Grand Ayatollah Mirza Shirazi (4)

Shiites community do follow various Marja and  Al-Shirazi one of the Marjia. When Khomeini came to power, he appointed himself the sole Marja for the Shiite.  Grand Aytollah Mohammad Shirazi who was at this time in Iran, rejected Ayatollah’s Hominine claim. Al-Shirazi  was highly critical of Khamenei's bid to become a marja and assumption of the position of Iranian supreme leader. several followers of Grand Ayatollah Sayed Mohammad Shirazi were detained during [1998]. In January Sheikh Mohammad Amin Ghafoori, a well-known religious figure and writer, his wife, and Sayed Hossein Fali were arrested in Qom. There were reports that they were beaten during arrest and tortured in detention. Sayed Hossein Fali was reported to have been released in June. Sheikh Mohammad Amin Ghafoori was said to have been sentenced in July to two and a half years' imprisonment by the Special Court for the Clergy, whose procedures fell far short of international standards. In October, five other followers of Grand Ayatollah Shirazi, including Reza Sultani, were reported to have been arrested and they remained held incommunicado at the end of the year. Sheikh Sadiq Za'eemiyan has also been harassed.