In a letter to the president Rouhani, Sunni clerics including heads of seminaries and religious centers of Sistan-Baluchistan called for religious freedom, written in Article 12 of the Constitution. They demanded the government not to interfere in Sunni religious affairs and spend the allocated budget on public instead.
SunniOnline reports, the heads of Islamic Sunni schools related to the Coordination Council of Sunni Seminaries in Sistan-Balochistan (CCSS) emphasized on the necessity of religious freedom. They have stated: “A huge amount of budget of 2021 has been allocated for Islamic seminaries; however only some scholars and Imams have been receiving a very small amount from this annual budget not more.”
“It is suitable for religious institutions to benefit from public aids instead of government budgets. If seminaries benefit from state budget, the people’s aid will be cut off and this is a great loss,” they urged.
The Sunni scholars of Iranian Baluchistan addressed the president: “We ask that this budget should be spent on national issues, especially in these days when people are facing hunger and poverty. It is better to maintain the dignity of clerics is better than this gift.”
Emphasizing on observance the religious freedom written in the Article 12 of the Constitution, the Sunni clerics demanded: “Dear president, you have taken an oath to defend the legal rights of the Iranian people; we ask you to fulfill your oath regarding the religious freedom of the Sunni community”.
The signers of this letter, while expressing their concern over the decision of the state-run Management and Planning Organization for Sunni Seminaries to limit and control the religious affairs of the Sunni Community by resorting to judicial and security pressures, have stated: “It is enough that our civil affairs are in the hands of the government, the Sunnis demand to manage their religious affairs by their own. An organization like the Endowment should oversee the religious issues.”