Iranian Clerics Declare Ahmadinejed Re-Election Illegitimate

Iranian Clerics Declare Ahmadinejed Re-Election Illegitimate - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News - FOXNews.com

An influential group of Iranian clerics took sides late Saturday, calling June's re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and by extension his government, illegitimate.

The Association of Researchers and Teachers of Qom, Iran's holiest city, questioned whether the Guardian Council, Iran's official electoral watchdog, had enough authority to validate the disputed election results, the Voice of America and the New York Times reported.

"This crack in the clerical establishment, and the fact they are siding with the people and [defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein] Mousavi, in my view is the most historic crack in the 30 years of the Islamic republic," Abbas Milani, head of the Iranian Studies Program at Stanford University, told the Times.

The group called on other clerics to oppose the election results and Ahmadinejad's government, even calling the estimated 20 people killed in the past three weeks' protests as "martyrs" comparable to the thousands who died during the 1979 Iranian revolution and the 1980-1988 war with Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

Wow this is big News to have these Clerics come out and say this mean allot, could start a new wave of march's.

Until the theocracy which controls the "dictatorship" which controls Iran is removed from power, this is really not much of a change.

So the theocracy says the dictator didn't get re-elected legally.

How does that change anything?

The Mark said:

Until the theocracy which controls the "dictatorship" which controls Iran is removed from power, this is really not much of a change.

So the theocracy says the dictator didn't get re-elected legally.

How does that change anything?

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Because Qom was where the Revolution started and these clerics are associated with the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. This alone means allot of weight that the Guardian Council now must try to deal with. To go against the Clerics from Qom would mean certain Death, these Clerics are the real power in Iran.

Scorpion89 said:

Because Qom was where the Revolution started and these clerics are associated with the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. This alone means allot of weight that the Guardian Council now must try to deal with. To go against the Clerics from Qom would mean certain Death, these Clerics are the real power in Iran.

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I repeat.

How does this change anything?

The theocracy will still have the power in Iran.

The Mark said:

The theocracy will still have the power in Iran.

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Not necessarily.

Contrary to what one might think about the Islamic Republic's support among the clergy, there has always been a significant portion of Iranian clerics who did not support Khomeini's view of velayat-e faqih. In addition, Khamenei's clerical credentials are viewed by many as a matter of political convenience and even contrivance.

The public appearance of these factions could have the consequence of allowing greater power to accumulate around the secular leadership of Iran. Even though the Assembly of Experts is not likely to disband any time soon, its power could be on the wane in Iran.

Whether this is or is not the case will not be known for some time. Still, public disagreement from the clergy is an intriguing development.

celticlord said:

Not necessarily.

Contrary to what one might think about the Islamic Republic's support among the clergy, there has always been a significant portion of Iranian clerics who did not support Khomeini's view of velayat-e faqih. In addition, Khamenei's clerical credentials are viewed by many as a matter of political convenience and even contrivance.

The public appearance of these factions could have the consequence of allowing greater power to accumulate around the secular leadership of Iran. Even though the Assembly of Experts is not likely to disband any time soon, its power could be on the wane in Iran.

Whether this is or is not the case will not be known for some time. Still, public disagreement from the clergy is an intriguing development.

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True.

And I hope that the possiblity you outlined does come to pass. I just fear that what is actually happening is simply a change in who runs the theocracy.