Khamenei sees rise of political Islam

TEHRAN, April 29 (UPI) -- The final outcome of the so-called Arab Spring is the creation of a "brilliant Islamic civilization," Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said.

Political reforms that grew out of the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia in late 2010 helped topple the regimes in Libya, Yemen and Egypt.

Khamenei said, "The world of Islam has now emerged out of the sidelines of social and political equations of the world" to take a position at the "center of decisive global events," a translation from state-funded broadcaster Press TV reads.

Iran's political system grew out of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The political regime was threatened following disputed presidential elections in 2009, two years before the Arab Spring.

Khamenei said the "most obvious sign" of recent revolutions is the enthusiasm for the "glory and greatness of Islam."

Egyptian and Tunisian voters backed political parties that embrace Islamic law to a certain degree. Khamenei said an Islamic order can overcome the "corrupt codes of behavior" characteristic of Western society.

The final goal "cannot be anything less than creating a brilliant Islamic civilization," he said.

Iranians in June vote to replace President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is at the end of his term limit. Khamenei warned that Iran's adversaries may try to undermine the vote.