Iran raises $1.3 million for sacrificial offering to pray for ayatollah's recovery
Iranians outraged by call to fund sacrificial ritual for the health of Ayatollah Khamenei.
Muslim organizations in the Islamic Republic have announced a large-scale fundraising campaign for the health of the supreme leader. Religious groups have called on citizens to finance the purchase of ten thousand animals for a mass sacrificial ritual, reports Iran International.
The campaign organizers invited believers to fully cover the cost of the traditional offering. Each sacrificial animal was priced at 250 million rials, equivalent to approximately 132 US dollars. The total cost of the sheep amounts to around $1.32 million. The fundraising is being conducted by the religious charitable foundation "Hazrat Khadija" in the city of Qom, which specializes in organizing collective rituals.
Influential religious figures have backed the large-scale initiative. The former representative of the country's leader in Qazvin Province, Abdolkarim Abedini, recorded a video address to believers. The religious figure urged people to hasten their donations in order to preserve the leader's health and repel threats from external enemies.
The initiative has drawn criticism from ordinary citizens. Residents of Tehran expressed deep dissatisfaction with the proposal to fund an expensive ritual at the public's expense amid a prolonged economic crisis. According to official data, annual inflation in the country has exceeded 66 percent, while food prices have risen by 128 percent. Many Iranians admitted that due to the sharp decline in living standards, they have been unable to afford meat for years.
The new supreme leader of the Islamic Republic has not appeared in public since taking office. The authorities have yet to release a single confirmed photograph, video recording, or audio address from the leader, limiting themselves exclusively to written statements issued in his name.
As the UOJ reported, a singer in Iran was sentenced to 74 lashes for performing without a hijab.
