegies to honor the sacrifices of Imam Hussein and his companions. These observances foster solidarity, reflection, and remembrance. Unfortunately, the clerical dictatorship in Iran has exploited the Iranian people’s deep devotion to Imam Hussein and Ashura to claim legitimacy and justify its unjust actions, hiding behind religious authority while suppressing its own people.

Iran in Muharram 2023
During this year’s Muharram, Iranians demonstrated a profound devotion to the martyrs of uprisings and protests by visiting their burial sites, offering flowers, and singing songs in their honor. The commemoration took a remarkable turn as some previously state-affiliated eulogists used their talents to deliver protest pieces, criticizing the current regime’s actions. Remarkably, during Ashura ceremonies, chants against the Supreme Leader and the state were voiced by the event organizers.

Ashura 2023: Delivering a Crushing Blow to the Heart of Clerical Hypocrisy in Iran

Iran in Muharram 2023
In Sistan and Baluchistan Province, a group of mourners staged a scene depicting the torturing of Khodanour Lajjei one of the icons that was killed during the uprising.
On Thursday, coinciding with the Day of Tasua [the ninth day of Muharram], A large crowd in Arak paid tribute to the martyr Mehrshad Shahidi Nezhad, honoring and commemorating his name.

On Friday, July 28, a group of people in Amol held an Ashura ceremony in front of the home of the martyr, Ghazaleh Challabi, who was tragically killed at the age of 33 on September 21, 2022, by security forces with a direct gunshot to her forehead.

In Qazvin, a grand ceremony was held to commemorate the martyr Sepehr Esmaili, attended by a remarkable number of people. During the event, a musical group played a song in tribute to the martyr, but the regime’s mercenaries and thugs disrupted the ceremony.

In the city of Izeh, the tomb of the martyr Pouya Molaei witnessed the presence of people who paid their respects to this martyr for freedom.

In a gathering in Yazd, mourners performed a collective elegy, titled “From the Blood of the Homeland’s Youth,” in remembrance of the uprising’s martyrs, turning the occasion into an anti-government demonstration.

Khodanur Lojei (خدانور لجعی): The cheerful Baluch worker murdered by Iranian security forces
Members of a mourning delegation in Sistan and Baluchistan province, which is principally Sunni, were detained while holding placards with protest slogans such as “Sistan has no water” and “Bring justice for the people of Sistan.”

In the city of Behshahr, young people and teenagers dressed in shrouds with words like “Freedom” among other protesting slogans against the regime, each expressing grievances against the oppressive regime of Khamenei.

In Amol, walls and blockage that were hurriedly built around the tomb of Ghazaleh Challabi by security forces did not deter people from gathering to perform “Shame Ghariban” (Elegy of Strangers) and commemorate the brave soul who had given her life for the freedom of her people. Earlier, the musical group Tayfeh Niaki paid their respects in front of the home of Ghazaleh, performing a musical tribute that is famously sung for martyrs in Iran.

https://youtu.be/4AbuQE9t1Oo

Hamidreza Rouhi who was slain during the 2022 uprising while singing Ashura eulogies
Hamidreza Rouhi who was slain during the 2022 uprising while singing Ashura eulogies
With the start of Muharram 2023, social media platforms were filled with protest posts from acquaintances and families of the martyrs of the uprising. People from all over Iran and even abroad shared photos and videos of their beloved ones who had fallen for freedom. The images depicted the martyrs participating in Ashura ceremonies or reciting elegies in previous years. Many relatives of the martyrs commented on social media, reciting poetic lines, vowing that they will never give up seeking justice for their loved ones. In this way, Ashura in Iran, more than ever before, has honored the true rituals and traditions of the real Ashura while demonstrating bold defiance against the extremist regime that has taken the beliefs of Iranians hostage for so long.

These are the very people that revealed the clerical dictatorship’s deception at every protest gathering, chanting, “They call Hussein’s name, but betrayal is what they take pride in!” or during the November 2019 uprising when they chanted, “They leveraged Islam to outrage the people!”

The regime’s response
Embarrassed and robbed of what they deemed their regime’s main advantage, state officials and media went on the defensive and by warning their leadership, they exposed what the regime is most terrified from.

On Friday, July 28, after the authorities in Izeh denied permission to a mourning group to recite the elegy “From the Blood of the Homeland’s Youth” inside a mosque, the people came out of the mosque and recited the elegy on the streets. Security forces detained several young individuals during this incident.

On July 28, the newspaper “Javan,” affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, criticized the empty state of the mausoleum of Ruhollah Khomeini, the regime’s founder and former Supreme Leader, on the night of Tasua. It wrote: “It is not an exaggeration to use the phrase ‘desolate and deserted.’ There were no mourning chants or eulogies, no offerings or vows, no crowds of mourners, nor any appropriate ceremonies; the vast courtyards were empty, and there was no news of any gatherings.”

The state-run newspaper “Jahan-e Sanat” reported on July 2025, “During this year’s Muharram mourning ceremonies, there was considerable attention given to addressing current political and social issues. Political allusions and references to sensitive topics such as the hijab debate, economic problems, and livelihood hardships were noticeable.”

In response to the elegies sung during the ceremonies, Hosseini Boushehri, the head of the Community of Seminary Teachers in Qom and a member of the Assembly of Experts, said, “Some people mourn for Imam Hussein, but their behavior appears contradictory; while grieving, they make the enemies happy. They beat on their chests and heads but their slogans and statements are being covered by foreign media.”

Furthermore, Abdollah Abedi, the director-general of the Guidance Ministry in Yazd province, responded strongly to protest elegies performed by some religious groups in Yazd. He criticized certain eulogists who sang critical or protest elegies, labeling them as being among the ranks of “Satan and his followers.” He asserted that they were attempting to distort the true essence of Shia mourning and create deviance among mourners.

On July 29, the state-run “Ham-Mihan” newspaper wrote: ” This year’s ceremonies during the first ten days of Muharram had a wider range of criticizing mourning, speeches, and lamentations compared to previous years.”

Lies exposed
Following four decades of the clerical regime’s abuse of religion, a segment of Iranian society has distanced itself from any affiliation with what resembles the extremist culture of the regime, aiming to defy anything the clerics represent. Consequently, using this as an excuse, the regime has attempted to portray the protesters as a small group influenced by foreign powers, claiming that “enemies of Islam aim to detach people from their religious beliefs” and thereby they sought to continue to divide and rule.

Meanwhile, some individuals living abroad who claim to oppose the theocracy in Iran but have practically aligned themselves with the regime’s interests tried to spread the idea that Iranians are completely disillusioned with religion and that any group or movement with religious inclinations is despised within the country.

For years, many of these individuals, who enjoyed status and fame in Western media, were denying the revolutionary situation in Iran and advocated for reforms within the regime. After the 2022 uprisings, they suddenly presented themselves as aligned with the Iranian streets and shouted the word “revolution” louder than ever before. Nonetheless, they continued to attack the Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MEK/PMOI) and the National Council of Resistance of Iran, claiming they would be marginalized as they adhere to “outdated beliefs and traditions”. They asserted that the MEK had no place and no future inside Iran.

However, in Muharram 2023, the people of Iran demonstrated that they draw a clear distinction between hypocrisy and true Islam, disassociating religion from the deceitful hypocrites who wear turbans and robes. Consequently, those who had offered false analyses and manipulated public opinion in the world over all these years found themselves disgraced once again.

Hence, the hypocritical extremist regime has faced two major setbacks: firstly, the erosion of credibility among its practical allies abroad, and secondly, and more importantly, the revelation of its diminishing influence over the hearts and minds of the Iranian people.

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