Ahmadinejad`s Fiery Speech

This past week on Iranian state run television, President Ahmadinejad addressed the people of Najafabad. In his speech he sent out ominous warnings to both the USA and Israel, in addition to those corrupting the Muslim faith. As mentioned in previous blogs, Ahmadinejad`s usage of messianic\religious rhetoric combined with fear tactics obfuscates all attempts for the creation of a more pluralistic environment where negotiations and the easing of tensions are necessary to prevent a future conflict.

Posted below is Ahmadinejad`s speech: (Taken from World News Connection, Document #200705301477.1_ca2001e33bd43ea1)

In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful. (Passage omitted: Greetings and praise for the devout people of Najafabad) The population of Najafabad, the town of Najafabad, is more than 280,000 strong. I am told that out of this number, 61,000 are official members of the Basij (voluntary militia). I should like to declare to the world that everyone in Najafabad is a Basiji and that this is the biggest Basij base of the Iranian nation. (Loud cheers and whistles). (Passage omitted: Salutations and religious issues, stressing God's mercy and favors)

To see the speech in its entirety click on the speeches link on the left hand side.

Regional Power

Iran would someday like to see itself as the leading regional power in the Middle East. In accordance with those aspirations of gaining greater influence, Iran has embarked on a path to create a unity pact among Islamic states. Since Iran is not a member of the Arab League, it wishes to create a new organization which would increase its pertinence as the defender of Islamic values.
Currently Iran is a member of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, which appears very similar to the prescribed intentions of Iran's new idea for a unity pact. This leads one to believe that such moves currently underway are mere rhetorical performances in order to gain publicity in the Islamic world.

Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi'`s recent remarks grant the observer a better understanding of where these ideas to create a greater Islamic unity are coming from:

"to thwart adversary plots sowing discord among Muslim nations.
Arrogant powers, US in particular, intended to change culture of the Islamic states in order to achieve their objectives in the region."
He added that signing a unity pact by the Muslim nations could foil the enemies plots to this end and lead to more solidarity among Muslims.

Today as we observe the Muslim world embroiled amidst a consistent atmosphere of sectarian violence and infighting, such calls for unity by Iran demonstrate their ambitions to gain a greater roll among Islamic states and boost itself as the leading contender to fight the West. These developments unfortunately make the possibility of Iranian nuclear capabilities more dangerous for the entire world, since the successful completion of nuclear fuel would solidify Iran's leading role in the region by default, and would make such unity pacts irrelevant.

Freedom Of Speech?

Quoting past words of President Ahmadinejad:

"Our nation is against injustice in the world of today, wherever it may be...Our nation is against tyranny and aggression, regardless of what government or person commits them. Therefore, neither does our nation bully anyone, nor does it allow anyone to bully it."

How does Ahmadinejad feel about bullying his own people through tyranny?

Today, Moqdad Khalilpur, the chief editor of the student publication "Atiyeh" at Amir Kabir University in Iran was arrested.

As Khalilpur was leaving his dorm room earlier this morning, he was approached by unknown persons who arrested him and imprisoned him to the confines of the Evin prison.

The arrest was a result from articles published by the student newspaper which questioned some traditional beliefs regarding the prophet Mohammad and the revered Shiite leader Ali.

An influential & radical Islamic association affiliated with the University pressured many government officials and the media in order to raise awareness of the so called "blasphemous actions" taken by the student newspaper.

In addition, certain Islamic scholars called for all those involved with the paper, "to be punished in the harshest possible way in order to warn future perpetrators and to cleanse the atmosphere of the university and students from these evil germs."

Various religious and ultra-conservative factions within the university have also accused the newspaper and its editor of being traitorous agents used by America in order to infiltrate Iran and disrupt its unity.

Iran`s arrest and prosecution of student journalists attest to the country`s fear of dissent. As the Iranian economy continues to spiral out of control, and as the Iranian administration faces greater isolation from the outside world, the fate of Moqdad Khalilpur and other civil society advocates like him will most probably worsen with time. The first stop on the road to a free society belongs with freedom of the press. Should Iran continue its policy of media censorship, our dreams of witnessing a free Iran may just have to wait a little longer.

Iranians Protesting Al-Jazeera

You thought that Muslim riots protesting infidel rhetoric were only against Danish newspapers?

Recently Iranian Shiites have been taking to the streets protesting the Qatari based satellite network Al-Jazeera. The contraversy erupted following an Al-Jazeera talk show last week in which the presenter, Egyptian Ahmed Mansour, questioned Iraqi religious leader al-Sistani's leadership credentials and whether he authored his own edicts.

The Iranian parliament speaker has banned all Al-Jazeera reporters from entering inside the parliament building until Al-Jazeera offers an official apology regarding their statements towards al-Sistani.

The protesters denouncing Al-Jazeera were chanting violent threats which included, "Today, we burn down Al-Jazeera,"

These incidents in addition to the continuous Sunni insurgency within Iraq are reminders to the outside world of the growing divide plaguing the Muslim world from within.