Khamenei Scolds Ahmadinejad Over Dismissed Official

[IndianaGreen]

Source: Huffington Post

Khamenei Scolds Ahmadinejad Over Dismissed Official

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's supreme leader publicly rebuked the president over his removal of a top official, a rare show of discontent with the hard-line Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by the country's most powerful figure.

The rebuke, issued in the press Monday, quickly raised questions whether the supreme leader is backing off support of Ahmadinejad in the president's tough battle for a second term in June 12 elections.

If so, that could be a heavy blow to Ahmadinejad. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei holds ultimate power in Iran, at the top of the clerical hierarchy above elected figures. If he is seen as moving away from Ahmadinejad, the president's conservative base could take it as a signal to back an alternative candidate.

The flap centered around control of a body that organizes the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, which traditionally comes under Khamenei's vast powers. The supreme leader overturned the government's removal of the head of the organization.

The dispute may appear like a minor turf battle. But some observers saw it as a sign of Khamenei distancing himself from Ahmadinejad, whose popularity has fallen among some Iranians because of the ailing economy. His critics also accuse him of hurting Iran with comments denying the Holocaust and by taking a tough stance over Iran's nuclear program.

Political analyst Saeed Leilaz called the rebuke "unprecedented" and said it "clearly means that Khamenei doesn't insist that Ahmadinejad deserves to remain as president. That's the message."

Ahmadinejad faces a strong challenge in the elections from reformists, who call for greater freedoms at home and better relations with the West. At the same time, Ahmadinejad has a challenger from within his conservative camp, former Revolutionary Guards commander Mohsen Rezaei.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/04/khamenei-scolds-ahmadinej_n_195710.html

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Our racist and Holocaust-denying boy is in deep trouble back home. Que lastima!

[Dennis Donovan]

1. Good! I hope they dump Iran's version of GWB...

Rec'd!

[Tiggeroshii]

2. I'm starting to really dig his chances of winning re election now

It will be nice to not have a complete and total bigot as the main voice in one of the Middle East's most influential countries.

Mousavi is looking good =)

[McCamy Taylor]

3. Sounds like Ahmadinejad wants to be Iran's strong man dictator and the clergy slapped

him down. While I question the role of clerics in running a country day to day, the identity of the person chosen to lead a holy pilgrimage should surely be left up the religious leaders. So, why did Ahmadinejad try to turn it into a civil matter?

The prohibition against Church and State working together in the U.S. was an attempt to safeguard the freedoms of religious groups from the control of powerful secular self interests--like a king or a major corporation. Corporate fascists love to take over religion. Iran's current political structure should probably be viewed as a reaction to Saudi Arabia and the way that they have co-opted and perverted Islam in order to use religion to solidify the power of a few elites who trample on the rest of the citizens (and non citizen workers) in their country.

[David__77]

4. It's a shame that the "left" opposition has adopted right-wing economics.

They have left economic populism to the president, and so the working class supports him. Progressive forces need to resurrect the original positive thrust of the anti-Shah revolution.