Saturday, January 29, 2011

Mousavi on Recent Arab Protests

Mousavi makes a major statement on the protests that are rocking Egypt and other Arab countries:

The Middle East is on the verge of defining and massive moments which can change the course of the destiny of this region, the world and the fate of other nations in the region. What is taking shape now is certainly overthrowing a despotic and tyrannical rule and trend which has been overwhelming the fate of many nations in the region. The starting point of what we are now witnessing on the streets of Tunis, Sanaa, Cairo, Alexandria and Suez can be undoubtedly traced back to days of 15th, 18th and 20th June 2009 when people took to the streets of Tehran in millions shouting “Where is my vote?” and peacefully demanded to get back their denied rights.

Today, the slogan of “Where is my vote?” of the people of Iran has reached Egypt and transformed into “The people want the overthrow of the regime”. In order to discover the secret of these links and these similarities, one does not have to go too far. You just have to compare the recent elections in Egypt with our own and compare it with the chairman of the Guardian Council who explicitly says there is no need for millions of votes by Green citizens. If we look at the collapsing political regimes in the Arab world and the Middle East carefully, we can identify a similar pattern of invading and shutting down social networks, the press and the cyber space. In an amazingly similar fashion, they have all blocked SMS systems, mobile phones and the internet, have banned all writers and taken dissidents to prisons.

Unfortunately, the interests of the ruling ideology in Iran do not allow the realities to be revealed as they are. The preachers of the obedient public outlets fail to pay any attention to the corrupt and despotic methods of the present day pharaoh of Egypt, who has created an explosive situation in his country by arrests, forced confessions, framing people and looting the nations through gangs and organised groups of the people surrounding them. They do refer to the ‘Wrath of the people” of Egypt, but they never explain that this day of wrath has come about as a consequence of inefficiency and corruption at the highest levels of stat, extravagance and wasting people’s funds, censorship, shutting people down, executions and lining up gallows to create fear in people. They never say that if the ruling system of Egypt had respected people’s right to determining their own destiny and had not tampered with people’s votes in the recent elections of Egypt, they would not have to face the demand for the ‘overthrow of the regime’ by the dear nation of Egypt. Perhaps, they do not realise that continuing policies of intimidation will eventually turn against itself and then the coming of “the day of wrath” and days of national wrath will be inevitable. Pharaohs usually hear the voice of the nation when it is too late.

Our nation deeply respects the glorious uprising of the brave people of Tunis and that of the people of Egypt, Yemen and other countries in quest for their rights. We commend the courageous, cognisant and resisting people of Egypt, Tunis, Jordan and Yemen and we pray to Allah that they may be successful and victorious in their struggle for their rights.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Egyptians Take to the Streets



After the end of Ben-Ali's corrupt regime in Tunisia, protesters in Egypt are targeting their own dictator Hosni Mubarak. In scenes that look like the mass protests in Iran, Egyptians have taken to the streets to change their regime.

Today in particular is an important day with plans for protests that could be much larger than those we have seen in recent days. This reminds me of two days in the Iranian peoples protests. June 15, 2009 was the Monday after the election and it saw millions of people take to the streets to demand their vote after Mousavi asked them to protest. On June 20, 2009 people took to the streets after protesting for the better part of the week. However, now the regime used the shear violence to kill and injure its own people. The Green Movement leaders seemed less willing to call for protests after that and the regime is still in power.

In Egypt, millions of people can come out and protest peacefully like on June 15 or the Egyptian regime can slaughter its own people. Whatever happens, the protests and sacrifice of the Iranian people is a guide for the rest of the region in its quest for freedom. Again the thugs in power in Iran and Egypt should know that their hold in power will soon be coming to an end.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Interview with Creators of Parazit

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Exclusive - Kambiz Hosseini & Saman Arbabi Extended Interview
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Kambiz Hosseini and Saman Arbabi created the satirical news show Parazit which is criticizes the regime through humor. Here is their interview on the Daily Show.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Tunisians Fight Own Corrupt Regime

In scenes eerily similar to the uprising in Iran, protesters in Tunisia have taken to the streets against their own corrupt regime that uses violence to stay in Power. In a sign the protests are shaking the regime, the President has promised reforms and will not run again for reelection in 2014.

The tyrants in Iran and everywhere should take a look at these clips from Tunisia to realize that their grip on power will end. The people of Iran are brothers and sisters with those in Tunisia who are seeking their own freedom.



Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Mousavi Interview

Mousavi give a recent interview and this is what he says:

Q: In recent weeks, totalitarians have launched unprecedented propaganda against you and the Green Movement, but you were silent in face of these attacks and did not take any position. What is the reason behind this silence? The expectations of many companions of Green Movement were for you to respond to these attacks.

A: I was going to respond but after the letter of my dear brother – Mr.Karroubi - was published, I decided not to. His view sheds light on the reasons behind all these irritabilities. The other reason for my silence was the fact that these kinds of propaganda belong to the past. They use the same methods used in totalitarian regimes such as the Soviet Union during Stalin era, or Romania during Ceauşescu's time. Those, who organized these propaganda attacks, neither know our society nor have any understanding of the transformed international arena. They still live in the time before the development of communication technology.

