TEHRAN -- Theology students numbering over 11,000 held a rally in the holy city of Qom yesterday protesting against the visit to Iran of an American delegation, refusing to attend their classes. The protesters chanted "Death to Great Satan", "Death to Munafeqin" and "Death to Montazeri". A similar demonstration was held by Tehran University students in protest against the American delegation's visit to Iran. The students called for implementation of the testament of Khomeini. A 13-member U.S. delegation including William Cupper the former CIA deputy during the presidential tenure of Jeorge Bush visited Iran disguised as tourists.

The theology students in Qom also protested agianst the remarks made by head of Qom's Education Ministry office, Shafi'a Motahhar, for insulting prominent religious authorities. Addressing a gathering of directors at the Education Ministry office in Qom on Friday, Motahhar had said that Maraja should not have called on people to participate in the elections as a religious duty. Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani and other prominent ulama in Qom had called on people to participate massively in the elections describing people's turn-out as religiously necessary.

A source in Qom, speaking to the TEHRAN TIMES by telephone, said that one of the women directors at the meeting protested against the remarks made by Motahhar. Meanwhile, the source said, people and students mounted a protest rally around the Holy Shrine of Hazrat Ma'asoumeh (AS) in Qom, chanting "Death to Montazeri". A week before, tracts had been distributed in Qom on the anniversary of attack against the office of Hussein Ali Montazeri, declaring the day as a public mourning.