Regarding Hajj and Saudi Arabia’s Apology
In the name of God
To the esteemed Supreme Leader, may his dignity be preserved
After greetings and respects;
I hereby extend my condolences to your esteemed self and to the bereaved families for the tragic and unjust passing of the pilgrims in the Mina disaster.
The minimal expectation from you and the honorable compatriots, and indeed Muslims worldwide, was for the Saudi government to issue an official apology to the bereaved families. However, given the arrogant spirit known in Saudi kings and princes, neither we nor you held even this slight hope.
I remember that in one of your speeches, you implicitly and humbly apologized to the dear people regarding the population control policies. And fundamentally, the culture of apology has been an inseparable part of the high-ranking officials of the Islamic Republic’s policies from the beginning until now.
During the Sacred Defense, we intended to conquer Baghdad and Karbala within twenty years if necessary, and from there, proceed to liberate Palestine and Jerusalem and ultimately raise the flag of Islam at the White House. But when, after eight years of insisting on continuing the war, we scented the smell of defeat, we immediately accepted Resolution 598 in a heroic manner and apologized to the war-stricken people and to the families of martyrs and the injured for some mistakes.
Based on the historic decree of Imam Khomeini (RA) in Mordad 1367 [August-September 1988], it was decided to execute only a number of political prisoners who remained defiantly opposed. But when it became apparent that the number of the executed had surpassed several thousand, we promptly apologized to the uninformed public and the bereaved families and assured them that this would not be repeated.
We preferred Ahmadinejad for the presidency, but when, due to some of his indecent behaviors, we doubted his mental state, we humbly apologized to the dear people for this imprudent trust and also for falling into the nuclear pit and the endless ocean of embezzlements.
When in the gatherings of 1388 [2009-2010], especially during the Ashura of 1388 [December 27, 2009], some people died due to internal unrests or were thrown off bridges due to imbalance or were crushed under the wheels of Law Enforcement vehicles due to carelessness, even though it was their own fault, we graciously apologized publicly in a ceremony like the one on Dey 9 [December 30, 2009] to all those affected.
We apologized to the affected families for the events of Kahrizak, the university dormitory, and the chain murders.
Upon realizing our unparalleled record worldwide in road massacres, rampant addiction, increased divorce, and increasing unemployment among educated youth, we immediately apologized sincerely to the dear people, especially to the broken families, and to the millions of depressed and hopeless young men and women who have lost hope in marriage and employment.
We apologized for the brain drain and the constant migration of our geniuses to the US and Europe, even though the scale of the loss was insignificant and forgivable, yet we chose to apologize to our dear people and then to our ignored geniuses.
We asked the mother of the martyred Sattar Beheshti for forgiveness because her young son succumbed under torture.
We stood in the way of a father who had no strength to walk home empty-handed, ashamed and embarrassed before his wife and children, and apologized to him.
We apologized to Hassan Nasrallah and Bashar al-Assad because, when aids reached them, we couldn’t help them count the money.
We apologized to our dear people for injecting poverty and spreading vice beneath the skin of our cities and villages.
We, who personally formulated and communicated the pilgrimage policy for almost thirty years, witnessed the humiliation of Iranians at Hajj for years, yet did not learn from past policy mistakes, and hence were compelled to apologize for the Mina tragedy to the wounded pride of Iranians. We issued a condolence message, declared three days of public mourning, and allowed the burial of the deceased and those found in the martyrs’ graveyards for the solace of the bereaved hearts.
In this regard, shortly, we will select a number of these bereaved and distressed families and visit their homes as a gesture of condolence, where we shall witness beautiful displays of devotion, loyalty, fascination, and affection.
Yours sincerely and regards,
Mohammad Mahdavifar
Demolition man and diver of the Sacred Defense
Mehr 8, 1394 [September 30, 2015]