Iranian Math Student Questions Supreme Leader To His Face

Ynetnews.com reports than an "unassuming college math student has become an unlikely hero to many in Iran for daring to criticize the country's most powerful man to his face. Mahmoud Vahidnia has received an outpouring of support from government opponents for the challenge, unprecedented in a country where insulting supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is a crime punishable by prison... In brief excerpts broadcast on state TV, the thin, bespectacled Vahidnia was shown standing behind a podium, gesturing at times for emphasis. 'I don't know why in this country it's not allowed to make any kind of criticism of you,' said the student, wearing a long-sleeved blue polo shirt and appearing calm. 'In the past three to five years that I have been reading newspapers, I have seen no criticism of you, not even by the Assembly of Experts, whose duty is to criticize and supervise the performance of the leader,' he said, referring to the clerical body that chooses the country's supreme leader... The boldness of Vahidnia's comments underlines how Iran's post-election turmoil has undermined the once rock-solid taboo against challenging the supreme leader. During demonstrations, young protesters have frequently chanted 'Death to the dictator" – referring to Khamenei – and even "Khamenei is a murderer.' Several high-ranking pro-opposition clerics have also been openly critical. But so far Vahidnia has been spared. The president of Sharif University even defended the student, saying he spoke within the law. The incident has propelled the soft-spoken man in his early 20s to national prominence and inspired widespread support on the Web. The night of the encounter, fellow students gathered, shouting, 'God is great' and 'death to the dictator' in support of their colleague, according to video footage posted on pro-reform Web sites." Tweet