Even today...
Even today, where materiality has gained strength, religion has been weakened and economic attractions have pulled hearts to themselves, and we see that the poverty among people is so advanced that the problems of their bread and water, children's milk and medicine for the hospitals are the most important things in their life, still, any time and under any circumstances which relate to this family, we see that over one million ceremonies are held in their honor.
Over 150,000 clergy exist for reciting the congregational ritual prayers along with speakers of that prayer. There are more than 700,000 seyyids [descendents of the Prophet's family] who speak at the lamentation ceremonies along with eulogists and lamenters whose task it is to restore the memory of this family.
How much is spent on the building of the Husayniyyehs [buildings for the ceremonies related to Imam Husayn], tekiyehs [places where the passion plays are performed], heyats [neighborhood clubs where young men meet to form a group which participates in religious ceremonies], dastehs [the generic name of the groups], that which is endowed for lamentation ceremonies and food, that which is held in the name of taxes (khums), the religious leaders' share, that spent in good works and feeding poor people, is above and beyond counting.
It is particularly important when we consider that this country is one of the economically backward countries. Income, according to head count, is minimal. If we pay attention, in particular, to the great differences in classes which exist in Islamic societies, we see that half of the capital of the country is in the hands of a few thousand people. We see that two thirds of whatever there is, is at the disposal of only 10% of the population.
We see that, as opposed to the past, capital has been taken from the former landlords and the former merchants of the bazaar and has been put into the hands of new capitalists, new industrialists, modern bourgeois companies and middle men who sell foreign goods or produce new products themselves.