The daughter of late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini has urged the supreme leader to allow Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to run for president. The Guardian Council ― the powerful body charged with vetting candidates ― has blocked the former president from running. “Please intervene in this important matter” and “prevent dictatorship,” Zahra Mostafavi Khomeini has written in a letter published online. She has warned that the rift between Rafsanjani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the “biggest harm” to Iran. Mostafavi has stated that her father had also considered Rafsanjani for the position of supreme leader, implying that he is capable of leading Iran.Khomeini’s most prominent daughter heads a party that advocates for women’s rights and increased political participation. The following is a translation of her letter.
Since the day that I heard the Imam [Khomeini] approve your leadership, I've always repeated that view when needed. I also heard him confirm the qualifications of brother Hashemi [Rafsanjani], whose name the imam mentioned after yours. Fortunately, you were deservedly elected by the Assembly of Experts. Therefore, I did not think it was necessary to mention Khomeini’s comments. But unfortunately, today I see that the Guardian Council has rejected his [Rafsanjani’s] qualifications for the presidency ― so as a sister, I would like to point out that this action does nothing more than create a split between two companions of the imam and neglect the enthusiasm of people on the street for the system.
I'm not claiming that Mr. Hashemi is the same person today that he was yesterday, as individuals do change: “And I do not acquit myself. The human soul is certainly prone to evil.” (The Koran, Yusuf 12: 53) But your gradual separation from one another is the biggest harm to the revolution and the system, since the Imam always said, “These two are good when they are together.”
Please intervene in this important matter, and do not let one action undo all our previous efforts. Demonstrate why the imam used to say that “the supreme leader’s role is to prevent people from doing whatever they want” and to “prevent dictatorship.”
Please embody the true philosophy of the supreme leader. I'm certain that this is the request of many who are concerned about the situation in Islamic Iran ― their hearts want to hear the echo of unity and solidarity.
Sincerely,
Zahra Mostafavi