He was rearrested in 2011, reportedly held in solitary confinement, and convicted of a host of charges, including acting against Iran's national security, insulting sanctities, and touching the wrists of unrelated female patients. Taheri was first arrested in 2010, on security charges, and was released after spending more than two months in jail. Since then, Taheri has undergone a transformation in the eyes of the Iranian authorities, and now appears to serve as an example of the regime's commitment to weeding out "false mystics." Taheri's notoriety grew to the point that at one point even Iran's tightly controlled state television reported about one of his honorary doctorates.īut Taheri's fortunes appeared to change as the growing appeal of his teachings coincided with warnings by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other officials against "false mysticism," which they said could turn believers away from real Islam. Several of his books were published with permission from the Culture Ministry. He was allowed to preach and teach in public, and his classes and healing sessions were attended by people from all walks of life, including government officials. Taheri founded the Circle of Mysticism, a group that promotes a mystical understanding of the universe and faith healing, nearly a decade ago, and was initially tolerated by the regime. What would the Islamic republic have to fear from the slightly built, mustached 60-year-old, who wears plain Western suits and peppers his speech with mystical poetry, Koranic verses, and scientific references? "I haven't used any medicine in five months and I've fully recovered," a proclaimed former multiple-sclerosis sufferer exclaims in one YouTube video, one of many posted on social media that are keeping Taheri's teachings and treatments alive.īut his work has earned him a death sentence in the Islamic republic - a punishment Tehran normally reserves for drug dealers and those who take up arms against the regime - and sparked calls for leniency and allegations of a cover-up. Spiritual leader Mohammad Ali Taheri attracted a significant following in Iran by spreading the word of mystical love and the idea that he could help cure the sick by connecting them to divine powers.
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