Shut Up and March, Shirin!

Balatarin
Share/Save/Bookmark

Shut Up and March, Shirin!
by bahmani
23-Dec-2011
 

Shirin Ebadi was in Warsaw, to attend the European Union's "European Development Days", one of those weird European trade shows, the ones without the actual tradeshow exhibits. But nevertheless primarily this forum is geared towards promoting and increasing trade with the EU countries.

Baffling because Ms. Ebadi, or apparently now we are supposed to call her Banoo Ebadi, asked the attendees whose entire job and main focus is to increase EU business, to instead, stop doing business, specifically with Iran.

OK so I'm going to have to pause here, and try and explain things mostly to myself (because you never listen), to rationalize and avoid my head exploding.

Here's the deal as I see it. The government of Iran is starting to falter. The ridiculousness of the constant mantra of "Just Have Faith in the Islamic Republic", is now starting to even bore the poor who have been paid to be faithful all these years. Ironically the very act of paying the poor off, has in fact filled their stomachs so that they aren't hungry anymore, and with that, a low tolerance of the same day in day out repeatedly boring bullshit. So far the Great Satan hasn't flown in at night to steal and eat their children. But that new iPhone looks really cool. And the poor who aren't poor anymore, really want one.

The success of the Islamic Marxist redistribution of wealth has only created a very large Yawn. And an increasingly annoyed populace who don't want to hear about shortages and sacrifice, when in 32 years the Americans still haven't attacked.

So the Supreme Bluff played by the Supreme Leader is like this close to being called.

All that remains to screw it up though is for the US to attack Iran. Correction, for the US to fall for one of Iran's continued attempts to goad it into attacking. For if the US would just do that already, the Iranian government could probably squeeze at least another 32 years of "shut up and believe", out of the Iranian people. With just one continuous loop of, "I told you so!"

So anything, ANYTHING that would play into the hands of the Iranian government's ongoing 32 year lie, like sanctions, or an attack as surgical as it might even be, plays into their hands. And further commits the Iranian people to a life sentence of oppression, just as they are about to come up for parole. Nevermind that they never committed the crime in the first place.

back to banoo...

So here we have MS. Ebadi, barely visible above the big boys' podium in Warsaw, who in spite of the size of her melon, doesn't seem to want to get what her role as an oppressed Iranian woman is, asking the EU, the EU mind you, the EU that is not about to turn away ANY deal that might help turn around it's own riches to rags story, "Uh, Hey, is this thing turned on? Uh, yeah, so Don't do business with Iran. OK. Bye."

That's it? That's your big idea? Are you shitting me?

Shirin Ebadi has the potential to be the perfect storm at the perfect time. The storm is to champion women's rights and injustice.

Instead of trying to convince everyone what a good moslem she is, she should be tearing out the pages of the Qoran that insult and oppress Iranian and all women.

Instead of playing by the rules of an unjust Islamic court, she should be tearing out the pages of the Qoran that go against time and Greek philosopher proven regular proper law.

Instead of sitting on couches and chairs and squirming in her pantsuits answering the same tepid questions by her fans who pretend to be reporters, she should be standing and screaming bloody hell.

But instead of standing, I really think that Ms. Ebadi actually needs to be marching. She should find Iran's Selma and march to Iran's Montgomery. I'm not sure if the equivalent is Qazvin to Karaj, but it certainly could be.

Martin Luther King, marched from Selma to Montgomery 3 times. On March 7, 1965, known as "Bloody Sunday" MLK and 600 marchers were stopped the first time, by police beatings and police dogs. That Tuesday, MLK marched again, this time with 2500 marchers, crossing the Edmund Pettus bridge just outside Montgomery, then abruptly turning back. The 3rd and final march started on March 16 and a week later, and the marchers made it all the way to Montgomery ending at the state capitol building. The third march was escorted by the police and national guard.

There is NO reason why an act of civil disobedience of this same nature, would not work in Iran. Women are the much deprived, second, some even say third class of citizen, regulated, and prohibited from the most basic human and equality rights. Iran has imposed the Nazism of physically tagging women with clothing rules, and the most dehumanizing segregations of Apartheid, blended into a deadly concoction of slavery mislabeled and sold as an ideal intellectual concept of "Hejab".

Indeed the ruse has worked so well, that around the world, modern Islamic women accept this lower being status and rank, some even defend and cherish and willingly choose it. Usually they are ugly though. Uglier when the they try and justify why the hejab is good.

Ms. Ebadi however, remains blissfully clueless in all of this. Her substantial intellect apparently missing the key gene that triggers the obvious action she should have taken by now.

