Ansar-e-Hezbollah
Encyclopedia
Ansar-e-Hezbollah (lit. 'the supporters of the party of God') is a militant conservative Islamic group in Iran
. Its ideology revolves around devotion to upholding the principles of the revolution, especially the belief in Valiyat al-faqih.
in Persian
, is said to be a semi-official, paramilitary group formed in 1995. Unlike some other paramilitary groups, Ansar-e Hizbullah undergoes formal training.
It is thought to be financed and protected by many senior government clerics. It is often characterized as a vigilante group as they use force but are not part of government law enforcement, although it may not meet the strict definition of the word inasmuch as the group pledge loyalty to the Supreme Leader of Iran
Ali Khamenei
and is thought to be protected by him.
It has been described as an "offshoot"
or "vigilante associate" of the Iranian Hezbollah
,
a loose-knit movement of groups formed at the time of the Iranian Revolution
to assist the Ayatollah Khomeini and his forces in consolidating power.
militias or veterans of the Iran–Iraq War.
s on their shoulders.
. and is thought to have been behind public physical assaults on two reformist government ministers in Sept. 1998.
Ansar-e-Hezbollah is thought to have been behind death threats and a "series of physical assaults" on philosopher and ex-hardliner Abdolkarim Soroush
"that left him bruised, battered and often in tattered clothes."
The organization has been associated with a crackdown on "mal-veiling", i.e. the wearing of a hejab by a woman such that some hair is visible, which has been blamed in Iran for inciting sexual assaults. They operate Yalasarat, a newspaper and associated website that explain the official positions of hardliners in the Iranian government on female behavior.
. Ebrahim-Nejad was a university student and poet whose killing by "plainclothesmen" following a peaceful protest of a newspaper closing was partially responsible for the destructive five-day-long Iran student riots
in July 1999.
In March 2000, human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi
reports a man by the name of Amir Farshad Ebrahimi
appeared at her office claiming to have
Ebadi made a videotape of Ebrahimi confession in which he claimed that not only had his group been involved in the attack on the dormitory where Ebrahim-Nejad was killed, but that "During the time he was active in the group, he had also been involved in violent attacks on two reformist ministers" in president Khatami's cabinet.
Hardline newspapers reported the existence of the confession, which they called the "Tape makers" case. In a number of inflammatory stories they claimed Ebrahimi was mentally unstable and that Ebadi and another lawyer Rohami had manipulated him into testifying, and in any case confession blemished the Islamic revolution
. Ebadi and Rohami were sentenced to five years in jail and suspension of their law licenses for sending Ebrahimi's videotaped deposition to President Khatami. Ebarahimi was sentenced to 48 months jail, including 16 months in solitary confinement.
newspaper reported that "hard-line Ansar-e Hezbollah militiamen warned that they would be patrolling the streets to maintain law and order."
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. Its ideology revolves around devotion to upholding the principles of the revolution, especially the belief in Valiyat al-faqih.
Origin and status
Ansar-e Hizbullah, or Followers of the Party of God or more literally Helpers of HizbullahHezbollah of Iran
The Hezbollah, or Party of God, is an Iranian movement formed at the time of the Iranian Revolution to assist the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and his forces in consolidating power...
in Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, is said to be a semi-official, paramilitary group formed in 1995. Unlike some other paramilitary groups, Ansar-e Hizbullah undergoes formal training.
It is thought to be financed and protected by many senior government clerics. It is often characterized as a vigilante group as they use force but are not part of government law enforcement, although it may not meet the strict definition of the word inasmuch as the group pledge loyalty to the Supreme Leader of Iran
Supreme Leader of Iran
The Supreme Leader of Iran is the highest ranking political and religious authority in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The post was established by the constitution in accordance with the concept of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists...
Ali Khamenei
Ali Khamenei
Ayatollah Seyed Ali Hoseyni Khāmene’i is the Supreme Leader of Iran and the figurative head of the Muslim conservative establishment in Iran and Twelver Shi'a marja...
and is thought to be protected by him.
It has been described as an "offshoot"
or "vigilante associate" of the Iranian Hezbollah
Hezbollah of Iran
The Hezbollah, or Party of God, is an Iranian movement formed at the time of the Iranian Revolution to assist the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and his forces in consolidating power...
,
a loose-knit movement of groups formed at the time of the Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
to assist the Ayatollah Khomeini and his forces in consolidating power.
Membership
Most of the members of Ansar e Hezbollah are either members of the BasijBasij
The Basij is a paramilitary volunteer militia established in 1979 by order of the Islamic Revolution's leader Ayatollah Khomeini. The force consists of young Iranians who have volunteered, often in exchange for official benefits...
militias or veterans of the Iran–Iraq War.
