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The Ayatollah's Model for the World

(Asharq Al-Awsat-UK) Amir Taheri - Ayatollah Ahmad Alam al-Hoda, one of the possible successors to Supreme Guide Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, envisions the rise of Iran's "Islamic model" to lead the post-modern world. But what is the true picture of Iran under the Islamic Republic? Iran accounts for 50% of all executions in the world although the country represents only 1.1% of the world population. More than 40% of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience are in Iran. Each year, an average of 150,000 highly-educated Iranians, among them 3,500 medical doctors, leave the country to join the 8 million (almost 10% of the population) already in exile. Flight of capital is estimated to be between $22 billion and $30 billion a year. According to official estimates, more than 1.5 million Iranians have purchased property in Turkey, while a further 1.2 million have invested in real estate in Georgia, Armenia and Serbia. Iran's position on the global life expectancy chart has fallen to 49th place compared to 38th in 1977. Iran is also facing a downward demographic curve, with a significant number of young people unable to get married and raise families. The writer was editor-in-chief of the Iranian daily Kayhan.
2022-07-07 00:00:00
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