Grandson's Remarks Hint At Unrest In Iran and Iraq

[Dover]

A GRANDSON’S REMARKS HINT AT UNREST IN IRAN AND IRAQ
Nicolas Birch: 8/11/03

The image of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of Iran’s theocracy, looks down from posters in Shia districts of Baghdad. Iran, officially neutral in the US-led invasion of Iraq, has bristled when American President George W. Bush has warned it against interfering in Iraq’s post-invasion chaos. But an August 5 statement by Khomeini’s 45-year-old grandson, Sayyid Hussein Khomeini, shows how that chaos can have Iran’s ruling clerics on the defensive.

"Iranians insist on freedom, but they are not sure where it will come from," Khomeini told journalists in Najaf August 5. "If it comes from inside, they will welcome it, but if it was necessary for it to come from abroad, especially from the United States, people will accept it." These startling remarks quickly circulated around the world’s newswires, deepening awareness that Iran’s ruling clerics are facing unprecedented challenges to their legitimacy. . Khomeini, by vaulting himself into the global spotlight, may have been positioning himself as a champion of Iran’s millions of disaffected youth. If he taps Iraqis’ yearnings for freedom as well, Khomeini could contribute to turbulence in both countries.

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http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav081103.shtml