Ahmadinejad under fire for consoling Chavez's mother

[klr]

... and it gets weirder, with a doctored picture suggesting it never happened, and that the picture of Ahmadinejad + Mrs. Chavez was a fake.

Ahmadinejad under fire for consoling Chavez's mother
By Parsa Piltan BBC Persian



Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is mired in a fresh controversy over both real and fake photos showing him consoling the grieving family members of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

During Mr Chavez's funeral in Caracas on Friday, Mr Ahmadinejad was photographed sympathising with Elena Frias de Chavez, 78.

While it is not a full embrace, the Iranian president and Mr Chavez's mother have their faces brushed against each other, with their hands clasped in a moment of shared grief. Several news agencies released photos of the unexpected scene.

Muslim men are by tradition forbidden to touch women who are not members of their close family.

Conservative critics, already irked by Mr Ahmadinejad's effusive eulogy for the leftist leader, reminded him that he has not only committed a sin, but also behaved in a way inappropriate for the president of an Islamic state.

They said it was another sign that Mr Ahmadinejad was influenced by the "deviant current", a term used to label his close aides, and increasingly himself, and distance him from the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Photoshopped or not?

Iranian government spin doctors tried to deflect the criticism by claiming the photograph was faked.

...

more (including the doctored picture) here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21741074

[Woodbutcher]

Obviously the bitch shamelessly flirted with him and thus he was within his rights to do anything at all to her. Praise be Muhammed that he was able to constrain himself to just hugging her, she wanted to do it right there!

[Gallstones]

Awwwww. I always thought Ahmadinejad was a nice man.

[Warren Dew]

Whisker burn is "consoling"?

[JimC]

Populist left-wing governments need to be a little careful who they get into bed with...

Just ask any of the few survivors of socialist revolutionary movements in countries with a strong islamic bent...

Sometimes, the "enemy of my enemy" schtick gets a little risky...

[sandinista]

Populist left-wing governments need to be a little careful who they get into bed with...

Just ask any of the few survivors of socialist revolutionary movements in countries with a strong islamic bent...

Sometimes, the "enemy of my enemy" schtick gets a little risky...

...and neo liberal governments need to be a little careful who they get into bed with...

[Animavore]

And make sure you use a condom

[Jason]

She is now carrying his child.

[orpheus]

Needs more cowbell.

[JimC]

The man's clearly delusional...

"I'm a dinner jacket" indeed...