Female Iranian demonstrators chant slogans in a
Pro-government rally at the Enqelab (Revolution) Square in Tehran last
week. Image Credit: AP The world’s preoccupation with anything that
carries an Iranian label on it is evident. All it takes is a quick
glance at headlines in newspapers and it will soon become apparent that
news related to Iran is of major interest, not only to Western media,
but in the Arab world too. Whether it be a new missile test causing
anxiety, a provocative statement from Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, speculation about an “imminent” Israeli attack on Iran’s
nuclear sites, Iranian defiance of the International Atomic Energy
Agency, or speculations of a power struggle between two groups
Westerners see as hardliners and moderate, news from Iran always makes
headlines.
Amongst the abundant coverage, there are numerous exaggerated
accounts and misinformation. A former member of the US Department of
State staff, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Study
who also taught a summer graduate course at George Washington
University, told our class that, according to ‘confirmed and reliable
sources’, Ahmadinejad made major policy decisions by opening the Quran
and randomly selecting a page and then a sentence. He would then take
inspiration from one word of the chosen sentence … >>>
