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| Iran |
| Khatami calls for "coexistence" among Iranian Shias and Sunnis |
| 2003-04-12 |
| President Mohammad Khatami on Friday stressed the need to "strengthen peaceful coexistence" among Shia and Sunni communities in Iran during a tour of southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province which has a major Sunni population. Khatami's visit to the province follows that of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in February in which he warned of the enemies' "complicated plots" to stoke up tensions among ethnic and religious lines in Iran. "The enemy is very active behind the scene and by using many tricks, including by insulting Shiite and Sunni Muslims' beliefs, seeks to pit religious groups against one another," Ayatollah Khameneisaid. Oooh! Deep-laid plots, insidious conspiracies! I like it! Like the supreme leader, President Khatami aims to meet local people and supervise the state of affairs in the province which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan. Sistan and Baluchestan suffers from infrastructural backwardness, bearing the brunt of a crippling drought for several years and drug trade in the province. Khatami cited "enormous potentials" in the province, saying "if necessary efforts are made to suitably exploit them, there will be a massive revolution in economic and cultural fields in the province". Illiteracy is a major problem in the province, where "a large number of women and girls are deprived of education because of wrong traditions and beliefs of families", the president added. I'm still not real clear on the difference between Baluchis and Pashtuns — I think it might be that they were different colored turbans. They act the same... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #1 'Illiteracy is a major problem in the province, where "a large number of women and girls are deprived of education because of wrong traditions and beliefs of families", the president added.' Bet Khamenei just loved that statement. And the "massive revolution" tag is a way of warning the Ayatollahs that their power to shoot their own people is waning. The elected government keeps chipping away at the unelected fanatics... |
| Posted by: John Anderson 2003-04-12 14:50:18 |