_WORLD WATCH______________________________
________________Iran_______________
Reforms must continue
Balancing act for Islamic leader
Iran’s newly re-elected President Mohammad Khatami must press forward with promised reforms while maintaining a link to Islamic tradition, a leading expert on Arab and Islamic affairs has said.
“President Khatami faces a double challenge: stay with tradition and not reject the heritage of the Islamic Revolution, and at the same time modernize the country as Iranian youth and women, in particular, demand,” said Justo Lacunza, a professor at the Pontifical Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies in Rome. “We will have to wait and see how far he succeeds: a reform process is always long and complicated.”
During elections in June, 21.8 million out of a total of 28.2 million voters returned Khatami to office. His re-election, which was well received by the international community, is expected to give new impulse to a process of reform and modernization begun in 1997. However, observers note that Islamic traditionalists are still strong. In 2000, more than 20 newspapers critical of the regime were banned. And Khatami’s range of action is limited, since the constitution gives Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the nation’s spiritual leader, control of the army, judicial affairs, and secret services.
Lacunza said:
A complete break with the past or indiscriminate reforms could lead to another revolution. Harmonious coexistence between social groups, political elite, economic powers, and mass media in Iran’s complex society is not easy. On the other hand Iran realizes that it is part of a globalized world, where social and cultural influence from abroad is inevitable. This means the nation must look towards modernization. Young Iranians, who make up 60 percent of the population, know nothing of the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Their demands cannot be ignored.
Lacunza is confident that the president will be able to cope with this situation. He remarked: “His cultural background, his popularity, his ideas on dialogue between civilizations are all positive indicators.” He suggested that Khatami might even become an influence for peace between Israel and Palestine, noting that the Iranian leader was born in the same town (Yazd, in central Iran) as current Israeli President Moshe Katsav.
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