sentences:  Others would say Islam is distinct from Roman Catholicism and that its Middle Eastern beginnings separate it from Fascism.Whether Khomeini's ideas are compatible with democracy and whether he intended the Islamic Republic to be democratic is disputed.Notable Iranians who believe he did not include Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi (a senior cleric and main theorist of Iranian ultraconservatives who opposes democracy), Akbar Ganji (a pro-democracy activist and writer who is against Islamic government) and Abdolkarim Soroush (an Iranian philosopher in exile), according to Reza Parsa writing in the state-run "Aftab News".