Khatami: Iran most democratic state in Middle East

VIENNA (IRNA) -- Iran’s former President Mohammad Khatami said Thursday that Iran is the most democratic state in the Middle East.

Addressing the 38th World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Khatami said, “Obviously, opposition against Iran is politically motivated. Extremists in any religion always consider everything black and white and have no tool but violence.”

He said love is the core of Islam and Christianity. “Extremists in both the religions want to turn love into hatred,” warned the cleric.

Elsewhere in his address, Khatami pointed to West’s concern over religion and said, “In the West which had nothing to do with religion, we witnessed World Wars I and II.”

Asked by a reporter on an Austrian rightist party member’s insult to Islam and Muslims, Khatami said, “We have a proverb which says when an idiot says something one should not pay attention to and ignore it.”

He said such insults would solve no problem.

More than 2,500 people, mostly senior economic and political figures, from 88 countries have taken part in the World Economic Forum in Davos, which started on Wednesday.

Twenty-seven presidents and prime ministers and 113 ministers are taking part in the forum.

Moreover, about 60 percent of the participants are representatives of economic sectors and more than 1,370 of the guests are heads of the world’s big and well-reputed companies.