Close allies of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have been accused of using supernatural powers to further his policies amid an increasingly bitter power struggle between him and the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Several people said to be close to the president and his chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, have been arrested in recent days and charged with being "magicians" and invoking djinns (spirits).
Ayandeh, an Iranian news website, described one of the arrested men, Abbas Ghaffari, as "a man with special skills in metaphysics and connections with the unknown worlds".
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As horrific as it is to see this level of crazy in a government in this day and age I can't help but wonder how this compares to America's penchant for over-reaction to sex scandals.
The WhistleBlower: "The President misappropriated funds! He's diverted millions of tax dollars to build a private yacht and pay his cabinet's bar tabs. He started a war because a foreign diplomat told him his sideburns were gay."
The public: "What, you'd rather we give the money to people who don't work for a living and let some eurotrash tell us what to do?"
WB: "The President uses black magic! He keeps his mother's head in a cupboard and consults her soul for advice."
Religious Right: "Blasphemy! Only a Christian may run a Christian nation!"
Everybody else: "So? He's a little weird. That's frigging creepy and all but we're free to worship as we please. Also, magic? You're putting us on."
WB "Uh... Several of his prayer rituals involve daily sex with nubile young women who aren't his wife?"
Everyone: "This is the darkest betrayal in the history of the Presidency!"
And when the time came to ship these two off to the looney bin, their driver took his instructions to do so as flippant, and dropped them off outside parliament instead, where they have been living among good company ever since.
"Close allies of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have been accused of using supernatural powers to further his policies amid an increasingly bitter power struggle between him and the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Several people said to be close to the president and his chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, have been arrested in recent days and charged with being 'magicians' and invoking djinns (spirits)."
Seriously?
Don't you people have more pressing issues to worry about?
"Ayandeh, an Iranian news website, described one of the arrested men, Abbas Ghaffari, as 'a man with special skills in metaphysics and connections with the unknown worlds'."
Oh, for fuck's sake. You realize it's the 21st century, don't you?
Ayandeh, an Iranian news website, described one of the arrested men, Abbas Ghaffari, as "a man with special skills in metaphysics and connections with the unknown worlds".
Well, hell. I can do that.
Boogaboogabooga!
"Close allies of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have been accused of using supernatural powers"
Yea, but only by complete imbeciles. Funny how that works.
However, his powers were useless, not only to avoid his arrest but also to be in power, in the first place. Illogical as magic is, its justification is even better.
It's so strange that someone steeped in superstitious nonsense would use claims of evil magic to demonize his political opponents.
charged with being "magicians" and invoking djinns (spirits).
As opposed to praying to a god, which is totally not like that at all.
And if someone really had magic powers, would it be a good idea to arrest him?
This is not funny. This is sad, anger-inducing, terrifying. But not funny. Centuries ago, Iran was one of the cultural, scientific, and technological hubs of the Old World, while Europe was trying to decide whether people who saw ghosts should be considered prophets or witches. And now they're the ones accusing their opponents of consipring with Satan and all his little wizards, trapped in this strange time capsule while the rest of the world continues to advance.
There are no words to express the disappointment.
You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me. Even for Iran, this is a little crazy. Now, I'm sure we all know that the actual Iranian citizens don't believe one word of this, but still, this is what fundies want to do when they get into positions of political power.
We can NEVER allow this sort of thing to happen in the United States, understand?!
/Preaching to the Choir
In any case, I hope that both Ahmadinejad and Khameini are the first against the wall when the Arab Spring inevitably reaches Iran. Be afraid, theocratic dictators, be very afraid. Your days are numbered!
While I'm all for keeping I'm-a-dinner-jacket under control, this is fucking stupid.
Welcome to Iran, circa 1600's
Several people said to be close to the president and his chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, have been arrested in recent days and charged with being "magicians" and invoking djinns (spirits).
They should say "yeah, but the spirit we were trying to invoke was the late Ayatollah Khomeini. You gotta pro'lem wi'dat?"
@Raised by Horses
That sounds like the UK.
Seriously, Iran used to be a relatively liberal secular country compared with others in the middle east.
Just goes to show what can happen in a generation or two.
@LV426
That's full of so much win I'm gonna have to give you not one, not two, not even ten, but twenty internets!
...somehow, I find that idea kind of awesome. Not the witch-hunt aspect, but the idea of modern Iranians summoning a djinni for political reasons. Sadly, it is of course not true. The interesting question is whether the accusers believe it. It's a remarkable choice of direction, especially given proving it will e a bitch. Khamenei was never a really high-level scholar.
Also I have a soft spot for anyone named Esfandiyar. That's my favorite part of the Shahnameh.
@Flah: Djinn don't serve Satan. At least not necessarily. They aren't demons. 'Historically,' as it were, there have been Muslim djinn.
There's even an Ashura cycle where an army of pious djinn come to help Hussein at Karbala, and he turns them down because he's scheduled to be martyred now. It's unintentionally funny.
Is it sad that my first thought was "Rasputin"?
*snrk*
*snicker*
ROFLMAO!
@louislois
"Close allies of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have been accused of using supernatural powers"
Night. Bye. Fuck right off. STFU Now. LOOSER!
Honestly. You live in this world,,stay there.
come on fellas! this has long since passed ridiculous, silly and just plain stupid!! This is really starting to get really scary !Think of it;in the 21 st century these two idiots have their fingers on the red nuclear button!!Allah, Mahdi, or whatever is running Iran needs to replace all these idiots with something else, that is maybe sane !!Send in the guys in white jackets with butterfly nets, and haul these jokers off to the nut house, for the good of the world and everyone on it.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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