The Bridge
Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami, during a 12 day U.S. visit in the wake of the 2006 Lebanese Military Tsunami that Kofi Annan was inspecting, urged Americans to engage in a “dialogue of civilizations.” Speaking at the Bait ul Ilm Islamic Center in the Chicago suburb of Streamwood, Khatami rallied Muslims to work for peace. “There is a great opportunity of dialogue and co-operation by people of faith,” he said. During a lively question-and answer session at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Khatami reminded us that “Bush and Ahmadinejad are cut from the same cloth.” All the more reason the two can start a direct dialogue. He was in New York to attend a U.N. conference on bridging the gap between the Islamic world and the west.
Khatami told his U.S. audience that the 9/11 attacks were an atrocity and said suicide bombers did Islam an injustice and would not go to heaven. Two crimes were committed on September 11 ─ civilians were killed and it was done in the name of Islam ─ Mr. Khatami told the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a human rights group. “Those who do it in the name of Islam are lying,” Khatami said.
President Bush personally approved the granting of the U.S. visa to Khatami because he was “interested in learning more” about Iran. How come he doesn’t know? What are We the Apathetic Maids paying taxes for?
Mr. Khatami is the most prominent Iranian to visit the U.S. since America and Iran broke off diplomatic relations in 1979, after the seizure of 52 hostages at the U.S. embassy in Teheran and the 444-day crisis that resulted in President Jimmy Carter’s re-election campaign defeat at the crusty hands of Ronald Reagan, who had his own Iran scandal ─ Iran Contra.
Iran is indebted to America for getting rid of its two main political and military threats ─ Saddam Hussein and the Taliban. Iran hoped that the fall of Saddam and the Taliban would be the seeds for détente between the two countries. Iran was then run by reform leaning president Khatami. Instead, Iran was included in the “axis of evil.”
Seventy percent of Iran’s 69 million people are under 30, and so have no memory of the shah, or the taking of the U.S. hostages, and even less interest in the past. Most Iranians are concerned about what effects U.S. economic sanctions might have on the economy that is already badly managed by mullahs and are perplexed and hurt by America’s anti-Iran political rhetoric and “Evil Axis” label.
Islam came late to Persia, a land which boasted a rich and full civilization long before the Arab invaders swept in from the west. While most younger Iranians do admire Islam’s sense of discipline, art and architecture, they have little interest in its rigid dogma and social intolerance. Women in Iran, unlike other Arab Muslim nations such as Saudi Arabia, can work, drive and vote, own property or businesses, run for political office and seek divorce. The majority of Iran’s university graduates are women. “It is the women of Iran who give me hope that this once noble nation will one day return to its gracious roots,” wrote U.S. journalist Steve Knipp on a visit to Iran during the nuclear standoff. “Most of the young people I spoke with insist that change is coming,” Knipp added. “But I was advised that the world must be patient as the mullahs are not keen to give up power, and it will take time to wrest it from them.”
Trying to shove Iran into a nuclear diplomatic corner with sanctions, has brought together in Iran a coalition of theocratic mullahs and vested interests from the 1979 Islamist revolution, within the region ─ and beyond. This at the expense of the reform movement headed by Khatami before U.S. misguided foreign policy got Khatami replaced by Ahmadinejad, and America and Israel cornered. Why try and keep anyone in a corner? Iran is entitled to a deal that will give her security guarantees and recognition as a legitimate regional power.
The U.N. Security Council resolution requiring Iran to suspend all activities related to Uranium enrichment by August 31st 2006, or risk possible sanctions were the direct cause of North Korea launching missiles on July 4th and the 34 day war between Hezbollah and Israel.
Khatami told his U.S. audience that the 9/11 attacks were an atrocity and said suicide bombers did Islam an injustice and would not go to heaven. Two crimes were committed on September 11 ─ civilians were killed and it was done in the name of Islam ─ Mr. Khatami told the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a human rights group. “Those who do it in the name of Islam are lying,” Khatami said.
President Bush personally approved the granting of the U.S. visa to Khatami because he was “interested in learning more” about Iran. How come he doesn’t know? What are We the Apathetic Maids paying taxes for?
Mr. Khatami is the most prominent Iranian to visit the U.S. since America and Iran broke off diplomatic relations in 1979, after the seizure of 52 hostages at the U.S. embassy in Teheran and the 444-day crisis that resulted in President Jimmy Carter’s re-election campaign defeat at the crusty hands of Ronald Reagan, who had his own Iran scandal ─ Iran Contra.
Iran is indebted to America for getting rid of its two main political and military threats ─ Saddam Hussein and the Taliban. Iran hoped that the fall of Saddam and the Taliban would be the seeds for détente between the two countries. Iran was then run by reform leaning president Khatami. Instead, Iran was included in the “axis of evil.”
Seventy percent of Iran’s 69 million people are under 30, and so have no memory of the shah, or the taking of the U.S. hostages, and even less interest in the past. Most Iranians are concerned about what effects U.S. economic sanctions might have on the economy that is already badly managed by mullahs and are perplexed and hurt by America’s anti-Iran political rhetoric and “Evil Axis” label.
Islam came late to Persia, a land which boasted a rich and full civilization long before the Arab invaders swept in from the west. While most younger Iranians do admire Islam’s sense of discipline, art and architecture, they have little interest in its rigid dogma and social intolerance. Women in Iran, unlike other Arab Muslim nations such as Saudi Arabia, can work, drive and vote, own property or businesses, run for political office and seek divorce. The majority of Iran’s university graduates are women. “It is the women of Iran who give me hope that this once noble nation will one day return to its gracious roots,” wrote U.S. journalist Steve Knipp on a visit to Iran during the nuclear standoff. “Most of the young people I spoke with insist that change is coming,” Knipp added. “But I was advised that the world must be patient as the mullahs are not keen to give up power, and it will take time to wrest it from them.”
Trying to shove Iran into a nuclear diplomatic corner with sanctions, has brought together in Iran a coalition of theocratic mullahs and vested interests from the 1979 Islamist revolution, within the region ─ and beyond. This at the expense of the reform movement headed by Khatami before U.S. misguided foreign policy got Khatami replaced by Ahmadinejad, and America and Israel cornered. Why try and keep anyone in a corner? Iran is entitled to a deal that will give her security guarantees and recognition as a legitimate regional power.
The U.N. Security Council resolution requiring Iran to suspend all activities related to Uranium enrichment by August 31st 2006, or risk possible sanctions were the direct cause of North Korea launching missiles on July 4th and the 34 day war between Hezbollah and Israel.
posted by Peter de Krassel's Custom Maid Politics at 2:23 AM
1 Comments:
You sir, are full of bs. Pres Bush is not supposed to know everything. Americans as a rule do not elect intellectual people for president.
"indebted to Iran" for getting rid of Saddam, you have to be joking. It was the US military who disposed of the tryrant in short fashion.
You have run for office this term--it's the day of the BOP party,that is bend over politics, where you imagine a person can negotiate will killers.
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