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Leading Clerics Decry Iran Election
The international media's attention may have mostly turned elsewhere, but demonstrators in Iran are keeping up the fight: According to The New York Times, the Association of Researchers and Teachers of Qum—what the Times calls “The most important group of religious leaders in Iran”—called the disputed election results and the new government illegitimate on Saturday. “This crack in the clerical establishment, and the fact they are siding with the people and [Mir Hossein] Mousavi, in my view is the most historic crack in the 30 years of the Islamic republic,” Abbas Milani, director of the Iranian Studies Program at Stanford University, tells the Times, which notes that “The government has tried to paint the opposition and its top presidential candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi, as criminals and traitors, a strategy that now becomes more difficult—if not impossible.” Still, the government will continue trying: The announcement came on the same day that Mousavi released documents detailing Ahmadinejad’s election fraud, and a close associate of Khamenei called both Mousavi and former president Mohammad Khatami “foreign agents,” who should be prosecuted as criminals.
squiggy
Yeah! A crack is all that is needed with that bunch. Those 7th century guys are about to get a lesson.
galeso
A crack is all that is needed to start a civil war with millions getting killed and no sure winner at this point. Maybe those in power will see the light and allow new elections before many more die.
squiggy
Hey, if you can't join them beat them!
democracyforall
I agree. I'manutjob and the Supreme Archaic need to step down.
mattbenzor
The infighting has begun. Most likely there voices in this "NEW" government don't mean crap they probally have been pushed aside and what they say means NOTHING.And now with Biden saying they can't stop Israel if it attacks there nuclear plants. What Iran is facing is concede to the people and begin talks with us about peaceful nuclear program or face and attack from Israel with Syria now realizing that peace is better than destruction its like a slap in the face to Iran.That Syria is now making nice with us.And the meddling in Iraq,Iran is doing is backfiring on them and with Obama in Russia this week. Talking with them will he have them put pressure on Iran .And the "CRACK" squiggy is all that is needed.Pray for the people of Iran cause prayer changes things...!
sparky13
prayer my butt. Don't you think that they are praying to Allah, is that going to help? Help who? I guess your God is "The God" and Allah is a piss head. They think that our God is a bastard. All you christians are really hypocritical and terribly short-sighted and narrow-minded. Read a science book, please?
wirepuppy
I think sparky13 needs to get his/her nose outta those science books and starting learning to relate to people a bit better. Name calling and disrespecting others is not serving to get your point across Sparky. Instead you come off rather inane and shallow. Maybe you need the Bible, eh?
whipmawhopma
sparky13 - In general terms, Muslims believe that Allah is one and the same as the God of the Christians and the God of the Jews, and that Jesus was a prophet of God or Allah, with Muhammad - peace and blessings be upon him - being the final such prophet. I greatly doubt that any good Muslim would agree with your statement "They think that our God is a bastard". I even suspect they might even be offended by your claim as to what they think about the Christian God.
Lastly, congratulations on your accomplishment of knowing every Christian. Given that this is about a third of the world population, depending on just what is meant by "Christian" you obviously are a very social person. I can only envy you that.
Redhead5050
Change is slow and painful in that part of the world. Perhaps we are now at a place where change can push that small crack in the structure open.
squiggy
Matt and Red, we just need to say our prayers and keep our fingers crossed the people there can force that crack open!
DreddBlog
Who would Allah vote for ... is that what this comes down to?
http://blogdredd.blogspot.com/2009/07/who-would-allah-vote-for.html
dana64
ALLAH's WRATH has descended upon the present rulers because they are totalitarians and have committed the ultimate sin......................ignorant fools that they are.
bigjimtx
So maybe Obama was right after all, despite the knee jerk reaction the repubs wanted to put forward. Waiting for the right moment is the right thing to do.
drmarkklein
With radical Islam now discredited as an effective governing force the war on terror will wind down.
SlaveRevolt
Not until the oil and natural gas in exploitable amounts are all gone or until mankind moves beyond the internal combustion engine, whichever comes first. Until then the wars for energy resource dominance will continue regardless of if you want to call it a "War on Terror" or something more accurate.
whipmawhopma
It is about the oil and gas.
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n--Y--charles116squiggy
You are right and this also showcases the difference in nations homogenized by religious rule and by a traditional culture who struggles to include the new with the old.
dana64
this is not the reason......................Khamenei has displayed FAVORITISM and has thus ruined his own reputation which is the basis of that system or regime being acceptable.
