Letter from Ayatollah Nazemzadeh to Mohseni Ejei Requesting the Trial of Sheikh Alireza Panahian

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

To the esteemed head of the judiciary, Hojjat al-Islam wal-Muslimin Mr. Mohseni Ejei, may his blessings be abundant.

Peace be upon you.

With complete disbelief, on the twenty-sixth dawn of the blessed month of Ramadan 1403 (Shamsi calendar), Mr. Alireza Panahian, from Channel 3 of the national media, which feeds off the budget of the Muslims’ public treasury, used the very vulgar and offensive phrase “bitter meat,” meaning unpleasant and unethical, in reference to the Noble Messenger of Islam and Amir al-Mu'minin Ali, peace be upon them both.

His remark was so disgusting that it quickly sparked a wave of protests in the seminary and universities, as well as among the lovers of the Prophet and the Household of the Prophet, peace be upon them, both inside and outside the country. This statement circulated widely on social media, both domestically and internationally. Such expressions, according to Article 513 of the Penal Code and other legal standards, are subject to prosecution.

When I saw this matter, I trembled at how this individual had the audacity to speak in a manner that aligns neither with religious teachings, the Quran, and narrations nor with reason and social norms. What is surprising is that today (April 19, 1403), instead of expressing repentance and remorse for this vulgar term that is befitting of himself, he took the position of a victim and insulted some critics by projecting that the offensive expression was a quote from the opponents of Imam Ali, peace be upon him, thereby exonerating himself!

I immediately referred to his previous and subsequent statements and saw that this vulgar term was his own expression, not that of the opponents of the Prophet of God and Imam Ali, peace be upon them. He evaded the truth.

Therefore, I felt compelled to write this letter to you and to point out two issues:

**Firstly:** How has this person allowed himself to insult the Prophet of God and Imam Ali, peace be upon them, with such a vulgar expression? Shouldn’t someone connected to the ruling power close their eyes and freely say whatever they wish, thus wounding the hearts of believers and lovers of the Prophet and the Household, peace be upon them!? 

Even though the Messenger of God, may God’s blessings be upon him and his family, possessed great morals according to the Quran: "Indeed, you are upon great moral character" (Qalam, verse 4), and in another verse, he is referred to as having soft character because of God’s mercy, which attracted people to him: "So by the mercy of Allah, you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude in speech and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you" (Al-Imran, verse 159). Amir al-Mu'minin, peace be upon him, also witnessed the kindness of the Messenger of God, may God’s blessings be upon him and his family. Therefore, he beautifully describes the Prophet’s good character in various places in Nahj al-Balagha; in one instance, he states: "The morals of the Messenger of God were purer than all the pure" (Sermon 100) or "He united the people" (Sermon 231) and "He created affection among the people" (Sermon 100).

**Secondly:** I ask you, as the responsible judiciary authority in the country:

1. If this ugly and offensive expression had been used by someone other than the speaker's like-minded associates or a non-Muslim abroad regarding the Prophet and Imam Ali, peace be upon them, wouldn’t a group, guided and incited by this gentleman and his ilk, have donned shrouds and taken to the streets, crying out "Woe to Islam!"? 

2. If this same person attributed the phrase "bitter meat" to, for example, the Leader, wouldn’t he face criticism even from his friends and allies, and wouldn’t you impose penalties on him?

Now, from you, who are at the highest level of the judiciary, it is expected that before this issue is further exacerbated, you will order him to be summoned to court, overlooking his closeness to state authorities.

If his ugly and vulgar expression was a mistake or a slip of the tongue, he should apologize before the sacred Prophet of Islam and Amir al-Mu'minin, peace be upon them, and the Muslims, and of course, be banned from speaking in the media of the country and the Leader’s household for a period so that people do not see his face. And if he had ill intentions behind this offensive expression, he should be condemned according to religious standards.

In either case, inform the people about the trial and the court's outcome so that it serves as a lesson for opportunistic provocateurs. Otherwise, it will lead to greater public distrust in the judiciary. We are only responsible for delivering the message.

And peace be upon you and the mercy of God and His blessings.

                                                                                                           Qom Seminary  

                                                                                                           Sayyid Asghar Nazemzadeh Qomi  

                                                                                                           April 19, 1403