Rouhani's reform pledges hit cultural wall
The honeymoon is over. President Hassan Rouhani marks 100 days in office on November 12, which is also his birthday. During his campaign against five rivals, Rouhani distinguished himself as the people's champion and pledged to create a government of "prudence and hope". And shortly after his election, Rouhani bluntly told his fellow clerics, "A strong government does not mean a government that interferes and intervenes in all affairs. It is not a government that limits the lives of people." "We have to give people a free hand," Rouhani said. "We shouldn't intervene so much in people's private lives and culture." But for all his lofty promises, little has tangibly changed so far. Indeed, Iran's new president faces growing opposition from hardliners over his promise to ease rigid government controls on Iranian society. "People in all fields have been struggling," Culture Minister Ali Jannati told G...