Q: What is your assessment of the ten days of attacks launched against you and other figures of the Green Movement? How effective you think the propaganda of the totalitarians was?

A: For the same reasons I explained in the answer to the previous question these propaganda attacks not only were ineffective but due to their unfair content had reverse effect. These ten days have provided our nation with the opportunity to better understand the nature of these guys. All these lies and slanders showed the kind of Islam these fellows practice. It is not surprising we all know a Friday Prayer Imam (Ahmad Janati – the appointed hardliner chairman of the Guardian Council) that claimed the United States gave us one billion dollars in aid through Saudi Arabia and had given us the promise of fifty billions more after the victory [in toppling the government], and still this guy, despite this lie and false accusation, is holding his official post. Therefore these immoral propaganda attacks, which have been accompanied by swearing and threats, more than harming the growing Green Movement, prove the rightfulness and vitality of the Green Movement.

They cannot understand how people react to these kinds of claims when the person, who has killed a respected man over a bird, claims that a noble man like Mr. Khatami does not understand the Quran; or [when] in their websites call the former revolutionary prosecutor, who was trusted by Imam [Khomeini], a spy of Russia; or based on ridiculous accusations, call Ms. Rahnavard – a combatant Quran researcher – ally of the rejected Pahlavi family; or call me and him (Mehdi Karroubi) Freemasons quoting a deceased writer - who fled from people’s rage and escaped to Europe and died there! They have made Goebbels proud by misleading and lying, and have established falsely accusing others and lying part of their retrogressive and mixed with superstitions faith. However, there is another delicate point which results their cook up becomes so salty and that is the deep belief of part of the government in recognizing millions of people of this country as “dirt and dust” and “sheep and cow”. One of the reasons that make them bold enough to tell such big lies is this view they have toward the nation.

They still do not believe in people’s intelligence and unfortunately in their private they are terrified even from imagining citizens’ rights for all the people and innate dignity for all human.

Q: In Tehran's Mahdiyeh [convention center] (where a pro-government gathering was held) and in some other platforms, they called you, Mr.Karroubi and other figures of the Green Movement as "nobody"; what are your views about such remarks?

A: Actually this statement is completely true. Neither Mr. Karroubi nor I have ever said that we are "somebody". It is written, in the memoirs of Sheikh Abu Saeed Abolkheir (a renown scholar and philosopher who lived many years ago) that a scholar who was competing with Sheikh sent him a messenger with this message that "I am like an elephant and you are like a mosquito" and Sheikh replied "Tell him, I am nobody and that mosquito is also you". Of course we are not in the same level as Sheikh but based on his teaching, we also say that we are "nobody". But this cannot be a justification for you (addressing the government) to violate people's rights and disgrace the national covenant to this point.

Q: You reiterated a similar subject in your statement #17 (the Green Charter) which was issued in the aftermath of [the Bloody] Aashura events (December 2009). Do you still emphasize on the same demands?

A: Yes. In statement #17, I wrote: Ignore individuals like myself but take it upon yourself to free all political prisoners and announce that you adhere to all principles included in the Constitution; allow the media to operate freely, hold free and non-selective elections and you will see the horizon will become bright, for suppression will only further increase the level of demands. These kinds of deceitful and incompetent propaganda, which are being done simultaneously with the continuation of suppression and arrests, will have no outcome but making people discouraged from reforms within the constitution.

Q: The chairman of the Coalition Party (conservative) claimed that after the [tenth presidential] election, in a meeting with a delegation, you agreed with recounting some of the votes and later in meetings that you had with members of the Participation Front (reformist) and the Mojahedin of Islamic Revolution (reformist) they convinced you to call off this previous agreement. Is this true?

A: Unfortunately the new chairman of the Coalition Party is not experienced enough. I deny this claim. In that meeting, the last remark I made was to accept "arbitration" (in which it was supposed to have representatives of all the presidential candidates as well as fair representatives of the judiciary and the Guardian Council meet and study the complaints to come up with a joint agreement). If they even review their memories, they will remember that I even brought up some names as examples for the fact finding committee. The worst part of his claim is the false accusation he has made against two recognized political parties of the country, while their main members are imprisoned.

However, in addition to him (the chairman of the Coalition Party), one of the ministers of Iran-Iraq war era (when Mir Hossein Mousavi was the Prime Minister), by referencing a western magazine, has repeatedly kept quoting a statement [claimed] to be mine. Because of his services to the country when he was the minister of health, I have waited untill now and have not said anything. I wonder when he claims to be a Muslim and despite all the documents, evidence, my speeches and statements, and even the discussion that I once had with him, how he can reference an American magazine and even go beyond that and judge my political background even in contradiction with his own previous views and statements; unless we think that he was pretending then!

Q: Considering that pressure and propaganda against the Green Movement have been increased in the recent months, how do you assess the status of the society and the Green Movement in these conditions?

