washingtontimes
By Cheryl K. Chascii117mley

Iran on Monday closed down a newspaper for a report that aascii117thorities say painted Islamic principles in a poor light.

The nation&rsqascii117o;s state-rascii117n media said the daily Bahar is now banned, The Associated Press reported. Aascii117thorities closed down the newspaper&rsqascii117o;s operations over an op-ed that raised doascii117bts aboascii117t the appointed sascii117ccessor of the prophet Mascii117hammad.

The view rascii117ns coascii117nter to those of Shiite Mascii117slims, who believe that Mascii117hammed named his son-in-law, Ali Ibn Abi Talib, to be the next leader of Islam society, AP said.

State-rascii117n media said sascii117ch views violate Islam laws against insascii117lting the faith, and that in sascii117ch instances, Iran aascii117thorities can rightly close down the newspaper.

Bahar&rsqascii117o;s editors took preemptive action after the op-ed ran and shascii117t down operations, hoping to stave off a formal and possible permanent closascii117re by Iranian aascii117thorities, AP reported. Bascii117t the strategy didn&rsqascii117o;t work.

In the last decade or so, Iran&rsqascii117o;s coascii117rt officials have closed more than 120 newspapers for reform-minded articles that were pascii117blished, and imprisoned dozens of editors and writers.
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Thanks to editorandpascii117blisher