Reports are circulating that a new supreme leader has been selected in Iran. He is 56 years old, the second son of the late supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
This appointment appears to run against the grain of the pronouncements made by the first Ayatollah, Ruhollah Khomeini, who returned from France during the 1979 Iranian Revolution. According to their philosophy, hereditary leadership is contrary to Islamic teaching. That was their position. That was what they proclaimed when they overthrew the monarchy. So for them now to pick someone from the family of the late supreme leader, they are indirectly contradicting what they once stood against.
They had always spoken strongly against monarchy in several parts of the Islamic world. Yet this move seems to mirror the same hereditary pattern they criticised.
You will also notice that Islamic radicals often target traditional rulers and hereditary institutions. In fact, the term often translated as “book” or “education” in extremist rhetoric sometimes goes beyond books. It refers broadly to institutions of governance that are hereditary, which radical Shiite ideologues consider incompatible with their interpretation of Islam.
Reports also suggest that Mojtaba Khamenei was injured during an Israeli attack. I was listening to Kambiz Hosseini, an Iranian activist and commentator. He even speculated that Mojtaba Khamenei might already be dead, and that this appointment could simply be an attempt to encourage and stabilise their followers.
However, this development could create a serious rift within the Iranian power structure. On one side is Mojtaba Khamenei, who is reportedly supported by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
In fact, it has been alleged that he played a role in the elimination of more than 30,000 protesters, making him known as a very hardliner figure.
On the other side are the mullahs and senior spiritual leaders, many of whom are older and more senior to him. They reportedly see his appointment as an aberration.
Some analysts believe he could become even tougher than his father, Ali Khamenei, because of his reputation as a hardliner.
What’s your take?
Is his appointment a death sentence?
