February27, 2007:
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently banned an Islamic
conservative web site, because the site, called Baztab, posted criticism of
him. Banning web sites for criticizing government officials is quite common in
Iran. But, to date, nearly all the sites (and newspapers, magazines and radio
stations) shut down have been moderate, or reform minded. In fact, the site
Ahmadinejad banned, has largely aimed its criticism at the reform media that
called for changes in the way Iran is ruled.
Now
Ahmadinejad has been criticized by a group of members of parliament for
shutting down Baztab. To be specific, 136 members of parliament have protested
the banning of Baztab. Ahmadinejad can't touch members of parliament. In fact,
the current parliament is composed of nothing but Islamic conservatives. The
clerics who have veto power over anything that goes on in Iran, banned any
moderate candidates from running for parliament during the last
elections.
President
Ahmadinejad, however, is not just an Islamic conservative, but also critical of
the corruption that is so common among the clerics and secular Islamic
conservatives who run the country. Ahmadinejad is also outspoken about things
that most Iranian clerics and government officials agree with. Thinks like the
destruction of Israel and the need to force everyone on the planet to become
Moslem. Thus, while moderate Iranians object to many of Ahmadinejads ideas, his
fellow Islamic conservatives object to his mouth, or his too frequent, and too
righteous, use of said organ.