Post by Salem6 on Feb 26, 2004 10:17:09 GMT
Iran was one of the first countries to be occupied by the early Islamic armies which burst out from Arabia in the seventh century.
Persia, as it was, had been one of the greatest empires of the ancient world, and has long maintained a distinct cultural identity within the Islamic world by retaining its own language and adhering to the Shi'i interpretation of Islam.
OVERVIEW
In 1979 the country became the centre of world attention when the monarchy was overthrown and a unique Islamic republic was declared, in which religious clerics - headed by Ayatollah Khomeini - wielded ultimate political control. There followed an unstable and bloody period, including an eight-year war with Iraq, in which the country's oil wealth plummeted from its previous high levels.
Two decades later, Iran entered another era of political and social transformation. The victory of the liberals over the long-ruling conservative elite in parliamentary elections in April 2000 signalled a sea-change.
President Mohammad Khatami's support for greater social and political freedoms has made him popular with the young - an important factor in electoral terms as over 50% of the population is under the age of 25. His liberal ideas have, however, put him at odds with Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, and hard-liners reluctant to lose sight of established Islamic traditions.
Iran has come under strong pressure from the US since President Bush declared it part of the "axis of evil" in 2002 - pressure which intensified after the US-led war against Iraq, with Washington accusing Tehran of developing weapons of mass destruction and of attempting to subvert US efforts in Iraq.
FACTS
IRAN FACTS
Population: 68.9 million (UN, 2003)
Capital: Tehran
Major language: Persian
Major religion: Islam
Life expectancy: 69 years (men), 72 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 10 Iranian rials = 1 toman
Main exports: Petroleum, carpets, agricultural products
Average annual income: US $1,680 (World Bank, 2001)
Internet domain: .ir
International dialling code: +98
LEADERS
Supreme Leader: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
President Khatami
President: Hojjat ol-Eslam val-Moslemin Hajj Seyyed Mohammad Khatami
Mohammad Khatami was born in 1943, the son of the cleric Ayatollah Hajj Ruhollah Khatami. He studied theology in Qom and Esfahan and holds degrees in education and philosophy.
He served as a parliamentary deputy, chief editor of the pro-government newspaper Kayhan and as a moderate cleric.
From 1982, he held the post of minister of culture and Islamic guidance but was forced to resign a decade later over accusations that he was too permissive in sanctioning books, magazines and films which hard-liners considered subversive.
He became director of the National Library, a teacher and presidential adviser.
His landslide win in the presidential elections in May 1997 represented a major setback for the conservative clergy who had held power since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
He was re-elected for a second term in June 2001 after winning just under 77% of the vote.
First vice-president: Mohammad Reza Aref
Defence minister: Ali Shamkhani
Foreign minister: Kamal Kharrazi
Interior minister: Hojjat ol-Eslam Seyyed Abdolvahed Musavi-Lari
Oil minister: Bizhan Namdar-Zangeneh
MEDIA
The struggle for influence and power in Iran is played out in the country's domestic state media.
The relative freedom of the press, a tangible achievement of President Khatami's reformist government, has been a target for conservatives. Many pro-reform publications have been closed and reformist writers and editors jailed. The conservative judiciary has led the campaign against the liberal media, with President Khatami and parliament apparently powerless to intervene.
The broadcast media have seen some changes but remain more restricted than the press. Curbs on satellite television are less severe than before - it is tolerated to some extent. Satellite TV stations operated by exiles in the US are said to have played a role in student protests in 2003.
State-run IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) national networks are supplemented by a dozen provincial channels. The Jam-e Jam international TV networks are available on most continents via satellite.
Television is very popular in Iran; more than 80% of the population watch TV. The most popular network is the third state channel, the youth channel.
IRIB's main radio channel broadcasts around the clock. IRIB also operates a parliamentary network and Radio Koran, which carries programmes on Islamic and Koranic subjects including recitation and interpretation.
The Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran (VIRI) external service has been expanding its services in recent years, adding new languages, programmes and internet broadcasts.
Many foreign broadcasters target listeners in Iran; they include the Washington-backed Radio Farda, an entertainment-based station aimed at younger audiences.
Newspapers
Tehran Times - English-language
Iran Daily - English-language
Aftab-e Yazd (Sun of Yazd) - reformist
Kayhan (Universe) - conservative
Resalat (Mission) - conservative
Etemaad - reformist
Jomhuri-ye-Eslami - conservative
Entekhab - centre-right
Television
IRIB - state-run
Radio
IRIB - state-run
News agencies
Islamic Republic News Agency - English-language
Islamic Students News Agency - English-language
Internet
Some seven million Iranians have access to the internet, which has been used as a way of circumventing the barriers of censorship.
Internet service providers are prevented from allowing access to sites deemed to be pornographic or anti-Islamic, but the internet remains the main forum for dissident voices.
Internet access is easy to arrange and affordable for middle class households.
Audio:-
Listen
to Iran's national anthem
news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/935000/audio/_935875_irannew.ram
