Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi died in a fiery helicopter crash this weekend. Raisi was a close supporter of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with a long history of opposing the rights of women and ethnic minorities in Iran. Raisi has earned a special place in Hell for his bigotry towards women and hatred of Kurds.
Raisi’s sordid biography includes his leading role in cracking down on the nationwide protest movement that followed the murder of 22-year-old Zhina Amini, the young Kurdish woman who was beaten to death by the Morality Police for refusing to properly wear her hijab. Reports of police brutality causing a cerebral hemorrhage sparked nationwide protests by women demanding an end to autocratic clerical rule. Her death led to the global “Woman, Life, and Freedom Movement” that mobilized women across the country. Up to 500 were killed by security forces who beat women and dragged them through the streets by their hair.
Raisi has a long history of abusing women. As a young cleric in 1979, he welcomed the decree by Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini requiring all women to wear an Islamic headscarf in their workplaces. The decree was enforced by pro-government vigilantes who morphed into the dreaded Morality Police. Wearing a mandatory hijab in public was introduced in the penal code in 1983. The regulation stated, “Women who appear in public without religious hijab will be sentenced to whipping up to 74 lashes.”
Raisi became a judge in the courts of the Islamic Republic, donning a black turban reserved for “sayyids” who claim direct lineage to the Prophet Mohammed. Raisi was an ideologue aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC was known for its harsh tactics as enforcers of the Ayatollah’s religious edicts aimed at social control. Raisi joined a panel of judicial hardliners that ordered the execution of 5,000 people after the Iran-Iraq war. Dissidents were executed at show trials by hanging from construction cranes as Iranians gathered in public squares to jeer them and throw stones.
Raisi’s hardline tactics were just beginning. In 2009, he oversaw a fleet of vigilante bikers who beat protesters associated with the Green Movement, which disputed the result of Iran’s presidential election. Up to 3 million demonstrators took to the streets to protest claims that the incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, had won in a landslide. People demanded, “Where is my vote.”
As the head of Iran’s judiciary in 2019, Raisi oversaw a vicious crackdown on dissent, which led to the deaths of 500 protesters who opposed measures to loosen control of fuel prices. A broad range of civil society activists were imprisoned and disappeared in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison.
Raisi stayed in the shadows during the early years of his political career. He worked behind the scenes to cement Iran’s alliance with Syria against the US. He emerged from behind the curtain three years after Donald Trump’s election as America’s chief antagonist, opposing sanctions and advocating confrontational policies. Raisi condemned the US for walking away from the nuclear accord, questioning its trustworthiness. He orchestrated cooperation with China and Russia in the military and energy sectors, selling discounted oil and exporting drones on an industrial scale to support Russia’s war in Ukraine.
During Raisi’s presidency, Iran intensified the so-called axis of resistance against Israel and US interests. It exported missiles to Shiite militias in Iraq, which targeted US troops. It extended its influence from Iraq to Lebanon and Syria. Iran armed Hezbollah and Hamas with rockets and offensive firepower to attack Israel. The Houthis of Yemen were another proxy group equipped by Iran to attack international shipping in the Red Sea.
After the assassination of Quds Force Commander Qassem Suleimani in 2020, Iran went into overdrive, expanding support for proxies doing its bidding. Raisi was the project manager working with the IRGC, overseeing the transfer of weapons in the region, providing arms, and bearing the cost. The Biden administration was hoping to coax Iran to rejoin the Nuclear Accord and turned a blind eye to Iran’s transgressions. It should have heeded lessons from the Obama administration: wishful thinking is not an effective policy.
These activities all cost money while Raisi’s domestic agenda was affected by a dramatic downturn in Iran’s economy driven by international sanctions and record unemployment. Iran also suffered environmental challenges from water shortages caused by global warming. Blaming the “Great Satan” was convenient scapegoating.
Environmental and economic concerns exacerbated social tensions, leading to protests in ethnic areas such as Iranian Kurdistan and other territories such as Iranian Azerbaijan, where minorities reside. Ongoing problems in Iran’s remote restive regions are endemic; Iran’s problems resulted from mismanagement, incompetence, and ineffective leadership, worsened by Raisi’s hubris.
Crowds at Raisi’s funeral suggest he was a beloved leader respected by his many followers. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sayyids, clerics, and religious followers made up most of the crowd. Others were sent by bus to augment the appearance of an adoring crowd. The regime sponsored their accommodation. The funeral was led by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Hamas’ Ismael Haniya, recently indicted by the ICC, also attended.
Expect low voter turnout when Iranians soon go to the polls. The Guardian Council will disqualify candidates who represent genuine reform or opposition to the Supreme Leader. Ebrahim Raisi was a placeholder. He will be quickly replaced by another mullah representing the Shiite establishment.
Disclaimer: The views expressed here represent those of the author and not necessarily those of the WKI.