Excuse for murdering a cinema employee: performing Islamic duty

Iran Press News: The murderer of a Tehran cinema employee claimed that according to his religious duty named “Amr beh maroof va nahei az monker” (commanding the Islamic laws and warning to the violators)*.

According to the regime-run news agency ISNA, the murderer, 23-year-old Mostafa J. appeared at the public prosecutor’s office in Tehran, on Wednesday morning, October 4th, to explain the reasons for committing murder. He told a group of reporters: “Because the cinema emplyee fed his family with Harom (religiously unclean) money, I killed him with a knife and I don’t regret it either. I ‘invited’ the cinema employee to be dealt with in the manner of commanding the Islamic laws and warning to the violators; he refused and did not back down, so I stabbed him repeatedly.”

Reza Jafari, the assistant district attorney of the revolutionary court who spoke about this case, said: “At 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday, October 3rd, the employee of the cinema located at Enqelob Square, whose name we will only announce as N. G., who was 38 years of age, was stabbed in the head and chest area; he died as the knife entered into his chest and cut through his heart. Another of the cinema employees who tried to contain the situation was also stabbed and severely injured.The accused then picked up a chair and broke the glass façade of the cinema, claiming that he was doing his religious duty by evoking the Islamic law but people like this man are the symbols of apathy and violence.”

* In most Muslim countries there is a special organisation to perform the duty of commanding the Islamic law and warning the violators however individuals do it and have been known to receive lenient and lesser sentences and in some cases no sentences at all.