Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: No qualms about ruffling feathers

He won’t wear a tie. Not even in formal sessions with his counterparts at the United Nations General Assembly.

In fact, if he ever stands out for his dressing, it is because he will be the odd man out. Simply put, he is not a sharp dresser. But the mention of his name triggers immediate attention. This is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the President of Iran.

The narrow-eyed, straight-talking man calculates his every step, literally. And his slow, measured steps were evident on Wednesday evening as he inspected a guard mounted in his honour by the Kenya Air Force when he landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for a two-day visit to Kenya.

A devout Muslim, President Ahmadinejad was born in a village called Aradan, near Tehran. He is the fourth born in a family of seven. At 53, the father of three is a prayerful family man who speaks of Allah wherever he goes. In fact, he could be mistaken for an Imam when he makes keynote remarks in public.

But his passion for Islamic faith not withstanding, President Ahmadinejad is one man who will court controversy anywhere, any time. Last year in December he, in line with the Queen’s traditional broadcast, sent a message of goodwill to Christians on Christmas Day.

“In the name of God the compassionate, the merciful . . . Upon the anniversary of the birth of Jesus, son of Mary, the word of God, the messenger of mercy, I would like to congratulate the followers of Abrahamic faiths, especially the followers of Jesus Christ, and the people of Britain,” he said in a speech televised by BBC and ITV.

In his speech, the Iranian President said he believed that had He been alive today, Jesus Christ would be on the side of Iran, not the West.

“We believe Jesus Christ will return, together with one of the children of revered messenger of Islam and would lead the world to a rightful point,” he said.

On the world stage, he attracts hate and admiration with almost equal measure over his dealings with the United States of America, Israel and the United Nations (especially the Security Council). His government’s nuclear programme has got the West restless but the man has vowed to continue with what he says is safe technology.
Sounds diplomatic

The man is a contradiction of sorts. At one moment, he is a hardliner but sounds diplomatic in the next minute. He can hint at war and talk about dialogue in the same sentence.

In spite of his strong sentiments on how Iran must safeguard its nuclear programme, he is not short of humour. He has been seen laughing heartily in front of TV cameras. He is witty in employing this easy-going demeanour to endear audiences and the media to himself.

And perhaps witty would be an understatement in describing a man who is alleged to have been actively involved in the 1979 Islamic revolution against “Western imperialists”.

On November 4 of that year, Islamist students invaded and took control of the American embassy in Tehran in support of the Iranian revolution that transformed Iran from a constitutional monarchy under Shah Mohammad Pahlavi to an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the revolution.

At that time Mr Ahmadinejad was an engineering student at the Iran University of Science and Technology. He was a member of the Office of Strengthening Unity, the student body that planned the Tehran embassy hostage fiasco.

To this day, some of the 52 hostages at the embassy claim the president was among the captors, but he has denied the claims.