Iran's responsibilities doubled by world developments

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad underlined the importance of the recent uprisings in the region and the world, saying that these developments have increased the responsibility of the Iranian nation and clerics."Today we are standing at a historical turning point and the world developments have doubled the responsibilities of the Iranian nation and religious scholars," Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday night, addressing a gathering of Iranian clerics in Northeastern Iran. He said providing response for man's needs is the main responsibility of the religious centers, and stressed that the current world problems need divine solutions. Ahmadinejad also called on the Iranian nation to use the present great historical opportunity to introduce its savior thoughts and religion to the other nations. Ahmadinejad's remarks come as the world has been witnessing a new trend since the beginning of 2011. Since the beginning of this year, the Muslim world has witnessed popular uprisings and revolutions similar to what happened in Iran in 1979. Tunisia saw the overthrow of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in a popular revolution in January, which was soon followed by a revolution which toppled Hosni Mubarak in Egypt in February and the death of Muammer Qaddafi in Libya. Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Libya have since been the scene of protests against their totalitarian rulers, who have resorted to brutal crackdown on demonstrations to silence their critics. Popular uprisings have also jolted European countries, including Spain, Greece and Britain, and even the US, where thousands of Americans have staged a protest camping for the last five weeks in the Wall Street in New York and other cities across the country to condemn the US ruling system.