Iranian president defends chief of staff in dispute with clergy

Aug 11, 2010, 13:02 GMT

Berlin - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday defended his chief of staff against the country's clergy over interference in Islamic issues, ISNA news agency reported.

Chief of Staff Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei said last week in a meeting with Iranian expatriates that the country should introduce the ideology of Iran, rather than Islam, to the world.

His remarks caused widespread protests among the country's clergy and senior ultra-conservative officials, who accused Mashaei of provoking confrontation between Islam and Iran and spreading misinterpretations.

The dispute between Mashaei, widely regarded as the president's closer advisor and aide, and the clergy had dominated the local newspaper headlines since last week with the vast majority of officials criticizing the chief of staff.

'Mashaei is the chief of the presidential bureau and I have full trust in him,' Ahmadinejad told reporters after a cabinet session.

It is not the first time that Mashaei, whose daughter is married to Ahmadinejad's son, has caused controversy.

During Ahmadinejad's first presidential term, he said that Iran was the enemy of the Israeli government but a friend of the people of Israel. The comments sparked strong protests from Iran's clergy.

'The atmosphere of criticism is a necessity and nobody should be condemned for voicing his viewpoints and not every difference of opinion should lead to a (verbal) fight,' Ahmadinejad said.

Ahmadinejad said that the attacks 'by certain political gangs' against Mashaei were also aimed at the government.

'What Mashaei wanted to say was that Iran is a country with culture and civilization and accordingly chose Islam as its ideology, Ahmadinejad said while approving Mashaei's standpoint.

'Some other circles, however, stress the Iranian nation chose Islam because it had no culture of its own,' the president added.

The president's chief of staff himself said that the country only acknowledged the 'pure Islam implemented in Iran and not how Islam is interpreted in and by other countries.'

Ahmadinejad appointed Mashaei as vice-president after his re-election last year despite protests from the clergy and parliament and even from among his own supporters.

Only an order from supreme leader Khamenei forced Ahmadinejad to accept Mashaei's resignation as his first deputy.

The clergy in Iran generally do not have a favourable approach towards nationalism, which they claim could lead to secularism.