The Iranian presidential election is well underway and to the surprise of no one, the leading conservative candidates focus a lot of attention on ‘Zionism’ and the ‘powers of the West.’ But of course, things are far more nuanced than that.
Offering another glimpse inside Iran, this time of the presidential campaign and some of the lesser-known presidential candidates, is Dr. Wahied Wahdat-Hagh, a researcher for the European Foundation for Democracy and writer for the German newspaper Die Welt.
For Die Welt, Dr. Wahdat-Hagh writes in part:
“One conservative opponent of President Ahmadinejad and head of a news agency called Alef.ir is Ahmad Tavakkoli (photo, left). He has publicly criticized Ahmadinejad for quoting false statistics to listeners in Islamshahr on April 24, 2009 – and for supposedly passing on this false information to the ‘Guide,’ Ali Khamenei.”
“Indeed, Ahmadinejad did promise needy Iranians a monthly subsidy of €46 [$64]. Ahmadinejad supplemented his financial promises with a warning to the West that the ‘idol of Zionism must be crushed.’ Such threats tend to stoke the atmosphere, particularly at such mass events.”
Dr. Wahdat-Hagh, citing Persian newspaper coverage, quotes Ahmadinejad as saying at a campaign stop at a place called Islamshahr, in reference to Zionism and Iranian influence abroad:
“‘They should know that the free peoples, the Iranian people and the inhabitants of Islamshahr will not accept this modern idol worship. They will powerfully shatter these idols.’ The Iranian president insisted that the ‘Islamic Revolution has long since been exported,’ and that even in America, Muslims shout the slogans of the Islamic Revolution.”
By Dr. Wahied Wahdat-Hagh*
Translated By Alexandra Griffiths
May 23, 2009
Germany – Die Welt – Original Article (German)
President Ahmadinejad promotes himself with promises of money domestically and with military strength abroad. Uncontroversial he is not. But the Iranian revolutionary leader, Ali Khamenei, demands a strong president and defends Ahmadinejad as such.
One conservative opponent of President Ahmadinejad and head of a news agency called Alef.ir is Ahmad Tavakkoli (photo, left). He has publicly criticized Ahmadinejad for quoting false statistics to listeners in Islamshahr on April 24, 2009 – and for supposedly passing on this false information to the “Guide,” Ali Khamenei.
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