Posted on 02/23/2008 6:44:55 PM PST by blam
Iranian clerics face a backlash over good life
By Kay Biouki in Teheran and Gethin Chamberlain
Last Updated: 2:05am GMT 24/02/2008
The Ayatollah Khomenei brought millions on to the streets of Iran to overthrow the decadence of the Shah. Now the late leader's grandsons and other Iranian clerics face a backlash over their families' fondness for fast cars, big houses and hot tubs.
A website linked to radical elements of Iran's regime last week attacked the lifestyle of Ayatollah Khomenei's grandson, Hassan. " Driving a $100,000 BMW and relaxing in his uptown villa in north Teheran, is Hassan Khomenei actually following the footsteps of his grandfather in caring much for the poor, with the hot bubbles that come out of his steaming Jacuzzi" the Nosazi website asked.
The criticism reflects a growing resentment of the wealth accumulated by some of the religious leaders who took power after 1979.
Some run profitable businesses as near monopolies: one imports cigarettes, two are involved in the oil trade and another is reported to benefit from foreign currency fluctuations, because he has first-hand information on the rate of exchange.
One ayatollah imported so much sugar last year that Iran's domestic production was affected and sugar plants were forced out of business.
With parliamentary elections scheduled for March 14, the clerics' purported excesses have provided political opponents, particularly the radical Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, with an opportunity to seize the moral high ground.
Iran's constitution forbids the guards from getting involved in politics but their leaders are reported to be angered over the way some ayatollahs or their families have grown rich on the back of the revolution.
Iran's current supreme leader, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, has avoided criticism by leading a simple life. Critics suspect that the attacks on other clerics are part of a campaign to eliminate domestic opposition to his rule.
Iran ping
” Driving a $100,000 BMW and relaxing in his uptown villa in north Teheran, is Hassan Khomenei actually following the footsteps of his grandfather in caring much for the poor, with the hot bubbles that come out of his steaming Jacuzzi”
Sounds like they have a fledgling Democratic Party starting up in Iran.
I’m confused. If the website is from the Iran’s “right”, which generally means their radical nutcase clerics, why are they attacking the wealthy families of their radical nutcase clerics?
The entire country could be wealthy given freedom to do so. To many clerics and nutjobs in power. Our congress seems to be wanting a few clerics to control us peons.
Thanks FARS.
“A website linked to radical elements of Iran’s regime last week attacked the lifestyle of Ayatollah Khomenei’s grandson, Hassan. ‘Driving a $100,000 BMW and relaxing in his uptown villa in north Teheran, is Hassan Khomenei actually following the footsteps of his grandfather in caring much for the poor, with the hot bubbles that come out of his steaming Jacuzzi’ the Nosazi website asked.”
Iran ayatollah drops dead during election speech
Iran Focus | Feb 17, 2008 | Staff
Posted on 02/17/2008 4:58:56 PM EST by forkinsocket
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1971962/posts
“An Iranian ayatollah died suddenly of a heart attack during an impassioned speech lashing out at insults against the family of revolutionary founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in the run-up to elections, the press reported on Sunday. Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Tavassoli, a former head of Khomeini’s office, died while delivering the speech... responding to unprecedented ultra-conservative attacks against Hassan Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini’s respected grandson, who had criticised mass disqualifications in the March election and military interference.”
Thanks for the ping!
Khomenei himself collected millions from supporters while exiled though little of it was spent on himself.
One cleric imports cigarettes.
I believe that the first time the mullahs actively opposed the government -- and it proved that they could unite businessmen (the bazaar) and public against the Shah -- was in the late 19th century when a British firm was granted virtual total control over Iranian tobacco. The chief Shi'a judge issued a fatwa against tobacco use. It worked the Shah canceled the deal.
I think we have that "separation of church and state" thing because politics corrupts religion. Early in our history we had good reason to want nothing more to do with government clerics.
Thanks for the ping, FARS. On your linked page, you say, “MORE AND MORE EUROPEAN AND OTHER WESTERN GOVERNMENTS HAVE COME TO REALIZE WHAT A GLOBAL DISASTER, FAR WORSE THAN THE PLAGUE AND FLESH EATING BACTERIA, JIMMUH, “THE IDIOT” CARTER UNLEASHED ON THE WORLD BECAUSE THE SHAH REFUSED TO PAY HIM BLACKMAIL AND BOW TO HIS EXTORTION,”
I wasn’t aware of Carter blackmailing the Shah. I just thought he was gullible about human rights, the threat of Islamic radicalism and the tough tactics of SAVAK to fight it, which repulsed him. Can you explain further?
In the left hand column at AntiMullah is an article link in the MUST READ section near the top Permalink as below) on which you can click and read the story, which was also published in the DOD newsletter.
http://noiri.blogspot.com/2004/03/jimmy-carters-illegal-demands-on-shah.html
There is a follow up, too, about the Hostage Rescue never happening! We have the details from three sides of the equation, Iranian, Amercian and Soviet but not time to spare to put it together.
The so-called hostage rescue by Carter was an arms delivery to the Afghan Mojaheddin gone bad when the Soviets shot down the C130.
Carter had a choice of declaring war on the Soviet Union or pretending it was something else - that was an impossible to do, cluster-f**k plan which never got off the ground - never ever. (Still to be written up with interviews/quotes from participants.
Trying to earn a minimum living has kept this story from appearing so far on AmtiMullah.
I would bet my next bowl of grits, as a resident of Georgia, that the group who wanted a 10% cut of the Brown & Root contract included greasy banker Bert Lance, who was up to his neck in financing terror in the BCCE scandal.
From Wikipedia: The Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) was a major international bank founded in London, United Kingdom by Agha Hasan Abedi, a leading Pakistani financier, in 1972. The company was registered in Luxembourg. At its peak, it operated in 78 countries, had over 400 branches, and had assets in excess of US$ 20 billion making it the 7th largest bank in the world by assets.[1][2]
BCCI became the focus in 1991 of the world’s worst financial scandal and what was called a “$20-billion-plus heist”.[3] It was found by regulators in the United States and the United Kingdom to be involved in money laundering, bribery, support of terrorism,[4] arms trafficking, the sale of nuclear technologies, the commission and facilitation of tax evasion, smuggling, illegal immigration, and the illicit purchases of banks and real estate. The bank was found to have at least $13 billion unaccounted for.
FARS, you should consider accepting advertising on your site if you’re hurting.
Would love the financial help but advertising potentially compromises the integrity of the site since we cannot verify the sources.
The Mullahs and Islamists spend multiple millions of dollars and have corrupted almost every Iranian language TV and radio station in the USA and Europe.
We got hold of a letter from Supreme Ruler Ali Khamanei ordering a payment of $2.5 million to a Persian language TV here in the USA for exceptional service! That’s the tip of the iceberg.
When the recipients begin to rely on the income they are asked to do fairly innocuous favors like promoting a company on their stations, little knowing they are helping increase funding to Islamists or Mullah operatives.
You can imagine the rest.
The MEK Marxist-Islamists recruited followers in Iran for the revolution this way. First with “could you drop this letter off on your way home” after the first meeting.
Then later a package. Followed by sudden panic that the package had contained a weapon or something else and the Shah’s Security had found out. But of course, “we the MEK” will look after you as we take care of our own. Again imagine the rest.
For AntiMullah, even money from an official source might try to make us beholden to them. All our lives we have resisted being beholden to anyone, only doing what WE thought was right with the option not to do something because they wanted to contribute to costs/expenses.
Luckily we always preferred wearing a white hat.
If someone could meet us on those terms then great. Happy to give value and earn the money but on my terms and no strings.
cheers,
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