Appearance
Members typically wear full beards, dress in black clothes, and wear Palestinian keffiyehKeffiyeh
The keffiyeh/kufiya , also known as a ghutrah , ' , mashadah , shemagh or in Persian chafiye , Kurdish cemedanî and Turkish puşi, is a traditional Arab headdress fashioned from a square, usually cotton, scarf. It is typically worn by Arab men, as well as some Kurds...
s on their shoulders.
Activities
The Ansar-e-Hezbollah is known for attacking protesters at anti-government demonstrations, in particular during the Iran student riots, July 1999Iran student riots, July 1999
Iranian Student Protests of July, 1999 were, before the 2009 Iranian election protests, the most widespread and violent public protests to occur in Iran since the early years of the Iranian Revolution.The protests began on July 8 with peaceful demonstrations in Tehran against the closure of the...
. and is thought to have been behind public physical assaults on two reformist government ministers in Sept. 1998.
Ansar-e-Hezbollah is thought to have been behind death threats and a "series of physical assaults" on philosopher and ex-hardliner Abdolkarim Soroush
Abdolkarim Soroush
Abdolkarim Soroush , born Hosein Haj Faraj Dabbagh , is an Iranian thinker, reformer, Rumi scholar and a former professor at the University of Tehran. He is arguably the most influential figure in religious intellectual movement in Iran. Professor Soroush is currently a visiting scholar at the...
"that left him bruised, battered and often in tattered clothes."
The organization has been associated with a crackdown on "mal-veiling", i.e. the wearing of a hejab by a woman such that some hair is visible, which has been blamed in Iran for inciting sexual assaults. They operate Yalasarat, a newspaper and associated website that explain the official positions of hardliners in the Iranian government on female behavior.
Ezzat Ebrahim-Nejad killing
A 2000 expose of Ansar-e Hezbollah involved the murder of Ezzat Ebrahim-NejadEzzat Ebrahim-Nejad
Ezzat Ebrahim-Nejad was an Iranian student, poet and demonstrator who was shot and killed in the attack by security forces on Tehran University dormitory that preceded and provoked the July 1999 student riots in Iran...
. Ebrahim-Nejad was a university student and poet whose killing by "plainclothesmen" following a peaceful protest of a newspaper closing was partially responsible for the destructive five-day-long Iran student riots
Iran student riots, July 1999
Iranian Student Protests of July, 1999 were, before the 2009 Iranian election protests, the most widespread and violent public protests to occur in Iran since the early years of the Iranian Revolution.The protests began on July 8 with peaceful demonstrations in Tehran against the closure of the...
in July 1999.
In March 2000, human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. On 10 October 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women's,...
reports a man by the name of Amir Farshad Ebrahimi
Amir Farshad Ebrahimi
Amir Farshad Ebrahimi is a former member of Quds Force of Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution and is currently a peace and human rights activist living in Germany.-Paramilitary career:...
appeared at her office claiming to have
firsthand information about his comrades who had carried out the attack on the dormitory. He said he belonged to … Ansar-e Hezbollah … and that the group's chief had thrown him in prison for trying to resign from his unit.
Ebadi made a videotape of Ebrahimi confession in which he claimed that not only had his group been involved in the attack on the dormitory where Ebrahim-Nejad was killed, but that "During the time he was active in the group, he had also been involved in violent attacks on two reformist ministers" in president Khatami's cabinet.
Hardline newspapers reported the existence of the confession, which they called the "Tape makers" case. In a number of inflammatory stories they claimed Ebrahimi was mentally unstable and that Ebadi and another lawyer Rohami had manipulated him into testifying, and in any case confession blemished the Islamic revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
. Ebadi and Rohami were sentenced to five years in jail and suspension of their law licenses for sending Ebrahimi's videotaped deposition to President Khatami. Ebarahimi was sentenced to 48 months jail, including 16 months in solitary confinement.
2009 Election Protests
On June 18, 2009 the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
newspaper reported that "hard-line Ansar-e Hezbollah militiamen warned that they would be patrolling the streets to maintain law and order."
See also
- Human rights in IranHuman rights in the Islamic Republic of IranThe state of human rights in Iran has been criticized both by Iranians and international human right activists, writers, and NGOs. The United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Commission have condemned prior and ongoing abuses in Iran in published critiques and several resolutions.The...
- Hezbollah of IranHezbollah of IranThe Hezbollah, or Party of God, is an Iranian movement formed at the time of the Iranian Revolution to assist the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and his forces in consolidating power...
Further reading
- Persian Pilgrimages: Journeys Across Iran ISBN 0-393-05119-6
- Religion and Politics in Comparative Perspective: The One, The Few, and The Many ISBN 0-521-65971-X