Iran: The new grand ayatollah upsetting the establishment

Middle East Eye- July30th2023

Seyyed Javad Alavi Boroujerdi, a 72-year-old cleric, has expressed support for minority rights and Mahsa Amini protests

The Iranian establishment has a problem: the emergence of a new grand ayatollah whose ideas have sparked both anger and curiosity, challenging the government in Tehran and offering support to the Mahsa Amini protest movement.

Seyyed Javad Alavi Boroujerdi, a 72-year-old cleric, is the grandson of the revered Shia leader Hosseini Boroujerdi, who played a pivotal role in the revival of the Qom Seminary.

Today, his grandson stands as a powerful force, a self-proclaimed grand ayatollah seeking to redefine the “independent” role of the seminary and clergy in the eyes of a critical Iranian public.

Drawing from the legacy of his grandfather, Ayatollah Seyyed Javad Alavi Boroujerdi is seeking to put a new face on the seminary and clergy, engaging with the Iranian people in a way few grand ayatollahs have dared to.

At a time when dissatisfaction with the seminary is widespread among Iranians because of its support for the Islamic Republic, his fresh perspective has garnered significant attention and support.

On 6 June, Boroujerdi addressed this issue, saying that the rights of Bahais “must be preserved” in the face of opposition.

Slamming the Islamic Republic’s approach to the minority, he said: “Bahais believe in something. We have people in Iran who do not believe in anything. So we should kill them?”

Not everyone shares this stance which, in these deeply conservative times, is deemed progressive.

Responding to Boroujerdi, Nasser Makarem Shirazi, a grand ayatollah close to the Islamic Republic, branded the Bahais a political group manipulated by foreign powers and advised caution in granting them official status. He even urged Boroujerdi to correct his statements.

Ayatollah Najmuddin Tabasi, another senior cleric in the Qom Seminary, added to the criticism: “These kinds of remarks are not good. They lead to secularism.”

From Cyrus the Great to Mahsa Amini

One of the striking aspects of Boroujerdi’s vision is his focus on the history of Iran before Islam, which is counter to the administration and those clerics close to it, who attempt to ignore ancient Persian civilisation.

Boroujerdi highlights the significance of the Cyrus cylinder, a sixth century BCE document recognised by the United Nations, which notes that the texts “indicate that everyone is entitled to freedom and choice and that all individuals should respect one another”.

“I praise the Cyrus cylinder, while some people believe that [there is nothing valuable before Islam]. This is not right,” Boroujerdi has said.

Cyrus II of Persia (c. 600-530 BCE), commonly known as Cyrus the Great, founded the Achaemenid Empire, the First Persian Empire. Excavated at Babylon in 1879, the cylinder was inscribed in Babylonian cuneiform on Cyrus’s orders. It promotes human rights, tolerance, courage and the respect of minorities.