Iran International:

An armed attack on a Sufi Sheikh resulted in the deaths of two followers, with the Sheikh succumbing to his injuries on Thursday, according to Kurdish human rights sources.

The attack occurred at the Sufi lodge of Sheikh Azad in Saqqez on Wednesday night, resulting in the deaths of two men identified only by their first names, Peyman and Parviz.

The head of the Kurdistan Province Judiciary stated that the attackers have been identified, and a judicial case has been filed. "Efforts are currently underway to apprehend them," Hossein Hosseini said.

Although Sufism, a mystical branch of Islam, is not illegal in Iran, rights groups accuse the Iranian government of systematic harassment and discrimination against its followers, including the Gonabadis, one of the largest Sufi sects. While the Gonabadi Dervishes identify as Shi'a Muslims, Iran’s Supreme Leader and other influential figures dismiss their beliefs as “false mysticism.” As a result, Amnesty International says Gonabadi Dervishes have been subjected to systematic discrimination and harassment, in spite of the sect not being deemed illegal as other minority religions are under the Islamic Republic.

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