Iranian daily: People on streets are rioters without leaders

An Iranian daily says ‘intellectuals’ in Iran failed to take up their leadership position for the younger generation and help thwart the recent unrest on the streets in several cities across the country.

Iran newspaper, in an editorial on Monday, wrote that the angry protesters who took to the streets following the death of an Iranian woman in police custody three weeks ago and caused the ensuing deadly incidents are rioter who feel estranged from the religious section of the society and were supposed to be steered by intellectuals.

By assuming a distinction between intellectual and religious groups in Iran, the daily tacitly heaped praise on the religious authorities for keeping their end of the bargain and drawing in ‘huge numbers’ of followers from among the youth.

The newspaper termed the current situation in Iran, triggered by the protesters who reject the religious authority, a ‘leadership-follower crisis’, explaining, “On one side, there is a group of leaders who have no followers, and on the other side, there are followers who do not have a leader.”

The deadly protests and riots in Iran were sparked following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the capital Tehran after her arrest by the morality police over her inappropriate hijab.

Iran blames foreigners for orchestrating the protests in order to destabilize the country.

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