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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Drudge - Ahmadinejad under fire for embracing his old teacher |
| 2007-05-02 |
| Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been accused of indecency after he publicly embraced and kissed on the hand an elderly woman who used to be his schoolteacher. At a ceremony on Tuesday ahead of Iranian teachers' day, Mr Ahmadinejad was photographed and filmed by state media stooping to kiss the woman's hand and then clasping her arms in an embrace. The ultra-conservative Hezbollah newspaper, which is not related to the group in Lebanon of the same name, criticised him on the front page. "The Muslim Iranian people have no recollection of such acts contrary to sharia law during Islamic rule [since the 1979 revolution]," it said. "This type of indecency progressively has grave consequences, like violating religious and sacred values." The elderly woman, who was not named, wore thick gloves along with a headscarf and long black coat, meaning that Mr Ahmadinejad avoided any skin contact. But his action raised eyebrows because according to sharia law, it is forbidden for a man to have any physical contact with a woman to whom he is not related. While Mr Ahmadinejad is considered an ultra-conservative in the West, this is not the first time he and his Government have been attacked by hardline elements even further along the spectrum. He courted controversy when he unsuccessfully proposed women be allowed to attend football matches, and one of his vice presidents came under huge pressure last year after allegedly watching a woman dance at a ceremony in Turkey. But other hardline publications published the images of the latest incident without further comment. "A kiss on the hand for the teacher," was the headline in the government daily Iran. Mr Ahmadinejad's action appeared to be a public gesture of humility before Iranian teachers, who have publicly protested against low salaries and accused the Government of not doing enough to improve their work conditions. |
| Posted by:Delphi2005 |
| #13 Radical Islam's version of TEACHER-STUDENT SEX??? Methinks the true story here is that despotic TOTALITARIANISM in any form, including the GOD/FAITH-BASED TOTALITARIANISM = "PERFECTION" THAT IS RADICAL ISLAM-ISM, can only be "reformed" = un-done layer by layer, specific act by specific act, etc. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-05-02 23:38 |
| #12 Except for one completely raved out full-goose-bozo Islamo-loon in some camel-skin tent out in the desert wastes, every single other Muslim on earth is "Not Muslim Enough". This takfir bullshit will be the death of all Muslims. Unfortunately for the West, it will not happen quickly enough so that we can merely sit back and watch from the sidelines. Enough of these fanatics will still pose sufficient problems for us whereby it will be necessary to intervene further. Probably with nuclear weapons. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-05-02 20:33 |
| #11 Watch it, Mahmoud. "Not Muslim enough" can be a bad place to be... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-05-02 20:09 |
| #10 |
| Posted by: John Frum 2007-05-02 16:51 |
| #9 Islam always devours its own, nothing else is quite so halal. Ahmadinejad has stoked the flames of fundamentalism to the point where he will soon be roasted by his own bonfire. Islam is congenitally predisposed to the very worst form of "holier than thou" competitiveness. No matter how wacky Ahmadinejad might seem, there will always be other loons of far more distorted and stringent fundamentalist views. This puritanical criticism over reverence being shown for a school teacher shows just how warped Iran has become. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-05-02 16:45 |
| #8 I was under the impression that the people of Iran were pretty embarrassed by the whole lot of the Mullahacracy. Indeed, the ones I've met have considered themselves quite cosmopolitan. It would be nice to get a little mockery of this into Iran--does VOA still operate? It would really set their faces burning over things like this to know that 1) it happened (they already know) and 2) they're being made fun of because of it. |
| Posted by: eLarson 2007-05-02 15:23 |
| #7 Eventually the Iranian people will have had enough of these nutballs who live like kings on the oil money. There will be rebellion, bloodshed, and a new government sooner or later. |
| Posted by: anymouse 2007-05-02 12:44 |
| #6 I'd love to see Richard Gere go lip lock with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. I'm pretty sure there is are disagreements on whether that is hallal or harem. |
| Posted by: mhw 2007-05-02 12:28 |
| #5 It's hard to believe there are people nuttier than Whackjob. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2007-05-02 12:18 |
| #4 Stung by his own. |
| Posted by: anonymous2u 2007-05-02 12:11 |
| #3 s/heros/heroes/ |
| Posted by: KBK 2007-05-02 12:00 |
| #2 My heros are failing me. First Gere, now A-jad. |
| Posted by: KBK 2007-05-02 11:39 |
| #1 Man! These people are warped! Everyone knows I prefer goats. |
| Posted by: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 2007-05-02 11:17 |