The verdict of Qom.(The verdict of Qom)

From: The Economist (US) | Date: July 21, 2007 | Copyright information

Sceptical, after their fashion

Theory and practice

THEY call Qom "the Shia Vatican". President Ahmadinejad is reported to have said that when Islam ruled the world Qom would be its capital. Rome need not worry: Qom will never compete for its tourists. At first glance, despite the imposing golden cupola of the Sayyeda Fatima shrine, this desert city some 100km (60 miles) from Tehran is a backwater, devoid of grace and greenery. Its seminaries, however, are home to perhaps 60,000 clerical students. And the broad highway that slices from Tehran to Qom through a moonscape of ...

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