In the new parliament, he opposed legislation restricting the hours of labour, and, as a Nonconformist, spoke against clerical control of national education.

Not only were new schools opening, but they were also instituting new educational policies designed to undercut clerical control over education and religious education.

The unrest has now spread beyond Teheran and represents the most serious threat to clerical control since 1979.

He accepted the "national school" system, and by his protests prevented the withdrawal of the schools from clerical control.

He attributed the inefficiency in part to the managerial system of independent clerical control.

The campaign to prevent change of clerical control of the school system was also linked to the contemporary campaign to set up catholic university colleges.

Mr. Hakim and Ayatollah Sistani have repeatedly said they do not want clerical control of government.

There should be an end of clerical control.

They wanted to unify, defend and reform the institution under clerical control, not advance a Franciscan or a lay agenda.

Sanei is an outspoken Islamic democracy activist and has even called for the "discussion" of the clerical control of the Iranian regime.