This revolution started by a slogan ALL ToGeTHer........after the Hostage crisis of 1979 which was actually named The SECOND revolution , the TOTALITARIAN TREND STARTED ,,,,,,,,,,,slogan ONLY US ...
ccrider27
Burma, China, Syria, Egypt, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Zimbabwe, etc etc all commit human rights abuses against their respective pro-democracy opposition parties. Yet there's hardly a word about them in our press.
Mousavi, the 'darling of democracy' was the mastermind behind the 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut and also the 1988 truck bombing of the US Navy's Fleet Center in Naples, Italy. But you never hear a work about that in our press.
THINK PEOPLE! You are playing right along with this poison and soon you will be sending your loved ones into war as a result.
mcmchugh99
We do say things about these countries, even though we have little influence on what they do internally. We cannot simply pick up the phone and order them to become democratic, and it would not be a good idea to try to invade them and set up governments of our own liking. We've done that in the past and it hasn't worked out very well. Therefore we should offer moral support to people in Zimbabwe, Burma, China and other countries who want to move in a more democratic direction, but fundamentally they are going to have to do that themselves, in their own way.
squiggy
We won't go to war with them, Israel will just take out their nuclear capability like they did Syria's. The Supreme Archaic, I like that democracy, will be made a fool and there will be nothing he or Ahjad can do about it. Life will go on and the egg will crack more. The tighter they hold rein the more their days are numbered. The army won't support them in the end and their economics are dismal. It is a matter of time.
sparky13
I read the bible wirepuppy. As far as I'm concerned, it's Abraham and King David who has caused almost all of the trouble in the mid east.The catholic church with their inquisitions, killed millions just because someone didn't think like them. I think that Abraham was a repugnantican, he screwed his wife's chambermaid. Ensign used him as a model. David must have been one of those baptist that believe, "Once saved" (so I can rape my Mother and kill my Father) "Always saved," because he slaughtered thousands of people, maybe millions just because he thought he deserved their land. Maybe Wirepuppy, you really need to read the bible!
mystic
"..he slaughtered thousands of people....just because he thought he deserved their land".
You're not talking about King Netanyahu, are you? You know the one in what he calls the "Jewish State"?
sparky13
Hey Mystic, I think King David is King Netanyahu's kinda like his great, great, great, great, great (maybe some more greats) uncle. I guess that the acorn dosen't fall far from the tree ?
squiggy
Go back to Ishmael and Isaac. That is where the grind begins.
mcmchugh99
The Supreme Fuehrer of Iran is so delusional that he'll probably say these Shiite clerics are all Israeli agents, controlled by Wall Street, George Soros, the CIA, and the aliens from the X-Files.
finderj
Yoiu want to understand people, try to look at things from their prespective. Do the research, put in the time and try to at least understand what the fundamental differences are between them and you.
you want to piss them off, insult them, call them naes, tell them their beliefs are crap.
Then write a book aboiut how to wind friend and influence people.
Or how to survive a war.
mcmchugh99
I have heard everything about the Supreme Fuehrer's beliefs that I need to, and they truly are crap that should have been extinct in 1945. He is just a Nazi dictator, backed up by an SS that calls itself a "Revolutionary Guard". I know all I'll ever need to about them.
mystic
Sparky 13: You're right about King Netanyahu being King David; Is King Netanyahu's Goliath Iran, or even possibly every gentile throughout the world (remember Israelis not showing up for work on 9/11?)
rapierwits
And here are the Iranian people, debating openly and honestly in the face of brutal violence. One of their most respected institutions criticizing another part. It is, like Islam itself, not a monolith.
dana64
IT IS the DUTY of the clerics to STRAIGHTEN the regime that was started by a cleric ............it must be FIXED by some other Clerics who still have a CONSCIENCE.
Rafsanjani uttered the most truthful words :
NOone with a CONSCIENCE can be satisfied with the present situation.
The Islamc constitution HAS the clauses available to CORRECT or overthrow the present ruler who has .........
NOW THE CLERICS with a good conscience must display the COURAGE NECESSARY.....................to do the job.
whipmawhopma
One can only admire their courage and honesty, and either hope or pray for the best.
Thank you.
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