Ayatollah Khalaji’s son: ‘My father was arrested for expressing his opinions’

Mehdi Khalaji, son of Ayatollah Khalaji, a prominent Qum cleric who was arrested on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at his home in Qum, told International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that he believes that the only reason for this theological teacher’s arrest is expressing his views and opinions. He said in the interview:

“My father is an expert in Islamic and religious studies and a “mujtahed.” Obviously over the past several months he has expressed his opinions about religious matters. My father has said that Islam does not allow for political prisoners; neither the Prophet nor Imam Ali ever put anyone in prison for expressing their opinions. My father has also said that insulting Grand Ayatollahs such as Ayatollah Montazeri and Ayatollah Saenei errodes Islam’s image and an Islamic government must never do anything against human rights or citizens’ rights. My father believes that the regime must obtain people’s satisfaction and cannot rule with force. These are his ideas and he expresses his ideas in different lectures in Tehran and Qum and it appears that he has been arrested for these reasons. Thirty years after the Islamic Revolution, my father does not have any political activities. His only social activity is giving lectures and writing. He has tried to express his opinions through writing and lectures. The reason he has been arrested is not because of political activities. He does not belong to any groups, not even groups within the Seminary, no political or even religious organizations. He is not related to any groups or factions and he does not engage in political activities. The only reason he is in prison is because of his ideas.”