Iran Presient delivers Christmas message on UK TV

The news had many reflections in the British media on the Eve of Christmas.

The Guardian newspaper wrote President Ahmadinejad will deliver a spiritual address that will feature a message of seasonal goodwill.

The President's message will be preceded by a short introduction designed to place his speech in context, the Guardian said.

Ahmadinejad congratulates Abrahamic faiths on birth of Jesus
The full translation of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Christmas message that will be broadcast on Channel 4 tonight. - Guardian

Government rebukes Channel 4 for Ahmadinejad broadcast
Channel 4 was rebuked by the Government today for its decision to broadcast an address by the President of Iran as the channel's alternative Christmas message. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said that handing a platform to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has called the Holocaust "a myth", would cause widespread offence, despite the President striking a conciliatory tone. - TIMES ONLINE

According to the Guardian, President Ahmadinejad will argue that the world is in its current predicament because people have lost spiritual faith.

He will also make thinly veiled criticisms of western powers in a reference to the "tyrannical policies of prevailing global economic and political systems".

"If Christ was on earth today undoubtedly he would stand with the people in opposition to bullying, ill-tempered and expansionist powers," he will say.

"If Christ was on earth today undoubtedly he would hoist the banner of justice and love for humanity to oppose warmongers , occupiers, terrorists and bullies the world over."

Sky News channel also broadcast some parts of President Ahmadinejad's Christmas message.

"If Christ was on earth today undoubtedly he would fight against the tyrannical policies of prevailing global economic and political systems, as he did in his lifetime," he said.

"The solution to today's problems can be found in a return to the call of the divine prophets."

Dorothy Byrne, in charge of Channel 4 news, argued that President Ahmadinejad's selection was in line with the broadcaster's policy of providing an "alternative world view" and reflected the extensive coverage it has given to Iran in recent times.

"As the leader of one of the most powerful states in the Middle East, President Ahmadinejad's views are enormously influential," she said.

" As we approach a critical time in international relations, we are offering our viewers an insight into an alternative world view." "Channel 4 has devoted more airtime to examining Iran than any other broadcaster and this message continues a long tradition of offering a different perspective on the world around us."