Word: iranian
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...Democracy, the Iranian Way Your Notebook item reported on reformist candidates being banned from Iran's parliamentary elections [Jan. 26]. The U.S. and its allies need to be careful about criticizing Iran's internal political affairs. They must acknowledge that Western forms of democracy don't fit every society. Iran is a deeply Muslim nation, an established Islamic republic, with our own interpretation of democracy based on the holy Koran and on the fatwas of our leaders. So, please, let us be ourselves. Reza Bozorg Isfahan, Iran...
...above politics. But he has routinely supported conservative moves--many reformists charge that he has secretly directed them--to quash the pro-democracy movement. He has relied mostly on his legal powers as Supreme Leader, which are greater than Khatami's. He has full authority over the Iranian armed forces, Revolutionary Guards, intelligence services, TV and radio stations and charitable foundations, and he has access to revenues from Iran's $24 billion oil industry...
Besides the Guardian Council, Khamenei appoints other key bodies like the Expediency Council, a sort of Iranian House of Lords, and the Iranian judiciary. In the past four years, together they have shut down reformist newspapers, jailed outspoken journalists and overturned every major reform bill approved by the Majlis. Student demonstrations protesting the actions have been suppressed by the security forces, leaving among young people a trail of disillusionment with Khamenei--and with Khatami for not speaking out or resigning in protest...
Years ago, Khamenei was an underground revolutionary. He later served as the Islamic republic's second President, guiding the country through a long, bloody war after Saddam Hussein invaded Iran in 1980. During that time, he was maimed by a bomb set off by Iranian terrorists that paralyzed his right arm. Khamenei these days is an enigma to many Iranians. His down-to-earth image clashes with his hard-line pronouncements against the U.S. and Israel. Before the balloting, he called on Iranians to give America a "punch in the mouth" by going to the polls...
...would have voted if I knew and trusted the candidates." Shirin Ebadi, Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate, criticizing the government's barring of more than 2,000 candidates from parliamentary elections...