Under the Microscope, March 6, 2002

Under the Microscope, March 6, 2002 - In the March 6 program, Dr. Ali Reza Nourizadeh answers Farah Jahangiri's questions regarding the efforts of authoritarian figures and their media organizations to prepare for the declaration of a state of emergency in Iran, the attempts of reformist parliamentarians to prevent the militarization of the atmosphere, the intentions of Ayatollah Khamenei behind proposing a national consensus in place of Nowruz, the coincidence of Nowruz celebrations with the mourning of Tasu'a and Ashura, and the exploitation of this simultaneity by the clergy. He states: 1- Once again, the issue of declaring a state of emergency has become a favorite topic for authoritarian figures and their organizations, topping the headlines of Tehran's newspapers, with Mohammad Naeimi Pour, a representative from Tehran, describing the provocative military policies and attempts to create a state of emergency as welcoming war and encouraging the U.S. to implement its threats. 2- Today, the favorite subject of newspapers in Tehran was the national consensus plan; what information do you have about this plan and its details? 3- The issue of the coincidence of Nowruz with Tasu'a and Ashura is gradually turning into a new battleground. According to one reformist newspaper, this is among the issues that Iranians have been able to resolve in their own unique way for hundreds of years without the intervention of the clergy.