With what is happining in Iran and so little news being available, that there is opposition to the current regime and by some clerics is news to me as I know it would be to many posters here.
Following is a recent. today, address of one of them. Could not do a link as many items on it.
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Iraqi Liberal Cleric Ayad Jamal Al-Din Calls on the Iranian People to Revolt and Change the Face of the Middle East
Posted February 18, 2011 by josephwouk
“In the Name of Allah the Merciful.[1]
“Peace Be Upon You and Allah’s Mercy and Blessings.
“Oh, Noble People of Iran. You who have suffered so much for the sake of freedom and human dignity against the ruling dictatorship in Tehran. You who have sacrificed tens of thousands of victims during the thirty year-life of this dictatorial, gloomy and despotic regime.
“Oh, Noble people of Iran. Today the wind of freedom and democracy is blowing across the Great Middle East. Here is Tunisia. It has become free and sovereign, and the great Tunisian people have achieved victory over a corrupt dictator. And here is the great people of Egypt. It has written history anew and has produced the epic of freedom and human dignity. And here are the Libyan people, the Bahraini people, and the Yemeni people on their road to secure dignity, freedom and democracy. And so are your brethren in Iraq. Our eyes are now focused on beloved Tehran; on the noble Iranian people - the people that gave birth to the great Iranian revolution in 1979. To our sorrow, as you are well aware, the Iranian people’s revolution was abducted by the dictatorial and corrupt Khomeini regime, which is far worse than the regime of the Shah [Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]. If the Shah’s regime was dictatorial and corrupt it did at least not claim to be Allah’s representative on earth. The dictatorial regime of the Shah did not claim to be the representative of the noble Prophet Mohammad. But the corrupt and dictatorial Khomeini regime has abducted Allah; it has abducted the Noble Prophet Mohammad; and it has abducted the Noble Koran. It is the worst dictatorship known to humanity.
“Oh, Dear brothers!.There is no difference between a dictator who wears a [crown], a dictator who wears a turban and a dictator who wears the traditional Arab gear. Dictators are the same regardless of their styles and languages. Freedom and dignity are the same for every people. And you, the Noble People of Iran, you were the first people in the Middle East to revolt against the dictatorship and corruption in 1979. Today is your day to reclaim your dignity, your freedom and the treasures of your rich country from the grasp of those thieves who stole religion and state.
“Oh, Noble People of Iran! Do not allow the Egyptians and the Tunisians to race ahead of you in attaining freedom, dignity and democracy. You are the people of civilization and dignity. We are with you. The eyes of the world are on beloved Tehran, awaiting your great revolution that will change the face of the Middle East and put an end to dictatorships and terrorism which are two faces of the same currency.
“And to a bright and happy tomorrow filled with freedom and democracy for all the people of the Middle East!.
“Thank you and Allah’s Mercy and Blessings Be Upon You.”
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Who is this cleric?
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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iyad_Jamal_Al-Din-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ayad Jamal Aldin or Iyad Jamal al-Din (Arabic: ÅíÇÏ ÌãÇá ÇáÏíä), full name Iyad Raouf Mohammed Jalal al-Din (Born 1961), is a prominent Iraqi intellectual, politician and religious cleric. He was a member of the Iraqi parliament from 2005 until 2010 as the representative of Nasiriyah and a leading figure in Ayad Allawi's Iraqi National List (Iraqiyya) until his departure in the fall of 2009. After Ayad Allawi sent a delegation to Iran, Ayad Jamal Aldin became disillusioned with Iraqiyya and left the list to form his own party, the Ahrar Party, based on the principles of separation of religion and the state (a principle Iraqiyya ostensibly shares), courage and integrity (principles Ayad Jamal Aldin and his followers feel strongly that Iraqiyya does not share). Speaking of his fallout with Ayad Allawi in a February 14, 2010 interview with Al-Arabiya TV's Suhair Al-Qaisi, the imam said:
Since he (Ayad Allawi) sent a delegation to Iran, he cannot expect my support.
Ayad Jamal Aldin is a young Shia cleric, best known for his consistent campaigning for a new, secular Iraq. He first rose to prominence at the Nasiriyah conference in March 2003, shortly before the fall of Saddam Hussein, where he called for a state free of religion, the turban and other theological symbols. In 2005, he was elected as one of the 25 MPs on the Iraqi National List, but withdrew in 2009 after becoming disenchanted with Iyad Allawi’s overtures to Iran. He wants complete independence from Iranian interference in Iraq. He now leads the Ahrar party for the 2010 election to the Council of Representatives, on a policy platform to clean up corruption and create a strong, secure and liberated Iraq for the future
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