But, like rooting for the San Francisco Giants there is always pain, and there is always next year. Mostly though there is pain.

The upcoming election in Iran, with Ahmadinejad thankfully unable to pollute the air with his voice anymore, except for his continued breathing, the window for objection is wide open. The opportunity to expose the sheer ridiculousness of Iran's presidential election, and entire voting system and the fraudulent bases of candidacy and campaigning, too perfect not to seize.

Here's hoping that Ms. Ebadi wakes up from her Cyrus coma, and recognizes that when you win a Nobel prize, you are kind of expected to live up to it.

But seriously, peeking out over the podium and asking the EU to not invest in Iran is pretty funny and kind of cute and somewhat adorable, now that I think about it.

Balatarin
Share/Save/Bookmark

Recently by bahmaniCommentsDate
Argo Reform Yourself!
-
Oct 28, 2012
US Iranians Should Vote Locally, Nationally we're moot.
9
Oct 28, 2012
Mirkarimi Win Bittersweet for Iranian-Americans
5
Oct 10, 2012
more from bahmani
 
default

As long as she goes back with an army of media, and has

by Hooshang Tarreh-Gol on Fri Dec 23, 2011 11:56 AM PST

at least 100 other volunteers to replace her, once she's arrested.

Imagine all these women activists going back to Iran with armies of media and getting arrested one by one.

Such a hypotethical, continous, large scale protest with world media focused and looking at IR, would qualify as protracted warfare.Happy holidays.

Bahmani  aren't we over simplifying MLK and his context a bit?


  •  
bahmani

MLK was arrested MANY times too.

by bahmani on Fri Dec 23, 2011 11:41 AM PST

People seem to think that this will all fix itself without an actual strategy to achieve change.

I think I laid out MLK's strategy for you, so I'm not sure why you think it can't work in Iran. Actually I take it back, you did explain that quite clearly. I just think that if someone like YOU knows the counter moves the government would take, WE could develop a counter strategy to respond to that counter move.

Again, this is what MLK did.

March 1: test the resolve of the police.
March 2: return with more marchers, and better, much more publicity this time. Stop short of the goal, to let the police know you are peaceful. MLK could have gone to Montgomery on the second attempt, but he stopped and went back. That showed the authorities he was peaceful. And Serious.
March 3: This is also why they escorted him to Montgomery on the 3rd and final march. By then he had won.

I don't want to try to outline the perfect scenario for you here. But that is something that you and me and others could do very easily to counter any possible attempt to stop a march organized by Ebadi to protest the illegitimate and undocumented oppression and suppression of women's rights.

Again, the march is to object to that. Peacefully. Using logic and a respectful argument. Perfect for Ebadi, no? This is not to violently overthrow the Iranian government. This is one reason I think the 2009 green movement failed. It went too far, had no real tangible point, and was violent.

Think of this (because that was what I was thinking then), if everyone from Azadi square all the way down that tree lined beautiful boulevard we saw on TV, simply sat down and did not get up, the logistical nightmare of trying to shoot or arrest all of that mass, would have shut down the Iranian government, possibly for good.

Now, we (or Ebadi at least) should be looking for plausible chinks and cracks to exploit in the preposterous proposition. The unfair suppression of basic women's human rights, is just the biggest and best one to start with.

Of course there are many many many many many many others that would come next. :)

To read more bahmani posts visit: //brucebahmani.blogspot.com/


  •  
bahmani

Reply to Mammad:

by bahmani on Fri Dec 23, 2011 11:18 AM PST

Who said anything about being secular? When a religion is wrong, its wrong. Reformation is a very natural part of any religion's ongoing evolution. Not reforming is in fact what is keeping Eslam behind.

Your Point 2: certainly everyone needs to march, but pointedly I think women have the most to object to logically, and therefore stand out as the best consistent solid voice of objection against their unreasonable, illogical oppression. Really? The Iranian government actually believes and defends at the point of a baton, that women must accept they need to cover up, because men can't control themselves? That goes against at least 10 other tenets of Eslam regarding self control and personal responsibility. No one sees the dichotomy?

Men marching is far less effective because men have it too good now, so they have far less to complain about reasonably. There is less weakness in the argument that men are suffering under unfair oppression. Granted, there is some but overall there is less compared to women.

If there is the slightest inclination of the Iranian government to concede, it is in the area of unreasonable, undocumented (in the Qoran directly), and largely incompatible suppression of women's rights. Wholesale. Largely this treatment of women is nothing but traditional and tribal, and not actually religious. I think it goes back to some vaguely romantic action-adventure hadith in which Mohammad tries to stay the violence among the warring tribes by getting all the loose women to stop whoring themselves to what few men returned to the oases after each bloody battle. I think. Again, there are no specific Qoranic passages that edict this institutionalized policy. But I'm always ready to be wrong.

