2018 Dervish protests
{{short description|Series of protests in Tehran by an Iranian Sufi group}}
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{{Infobox civil conflict
| title = 2018 Dervish protests
| partof = the Iranian Democracy Movement
| image =
| caption =
| place =
| causes = Possible arrest of Noor Ali Tabandeh
Several Dervishes arrested
| date = 4 February 2018 – 4 March 2018
({{Age in years, months, weeks and days|month1=02|day1=4|year1=2018|month2=03|day2=4|year2=2018}})
| status = -Protests Quelled
-Continued rise of the Iranian Democracy Movement
| goals = -Greater religious freedom, especially for Dervishes
| methods = Demonstrations, riots
| time =
| side1 = Ni'matullāhī dervishes
| side2 = {{Unbulleted list|Islamic Republic|{{*}}Police|{{*}}Irgc|{{*}}Basij|{{*}}Ansar-e Hezbollah}}
| leadfigures1 = Noor Ali Tabandeh
| leadfigures2 = Ali Khamenei
| howmany1 = Hundreds
| injuries = 170+ protesters{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.com/persian/iran-43206114|title=۱۷۰ نفر از دراویش گنابادی در بیمارستان بستری هستند|publisher=BBC News فارسی|date=26 February 2018|work=}}
30 security forces
| fatalities = Up to 5 protesters{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/iran-gonabadi-dervishes-long-history-persecution-180227193000395.html|title=Iran's Gonabadi Dervishes: A 'long history' of persecution|first=Loes|last=Witschge|publisher=Al Jazeera}}
5 security forces{{cite web|url=https://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKCN1G40LZ|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220102152/https://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKCN1G40LZ|url-status=dead|archive-date=2018-02-20|title=Five Iranian security officers killed at Sufi protest in Tehran|work=}}
}}
The 2018 Dervish protests were a series of protests against the Iranian government by the Ni'matullāhī (or Gonabandi) Sufi Order, occurring between February and March 2018 in Tehran. These protests led to clashes between security forces and the dervishes, resulting in the bloody repression of protestors.{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5801/cmselect/cmfaff/415/41506.htm#_idTextAnchor049|title=UK Parliament Report 2020 – No prosperity without justice: the UK's relationship with Iran Contents}} Tensions between Police, the IRGC, and the Basij with a number of Gonabadi Dervishes eventually led to the deaths of six people, the execution of Dervishes, and the arrest of hundreds of wounded Dervishes on March.{{cite web|url=http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32441:iran-dervishes-community-attacked-by-security-forces&catid=5:human-rights&Itemid=110|title=Iran: Dervishes Community Attacked by Security Forces|website=Iran Focus|date=6 February 2018}}
The United States called the repression of the Dervishes the largest repression of religious minorities in the Islamic Republic, while the Ministry of Interior of Iran called the protests a plot to expand its scope to the national level by creating regional unrest.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43120815|title=Iranian officers die in Sufi clashes|publisher=BBC News|date=20 February 2018|work=}}
Background
The Ni'matullāhī, or Gonabandi, are a Sufi order; the Iranian government considers them a threat.{{Cite news| title = Five Iranian security officers killed at Sufi protest in Tehran| agency = Reuters| accessdate = 2018-06-18| date = 2018-02-20| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-protests-sufis/five-iranian-security-officers-killed-at-sufi-protest-in-tehran-idUSKCN1G41AK}} Conversion to Sufism is frowned upon by the Shi'a religious establishment.
In January 2012, at least 10 of the group's members were imprisoned in Fars province, and others may be held at Evin Prison in Tehran, including Kasra Nouri{{Cite web| title = Gonabadi Dervish protest leaves 5 dead in Tehran| accessdate = 2018-06-18| url = https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/02/gonabadi-dervish-protest-leaves-5-dead-tehran-180220075337834.html}}{{Cite web |date=14 March 2012 |title=Kasra Nouri | Virtual Embassy of the United States Tehran, Iran |url=http://iran.usembassy.gov/kasranouri.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307155035/http://iran.usembassy.gov/kasranouri.html |archive-date=7 March 2014 |access-date=7 March 2014 |publisher=Iran.usembassy.gov}}
Protests
On 19 February, the Sufis organized a sit-in protest at a police station, located in the Pasdaran district of Tehran, where one of their members was held. Later, clashes broke out between the Sufi protestors and security forces. Police used tear gas in an attempt to disperse the protesters. Five riot police were killed.
According to the Iranian press, police arrested around 300 people, and there have been reports that some of the protesters may have been killed.{{Cite web| last = Witschge| first = Loes| title = Iran's Gonabadi Dervishes: A 'long history' of persecution| accessdate = 2018-06-18| url = https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/iran-gonabadi-dervishes-long-history-persecution-180227193000395.html}} However, the Sufi dervishes gathered around the home of their 90-year-old leader Noor Ali Tabandeh to protect him from arrest.
In the aftermath of the 19 February, protests, footage emerged that showed several Sufi protesters who were arrested, being tortured by government forces.
On 4 March, it was revealed that one of the protesters had died under the custody of the Iranian government.{{cite web|url=https://www.manoto.news/news/wgte1j/NEWS31127|title=اتاق خبر|first=Manoto News – اتاق|last=خبر|website=اتاق خبر|accessdate=23 April 2018}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Protests in Iran}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dervish protests, 2018}}
Category:2017–2018 Iranian protests
Category:Protest marches in Iran
Category:February 2018 in Iran
Category:Persecution of Muslims
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