Iran Election: Piety and Dishonesty?

Hasan Yousefi Ashkevari

Although some of Ahmadinejad’s supporters have called him the “third millennia’s miracle,” we must admit that Ahmadinejad truly is a unique “phenomenon”! The thoughts, behavior and personality that he has exhibited in the past four years are truly strange from some perspectives.

One of Mr. Ahmadinejad’s peculiar characteristics is dishonesty, which has brought unique fame to the president after four years.  This is a charge not just from the reformists or others, but also conservatives who have brought it up publicly several times.

Many of the Ahmadinejad’s friends and colleagues have pointed out the president’s dishonesty, releasing documents to reveal that he lies not just to the public, but also the Supreme Leader.  The latest instance is the opinion and testimony of Mr. Masih Mohajeri, a cleric and the editor-in-chief of the Principalist Jomhouri Eslami newspaper.  Recently, Mr. Mohajeri addressed several serious and detailed criticisms to Ahmadinejad and called on the Guardian Council to disqualify Ahmadinejad for running for reelection because of his lies and dishonesty.

This certainly is a peculiar development in the Islamic Republic regime, and the ninth administration and its head in particular – that “lying” and “dishonestly” are considered completely normal.  If we look at the Islamic Republic’s thirty-year history and examine the remarks of its officials on various, we can convincingly show how many lies have been told.  If this inappropriate and anti-Islamic tradition was not so tolerated in the Islamic Republic, neither could Ahmadinejad become president, nor could he propagate his lies so openly and repeatedly for four years and still have the support of the regime’s senior leadership ahead of his bid for reelection!

Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic claims to be a pious regime ruled by the clergy.  All of this regime’s officials and administrators claim to be defending religion and its values.  In this midst, the ninth administration and its head claim to do that the most.  The president has repeatedly announced, directly and indirectly, that his remarks and behavior are approved by the hidden Shia Imam, that he was surrounded by a ray of light while speaking at the United Nations, and that he has been assisted by God to stand up to Islam’s enemies at Columbia University and recently in Geneva!  How can a person who claims such gigantic moral and religious achievements repeatedly engage in the most serious of all sins, lying?  How can piety and dishonesty be reconciled?

Is the Iranian government really a pious regime?!