Your Point 3: You don't get my piece? It certainly sounds like you do, so stop saying that. To be clear though, what I am saying is for Ebadi to ask the EU to impose sanctions on Iran, only gives the Iranian government more fuel to fire the continued oppression of the Iranian people, in the guise of protecting them from harm by "outsiders". This is a classic tyranny-tactic to control a population. As long as there is a greater enemy, the government can argue it needs to clamp down on restrictions, for "internal security reasons", during a "state of war". Iran did this for 12 years of a 8-year war with Iraq. Most populations have no choice but to go along with it. So, by imposing sanctions and attacking Iran, that fuels Iran's control over Iranians. Which makes any dissent and objection all but impossible. I agree with NIAC at least on this. Which I agree, is scary.

Your Point 4: I agree with you completely. Further, I would argue that by not imposing sanctions and making the top tier super-wealthy, a) it trickles down and everyone becomes fatter and more likely to whine and object to even slight inconvenience. b) the wealthier the fat cats get, the more they have to lose, and the more conservative they get, the more they tend to be less radical, and that's the best time to reform them. c) when Iranians are fat and relatively happy, is the best time for them to argue against ridiculous notions like the ones they are living under at present.

The last c) of course requires the difficult step of "forgiving", which is currently impossible for many Iranians who have been sharpening their knives and practicing their firing squad aim, to consider.

Given that freedom and democracy and the other lesser known Iranian invention, Capitalism, are the common minimum standard nowadays, Iranians given just one more chance at this, would NEVER choose another form of oppression.

We are thankfully at the end of being done with all of it, have tried all of it now, except this one last thing called freedom or democracy.

One reason why Iran's Islamic revolution has ultimately failed, is best explained by this wonderfully applicable quote by G.K. Chesterton, "You can never have a revolution in order to establish democracy. You must have a democracy in order to have a revolution."

Thanks for your comments and opinion.

To read more bahmani posts visit: //brucebahmani.blogspot.com/


  •  
bahmani

Reply to: Tavana: Which Pages?

by bahmani on Fri Dec 23, 2011 10:41 AM PST

Those pages are hidden by our continued cowardice, fear, and capitulation.

To read more bahmani posts visit: //brucebahmani.blogspot.com/


  •  
bahmani

You actually ask Why Iranian women need to march?

by bahmani on Fri Dec 23, 2011 10:38 AM PST

There are 2 primary reasons why Iranian women (not men) need to do some marching.

1) The Iranian government thugs appearing on TV around the world beating and dragging women through the streets of Tehran, is far worse "Reality TV", than the same show with men. I'll leave it to you to figure out why that would be a positive advantage.

2) If you want to be freed from the 3rd class level you are on right now, nevermind achieve equality, you need to actually march for it. Sister. Suggesting men do your work for you, proves the degree of oppression even you have been subjected to. And apparently, you don't realize it. Wake up! You're being oppressed chromasomally!!!

A lesser 3rd reason that I can't really back up with anything but flawed Iranian men's intuition, is that, Iranian women are far stronger than Iranian men, and if I'm playing a serious game, I need my best players on the field. Not the ones with confidence, skill, and above all "Mommy issues".

Don't get me wrong, there is a very important and good reason why Shirin Ebadi, and not an Iranian man won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Please understand that your rights and god-given power has been tyrannically taken away.

Or, look up and then show me in the Qoran where it says women have to be 3rd class citizens. Actually just find me the passage that SPECIFICALLY states the exact form, fit, dimensions, and function of a PHYSICAL CLOTH HEJAB.

In my 2 readings in the original Arabic and several in English, so far, I haven't been able to find it. Then again, it makes no difference to me, I'm a man and luckily for me, Eslam is stacked very nicely way way way in my favor.

Still think you don't have to march?

To read more bahmani posts visit: //brucebahmani.blogspot.com/


  •  
Mammad

Bahmani

by Mammad on Fri Dec 23, 2011 10:17 AM PST

First of all, true seculars do not demand the faithfuls to tear tear Quran, Bible, etc. They only want them to keep it at home, and leave it up to them what to do with it in their private of their home.

Secondly, civil disobedience or whatever else that needs to be done is everyone's task, not just women. In my view, Iranian women have done more than their share already.

