Ahmadinejad's VP accused by fundamentalists of liberal and secular views
Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, Ahmadinejad's controversial Chief of Staff, was accused of immodesty after frequent visits with beautiful Iranian actresses and for supporting relaxed rules on Islamic cover for women. He also irked fundamentalist supporters of Iranian leader after facilitating a Western style pop music concert in Iran (by Habib).
Mashaei's views have been labeled by Islamic fundamentalists as liberal and secular, but his remarks this week about the "Iranian school of religion" vs. "Islamic school of religion" were called "a threat to regime's security" by Firoozabadi, Head of Iranian Armed Forces, and "shameless assertions of someone who is not one of us" by powerful conservative theological leader Mesbah Yazdi.
The reasons behind Ahmadinejad's unwavering support of Mashaei, even against Iranian leader, is unknown, but some analysts believe there is a major rift developing between Ahmadinejad - a nationalist with social change agenda, backed largely by the Revolutionary Guards controlling defense and large industries - and the conservative fundamentalists and Principalists - who control the judiciary, parliament and the old economy.
