I am told this is a speech by an Ayatollah condemning the election farce. Translators urgently needed, as this shows a destabilization of Iran's power base. http://www.mashrotenews.com/?p=4652
Found this translation courtesy Andrew Sullivan's blog http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.c.../grand-ayatollah-montazeri-takes-a-stand.html Can anyone confirm the reliability of this translation?
Looking like confirmed http://occident.blogspot.com/2009/06/confirmed-montazeri-questions-election.html But there is zero in google on US website with the same translated text. Any truth to this?
The religious leaders in Iran recognize the same thing as the military leaders do by staying neutral. No matter who wins - they're still here for the long haul and so my guess would be, he's becoming more and more unhappy with what is happening and is having a "wtf" moment.
Who is Grand Ayatollah Montazeri? He has been under (almost) house arrest for many years. He has a higher religious rank than Khamenei (the supreme leader). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Ayatollah_Hossein-Ali_Montazeri
This was linked to by NIAC, so it seems to be legit. Probably move it back to General Discussion once MSM picks it up.
i am iraqi and i want ahmadinjad and hopefully khameini to be kicked out so that iran can change for the better
Montazeri is a well-respected cleric. To many Khamenei stole his rightful place. We want a secular country but the support of clerics like Sane'i and Montazeri can add numbers and in the long run help gradual reform.
Take support from where ever you can just as long as Montazeri doesn't plan on keeping theocracy around for long after Khamenei and Ahmadinejad are thrown out.
Montazeri was exiled and placed under house arrest when he was basically seen as too liberal, I suppose you could say. He looks funny as well.
Montazeri Montazeri is a grand cleric who had and still has way more followers than Khomeini ever had. he objected to Khomeini policies and their version of "velayat faghih" or theocracy that limited people's right excessively, endangering and limiting khomeini's power he was sent to exile. he didn't want to take Khomeini's place, he simply didn't believe in that kind of power position at all. Take a look at his wiki page.
How long before this guy has an "accident" or is assassinated? The oppressors will fight to keep power, that's what they do. It's always couched in religion but it's always a quest for power.
If they were going to kill him, they would have by now. He has been a consistent critic of Ahmadinejad and the Supreme Leader. It's unfortunate the role he played in the founding of the Islamic Republic and likely doesn't support the constitutional reforms many of the protesters are looking for.
Maybe, but there hasn't been a street protest and violence. He was a voice in the wilderness who could be written off as a crank. If they feel for a second that there is a realistic threat to their position, he ends up ayatollah Jimmy Hoffa.
Mousavi does plan to keep theocracy around. He's part of the same system. And people know this well. But he's the sort of a guy who stands back with a spear pointing at you instead of the one that has the spear pressed hard against your neck. And technically, that gives you room to breath and puts you in a more advantageous position. This is what it has come down to for people in Iran. They're forced to pick the lesser of the two evils.
