Posted on 10/08/2006 10:56:58 AM PDT by oldleft
TEHRAN (Reuters) - A senior Shi'ite Muslim cleric who has challenged Iran's system of clerical rule was arrested on Sunday after his supporters clashed with police outside his house in the Iranian capital, Iranian news agencies reported.
Ayatollah Mohammad Kazemeini Boroujerdi was detained with several supporters, Iran's student news agency ISNA quoted the deputy governor of Tehran, Abdollah Rowshan, as saying.
The Iranian authorities are wary of any challenge, particularly from top clerics, to the system of clerical rule that was established after the 1979 Islamic revolution by revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
(Excerpt) Read more at today.reuters.co.uk ...
This is bad. Hopefully this will be picked up. We need to start throwing this around the news.
And this means what?
The Night of the Long Knives continues...
Short answer, no.
Long answer...
An Ayatollah Under Siege … in Tehran
Iran va Jahan ^ | October 04, 2006 | Nazenin Ansari
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1715380/posts
Posted on 10/07/2006 8:37:29 AM CDT by nuconvert
An Ayatollah Under Siege ... in Tehran
Ayatollah Sayyid Hossein Kazemeini Boroujerdi, born in Tehran and educated in Qom, is the author of numerous books and treatises on ethics, spirituality and the Qur'an. The ayatollah adheres to the official state religion in Iran, "twelver" Ja'fari Shi'a Islam. This form of Shi'ism is founded on the concept of the twelve imams who were the rightful spiritual and political leaders of Muslims following the death of the Prophet Mohammed. It is believed that the twelfth (or "hidden") imam, known as the Mahdi, lives in "occultation" but will one day return and resume the leadership of the faithful. Until that moment arrives, Bouroujerdi and fellow traditional Shi'a believe that political and religious authority should remain separated.
Kazemeini Boroujerdi, speaking under conditions of siege, maintains: "There is only one individual who has not erred and has no flaws. He is the lord of the age, the imam Mahdi. Only he has the legitimate competence to rule and pass judgment."
In other words, in the absence of the Mahdi, a theocracy such as the one ruling Iran today is illegitimate both ideologically and theologically, and as such all religious laws are null and void.
And, finally, it's pretty human to believe that despite an evil belief system (not exactly one chosen by the participants) there are, there must be, good people among the populace of all muslim countries. The fight is against islamism, and against a centuries old islamic hatred fostered by official state/religion institutions that we in the USA formally disavowed. If the individual is a threat - burn him or her. If the state is a threat - burn it. But in the latter instance innocent people will die in greater numbers than will bad guys - even among a muslim population.
Clear?
Now, actually on topic:
I do not believe that the Iranian people are ready for a revolution against the Imams - so far they have come right up to small scale rebellion and always retreated. Since this particular Imam is a minority figure I expect to see lots of people arrested and imprisoned but not much in the way of a broadening resistance.
For whatever reason, Iranians simply do not appear to be ready to take the last step in order to change things themselves. (From what we've seen in Lebanon, that may be of no matter in the long run, the 'Cedar Revolution' achieved zilch)
Sorry to those who really want Persia to be Persia, and sorry for the innocent people who will get 'in the way' but I just don't see it.
"Iran"
http://news.google.com/news?ie=ISO-8859-1&hl=en&tab=dn&ncl=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/world/middleeast/09irancnd.html%3Fhp%26ex%3D1160366400%26en%3D2ee54c58283713d8%26ei%3D5094%26partner%3Dhomepage&filter=0
As of 6:00pm it's still not making a big slash.
I want to take this opportunity, on this thread, to remind everyone that the average Iranian is VERY pro-Western, is very young, and absolutely HATES the theorcracy.
Iranians are good people. They have lunatics for leaders and "enforcers"............and my heart goes out to them. They are not Arabs; they are Persians and wonderful people.
God willing, they will soon be free of the yoke of extreme, militant Islam and will be allowed to flourish.
How can that be?
Quite simple
"Anybody can become angry, that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way, that is not within everybody's power, that is not easy."
Aristotle
"Anyone who judges a man by the group is a peawit". The grizzled old Irish sergeant Kilrain says this in Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels.
Valin says, You start hating it's very easy to become that which you hate.
.....The fight is against islamism...
Not on Free republic. On this forum the fight is agains all Islam with no quarter.
The current thread is the first in memory where someone or something Islamic was given a reasonable hearing.
I'm in agreement. The 98% of those on this forum that bash Islam as a sport have no clue what they are hating.
An excellent distinction. Anyone familiar with the history of popular uprisings knows there is a strong contrast between the two situations. Popular uprisings succeed because the rulers have some genuine attachment to the concept of liberty and human dignity. Those uprisings that are successful succeed because they are able to exploit the internal contradictions of the rulers. In the case of the Saddams and Hitlers and Stalins of the world, they are utterly ruthless, and there is no leverage to turn them back with their own morality because they have no morality.
Islamic regimes subscribe to a certain "morality", but it is so plastic and easily manipulated that vicious rulers have no problem manipulating the religion and "morality" of Islam, because it's shot through with exceptions. From the beginning Mohammed stated one thing Here, then endorsing its logical opposite There because it gave momentary political advantage, which satisfies the only basic "moral law" of Islam: "Seize and hold political power by whatever means necessary for the glory of Allah."
No, he does not sound Sufi, nor does he look Sufi. His logic seems good, though.
Wow, does seeing a post mentioning prayer offend your libertarian sensibilities that much?
I've been called every name in the book for agreeing with the President, that this is not a war against Islam. And I'm forced to admit I've returned fire in kind.
(so much for the lockstep thinking of the right.)
Heavenly Father I humbly ask to to protect Ayatollah Mohammad Kazemeini Boroujerdi. To guard him and his followers from those who would come against him.
The 'Judas Goat' will not be harmed.
Those who publicly defended him have now been exposed.
The Mullocracy will now see to it that they dissappear quietly.
Who said anything about praying for their conversion (not that I wouldn't)? I thought we were praying for their freedom. You're quite a God hater aren't you?
And seeing you and he go ape over a simple post requesting prayer for a volatile situation makes you both sound like as much of an intolerant liberal bigot as the folks over at DU.
Iran's regime isn't going anywhere for a long time - a few decades. Admenejhad has re-tooled levels of govt with young IRGC loyalists.
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