The fact that “shari’at” has always been at war with “tariqat” and the ruling authorities have suppressed the mystics and did not allow the Sufis to empty their vessels and instead lit the candles of the judges, is a historical truth that does not require much contemplation to understand. However, the reality is that the animosity of the Islamic Republic towards the Gonabadi dervishes is not based on religious or ideological differences, but rather it is purely political and from the perspective of a semi-totalitarian government that does not tolerate any opposing views, especially if they come from a group or faction.

After the revolution, the Gonabadis dervishes were under pressure from the beginning, but when their numbers increased, conflicts and destruction of their lodges began in various cities, including Borujerd, and reached its peak in Qom and then Isfahan. In February 2006, during a widespread police raid on the dervish lodge in Qom and its complete destruction, more than a thousand people were arrested and over 200 were injured, and the conflict between the government and the Gonabadis dervishes entered a new and serious phase. On February 19, 2009, during a raid by security forces and plainclothes officers on the Takht-e Foolad cemetery in Isfahan, the Azargoshsb lodge was destroyed with a bulldozer. This piece, which was also registered as a national monument of Iran, was the burial place of “Dervish Naser Ali”, a renowned figure from the past century. The destruction

In the 2009 election, the Gonabadis supported Mehdi Karroubi because he had supported them during the events in Qom. After the protests against the election results, they also supported Karroubi as part of the Green Movement in the streets. The launch of the “Mojzoban-e Noor” website by the Gonabadis and the arrest of their lawyers and website administrators brought new dimensions to the situation.

In the months of Bahman and Esfand 1396, a conflict erupted around the shining home of Noor Ali Tabandeh, the leader of the Gonabadi Dervishes, in the seventh district of Pasdaran, Golestan. This led to a humanitarian tragedy that gained global attention and there is hardly anyone in Iran who is not familiar with this incident or has not heard of the Gonabadi Dervishes and their brave acts of unity and solidarity.

My acquaintance with the Gonabadis Darvishes goes back to February 2015 when I was imprisoned in Evin prison, Ward 8, along with a few lawyers and members of the Gonabadi website. I was also placed in the same room with Reza Entesari and Mostafa Abdi. I have previously written a relatively detailed description of my time in Ward 8 with these two dear ones and other esteemed Darvishes such as Kasra Nouri, a young lawyer who was transferred from Shiraz to Ward 8 a few months before us, and I do not wish to repeat those writings here. However, I do want to mention that the main and fundamental crime of the Gonabadi Darvishes was their resistance and persistence in defending truth and justice. At least, this is how my friends, who spent day and night with them for almost a year, were. And now, after the events and suppression of February 2019, they are once

The Islamic Republic governments, whether it be the winter government of deceit and humiliation that calls itself spring, or the black and deceitful government that calls itself purple, have one thing in common: they do not believe in the smallest essential right for any group or organization outside of the government. Whether it be the Teachers’ Association, the Free Workers’ Union, the Writers’ Association, or even the poor, they only approve of institutions that are completely under the control of the government. The problem with the government and the poor is exactly the same. The Gonabadi dervishes have become a people’s institution that does not obey the government and is also stubborn and resistant. They are not people who attack, but they are more resistant in defense of steel. This is the Achilles heel and the blind spot of a government whose survival depends on creating fear and terror among the people. This is where the government’s order to suppress the dervishes is not a religious demand, but a government order

Now, dozens of Gonabad beggars are in the worst conditions. One of them passed away in the torture chamber of Shapur’s police station – known as one of the worst police stations in Iran and famous for its horrific tortures for non-political criminals – and the rest are awaiting their uncertain future in the Great Tehran Prison, also known as Fashafuyeh – a newly established prison with the least facilities. One of them has already been sentenced to death and is waiting for the execution.

Once again, Mostafa Abdii, Reza Entezari, and Kasra Nouri are in prison, this time with their own blood and honor brothers and sisters. Their worried families are concerned about the well-being of their children, all because of the fear of the government. A fear that is not entirely real, but ultimately leads to their near destruction. Hafez, in a poem attributed to him, says:

“

From one end to the other, the army of oppression reigns.

From eternity to eternity, there is opportunity for the poor.“