Word: khomeini
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...like a giant Persian carpet: turbans, signs, balloons. He speaks to thousands, delivering the scrupulously worded message of moderate change that has made him a hero to many--and a terrifying figure to the hard-liners who have dominated Iran's politics since the death of Ayatullah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989. Khatami's struggle to reform Iran is proving a dangerous task. One of the President's closest friends is recovering from a gunshot wound to the head, nearly assassinated by hard-liners. Dozens of other supporters are in jail or heading there. Iran's hard-liners have sent...
...driven into a barricaded neighborhood protected by bearded militiamen and hustled into an apartment block with mirrored windows. Wallets, key chains, and even belts are removed from you and taken away for inspection. Finally you are seated in a room dominated by an acrylic painting of Ayatullah Ruhollah Khomeini. At the far end is Hizballah's yellow banner, the words "Islamic Revolution of Lebanon" written in Arabic beneath the silhouette of a holy warrior's rifle...
...delight of most reformers, however, Ganji--an unabashed partisan of President Mohammed Khatami's, an avid reader of Western philosophy and the son of a gas-station attendant--refuses to avert his eyes. A street activist during Ayatullah Ruhollah Khomeini's revolution, he now insists that building Iran's democracy entails acknowledging the Islamic regime's past mistakes. Whether Ganji will be able to continue his campaign is a crucial test for Iran's reformers as they maneuver against the hard-line conservatives who maintain control over the security forces and judicial system. If Ganji manages to remain alive...
...since the first balloting after Ayatullah Ruhollah Khomeini's revolution have Iranians seen such a freewheeling election--a credit to the progress Khatami has managed to achieve. More than 6,000 candidates are vying for places in the 290-seat Majlis. In the 30-seat Tehran region, Reza Khatami is competing against an astonishing 869 rivals. Many Iranians had expected the Council of Guardians, which screens candidates and is controlled by hard-line mullahs, to manipulate the outcome ahead of time by keeping reform-minded candidates off the ballot. But the secretive council surprised everyone and waved most reform hopefuls...
...cheered when he declared, "With the support of the youth, we shall all build the future of this country!" An hour's drive away at the mosque in Shahr-ray, he addressed a subdued throng of working-class men, reassuring them that the reform movement is inspired by Ayatullah Khomeini. Inside the mosque, neighborhood elders nodded with approval as Khatami dropped to his knees, knelt in the direction of Mecca and prayed. Even before he was back on his feet, though, the President's brother was tapping out a number on his cell phone...