Effort to Rebrand Arab Spring Backfires in Iran
New York Times / Robert F. Worth
02-Feb-2012 (one comment)

It was meant to be a crowning moment in which Iran put its own Islamic stamp on the Arab Spring. More than a thousand young activists were flown here earlier this week (at government expense) for a conference on “the Islamic Awakening,” Tehran’s effort to rebrand the popular Arab uprisings of the past year..But there was a catch. No one was invited from Syria....

...That inconvenient truth soon marred the whole script. As the conference began, a young man in the audience held up a sign with the word “SYRIA?” written in English. Applause burst out in the crowd, followed by boos. Audience members began chanting the slogan of the Syrian protesters: “God, freedom and Syria!” But they were drowned out by others chanting pro-Assad slogans.

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Ahmadinejad Camp Sharply Attacks Khamenei, IRCG

by FG on

Some of the language was surprising provocative.  For example:

"Velaayat
[rule of the Islamic jurist] belongs to humanity, and does not belong
to a particular person" -- an implicit but clear challenge to Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei.

"We have confronted the United States and have broken the backs of all
the monsters. The 'great idol' is nothing [compared to them]." (Based on a more careful examination of Ahmadinejad's pronouncements over
the last few months, both in public and private statements that have
leaked to the mass media, it appears that he was, in fact, referring to Khamenei.--Mohammed Sahimi.

"He (Khamenei) intervenes in every major or minor problem; it is now more than 20 years, is it not enough?"

"Over
night they become an ayatollah -- pardon me, grand ayatollah -- [and]
expect to be asked for permission for everything, even for drinking
water."


"foreign policy, the key to solving all the problems, which should be in the hands of the President, is elsewhere."


Read more: //www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2012/02/news-ahmadinejad-camp-attacks-khamenei-revolutionary-guards.html#ixzz1lHnYjmbf