Iran Arrests Religious Leader

Iran has arrested a religious leader and some of his followers who advocate separating religion and politics after clashes with police, Iranian news agencies reported yesterday.Hundreds of supporters of Ayatollah Mohammad Kazemeini Borujerdi had gathered on Saturday around his house in Tehran to protest the arrest of a number of Borujerdi's followers and restrictions imposed on him, press reports said.

"The ones behind Saturday's unrest were arrested. All including, Borujerdi, have been handed over to judiciary officials," said a security official in Tehran governor's office, identified only by his last name, Roshan.

Roshan said the police had previously sought to contain these "sectarian elements" but yesterday "they were carrying Molotov cocktails, knives, swords and clubs to confront the police." "They even (for a time) took members of the force hostage and threw acid on policemen and vandalized public property," he said, adding "calm has been restored" in the crowded neighborhood in downtown Tehran.

A report in reformist Hambastegi daily said the Special Court for Clergy had recently tried to arrest Borujerdi but faced resistance by his supporters. Questioning a pillar of state policy, the ayatollah has said: "We believe people have grown tired of political religion and they want to return to traditional religion. The objective of my followers and me is in defending traditional religion."

But the deputy head of Tehran police, Commander Nasser Shabani, accused the ayatollah of misinterpreting religion. "A person has gathered some naive people around to pledge donations and have their wishes come true, which is a sheer lie and distortion of religion," he told ILNA

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