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I received this email an hour ago. Thought you might find it interesting. -- DoctorZin

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I am forwarding you an article regarding Hossein Khomeini's speech and interview on Friday in DC at the American Enterprise Institute. Michael Ledeen was the moderator and there was simultaneous translation from Persian to English (not so great) and then a lengthy q&a where Dr. Hormoz Hekmat translated (well done).

I saw this program which was taped on C-Span2 this evening and it was incredible!!! The simultaneous translator left much to be desired, but the q&a was incredible. As a friend of mine said, while watching, this man could be called Reza Shah Kabir's grand-son: straight talk, without 'shileh-pileh.'

Mr. Ledeen did the Iranian public a great service to get Hossein Khomeini seen and heard.

Hossein Khomeini should be on all the talk-shows and get the American public riled up - he could not have been clearer how involved the IRI regime is in terrorism and how much the people of Iran want change and are not anything close to these thugs. I am glad he had also had the chance to talk to other world leaders when he was in NY - I hope they got the message loud and clear: enough dealings with the IRI - back the Iranian people, down with the IRI !!!!!!

I believe nobody can understand the depth and breadth of this unless they were present there or at least saw and heard him on TV, as I did. This should be seen by all who still promote the so-called "reformists" within the IRI. They will be very disappointed...

Here is the article which is mild compared to the strength of the message from Hossein Khomeini and how well he was able to explain the utter despair of a nation stuck within a theocracy which they don't want. He advocated freedom and democracy, separation of religion from politics, he advocated the right of any religion or sect, be it made up of only 5 people, to have their rights, that there should be no particular State religion imposed on the people. He was asked who should lead and if Shahzadeh Reza Pahlavi had a chance - he said the field is open for the right leader, whoever it may be who wants to lead the country to freedom and democracy and away from misery and oppression.

Anyway, here is the article:

Posted on Fri, Sep. 26, 2003

Khomeini Kin Assails Fundamentalist Rule
GEORGE GEDDA
Associated Press

WASHINGTON -The grandson of the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, symbol of Iran's Islamic revolution, said Friday his countrymen live in a depressed state that will persist until they are freed from strict fundamentalist rule.

Hossein Khomeini, who bears some resemblance to the man who launched the uprising against the pro-American shah's government 24 years ago, said the lack of organized resistance to the mullah-led system makes him pessimistic about the prospects for change in his homeland.

"The Iranian people want democracy," Khomeini said. "Religion and government cannot be one and the same."

Dressed in traditional Iranian garb, Khomeini spoke through a translator to a large gathering of Iranian exiles and American experts on Iran at the conservative American Enterprise Institute.

His grandfather's revolution overthrew a pro-Western monarchy and made Iran one of the world's most vigorously anti-American countries. "Death to America" rallies in Tehran and elsewhere were commonplace.

Ayatollah Khomeini died in 1989, but his revolution lives, with like-minded clerics making virtually all key decisions. Iranians elected a moderate president in 1997, but his powers have remained limited.

Hossein Khomeini, 45, spent time this past summer in Iraq, where he praised the U.S. ouster of Saddam Hussein's government and said he believes the Iranian people would accept American military intervention if no other way existed to achieve freedom.

"The U.S. invasion is really a blessing for the people of Iraq," he said. In contrast, he said, "Iranians are frustrated, not hopeful but lacking a movement to bring about their yearning to be free."

"The regime stifles the psyche and the soul, creating hateful individuals," he said.

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It was better to ping all people about this story. Wasn't it?

BUMP!

We were all quite astonished at the combination of elegance and clarity. He's quite a charismatic figure, now I understand why the regime tried to assassinate him in Baghdad a few weeks ago.

It's a great event to watch, and not too long, I think from beginning to end is maybe an hour and twenty mins. Even if you miss it on CSPAN tv, their web site will have it for months...