Former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani accused Iran's rulers on Sunday of being intolerant, saying they have closed the door on constructive criticism.
rick murphy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_peoples
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Iranian peoples[3] are an ethnic and linguistic branch of Indo-
European peoples, living mainly on the Iranian plateau and beyond in
central, southern, and southwestern Asia and southeastern Europe. As a
group of people, they are predominantly defined along linguistic lines
as speaking the Iranian languages,[4] a major branch of the Indo-
European language family. They are spread across the Iranian plateau,
stretching from the Hindu Kush to central Anatolia and from Central
Asia to the Persian Gulf - a region that is sometimes termed Greater
Iran.[5] Speakers of Iranian languages, however, were once found
throughout Eurasia, from the Balkans to western China.[6][7] As
Iranian people are not confined to the borders of the current state of
Iran, the term Iranic peoples is sometimes used to avoid confusion
with the citizens of Iran.
The series of ethnic groups which make up the Iranian people are
traced to a branch of the ancient Indo-European Aryans known as the
Iranians or Proto-Iranians. Archaeological finds in Russia, Central
Asia and the Middle East have elucidated some scant information about
the way of life of these early people. The Iranian people have played
an important role throughout history: the Achaemenid Persians
established one of the world's first multi-national states and the
Scythian-Sarmatian nomads dominated the vast expanses of the Eurasian
steppe for centuries with a group of Sarmatian warrior women possibly
being the inspiration for the Greek legend of the Amazons.[8][9] In
addition, the various religions of the Iranian people, including
Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism, are believed by some scholars to be
important early philosophical influences on Judeo-Christianity.[10]
Early Iranian tribes are the ancestors of many modern Iranian peoples.
+++++++++++++++++++
Culturally today's Iran and its peoples are so far away from that
cultural roots; there is no resemblance. Today's Iran is so infested
with Islamist extremism; it is in danger of extinction unless Iranians
enlighten and reform themselves, and free themselves from the yoke of
Islamist extremist madness.
Rafsanjani accuses Iran rulers of intolerance
Sunday, December 6, 2009
TEHRAN – Agence France-Presse
Powerful cleric and former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani accused
Iran's rulers on Sunday of being intolerant, saying they have closed
the door on constructive criticism.
Rafsanjani, one of the main figures in Iran's opposition movement,
also called on protesters opposing the re-election of President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to express their views "within the framework of
law." "The situation in the country is such that constructive
criticism is not accepted," Rafsanjani told a gathering of students in
the northern city of Mashhad, according to ILNA news agency.
He urged the Islamic republic's various political factions to unite
and work within the law in order to "create a climate of freedom which
will convince the majority of people and erase ambiguities." "Those
who demonstrate or protest must express themselves through legal
means. Leaders must also respect the law," Rafsanjani said.
On the eve of the annual Students Day when fresh demonstrations are
expected against Ahmadinejad Iran was thrown into one of its worst
crises since the Islamic revolution when hundreds of thousands of
people poured onto streets of Tehran to oppose Ahmadinejad's re-
election in June. Thousands were arrested by authorities and dozens
were killed in clashes which erupted after the June 12 poll which
Ahmadinejad's opponents say was rigged to ensure his victory. Iranian
authorities slowed Internet connections to a crawl or choked them off
completely before expected student protests Monday to deny the
opposition a vital means of communication.
In another familiar tactic before such rallies, authorities have
ordered journalists working for foreign media organizations not to
leave their offices to cover the demonstrations. Iran's beleaguered
opposition has sought to maintain momentum with periodic
demonstrations coinciding with state-sanctioned events. Monday's
rallies will take place on a day that normally marks a 1953 killing of
three students at an anti-U.S. protest. Since the 1990s, the day has
served as an occasion for pro-reform protests.