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| Axis of Evil |
| Iran reformist leader warns of despotism... |
| 2002-12-13 |
| The head of Iran's main reform party, Mohammad-Reza Khatami, warned Friday of the risk of "dictatorship with religious overtones" at the opening of a special party congress amid growing political conflict. Khatami, leader of the Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF) and brother of President Mohammad Khatami, accused a minority in the conservative camp of planning to install a "state of emergency" in the country. Khatami, Jr., has made similar charges before. This keeps the fundos fired up, not that they need much firing up... Speaking as tension between reformists and conservatives is on the rise, Khatami hit out at "certain people" in the conservative judiciary, saying they wanted to eliminate their opponents by charging them with blasphemy and espionage. Y'mean somebody in the theocracy would do that? But that's only because God told them to, right? In recent weeks the courts have sentenced to death for blasphemy a reformist academic, Hashem Aghajari, for questioning the power of the clerical establishment, and put on trial organisers of an opinion poll which showed a majority in favour of dialogue with the United States. Khatami said two bills passed by parliament last month but still to be scrutinised by conservative-dominated watchdog bodies were the last chance to save the situation in Iran. "They are the last link in the chain to show that the country can be governed according to the constitution and the will of the people," he said. "Otherwise we could be heading for a dictatorship with religious overtones." As opposed to the present... ummm... dictatorship with religious overtones. "An extremist minority" within the establishment "is leading the country towards a serious crisis" in trying to crush the reformists, Khatami said. "We can expect the announcement of still more unbelievable verdicts from the courts," he predicted, referring to a trial earlier this year of members of a secular opposition group on charges of plotting to overthrow the Islamic regime. Those secularists! You just can't trust 'em. They're under every bed, aren't they? Just let them once come to power, and people will be forced — forced at gunpoint, mind you! — to do what they damned well feel like doing. The thought just sends shivers up my theocratic spine! The two bills passed by parliament aim to reduce the powers of the judiciary and the Guardians Council, which vets legislation and candidates for election. The Guardians Council "must end its policy of systematic obstruction" of reformist bills and candidates, Khatami said, adding "the battle is between a democratic Islam and a despotic Islam." Lots of blood will be shed before this is over. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 "Lots of blood will be shed before this is over." Yep, I think so. I doubt the clerics are smart enough to see which way the wind is blowing until the hurricane is upon them. But then, anytime you have institutions named something as Orwellian as the "Guardians Council", there's some serious trouble brewing. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of fanatics... |
| Posted by: mojo 2002-12-13 21:53:11 |