[Arktwo] Follow up Two

[Bruce Beach]

Some feel it isn't news
until the MSM says it is news.
Now, over 15 hours later
here is the first report appearing
in the US MSM.

There are also now reports in Haaretz
and Iranian papers.

-------------

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Supporters of a senior Shi'ite Muslim cleric who has
challenged Iran's system of clerical rule have clashed with police during a
protest outside the cleric's house, Iranian media reported on Sunday.

Police used teargas to disperse the crowd, which was estimated at 200 people
or more, who had gathered on Saturday outside the home in southern Tehran of
Ayatollah Mohammad Kazemeini Boroujerdi, newspapers reported.

Etemad-e Melli daily said protesters formed a cordon around the house to
call for the release of Boroujerdi's followers who they said had been
detained. Some newspapers said the crowd feared Boroujerdi might himself be
arrested.

Seday-e Edalat reported that the crowd, some carrying knives, lit fires to
stop police approaching the house. A picture showed police in riot geared
lined up near a crowd of people in the street and smoke rising up.

Officials were not immediately available to comment.

The Iranian authorities are wary of any challenge, particularly from top
clerics, to the system of clerical rule that was established after the 1979
Islamic revolution by revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

"We believe that our nation is tired of political religion and they want to
return to traditional religion," Boroujerdi told Iran's labor news agency
ILNA on Saturday.

He said he had written to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, European Union
foreign policy chief Javier Solana, Pope Benedict and other leaders asking
them "to make efforts to spread traditional religion," ILNA reported.

A senior police officer was quoted as saying Boroujerdi claimed to be a
representative of the "hidden" 12th Imam, who Shi'ite Muslims revere, and
this prompted some people to make donations.

"This is misinterpreting religion and is sheer lies," the police officer was
quoted by Seday-e Edalat as saying.

Iran has an elected president and parliament, but final authority lies with
the supreme leader, currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to
'velayat-e faqih', the system of rule by a religious legal scholar that was
propounded by Khomeini.

The supreme leader is chosen by an assembly of elected clerics.

Some traditional Shi'ite Muslim clerics hold that religious leaders should
not have a political role.

The protesters outside Boroujerdi's home chanted "God is greatest" and
verses from the Muslim holy book, the Koran. One newspaper said a placard
they carried read: "We are ready to be martyred for defending traditional
religion."

As an ayatollah, Boroujerdi holds one of the highest ranks in the Shi'ite
Muslim religious hierarchy.

----------------

So what does it mean?

One can imagine numerous possibilities -
but we don't know if anything will come of it.

The most optimistic might be -
that a revolt would gain momentum
and overthrow the existing government,
thus making the Bush / Olmert attack unnecessary.

The most pessimistic is that
the government may go on the offensive
extending its attack to the 300,000 Baha'is
that it has just finished gathering their names and addresses
on whom it blames everything -
and that this could somehow be used as further justification
for attack by the forces gathering in the area -
leading to who knows what -
but all know what I speculate.

The world is full of surprises.
This story occurred during the night in Iran -
and one of the reports was
that supporters of the Ayatollah
were going door to door
to get help in surrounding and protecting his home.
They were waiting for daylight -
when more people would awake and become aware.

Anyway,
if not this event -
then some event soon
may occur or be used for justification
for the Bush / Olmert buildup and preparations.

I append from this point down
my former follow-up
so that you will have it all together,
and so that those who just sign onto their computers now -
can read just this latest.

-------------

Still watching this story at 6:00 a.m. EST
which supposedly started about 12 hours ago
and which I have been watching for about 7 hours
and first reported to you about 5 hours ago.

The original source appears to have been:

http://www.antimullah.com/

whether or not the radio source it reports
is accurate there appears little other verification.

>From News Google at this hour I find the following:

One Iranian source reports parallel
but non-confirming information

http://www.payvand.com/news/06/oct/1070.html

Radio Free Europe
reports somewhat confirming information
with some extended facts

http://tinyurl.com/j7ufo

but that is all that there is
that I can find so far
from additional sources.

There does appear to be some considerable
underlying discontent in Iran -
but not necessarily more
than one finds in any country
such as US, Canada, Britain, France, etc.

Much more armed revolt activity
currently taking place in Mexico.

Other news this morning:

http://tinyurl.com/jfrt5

It is these types of early alerts
that I appreciate people sending to me
and that I check out.

I try to find additional verification -
and I sat on the first story for two hours
before sending it on.

As in other instances -
the question always is -
is the information sufficiently important -
and with sufficient possible credibility
to warrant sending it on.

It is a judgement call.
The places and events that I am watching in the world
are under circumstances where there is often
considerable suppression of the news.

Because of the interest of readers
and that we try to monitor -
even predict -
current events -
as they happen -
rather than speaking more accurately as historians -
one simply has to take the risk
that oftentimes the reliability of the sources is questionable.

Everyone reading such news releases from me -
must keep that in mind.
However, I do continue to track the stories -
and provide updates to their accuracy
or invalidity as I find them.

I would class the first of these continuing stories
as probably somewhat overblown -
considering its source -
but interesting and symptomatic of the situation -
and one that bears watching -
because something of this nature
can set anything off.

It will now be after 7:00 a.m.
when I conclude this report
to the newsletter,
and a number of other correspondents
with contacts directly in Iran
who are assisting in watching the situation.

Today is Canadian Thanksgiving
so in a few hours we will be off to dinner
with family -
and in the Interim -
I shall be off to bed for a couple of hours.

While some sleep -
some watch.
Such is the nature of the times.

Peace and love,
Bruce
DawnSayer@webpal.org