“تصویر نشانگر این است که شما در حال پیشرفت هستید”

“The image indicates that you are making progress.”
Alireza Roshan

Writing about “Suppression of Gonabad Dervishes” first requires understanding the dervishes. That is, first the Gonabad dervishes who they are and what they want must be defined, then their suppression can be discussed.

“We, the dervishes, have been the rulers for more than two decades, taking control and striking and killing. Every time tension arises between us and the chaotic Iranian regime, we become the subject of condemnation by some and praised by others. Some see us as a different form of the ruling religious groups and fear that if the power falls into the hands of the dervishes, the same blood will be shed as that of the Safavid Sufis. Others see us as a group or organization that supports each other in social and political conflicts, and we do not hesitate to sacrifice ourselves for our fellow believers.”

Of course, both of these interpretations are fundamentally wrong and have no basis in reality; because the illusion of these two groups is created and stems from their unfamiliarity with Sufis and is essentially derived from their ignorance of Sufism and is not misguided if we say that Sufis pay the price for this same ignorance and lack of awareness in society.

In the year 1390, following the disappearance of a woman who had started a movement against the Sufis in the city of Kavar, a group of journalists and lawyers who were part of the news website “Majzooban-e Noor” – of which I was also a member – were arrested and imprisoned. When we were taken to the general ward and the political prisoners realized that some Sufis had been brought to ward 350, they thought that soon they would be joined by a group of bearded men with thick staffs, each finger adorned with a large gemstone engraved with spells and magic. But as soon as they saw us, their stereotypical view – which, to use Shamlou’s words, was a “born delusion” – changed. Because they saw a group of simple people, some tall and some short, some thin and some plump, who had no difference in their eyebrows, eyes, mouth, height, or clothing.

The Ganabadi dervishes are not a group. Even if they are together, they are not united in their intentions. They do not have a unified political stance. Some of them are supporters of monarchy, some are supporters of Musavi and Khatami, and some may even break ties with Ahmadinejad. But neither the monarchists nor the Ahmadinejad supporters can control the others. As I mentioned, there is no unified opinion among the dervishes on political and social issues. They only come together when they visit their elders or participate in dervish gatherings. In these gatherings, there is nothing hidden or concealed. They either recite the poetry of Hafez, Attar, and Rumi, or listen to the talks of their sheikhs and elders. Most of these talks revolve around loving one another and being there for each other in joy and sorrow. It’s interesting to note that in these gatherings, doctors and professors sit next to laborers

After the revolution, the government of Iran, in order to gain control over all groups, did not leave the dervishes alone. They even burned down the Amir Soleimani Husseiniyeh. Mr. Khomeini said that he kisses the mouth of Sultan Ali Shah – who is from the Qutb of the dervishes – because of his interpretation of the Quran. Or he told Mohammad Gilani that the dervishes should be able to live under the shadow of the Islamic government and not be affected by these words. Now some people wanted to change the shadow into power, and they had no choice but to use force and threats to turn the shadow into power. In 1984, they set fire to the Shari’at Husseiniyeh in Qom and destroyed it, and they beat and killed the dervishes. It is funny to know that the dervishes defended themselves by throwing the metal cups they used to drink tea in during

“To each of these, the captivated ones built a light by publishing and posting news related to the dervishes. The government, which had come to power, sought to rid itself of them by destroying the dervish house in Qom (by holding an emergency meeting of the Security Council in Qom), but not only did they not achieve their goal, they also created a news site for them. They increased the pressure and this time destroyed the dervish house in Boroujerd. There, the dervishes went to war with Molotov cocktails, tear gas, sticks, pipes, and more. And once again, like in Qom, the dervish house was reduced to rubble and a wave of dervishes were sent to prison. And once again, there were illegal trials and a stronger media boycott, and once again, the dervishes reacted strongly. After Boroujerd, it was Isfahan’s turn, and after that,

Finally, in the early morning hours of that day, hundreds of prisoners became dervishes. The website of the followers of light was shut down. And Dr. Noor Ali Tabandeh, the shining leader of the followers of Ali Shah, was placed under house arrest. And the government fulfilled his demands.

It is bitter to express that the government of Iran has put dealing with all moral principles on its agenda. They have isolated and shut down the sources of enlightenment and have done those actions with the support of the Ali Shahi queue. In the Gonabad dynasty, their problem is with the person of Dr. Noor Ali Tabande, and with any dervish who approves the methods and ways of this jurist. But Dr. Noor Ali Tabande has not gone under the shadow of anyone and will not go under the authority of anyone. This old man, at the age of 90 and something, still thinks about the prosperity of his country, otherwise, at this age, elders should sit on a rocking chair and refresh themselves with the freshness of newly watered garden flowers.

The bottom line is that the Iranian government could have instead allowed newspapers and media outlets to publish news about the poor, rather than causing so much chaos and violence. Because in that case, there would be no need for the establishment of a news website for the followers of light. They could have looked at the poor not as thieves and threats to security, but as citizens who believe in a historical profession and allowed them to bring their lawyers to court and let the judges hear their voices and see their evidence and follow the principles of justice. But unfortunately, instead of these simple actions, they resorted to brutality and oppression, spraying water cannons, tearing apart personal belongings, beating and arresting, torturing and inflicting pain.