Khomeini: U.S. is best example of freedom

Houston Chronicle ^ | Aug. 7, 2003, 7:15AM | VIVIENNE WALT

[Kaslin]

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The name is the same, but the words from the younger Ayatollah Khomeini's mouth could hardly be more jolting for those who remember his grandfather's explosive revolution in Iran with the chants of "Death to America!"

"America" says Ayatollah Seyed Hussein Khomeini, "is the symbol of freedom."

Seated in the sprawling living room of his temporary Baghdad home, where he lives under armed guard, Khomeini says, "The best example of freedom in our life now is America, especially its Constitution."

Khomeini, 45, the oldest grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, slipped out of Iran in early July and, he says, now lives under risk of assassination by Iranian security agents. His arrival in Iraq has caused a stir in the Shiite holy cities of Karbala and Najaf

[Kaslin]

I did a search and have not seen this posted.

I wonder what the America hating left wing crowd has to say about this?

[Huck]

You try so hard to raise your children right, to instill your values in them, but this just shows it's a crap shoot.

[Semper Paratus]

Pray for him, he's wearing a big bullseye now.

[Peach]

The left wingers won't like this at all; doesn't fit into their game book for demonizing America and Americans.

[anniegetyourgun]

They'll claim this hunted man is a Bush puppet. Lib/dems are that hateful of the country that gives them the very freedom this man so desires. Sadly, this grandson-turned-voice-of-reason will probably be taken out.

[FreedomPoster]

roflol

So far, my son is pretty darn conservative (crosses fingers).

[Kaslin]

He definitely needs our prayers

[DB]

Ya, his days would seem to be numbered.

Pretty amazing development.

[Kaslin]

They'll claim this hunted man is a Bush puppet. Lib/dems are that hateful of the country that gives them the very freedom this man so desires. Sadly, this grandson-turned-voice-of-reason will probably be taken out.

Unfortunately that would not surprise me one bit

[eyespysomething]

Amazing.

This is really good news.


Although I do believe ulterior motives are being hidden (who doesn't have them?), this is really shocking to me.

[Kaslin]

This from the article

The younger Khomeini says he legally crossed Iran's border into northern Iraq last month. Now he is a hunted man, he says, wanted by Iran's government. He is only able to leave the protected villa under heavy guard.

"Iran has given an order that I must be assassinated by whatever means possible," he says. "Their feeling is: This man is dangerous."

[jriemer]

Khomeini Grandson *ping*

[MalcolmS]

>>>You try so hard to raise your children right, to instill your values in them, but this just shows it's a crap shoot.


LOL!

[AMNZ]

This sounds like a possible conversion. If this can be confirmed, it could be developed into a valuable asset

[.cnI redruM]

What's this guy doing sabotaging Pres. Howard Dean's policy objectives?

That's probably what the left wingnuts would have to say.

[kinghorse]

Killing the grand ayatollah's sone wouldn't be too swift a move. Historically, it'd be compared to the betrayal of hussein (the original hussein, cousin of muhammed). muslims would be dejected and demoralized even more than they already are. Of course America is the greatest and freest(sp) nation on earth.

[xp38]

I have to admit that is a headline I never expected to see in my lifetime.

[massadvj]

"The best example of freedom in our life now is America, especially its Constitution."

Let's not tell him how we shredded the Constitution in favor of feel-good, therapeutic politics.

[usapatriot28]

A similar article appeared in the New York Times on Tuesday, so it's probably not true.</sarcasm> Of course the Times didn't include the quote "America is the symbol of freedom." That would have been conceding too much.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/06/international/middleeast/06KHOM.html?ex=1060747200&en=a6e6d7afa26ab71f&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

[eyespysomething]

from that NYT story:

The young Mr. Khomeini apparently holds none of his grandfather's animosity toward the United States, correcting a reporter forming a question about the American occupation of Iraq to note that it should be called a "liberation."

Now that's funny stuff.