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Dissident sentenced to death to be freed: speaker
An outspoken critic of the conservative clergy's leading role in Iran, who was sentenced to death last week, will be freed soon as the case had been "settled", speaker of parliament Mehdi Karubi said Sunday. "I say to his family that (the execution) will not take place and even that with the help of God he will soon return to his family," Karubi told parliament in a speech broadcast on state radio.Is that his neck he's sticking out? He did not make it clear whether he was speaking from personal conviction or some deal had been done to release reformist academic and writer Hashem Aghajari. "The affair is settled and with the help of God it will soon be over," he added, calling on Aghajari to keep calm amid growing political tension in Iran. Political tension? In a peaceful, well-run country like Iran? When did that start? "As a cleric and spokesman for many religious dignitaries whom I have contacted, I express my disgust at this shameful verdict," Karubi said to acclamation from the reform majority parliament. But they're all going to walk out anyway, so what's it matter? He claimed that the sentencing of Aghajari Wednesday by a court in Hamedan, western Iran, was "the decision of a single judge." That's all it takes to stretch your neck in Iran... "Almost every judge, the judicial authorities and religious leaders are against this verdict,", Karubi added, saying that it harmed the image of Islam and the Shiite clergy. "Most of them, anyway. The good ones..." The 45-year-old Aghajari, who teaches history at Tehran University and was arrested August 8, was sentenced to death for insulting Islam after he called in a speech for a reform of Shiism and advised the faithful not to follow the clergy blindly. I thought following the clergy blindly was a requirement of Islam? Go thinking for yourself and there's no telling what kind of trouble you can get into. Nope. Best to leave the thinking to pious, God-fearing men with turbans and automatic weapons. It's the job of the citizenry to chant on command. Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2002-11-10 |
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