Critical Discourse Analysis of Ayatollah Bayat Zanjani's Condolence Message Following the Shah Cheragh Terrorist Incident

The aim of this article is to critically analyze the condolence message of Ayatollah Bayat Zanjani on the occasion of the Shah Cheragh terrorist incident. The targeted selection of this message for this study is due to its issuance under specific political, social, and security conditions of the country, and, as some researchers claim, its distinct composition. This study is qualitative in nature and employs a critical approach based on Fairclough's methodology. The results indicate that in this condolence message, descriptive combinations of events are quantitatively abundant (both positive and negative) and qualitatively carry a heavier ideological and emphatic load. However, the author of the message, through the extensive use of descriptive phrases and an over-reliance on referential language in the form of negative verbs, vague pronouns, ambiguous references, etc., seems more intent on describing an undesirable social and political situation in the country rather than explicitly protesting the current state. However, based on the interpretation and explanation of this condolence message, it can be inferred that although the author sought to condemn the killing of various individuals (without referring to the perpetrators) in all similar incidents (including in Sistan, etc.), the adopted stance essentially lacks a protest nature. The author, by avoiding direct confrontation with power, seems to position himself in a neutral stance