Word: qum
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...Sistani succeeded him as the most prominent member of the hawza, the network of seminaries and mosques that dominates life in the city and generates huge sums in alms and tithes. Two years later, Saddam placed Sistani under house arrest. In response, Sistani established a base in Qum, in western Iran, and forged relationships with the ruling clergy in Tehran. But Sistani, like many other Shi'ite luminaries, disagrees with the Iranian practice of velayat-e faqih, or rule of the clergy. Aides say he has always discouraged clerics from holding political positions...
RELEASED. AYATULLAH HOSSEIN ALI MONTAZERI, 80, Iran's most prominent dissident cleric; from five years of house arrest imposed after he challenged the institution of supreme clerical rule; by the Supreme Council of National Security; in Qum. Montazeri was once in line to lead the country but was stripped of that status by Ayatullah Khomeini in 1989 after he accused the judiciary of "murdering" political opponents, among other criticisms of the government. He has vowed to "continue to talk about issues...
...personify the possibilities--and dangers--of this new Iranian revolution better than Khatami, 57. The 5-ft. 10-in. President grew up in a tolerant home in Yazd province, which prides itself on its diversity. He trained as a cleric in Qum, one of the holiest of Iranian cities, but also studied Western philosophy. He played no big role in Khomeini's revolution, yet nonetheless rose to become a leading religious intellectual, prized for both his candor and his mind. But he was never a man who lusted for power. Friends recall his fury when a group of liberal clerics...
...alive. On the first anniversary of Khatami's election last month, tens of thousands of supporters crammed into an outdoor theater at Tehran University to hear a speech by the President. They cheered and stamped their feet, shouted, "Khatami, we love you!" and denounced the conservative mullahs in Qum as "Taliban," an insulting allusion to the ultra-fundamentalists governing neighboring Afghanistan. When a small section of hard-line students began yelling "Death to America!" the President reprimanded them, declaring "In this gathering, I prefer that we speak about life, not death." The majority in the audience cheered...
Like his opponent, Khatami attended the seminary in Qum. Yet he also studied Western philosophy. He wrote some speeches for Khomeini but is otherwise the first President who lacks revolutionary credentials. His own campaign speeches promised more freedom and tolerance. "Our country has a long way to go," he said in his last speech. "The government doesn't give people the opportunity to grow...