Third, I do not get the point of your blog. There are people who advocate economic sanctions. There are those who want war. Ebadi is, in effect, demanding some sort of sanction, which is what she has been demanding for years. If she is going to demand that, what better place to do it where she did? In effect, what she is saying is that, "We will remember what you did, when we change the political system. So, beware." Regardless of whether one agrees with her or not, this is, in my opinion, the perfect place to say so.

Fourth, I am happy to see that you agree with what people like me have been saying, namely, that any military attacks will only prolong the grip of the criminals on power, not shorten it. Unlike what AO believes, the U.S. will not, and will not be able to, "finish the job" because that will entail invading Iran that will require on the order 1 million soldiers and a decade of war or longer - some experts say it will take 15-20 years, without any definitive outcome - which will not be possible.

Mammad


  •  
Bahram G

Excellent question Anahid khanum

by Bahram G on Fri Dec 23, 2011 09:19 AM PST

Part of the answer is that most Muslim men love it the way it is. I mean, Islam is a religion made by men for th benefit of men. Why kill the goose that lays golden eggs? Men may be cruel, but they are, for most parts, not dumb. They got the other half of humanity as subservient chattel. Why rock the boat? Why change anything? Because it is unfair and unjust? Puh! Since when fairness and justice should have any role in the world?
So, dear Anahid khanum, men who truly espouse complete emancipation for women and are willing to put their money where their mouths is are a rare breed and few indeed. I am, gender-wise, a male, who tries to be a man. A man in the sense of manning up to fairness and justice for all, men, women, and all life forms.


  •  
Tavana

A Crappy Avalanche!

by Tavana on Fri Dec 23, 2011 07:37 AM PST

 

 

"Instead of trying to convince everyone what a good moslem she is, she
should be tearing out the pages of the Qoran that insult and oppress
Iranian and all women."

"Instead of playing by the rules of an unjust Islamic court, she
should be tearing out the pages of the Qoran that go against time and
Greek philosopher proven regular proper law."

And where are those pages? 

Not going anywhere with thiis kind of crap, as usual!


  •  
vildemose

Why don't you interview her

by vildemose on Fri Dec 23, 2011 07:28 AM PST

Why don't you interview her and ask her these questions yourself?

 

“It’s not enough that faith claims to be the solution to all problems,” he wrote in Slate in 2009 after a Danish newspaper apologised for publishing cartoons of the prophet Muhammad. “It is now demanded that such a preposterous claim be made immune from a


  •  
Bahram G

Dead on arrival?

by Bahram G on Fri Dec 23, 2011 07:21 AM PST

Don't you think that the minute she sets foot in Iran she will become the guest of the IRI in their five-star Evin resort? She never gets to walk, much less march. Those boys, the mullahs, are anything but shameless unrelenting oppressors. They know full well what happens if they lift the lid even ever so slightly. The built up pressure will blow it sky high. Oppression is all or none, in just about all cases.Now, you are in your comfy California dig, sipping your freshly brewed coffee and advising bano Ebadi to march. It reminds me of the old admonition to the wrestler by the spectators : LENGESH KON. Now, don't get me wrong. Much of what you are saying has merit. But, why don't you volunteer to march with her? You don't care for the Evin Resort? I don't blame you. I don't either. But thanks for making good points. But also appreciate the fact that the lady is averse to tackling the mullahs relying on the masses of unreliable UMMOL women who would gladly pour in the streets and lynch her as a despicable betrayer of their creed. The creed of being sbservings to a hord of YABOO men.


  •  
Anahid Hojjati

Why is it that men keep dumping the

by Anahid Hojjati on Fri Dec 23, 2011 06:56 AM PST

responsibility on women? Why is it that Iranian women have to bear the responsibility of getting rid of IRI? where are Iranian men in this picture?

Maybe besides writing articles and telling Ebadi to shut up, there are other activities that men should be doing.


  •  
Anonymous Observer

It's an obvious case of Stockholm Syndrome

by Anonymous Observer on Fri Dec 23, 2011 07:28 AM PST

not just in her case, but in the case of most other Iranian women who support the IR, especially the West residing ones. We have a quite a few of them on this site...at least I think so, since they claim to be women.

And I agree with you on the "surgical attack" scenario.  It will only prolong the regime's miserable existence. If the U.S. attacks, it really needs to finish the job.  Otherwise, we're doomed for at least another three decades.   


  •  
Maryam Hojjat

Bahmani, I like to think you are very RIGHT about Banoo Ebadi

by Maryam Hojjat on Fri Dec 23, 2011 06:29 AM PST

She is not only cluless but very controversial as well.


  •  
« first‹ previous12