President Muhammad Khatami said Saturday that freedom of expression and thought and criticism of power would guarantee progress, stability and durability of any society. President Khatami told the staff of his office in a ceremony on the occasion of the new Iranian year that the sort of freedom he was referring to was the one which falls within the framework of the law and is in line with social norms and culture. Khatami criticized certain adverse publicity which misportrayed the country's economic, social, political and international achievements and said all officials and civil servants have the duty to revise their performance and benefit from all chances available to serve masses and foil threats. He wished the new year would be full of blessings and success for the Iranian nation.
| I wonder if Khatami is going to get arrested and sentenced to hang for those statements? Freedom of expression and thought would imply two things that are anathema to Iran's ayatollahs. One is that citizens don't necessarily have to blindly accept every statment by the ayatollahs as dogma or divine revelation. The second is that, should one become tired of being a Muslim, he/she/it could decide to become a Zoroastrian, a Christian, a Jew, a Buddhist, or an agnostic. Both concepts are, of course, tightly linked, but the thought of each makes mullahs and ayatollahs poop without warning. |
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