CAIRO — Key Arab nations have kept silent about Iran’s political upheaval, possibly reluctant to antagonize the powerful nation that sponsors such militant groups as Hezbollah and Hamas.
But there are signs the young and reform-minded have been inspired by the protests that followed the disputed election.
"It makes me feel so jealous,” said Abdelmonem Ibrahim, a young pro-reform Muslim Brotherhood activist in Egypt.
The scenes of hundreds of thousands filling the streets of Tehran provide a stark contrast to Arab countries such as America’s ally Egypt, where widespread allegations of election fraud to ensure victory by ruling parties are greeted with complaints but little action.
One Egyptian blogger, who writes anonymously under the user name "Louza,” posted a picture of a demonstration in Tehran, adding, "Sigh, will the Arab world follow?”
Iran’s elections are controlled by the country’s ruling clerics, who can throw out candidates they don’t approve of. Still, the voting has been among the most free in the Mideast, where authoritarian regimes prevail. U.S.-ally Saudi Arabia holds no elections at all, while some like Syria hold tightly controlled votes in which the outcome is never in doubt.
by the associated press
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