AN UNASSUMING mathematics student has become an unlikely hero in Iran for daring to criticise the country's most powerful man to his face.
Mahmoud Vahidnia has received an outpouring of support from government opponents for the challenge – unprecedented in a country where insulting supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is a crime punishable by prison.
Perhaps most surprising, the tal
ented young mathematician has so far suffered no repercussions from the confrontation at a question-and-answer session between Ayatollah Khamenei and students at Tehran's Sharif Technical University.
Iran's clerical leadership appears to be touting the incident as a sign of its tolerance – some Iranians at first believed the 20-minute exchange was staged, though opposition commentators are now convinced Mr Vahidnia was the real thing.
Details of the encounter were reported on the state news agency IRNA and in the pro- government newspaper Keyhan. Even the ayatollah's official website mentioned the incident.
Still some of those at the forum on 28 October say the leader appeared taken aback by the questioning and left the meeting early.
The session began with a speech in which the ayatollah told the students the "biggest crime" was to question the results of the 12 June presidential election that returned hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power.
After the speech, Mr Vahidnia raised his hand, then for 20 minutes criticised the Iranian leader over the crackdown on post-election protests, in which the opposition says 69 people died and thousands were arrested.
"I don't know why in this country it's not allowed to make any kind of criticism of you," said the student. "In the past three to five years that I have been reading newspapers, I have seen no criticism of you, not even by the Assembly of Experts, whose duty is to criticise and supervise the leader," he said. The assembly is the clerical body that chooses the supreme leader.
The ayatollah countered: "We welcome criticism. We never said not to criticise us. There's plenty of criticism that I receive," according to accounts in state media and on opposition websites.
Mr Vahidnia also raised allegations of abuse of imprisoned opposition protesters. "You, who have the role of a father, when you deal with your opponents in such a manner, your subordinates will likely behave similarly, as we have seen in the prisons," he said, referring to reports of torture and rape.
He went on to ask: "Do you think radio and television have portrayed the recent events accurately or broadcast a caricature-type image of them?"
The ayatollah replied: "Don't assume that because I appoint the head of state television, they bring all their programmes to me for approval," adding that state broadcasts of the situation were "incomplete".
