Iran Feature: The Arrest of Ahmadinejad's "Exorcist"

On Monday, a rather strange story --- even in the context of the recent tensions between President Ahmadinejad and the Supreme Leader --- began to emerge from Iran. Abbas Ghaffari, a member of the President's staff, had been arrested.

That in itself was notable, especially as the head of Ahmadinejad's "cultural council", Abbas Amirifar, had been detained days earlier, appraently for his alleged in distributing a controversial CD about the imminent return of the "Hidden Imam".

But the mystery went further: who exactly is Abbas Ghaffari, a man labelled as Ahmadinejad's "exorcist" by the opposition site Peyke Iran?

A new website, 1Shanbeh, first reported Ghaffari's arrest. It explained that he claimed supernatural abilities --- Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, seen as Ahmadinejad's religious mentor, had criticised that Ghaffari claimed to have "control over the genies (djinnis)". 1Shanbeh continued that with the hint that the sudden heart attack of Ghaffari's interrogator might have something to do with Ghaffari's skills in the black arts.

This is not just the sensationalist chatter of one website: the controversy over Ghaffari is already in the political mainstream. Prominent conservative leader Morteza Nabavi, a member of the Expediency Council, talked this week about the "profound diversion" in the Ahmadinejad adminstration. He continued with concern about the "influence" of "some people in our world who think there are demons and djinnis that can impact on the mind".

(hat tip to Potkin Azarmehr for his work on this story)

Iran Cartoon of the Day: Bin Laden is Dead? (Nayestani)

Maya Nayestani places the death of Osama bin Laden in an Iranian context:

The Latest from Iran (3 May): Helping Syria Handle Protests

Ahmed Reza Radan1820 GMT: Ahmadinejad Watch. The President was back in public action today, opening the Tehran Book Fair with the declaration that "Iran is the guiding thought in the world today".

But the President's recent political troubles are not entirely behind him. The Supreme Leader's representative to the Revolutionary Guards, has made a speech saying that Ahmadinejad moved far in the last few days to meet the wishes of the Supreme Leader. However, Zolnour continued, there should be no doubt that Ahmadinejad's right-hand man, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai, had "extreme" and "deviant" views.

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The Death of Osama Bin Laden: EA's Coverage

Summary now moved to top of page....

The End of Osama bin Laden: Scott Lucas on Al Jazeera's "Inside Story"

A discussion, aired Monday afternoon, of the significance of the killing of Osama bin Laden by US forces....

Of the interviews I have done so far, this was the most interesting because it was the most critical of the prospects for American power. In contrast to the celebrations by many in the US, the panellists here --- the other two participants --- Hamid Gul, the former head of the Pakistani intelligence service ISI, and Ahmed Zaidan, the Pakistan bureau chief of Al Jazeera Arabic and author of the book Bin Laden Unmasked --- quickly moved to assess the post-bin Laden challenges for the US, especially in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Canada: Snap Reaction to the Elections --- "How Very Un-Canadian"

An election which many thought would yield more of the same has led to dramatic results that could represent long-term historic change. How exciting. How very un-Canadian.

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Beyond the Death of Bin Laden: Scott Lucas on the BBC

A couple more interviews are now on-line, with discussion ranging from the significance of Al Qa'eda after the death of Osama bin Laden to the threat of reprisals. Most interesting for me was the final part of the discussion with BBC Hereford and Worcester, when I was asked, "Do you feel less safe than you did on Sunday?", and I had to respond, "I felt safe Sunday. I felt safe yesterday. And I feel safe today" --- for me, the culture of fear has become a permanent spectre matching the supposed importance of bin Laden.

BBC West Midlands: Audio starts at the 37:25 mark

BBC Hereford and Worcester: Audio starts at the 3:20 mark

See also Assessing the Death of Bin Laden: Scott Lucas on the BBC and Al Jazeera English

Syria, Libya (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Now, Back to the News

At Funeral of Qaddafi's Son (Photo: Reuters)

1852 GMT: A Bahraini official has denied that the government is targeting Shi'ite mosques for destruction. Bahrain's Justice and Islamic Affairs minister, Shaikh Khalid Bin Ali Al Khalifa, claims that many buildings that were built illegally are being destroyed, but mosques were not being singled out:

"By taking action against illegal buildings that have accumulated over the years, the municipality should be praised, not criticised," he said. "We are not targeting mosques, but any building that was put up in violation of the laws and regulations. Claims that some of the buildings were more than 200 years are also untrue because under Bahrain's laws, any real estate that is more than 60 years old is duly recorded in the country's registers. We should not fall for baseless allegations and should learn to co-exist peacefully," he said.

He also took offense to the classification of Shiite and Sunni mosques.

1830 GMT: Algeria has approved a big wave of government spending, subsidies for food staples and the removal of duties, in order to pacify growing discontent there as well. The move will increase public spending by 25%.

1620 GMT: Switching to Bahrain, 47 medical professionals are facing prosecutions, some of them for the death of two protesters. The two deceased were injured during the anti-government protests, and some of the medical professionals are being accused of providing "unnecessary" treatment on them, leading to their deaths.

It is widely thought that the government is cracking down on the doctors and other medical professionals because they have credibility, and have witnessed many of the wounds that the protesters have suffered at the hands of government security forces.

Also, two former MPs, both members of the opposition group Wefaq, have been arrested.  

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Libya First-Hand: A Scout Oath in Brega "Duty to God and to Your Country, and to Help Others” (Anderson)

“Before I left Libya, there was nothing left for me here,” Osama ben Sadik said. “Now, when I see the sea, I smell a different air. I can see the sky, blue; I have never seen it so beautiful.” He said that his friends in Martinsville, Virginia, had appealed to him not to go to Libya. “I reminded them that Henry County was named after Patrick Henry --- and remember what he said, ‘Give me liberty or give me death’? Well, that’s what we’re facing here. I’d like to see my country have some of the freedom that America has.” Osama’s eyes shone. “You know, my son Muhannad has showed me what it is to be a man. He woke me up.” On February 25th, a ship had evacuated American citizens to Malta. “I told him to go and join his mother in the States, but he said, ‘No, Dad, I must stay.’ He’s a great guy, a basketball player, you know. And a Boy Scout.”

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Bin Laden Follow-Up: Waking Up to the Realities of Pakistan and Iran

Hamid Karzai, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Asif Ali ZardariThe real question now is whether the US and its allies will understand how deeply involved Tehran and Islamabad are in rejuvenating a dying insurgency in Afghanistan and turning it into a formidable force.

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