Issue 42 05.12.11

The recent dispute between Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and Iranian President Ahmadinejad has led to increased tensions between supporters of each party. Violent clashes erupted between the two groups, and several people were injured.

Many believe that if this conflict leads to a separation between Iran’s leader and president, it may lead to the fall of the entire current regime, a regime that has been murdering and oppressing its citizens for the past 30 years.

---

Exclusive Clip (Iranium): "Apocalypse Now"

Iran: The Purge of the Hojatieh Society Showdown in the Shia Corridors of Power By Gary H. Johnson, Jr.

“A nation from the East will rise and prepare the way for the coming of the Mahdi” -Prophet Muhammad, Hadith tradition Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s defiance of Ayatollah Khameini, Iran’s Supreme Leader, is no laughing matter. An 11-day strike by President Ahmadinejad has ended with the arrest of 25 of his associates on the charge of sorcery – a charge which carries the penalty of death. Ahmadinejad’s Chief of Staff, Esfandiar Rahim Masheia, lies at the heart of the controversy. Rumor has it that “Mashaei allegedly occasionally enters a trance-like state to communicate with the Twelfth Imam or will sometimes randomly say ‘hello’ to no one at all and then explain that the Twelfth Imam just passed by.”

---

The Iranian Death Spiral Resumes By Michael Ledeen

So now the Ahmadinejad people and the Khamenei people are fighting it out in the streets of Tehran, as Reza tells us. Those who have followed this blog for some time will recognize it as the latest phase in what I call "The War of the Persian Succession," a nasty fight over who will be the next Supreme Leader of Iran, after the passing of Khamenei. Remember, too, that Mousavi — the leader of a Green Movement that is very much a player in this struggle — designed a strategy that would lead to the implosion of the regime, not its overthrow in a dramatic confrontation. He believes that the internal conflicts are so severe, that if only pressure can be maintained, the system will come down. He hoped that pressure would come from the West, but it didn’t (even though the sanctions have made life more difficult). So the process is slower than it might have been, but still moving along the lines he designed.

---

Take Action!

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) created the Iranian Dissident Awareness Program to allow U.S. citizens to become familiar with the dissidents and political prisoners who are fighting for freedom and democracy in Iran. Learn more about these brave individuals here. RadicalIslam.org ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