Iran's President Rouhani: Credit Where It Is Due

[The Magistrate]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/22/us-iran-politics-idUSKCN0IB1S220141022

Iran president denounces bill to empower Islamic vigilantes

'Iranian President Hassan Rouhani came out on Wednesday against a parliamentary bill to empower vigilantes who enforce Islamic morals, strongly re-asserting a moderate agenda that had taken a back seat since his election last year.

"The sacred call to virtue is not the prerogative of a select group of people, a handful taking the moral high ground and acting as custodians. It is upon all Muslims to exhort love, respect for other and human dignity," Rouhani told a cheering crowd packed into a stadium in northern Zanjan Province.

"Rue the day some lead our society down the path to insecurity, sow discord and cause rifts, all under the banner of Islam," he said, his voice shaking with emotion.'

[freshwest]

1. Very heartening. And I give some credit to Obama and Kerry for recognizing the man's intentions.

[jen63]

3. Yep.

Over all of the voices hysterically screaming to "bomb that place into a golf course."

[malthaussen]

2. May there come a day...

... when extremism everywhere goes out of fashion. I'm not greatly optimistic that it will, so long as the gross inequality around the world persists.

-- Mal

[JI7]

4. i hope nothing happens to him

[Mister Nightowl]

5. I think I hear a Bibi crying

[Jack Rabbit]

6. Rue the day some lead our society down the path to insecurity, sow discord and cause rifts

Rue the day some lead our society down the path to insecurity, sow discord and cause rifts, all under the banner of Islam
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1 February 1979
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(Creative Commons License, Attribution/Share Alike)
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[JEB]

7. 19 August 1953

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat

The US is very good at stepping on its own dick.

[Jack Rabbit]

8. Indeed, it is

Another example: Ten years after overthrowing Saddam, we're staring down ISIS and only defense contractor and weapons manufacturers like it.

Imperialism can be very expensive.

[The Magistrate]

14. One Can Trace Back Farther, Sir

Late August '41, for instance, and prior to that the installation of Pahlavi in the early twenties largely by Gen. Ironside.

And of course there was a treaty dividing spheres of influence between England and Russia before the Great War....

[PCIntern]

9. We shall see by their actions, not their words.

Talk is cheap.

[The Magistrate]

10. He Is Not In Complete Control, Sir

The office of President in Iran is something less than it is here, and final authority vests in a clerical council.

But I often speak harshly of Islamic clerics, and when one does do a right thing, I try and take notice,

This man's speech was a good thing, and he deserves some credit for it.

[PCIntern]

11. I well know that...

and that is why I state that the actions will speak much louder than the words. I have heard this before and history does tend to repeat itself, particularly in this part of the world.

[leftstreet]

12. "No vice is above joblessness, poverty and lack of opportunity...

... to a good education."

Well, well


DURec indeed for credit where due

[Blue_In_AK]

13. Good for him.

This is heartening news.