Quote:
Originally Posted by octothorp
Sorry, pet peeve of mine. The term Ayatollah refers to a senior cleric of Shia Islam and they range in political views from very moderate and tolerant to extreme conservative; many of the high ranking figures speaking out for election reform in Iran were Ayatollahs (and in some cases, Grand Ayatollahs). It remains to be seen where it settles, but right now Khamenei is likely supported by only a small number of Grand Ayatollahs. I'd argue that many of them feel more shame and embarrassment when they see a speech like Ahmadinejad's, and know that so many people will be making generalizations about the state of Iran and about Shia Islam as a result.
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Thanks, Buzz Killington!
Mahmoud is a puppet for the Grand Ayatollahs. Ultimately direct executive control comes from them, and if the Ayatollahs truly wanted him out of power, they would have done it during the (fraudulent) June elections if he was that much of a problem.
I'm sure they take into account the sentiments of hard-liners, conservatives and the apathetic within their own populations just as much as their regard for the opinions of the international community.
The Ayatollahs are not some innocent party; they groomed Mahmoud to the position he's in today. They're as much at fault for Iran's spectacle as Ahmedinejad himself.