May 1, 2004- May 08, 2004

Twenty-one months ago a piece of news dragged thousands of university students to the streets. A university professor was sentenced to death for a speech delivered in Hamadan, a city in the western part of the country. The title of the speech was "Islamic Protestantism." In it he expressed his views on the differences between the traditional Islam and a modernized interpretation of it. His words encountered very sharp reaction by the conservative clerics and when put under trial, resulted in a death sentence for him.

Being that the accused was a war veteran with an amputated leg and an Islamist intellectual, the sentence aroused shock and anger in the country. Thousands of students stopped the classes, refused to take part in the final exams, rallied in the campuses and protested very strongly. Later, after bargains in the top ranks, the sentence was reduced to eight years, exile, 74 lashes of whips. Last week in the face to face meeting the young people had with Khatami, a university student reminded him the story of their sentenced professor- Kazem Aghajari.

The day after, when nobody could predict the news could pop up again to the headlines, they wrote:" Aghajari's death sentence is confirmed."
The head of Justice Department of Hamadan told the journalists: "We stand against the people who think like Aghajari. We never felt any regret of what we have decided against him."- Vaghaye Ettefaghiye wrote in May 5.

The same day, Esmaeel Shooshtari, Minister of Justice being famous for being the most silent minister in the cabinet, told ISNA asking him about the verdict: "Don’t ask me please. I don't think it is correct to give personal comments on verdicts." It was not strange to hear him speaking as such, because according Iranian Constitution, the judiciary power is a separate and independent power and it's the legal power to issue the verdicts and sentences.

This time, the news hasn't excited the people for these days no political news can do it any more. Aghajari's attorney, Saleh Nikbakht told the press in a conference held on the very issue:" The verdict is not confirmed yet." –Aftab wrote.
Nothing is revealed more and the continuation of the story is lost in haze. Now, the slight excitement which arose by dailies on the first day, is extinguished.

For Iranian cinema facing many problems, the exciting news was screening a movie called "Marmoolak- Lizard". Lizard is a nickname for a thief who is sentenced to life imprisonment. He manages to flee from prison wearing a Mullah's costume and turban. The story is sensitive because for the first time after the revolution, it looks at clerics through a different eyelet from that of official stand. The movie couldn't win any prize in domestic festivals but was selected as the best by the spectators. Just before Iranian new year, there was fussy advertisements giving the news on screening it but later it was said that the film was banned. Two weeks ago, when it was screened finally, there were long queues in front of cinemas. In Meshed the movie faced a trouble. In the midnight some vigilances attacked a cinema having the film on the screen and forced them to stop it.- dailies wrote on May 6. Then, Ayatollah Jannati, the speaker of Guardian Council, a traditional cleric council who is famous to be against any kind of reformism in the country, told the media:" I haven't watched the movie myself. But all who have seen it believe that it should be banned."- Vaghaye Ettefaghiye wrote.
On the same day, Mohammad Ali Abtahi, advisor to the president who is a cleric himself and runs a weblog, wrote in a sarcastic tone to support the film:" As far as we have friends like those who ban such films, we don't need enemies any more."
Evidently, the director of the film would benefit a lot from all these discussions because in Iranian society whatsoever banned by the officials, is welcomed quite heartedly by the people.