Mawlana Fathi Mohammad Naqshbandi, Arrested

Mawlana Fathi Mohammad Naqshbandi, a prominent scholar of Raask city in the south of Iranian Balochistan, was arrested on Sunday Aug 20, 2023.
According to local sources, security forces stopped Shaikh Fathi Mohammad’s car near Nobandian and arrested him on the way of Raask to Chabahar.
Few hours later, the judicial authorities of the province of Sistan-Balochistan confirmed his arrest in a statement. The judicial official claimed that Shaikh Naqshbandi had disturbed the public opinion with his provocative speeches during his Friday sermons.
Referring to the bad political and economic situation in Iran, in recent months, various strata of people have raised their voices, criticized and protested. Sunni scholars also protested as other Iranians in the first line. Many Sunni scholars have been arrested or summoned by intelligence officials for raising their voices, especially after the Bloody Friday incident of Zahedan.
Along with his son (Mawlavi Abdol-Ghaffar), Shaikh Naqshbandi had been imprisoned in Zahedan for about four years.
Shaikh Abdol-Hamid, the most influential Iranian Sunni leader and the president of Darululoom Zahedan reacted to the incident on his twitter account: “The arrest of Mawlana Fathi Mohammad Naqshbandi, the respected Friday Imam of Raask (Iranian Balochistan) and a prominent public figure & scholar, for criticizing the authorities, will spread discontent leaving negative consequences. His immediate release is in everyone’s interest.”
Sunni scholars from different cities of the country condemned the detention of this prominent scholar and asked his immediate release.