Of the countries ruled by

Of the countries ruled by Islamofascists, Iran has the most developed opposition, partly because of that country’s pro-Western past and partly because it has suffered the longest under Islamist rule. Most recently, Professor Hashem Aghajari has been sentenced to be hanged by the Islamic courts for arguing, as this Associated Press Report puts it, that “each generation should be able to interpret Islam on its own, without clerical guidance.” Since the death sentence was imposed, students in Tehran have protested almost daily. The photograph below shows students holding pictures of Aghajari. Iran’s president, Mohammad Khatami, has criticized the death sentence, and a grandson of the Ayatollah Khomeini joined in yesterday’s protest. It is noteworthy that the Associated Press, which we have often criticized, refers to the clerics who imposed the death sentence as “Islamic hard-liners.” The New York Times continues to call them “conservatives.” I expect major surprises from Iran over the next several years; that country will play a pivotal role if President Bush is to achieve his goal of liberating the Arab world.