A: Yes, the number of distortions, lies and threats has increased. Mass executions as well as odd and cruel sentences are also being used to intimidate. The spread of the culture of obtaining forced confessions and repentant-making, which has been transferred from the inside prisons to outside political atmosphere, is more important. Based on this culture, if you want to keep your position, or get elected, or have a share in big or small transactions, or live safe from the words and actions of hardliners, you must have enough wisdom and understanding to condemn the opposition and protestors in the Green Movement. They did not even pass on the seminary schools and the Grand Ayatollahs; and we are witnessing pressure, slanders and insults against the clerics and Grand Ayatollahs. They are unaware that even in the families of the authorities, the attention toward the demands raised by the Green Movement is increasing, since these demands are according to people's rights and our national covenant.

Our people don't have happy memories from forced confessions, repenter-making, hypocrisy, lies and slanders. These tricks became their own counters in the month of December. All these measures and actions show clearly that the Green Movement is progressing; and God willing and with the participation of all [companions], this trend will continue until all the demands outlined in the Green Movement are achieved. We believe: "The bubbles move aside and disappear but what is beneficial for the people remains."

Q: Although, this mass of slanders, libel, lies and deceptions will eventually unveil, but in any case one cannot ignore the massive government’s media propaganda that is funded with astronomical budgets. In your opinion, how can one overcome these kinds of divisive projects in the society and among families? How can the Green Movement be effective in order to compensate and decrease the various gaps that might grow day by day due to the incompetence and bad intensions of the totalitarians and save the national unity in face of the government divisive agenda?

A: In my opinion, promoting awareness should remain the main strategy and the same "Every citizen is a media" should be the main tactic. Today, simple tasks such as distributing newspapers, letters, statements as well as distributing photos and videos of post-election events and etc. has penetrated deep [in society] and has reached even the furthest corners [of the country]. The massive army of promoting awareness and spreading information has found the most effective methods to deliver the message of truth by its creativity and with simple equipments that the information age has given them.

But in addition to the efforts in promoting awareness and fighting with the spread of lies and falsification of the truth, we must not forget the memories of the friendly discussions of the [presidential] campaign days. We must not forget how - before the so-called security interventions turned the civil dialogue atmosphere to unrest and silenced the voice of discussion and dialogue - we were practicing and experiencing listening to each other's voices in the campaign discussions.

We must not forget the Green Chain that was uniting all of us - [despite] the differences and varieties - from the south to the north of the cities and the country, and was teaching us how to live together. These precious memories can also be valuable lessons and models for our today. Also today, by keeping the atmosphere of national dialogue and discussion alive as much as possible, we must practice tolerating and enduring each other, and listen to each other's views and opinions so that we can overcome the gaps created by the official media. For us being Green does not mean that we want to turn everyone into our color and into a single color, the same way the totalitarians and authoritarians prescribe their own color and view for everyone. Green is living side by side each other while understanding the differences, varieties in views, opinions and tastes. If the totalitarians and their propaganda try to highlight the gaps created in families and society, by accepting these differences, we must try to propose a prescription for peaceful living side by side each other. Promoting awareness peacefully is the most effective weapon against violence and the spread of division and ignorance seeds.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Part 20: A Decision

Regardless of what the actual vote totals were, the regime quickly declared Ahmadinejad the winner and the opposition was in a state of shock since they had sensed victory within their grasp. Yet shock soon turned to anger as the opposition would quickly see the irregularities shown above and many would soon view the election as completely fradulent. Given that this was the first time in the history of the Islamic Republic that an election had been widely viewed as illegitimate, no one knew what would happen next.

Spontaneous protests started the day after the election and would continue throughout the weekend in locations all over Iran. These protests were not organized direction, but simply represented an outpouring of anger about the results of the election and with the regime in general. People shouted in frustration the slogan “Where is my vote?” to express that their vote was stolen. The people who took to the streets were met by a paramilitary group within the IRGC that was supposed to keep internal order in the country known as the Basij. Scenes of clashes between protesters and Basij that emerged right after the election would continue to play out in months to come.

Two days after the election on June 14 at a rally organized to celebrate his victory, Ahmadinejad would dismiss the protesters as similar to a few disgruntled soccer fans. The opposition leaders faced a critical choice at this point given the intense feeling among their supporters and their own belief that the election was fraudulent. While all three losing candidates lodged formal complaints with the regime, it was almost certain that working within the confines of regime would get them nowhere. For the first time the liberal Islamists elite of the regime who had helped create and maintain the Islamic Republic would have to decide if they should challenge that regime on the streets.

In a meeting to figure out what to do after the election, Mousavi felt that he could not allow the results to stand, “the elections are people’s rights. I can’t give up people’s rights. I’m going to see this through and until this lie is cleared up”. At least for Mousavi, the conservatives had crossed the ultimate line and violated the basic principle enshrined in the constitution that the people’s vote would have a role in determining the government. Once this basic principle no longer applied, then he and the other reformists would have no incentive to work within the confines of the regime. Mousavi would call for a mass protest to be held on June 15, and there would be no turning back at this point.