To: spiral3 who wrote (91690 ) 4/10/2003 11:07:19 AM From: Sun Tzu Respond to Neat! I am glad to see a few people here are expanding their news sources. Let me answer your important questions first and then I have few grub to point out about the article <g>. The bad news is that everyone in the region mistrusts America and if you are perceived as being aligned with America, you loose all credibility. So direct support of the opposition is a very bad idea. The good news is that if we play it smart, there is plenty of indirect support that we can provide. One of the things that is little understood is that the Iranian regime is not according to Islam in its structure. So there are a large number of Shia clerics who are most disappointed by it. They feel that the regime has dishonored Islam. As to the issue of separation of Church and State, although Islam has a comprehensive socio-economic-political system that can be taken as the only way to govern, there are equally compelling reasons for an Islamist not to want such a government. This is because at least in the Shia sect, it is fundamental that the people are allowed to choose their leader. And because if you combine this fundamental choice with that of the political leader the natural result is disintegration of the country, most Islamists actually favor separation of Church and State on the condition that the government is not anti-Islam (read will not pursue policies or pass legislations that directly negate explicit edicts of Islam). One of the best ways to promote the fall of Theocracy in Iran is to indirectly help this group of Islamists.
