Iran's supreme leader Khamenei shuns Western appeals

TEHRAN, July 11 (UPI) -- Western models of society do not present a good model for culture in an Islamic country like Iran, the country's supreme leader said.

Muslims this week marked the start of the holy month of Ramadan, a period of obligatory dusk-to-dawn fasting.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Muslim societies across the world should embrace their Islamic identities during the holy season.

He said Wednesday during ceremonial recitations from the Koran the adherence to Western ideology by the world's majority "does not constitute a model or [good] reason to follow this culture in an Islamic society," Iran's semiofficial Fars News Agency reported.

Ramadan falls on the ninth month of the Persian year. Cleric and former nuclear negotiator Hassan Rouhani is to be sworn in as Iran's next president in August. He bested challengers seen as conservative allies of Khamenei in June elections.

Rouhani billed himself as a moderate when compared to the rival candidates, vowing to reach out to Western rivals. Khamenei, however, has the ultimate say over Iranian policies.