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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Officials fire Iranian governor after divination |
| 2011-06-20 |
| [Arab News] A newly appointed governor in northern Iran has been dismissed after officials asked for guidance from God through divination, according to a media report Saturday. The semiofficial Mehr news agency said the interior minister had appointed Ali Babaei Karnami governor of Sari late last month but that he was dismissed Tuesday as a formal ceremony was being organized for him to take up the position. "Since divination showed a bad result, we preferred to look for another choice," the news agency quoted Provincial Governor Ali Akbar Tahaei as saying. He did not specify who carried out the divination process or how it was conducted and there is no legal recourse for such terminations. There was no immediate comment from Karnami. Devoted religious people in Iran use the process of divination to gain spiritual insight into their questions. One way is to open Islam's holy book, the Qur'an and if the Qur'anic verses are promising, the pending decision is fine. If the wording is negative, then it is not. Another way is to count prayer beads. "Karnami should not be irritated for not taking up the post because I'll need him to serve at a provincial municipality posting," he was quoted as saying. Tahaei said Mohammad Ali Pishnamazi, a provincial security official, has been named as the new governor. President Mahmoud Short RoundAhmadinejad has come under biting criticism in recent months from fellow conservatives. Ahmadinejad's spiritual mentor, Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, said last month that the president was under a "spell" from his chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei. Iran's opposition leader Mir Hossein has in the past accused Ahmadinejad's government of suffering from "emotionalism, superstition, and extremism." |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #10 D *** NG IT, IRAN CAN'T DO THAT - MADONNA IS STILL WORKING ON HER NEW ALBUM! We're being greedy selfish corrupt little Piggys, aren't we??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-06-20 19:29 |
| #9 We should all consider options before something silly happens. |
| Posted by: Goldies Every Damn Where 2011-06-20 17:46 |
| #8 "was carried over into Islam from a pre-Islamic tradition." I thought the crayon says that Adam and Eve were Islamic. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2011-06-20 13:49 |
| #7 ...divination is not permissible because through it the diviner seeks to gain knowledge of future events, which is an ability reserved for God. In the West we use credentialed academic economic forecasters with about the same reliability. At least there seems to be some accountability attached to such practices elsewhere. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2011-06-20 10:23 |
| #6 "The author of Ketab al-wafi writes that whereas seeking guidance (Estekharah) from God by means of the Koran is permissible, divination is not permissible because through it the diviner seeks to gain knowledge of future events, which is an ability reserved for God. Shi'ite scholars generally look down upon divination, considering it an irrational if not impious act. Mohammad b. Monnawar (pp. 26-27, 175) describes the manner of divination by the Koran. It seems that divination was carried over into Islam from a pre-Islamic tradition." http://www.iranian.com/Sep96/Iranica/IranicaDivine/IranicaDivine.html |
| Posted by: Mike Ramsey 2011-06-20 10:03 |
| #5 Or is it just something in the water? |
| Posted by: Bill Clinton 2011-06-20 09:55 |
| #4 I am beginning to think the quality of hashish and other mind altering chemicals is quite high in Iran. |
| Posted by: Bill Clinton 2011-06-20 09:54 |
| #3 Divination is a major no-no in Islam, and equated with asking djinn or ghosts their advice. It is regarded as about on a par with keeping graven idols in your house. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-06-20 08:26 |
| #2 One way is to open Islam's holy book, the Qur'an and if the Qur'anic verses are promising, the pending decision is fine. I dunno, the Shia equivalent of bible-cracking isn't exactly what I'd classify as "divination". From the headline I was picturing some sort of Witch of Endor spectacular, heavy on the entrails and screaming horrors. And I say this as someone who refuses to open fortune cookies - my one, cherished superstition is the avoidance of even jokey divination. |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2011-06-20 06:04 |
| #1 Ahmadinejad's spiritual mentor, Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, said last month that the president was under a "spell" from his chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2011-06-20 02:49 |