Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - October 25, 2000 - Meeting with Sheikh Mohsen Mojtahed Shabestari and Complaints about Ayatollah Khamenei

• Consultations with Political Representatives: Meetings were held with Sa'dollah Roosta, Kazzem Jalali, and Sheikh Hossein Ansari Rad, discussing political strategies, grievances regarding leadership, and the importance of unifying scattered forces.
• Shabestari's Concerns: Sheikh Mohsen Mojtahed Shabestari, representative of the Supreme Leader in East Azerbaijan, expressed dissatisfaction with Ayatollah Khamenei and sought advice on political matters.

Full Diary Entry:

Mr. [Sa'dollah] Roosta, the representative of [Servestan and Kharameh], and his brother visited me. They expressed concerns about differences within their ranks and requested my assistance in consolidating scattered forces to create unity. Mr. [Kazzem] Jalali, the representative of Shahrud, also came with similar concerns. Both stated that, for now, no one but me could play this unifying role, as both are members of the independent faction in the parliament.

Mr. [Hossein] Ansari Rad, representative of Neyshabour, visited as well. He indicated that from my Friday sermons and other statements, they understand I am worried about the potential harm to the revolution. I responded that my statements are clear; I believe that, similar to the early days of the revolution, external enemies are collaborating with counter-revolutionary groups to eliminate the Islamic government. They are launching extensive propaganda to portray the Islamic government as ineffective, deceiving the younger generation, and tarnishing the significant achievements of the revolution. He remarked that there should be no concern about the religion being eliminated, as religion will persist in any case, even in Turkey and under the Pahlavi regime. I countered that the revolution was meant to establish religious governance, not to maintain religion under secular and non-religious regimes. He mentioned that a construction institute established after the revolution on Afshar lands in Neyshabour was confiscated by the Foundation of the Disabled after a court ruling, and he has filed a lawsuit against the Foundation. He asked me to publicly express my support for reforms and my opposition to the closure of newspapers and the detention of writers.

In the afternoon, Sheikh [Mohsen] Mojtahed Shabestari, the Friday prayer leader of Tabriz, visited. He expressed grievances that the leadership does not pay attention to him and does not consider solutions for his problems in Tabriz. Regarding the presidential election, he stated that the issues with Mr. [Seyyed Mohammad] Khatami's government should be communicated to the public. He wanted to know if there was a possibility that I might run for president, to which I replied that it was impossible. The ongoing droughts and flooding in Bijanord, Astara, and Shahrud have caused significant destruction.