Rock star greeting for Iran leader's nuclear defiance
By Mark Forbes Herald Correspondent in Jakarta
May 12, 2006
IRAN'S President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad received a rock-star reception yesterday from students at Indonesia's national university. They lapped up his message of defiance in the face of American threats to halt Iran's nuclear program.
Clasping his hands above his head, Mr Ahmadinejad played to the crowd, but his words reached out to a broader audience across the Muslim world.
The adulation from students in a moderate Muslim nation suggests he is winning Islamic hearts, positioning the nuclear stand-off as a symbol of the need to confront what is regarded as Western oppression.
Iran would pursue its nuclear program on behalf of Muslim and other countries, he said, stating that agreements signed with Indonesia this week would ensure it, too, was given access to nuclear technology.
"Some countries have warehouses full of nuclear weapons, chemical and biological weapons … and they started wars and they armed Iran's [neighbours]," Mr Ahmadinejad said. "But they are against Iran's nuclear program. Are they really worried about the production of nuclear weapons? Their attitude shows they are lying.
"They conduct nuclear tests every day, they build new nuclear weapons every day and … they threaten nations with the weapons, so how come they are against nuclear weapons? They even arm the Zionist regime."
The speech lacked the extremes of ones back home - there was no mention of the US as the great Satan - but he smiled as he promised he would witness Israel's disappearance. He predicted liberal democracies would crumble and be replaced by nations with Islamic law.
"Some superpower countries think they are better than other countries, they try to eradicate other countries' culture, economies and opinions, while wherever injustice is, they are," he told the cheering audience. "How can they protect human rights when they violate human rights? "Therefore, liberalism and democracy will disappear and the justice of the prophet Muhammad will be revived."
Nearly 300 students filled the auditorium, holding up posters saying "Nuclear for peace".
Sun (so who is winning the Hearts & Minds?) Tzu |
