Khatami: Islamic World Ready for Change

[FormerRepublican]

"KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - The Islamic world is fed up with violence and extremism in the name of religion and is ready for an era of progressive, democratic Muslim governments, former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said Friday.

Khatami said current conflicts between the West and Islam have created a situation that "can only see ever-escalating violence, whether in the form of war and occupation and repression, or in the form of terror and destruction."

"After about two centuries of dispute between tradition and modernity in the world of Islam (there is) a high level of mental preparation for the acceptance of a major transformation in the mind and lives of Muslims," Khatami said in a speech at an international conference on Islam and the West.

Khatami is a noted Islamic scholar whose moderate policies in religion and politics, especially his view of the U.S., were opposed by hard-liners in Iran. He was Iran's leader from 1997 until June, when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an ultraconservative, became president."

Yahoo Link

A sensible, moderate Islamic voice that I can agree with. This conflict that is being drummed up benefits neither side.

[Jim Sagle]

1. Excellent link. K&R.

[countryjake]

2. Careful now, this is the guy our prez accused of supporting...

terrorism..."Axis of Evil" & all that, remember? His refusal to join in the attacks by the USA upon his neighbors made him one of those "suspected insurgent sympathizers", don't ya know?

[FormerRepublican]

3. I have one answer to what Bush says:

:puke:

By that logic, I guess France and Germany are the enemy, too!

[catmother]

4. great to hear a voice of reason.

;-)

[Behind the Aegis]

5. And yet...

Khatami singles out Israel in defending Iran's nuclear plans

By Reuters

Former Iranian president Mohammed Khatami defended his country's nuclear program on Saturday and, singling out Israel, said the West should focus its pressure on building a nuclear-free Middle East.

The United Nations' atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), voted last weekend to report Iran to the UN Security Council over its nuclear program.

Western powers accuse Iran of developing an atomic weapon, while Tehran insists it aims to produce only civilian energy.

<snip>

"Today, some countries in the Middle East as well as Asia have nuclear weapons, the biggest of which is Israel," he said.

more...

A Stephen Colbert moment: "A Tip of the Hat" for promoting moderation...and "A Wag of the Finger" for his 'information' about the ME nuclear issue. Geography lesson: Israel is the smallest of the nations in the Middle East and Asia to 'possess' nuclear weapons.

[TomClash]

6. I suspect the translation is wrong

He probably stated that Israel has the largest number of nuclear weapons in the ME. That's quite accurate.