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Regional News Dubai Iranians protest at Ahmadinejad's 'rigged' win Published Date: June 16, 2009 DUBAI: Iranians from one of the Islamic republic's largest expat communities flouted a ban to protest outside their country's consulate in Dubai on Monday against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed election victory. More than two hundred men and women gathered outside the mission some 200 kilometres (120 miles) across the Gulf from Iran, chanting slogans calling Ahmadinejad a "dictator" and accusing Tehran of rigging Friday's election. "Where is my vote?" they shouted in unison as many of them told AFP that they had cast their ballots in favour of runner-up Mir Hossein Mousavi. "I don't feel that there was any respect for my vote... (the election was) absolutely rigged," said Ali, 32, who works as an architect in Dubai. Ahmadinejad is a stupid... uneducated dictator," he charged. The Iranian mission says there are around 400,000 Iranians in the United Arab Emirates-the second largest congregation of expatriate Iranians outside north America. Official UAE data put the figure at 110,000. Like many other protesters, Ali withheld his family name and also covered his face with mask as a cameraman stood on the consulate's roof shooting footage of the demonstration. Nassim, 31, also an architect, wore stylish sunglasses which she said were enough to cover her face, in order not to get in trouble when she goes back to Iran. "We want to tell the world that we are not stupid. Please don't think we are similar to our government," said Nassim, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and letting her hair flow freely. She said she had voted for Mousavi because he "doesn't want to fight with other countries. Why do we need this nuclear power? We want better relations with the world," she added of Iran's controversial nuclear programme which the West and Israel suspect is aimed at developing atomic weapons. Tehran insists that its nuclear ambitions are purely peaceful. Although Monday's demonstration in Dubai was not authorised in a country that does not permit public demonstrations, anti-riot police allowed the protesters to stand for more than two hours outside the consulate. Some demonstrators said they hoped to get permission to come again and stage another protest. - AFP
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