Posted on 07/21/2002 5:04:22 PM PDT by knighthawk
TEHRAN, July 21 (AFP) - Iran's hardline Revolutionary Guards Corps issued an unprecedented warning to reformers within the Islamic regime Sunday, saying they had exceeded all bounds in recent months by "openly supporting subversion on the streets."
Opponents of the Islamic state, who had infiltrated the regime, were hoping to take advantage of the country's economic woes to sweep elections due over the next three years and introduce a secular regime amenable to the Islamic Republic's enemies, the Guards Corps's high command charged in a statement.
The Guards would not stand idly by but would defend the revolution and the Islamic state, the statement warned.
"We have noticed a strong tendency towards secularism, which wants to separate Islam from government and weaken the guardianship of the jurist (the constitutional dominance of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"This tendency, which perhaps in the past was with the Islamic revolution, has succeeded in increasing the number of its supporters and has even infiltrated the regime.
"The tendency insults the various pillars of the revolution and undermines respect for Islam.
"In the past few months these people have exceeded all bounds by openly supporting subversion on the streets, discussing prostitution and plotting to win the forthcoming elections by taking advantange of social discontent with slogans like: 'Freedom for boys and girls,' and 'Freedom to watch satellite television.
"As for us, we will safeguard the revolution and stand ready to defend our beloved country and our people who have always remained faithful to the foundations and principles of the revolution."
In recent months the reformist administration of President Mohammad Khatami has run into mounting opposition from conservatives who still dominate the security forces and the judiciary.
BS Impotent Arab Male Gibberish Decoder Translates:
"As for us, we will collapse immediately upon receiving cogent confrontation and stand ready to flee our beloved country and head for our people in the caves who have always given lip service to the foundations and principles of the revolution."
This last phrase just floors me. With all of the ills that exsist in these countries, you would think that they would want a little more out of life than being able to watch Ben Matlock try another case on channel 57.
Not just the Nazi salute. If you change the color scheme they would all be wearing kamakazi headbands.
When you are young it is those little emotional things which really get people fired up. The older people aren't as prone to fight for little 'trivial' things, because they understand what happens to revolutionaries if they fail.
But lack of satellite TV is indication that they are tired of the government's censorship in general.
And the old people behind the scenes egging on the young are the very ones who overthrew the Shaw and who have become discouraged by how things turned out when they got what they thought they wanted. And the folks in power know it, and are afraid.
VRN
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