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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, September 30, 2007

COMMENTARY
Khatami's possible return ignites fury

By Sahar Zahedifar

Hard-line supporters of Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are expressing shock and outrage at the mere thought of former President Mohammad Khatami being returned to power in next year's scheduled election.

They claim that he has committed an offense so heinous that he should be stripped of his clerical robes and barred from seeking political office.

Khatami's offense?

He was captured on film shaking hands with a number of women during a visit to Italy earlier this year. The video has been repeatedly shown on hardliners' Web sites.

The film has created a huge controversy in Iran because according to Islamic teaching, men and women must not shake hands.

Khatami's critics have already staged demonstrations in the cities of Qom and Mashhad, accusing the moderate cleric of being anti-religion and an American stooge.

And in an unprecedented move, about 5,000 young clerics wrote an open letter to the Special Court for Clerics and to the Association of Theological Lecturers in Qom asking that Khatami be tried and banned from wearing clerical attire.

According to religious conservatives, or "principalists" as they are often called, Khatami flouted Islamic rules by his actions. It proves, they argue, that the former president is willing to promote an "Americanized" version of Islam, thereby weakening the international reputation of Iran's revolutionary system.

In fact, Khatami these days is the focus of attention from three different groups with vastly different agendas.

His conservative opponents fear Khatami's victory in either the coming parliamentary or presidential elections will undermine their own hopes of consolidating power in Iraq.

Reformists, meanwhile, believe the former president's broad popularity can help put them in power.

There are even some who would welcome Khatami's return because they believe it would lead to political upheaval that would ultimately result in regime change, with the collapse of the current system of government.

The reason Khatami is attracting attention from so many quarters is because he remains one of the country's most popular political figures.

A poll conducted by the state-run, conservative-controlled broadcaster IRIB showed Khatami easily outdistancing Ahmadinejad; Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, head of the Expediency Council; Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, the speaker of parliament; and Tehran mayor Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf.

Many appear willing to forgive Khatami's failure to deliver on pledges to bring greater political and social freedom to Iran. Instead, the country found itself becoming more divided along class and economic lines during his term in office.

Still, at a time when many politicians are routinely accused of corruption, Khatami continues to be respected as an honest and truthful figure.

Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad continues to see his standing sink, especially at home. Despite his promises to curb inflation and unemployment, both have increased during his time in office.

Meanwhile, increased restrictions on the press, students, women and civil-society institutions are infuriating many younger voters.

Voters are already showing their dissatisfaction. Ahmadinejad supporters suffered serious setbacks in last year's Tehran city council elections. Since then, Khatami has edged closer to declaring his candidacy.

Of course, it's always possible that the former president will decide against attempting to regain his post. But given the level of vitriol being heaped upon him by his opponents, he might as well already be running.

Sahar Zahedifar is a journalist and commentator in Iran who writes for The Institute for War & Peace Reporting, a nonprofit organization that trains journalists in areas of conflict. She wrote this commentary for McClatchy-Tribune News Service.