Sunni Muslims banned from holding own Eid prayers in Tehran
The Guardian / Saeed Kamali Dehghan
31-Aug-2011 (one comment)

Sunni Muslims in Tehran have been banned from congregating at prayers marking the end of Ramadan.

Iran, a Shia country, ordered its Sunni minority not to hold separate prayers in Tehran for Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim festival that brings the month of fasting to an end. They were instead asked to have a Shia imam leading their prayers – something that is against their religious beliefs.

Hundreds of security police were deployed in the capital to prevent Sunni worshippers from entering houses they rent for religious ceremonies.

In recent decades, Iranian authorities have refused Sunnis permission to build their own mosques in Tehran. There is currently no Sunni mosque in the capital, despite there being several churches and synagogues for much smaller Christian and Jewish populations. .

"Tehran's security police prevented Sunni worshippers from performing Eid prayers in various parts of the capital," the official website of the Sunni community in Iran said. "They surrounded the houses where Sunnis perform prayers and have prevented worshippers from going inside."

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Simorgh5555

How to alienate Arab Iranian minorities of Iran

by Simorgh5555 on Wed Aug 31, 2011 12:07 PM PDT

Whilst I am not a fan of any organised religion, especially Islam the right of worship of must be respected by all Iranians without fear or hindrance. By preventing Sunni Muslims from celebrating the end of Ramadan according to the Sunni interpretation of the lunar calendar the Arab Sunni Muslims of Khuzestan will once again feel reason to be angry and disconnected. Instead of taking steps to reconcile with the  Iranian Arabs following the bloody protests in Ahwaz this year, the Shia Islamo Fascist regime of Iran is causing further  hostility amongst this group and giving an excuse to separatists. Of course, any protest will directly be blamed on Israel and not their own divisive politics. 


Balatarin
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