Thursday, June 30, 2005
Fit for an Axis
Some rather uncomfortable stories and allegations about the new Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad:
1) his active involvement in hostage taking at the American Embassy in 1979.
2) an executioner at the notorious Evin Prison, where thousands of political prisoners were purged in the 1980s.
3) the planner of assassinations of Iranian dissidents abroad in the 1980s and 90s, including Kurdish activists in Germany and Austria.
4) accused of planning the assassination of Salman Rushdie.
5) the founder of Qods Force, a terrorism training and sponsorship offshoot of Iranian military, thought to be protecting and providing assistance for Al Qaeda operatives hiding in Iran.
None of it is probably true, since it doesn't get a mention in the BBC profile of the president-elect, which skips altogether his life-long involvement in regime's security forces, concentrating instead on the "man of the people" persona. Neither does it get a mention in the Al Jazeera profile, with exception of the US Embassy bit.
Let's end with these words from our (terror) sponsor:
Well, it could set alarm bells ringing in European capitals, but it probably won't. Ringing alarm bells is so neo-con, man. Only those dumb Yankees believe that Islamic radicals mean what they actually say.
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1) his active involvement in hostage taking at the American Embassy in 1979.
2) an executioner at the notorious Evin Prison, where thousands of political prisoners were purged in the 1980s.
3) the planner of assassinations of Iranian dissidents abroad in the 1980s and 90s, including Kurdish activists in Germany and Austria.
4) accused of planning the assassination of Salman Rushdie.
5) the founder of Qods Force, a terrorism training and sponsorship offshoot of Iranian military, thought to be protecting and providing assistance for Al Qaeda operatives hiding in Iran.
None of it is probably true, since it doesn't get a mention in the BBC profile of the president-elect, which skips altogether his life-long involvement in regime's security forces, concentrating instead on the "man of the people" persona. Neither does it get a mention in the Al Jazeera profile, with exception of the US Embassy bit.
Let's end with these words from our (terror) sponsor:
"The era of oppression, hegemonic regimes, tyranny and injustice has reached its end... The wave of the Islamic revolution will soon reach the entire world."AFP comments hopefully: "The return to such expansionist rhetoric could set alarm bells ringing in European capitals already worried about Ahmadinejad's stance in future talks on Iran's nuclear programme."
Well, it could set alarm bells ringing in European capitals, but it probably won't. Ringing alarm bells is so neo-con, man. Only those dumb Yankees believe that Islamic radicals mean what they actually say.
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