Towards Freedom

Kaveh Parsa

Kudos to you, with regards to clarifying Irandokht's duplicitous framing of the issue. But you're wasting your time. People like Irandokht have some sort of terminal ailment, a cancer really, which severly dims their objectivity, something they picked up in one of those dimly-lit leftist seminars back in their salad days in the '70's. You can't reason with these people (I have on of them in my family -- sad really, but that's entirely another matter).

To think that these jooje phonies champion the "Palestinian cause" when our own people in Iran are being slaughtered and tortured to death daily, not to speak of the 30% unemployment, the highest per capita heroin addiction in the world, one of the highest prostitution epidemics, massive inflation, etc., etc.

Pathetic really, to even bring up the Palestitians right now. I say let's fix our own broken home first, before we try to help out our neighbor.

My dear Irandokht

you did not quote DK but you did say:

"as DK explained, Reza Pahlavi was more involved with condemning the Hamas for firing rockets outside Israeli cities than speaking up against the bombing of the civilians"

which is completley misrepresenting DK statement:

..........As for Gaza and the Palestinian Cause,He clearly said it was a tragedy in an interview but that it was not just to see Iranian money by millions and taxes used to finance Hamas..........

As I said I leave DK to speak for him self, but please do not use his statement to represent RP's position as

"RP was more involved with condemning the Hamas for firing rockets outside Israeli cities than speaking up against the bombing of the civilians"

as far as acknowledgement is concerned this is what you did say:

If the gesture was of humanitarian nature then I needed more clarification as to why some human rights violations are less important than others.

This is not an acknowledgement Irandokht-e aziz. it is a qualified premise that; RP can not condemn the violations of Iranian people's (in camp ashraf) human rights if he does not first condemn the other violations of HR namely the palestinian HR.

I am not gonna knitt pick here, and if you say that you meant to acknowledge it then fair enough.

Thank you

Kaveh

Dear Mr Parsa

I did not quote DK, I said what I was thinking and DK's statement was not contradictory when he explained that RP's concern was  "...to see Iranian money by millions and taxes used to finance Hamas and Palestinian" which is no way is equal to condemning the bombing of the civilians which was the main human rights issue in that crisis.

On the other hand you are saying:

I am puzzled by your lack of acknowledgement for what is clearly a humanitarian statement by RP. 

I believe I specifically said:  "RP also mentioned the human rights aspect of it in his statement."

Would you please explain how that is not considered "acknowledgment"? 

Thank you

IRANdokht

Thanks Irandokht

for your reply.

I agree that whats happening in camp Ashraf is a human rights/humanitarian issue. but this issue is affecting Iranians, and therefore it is incumbent on Iranians (amongst others) to speak up for them. that is irrespective of the MKO's past.

I am quite aware of the MKO cult status and the anger(some say hatred) that people in Iran feel towards them because they allied themselves to Iran's enemy. however there has to be a difference between the foot soldiers and the cult leaders who are based safely in france/Europe.

I Fave DK to speak for him self but he did not say that RP "was more involved with condemning the Hamas for firing rockets outside Israeli cities than speaking up against the bombing of the civilians". This is what DK said:

..........As for Gaza and the Palestinian Cause,He clearly said it was a tragedy in an interview but that it was not just to see Iranian money by millions and taxes used to finance Hamas..........

Although this is obviously your prerogative, I am puzzled by your lack of acknowledgement for what is clearly a humanitarian statement by RP. particulary so because as you mentioned it is done by someone who fundementally disagrees with the MKO.

Best

Kaveh

Thank you DK

I don't watch Iranian TV stations and don't follow RP's blogs, hence the questions... I had added him on FB but a while ago he un-friended over 1500 people and I was one of them, so I don't get any info from there either. I was also not aware that the hunger strike in NY was by invitation.

Thanks for the information. 

Dear Mr Parsa, 

I am glad you asked. To me the Camp Ashraf crisis is and always was a humanitarian disaster. RP also mentioned the human rights aspect of it in his statement. That's why I brought it up. As far as the Iranian aspect of MKO, as you might be aware, many Iranians are still angry at the organization for helping Saddam during the war. They have represented an enemy to a lot of Iranians since, and they were one of the anti-establishment groups as far as the Pahlavi regime was concerned too. Normally most Iranians consider them a cult, and a dangerous one at that.

To me their situation is more of a human rights issue than a national one, hence the parallel. During the Gaza crisis, as DK explained, Reza Pahlavi was more involved with condemning the Hamas for firing rockets outside Israeli cities than speaking up against the bombing of the civilians. If the gesture was of humanitarian nature then I needed more clarification as to why some human rights violations are less important than others.

All the best to you too

IRANdokht

Dear Irandokht,

what does Gaza has to do with RP? what is happening in camp Ashraf is happening to Iranians and thats why RP had issued a statment (i guess). There are enough Human Rights bodies and governments and others who make the case for the plight of palestinians and Gazaeans in particular.

Also I don't understand your logic of whether RP did or did not support the united4Iran protests. if he did you would say that he is hijacking the movement and if he doesn't then you complain why he doesn't. he can't win in your eyes.

having seen what he has said over the last few years and last 45 days in particular, my understanding of his position is "he supports what ever the people in Iran want and his job is to try to make their voices be heard as much as he can, full stop." I don't know about you but i can't really disagree with that.

with this statement RP has done a good thing by supporting "iranians" who have been abandoned by evreyone and that is despite his presumed opposition to the leadrs of MKO. can't you just accept that?

all the best

Kaveh

FYI/REZA's CALL: An Iranian Solidarnsoc By DK

Written before the Elections:

//www.payvand.com/news/09/jun/1103.html

IRANdokht RP Fully Supported the united4Iran & other initiatives

  However I believe he did not participate in the Hunger Strike because either Ganji did not want to invite him or because he felt he should not participate directly so that the Hunger Strike would not targeted by the Iranian regime as being manipulated by the Monarchists or Opposition groups outside Iran demanding regime change. On the otherhand Neither Ganji Nor Shirine Ebadi have ever attempted to  meet RP directly for the same reasons which I think is absolutely arrogant on their part. Googoosh after all is a Pahlavi Era Product and has met the Shahbanou to whom she expressed her admiration and support. So the fact that Ganji accepts an entertainer like Googoosh but snubs the Former Empress or his Son is truly not very elegant on his behalf.

  //www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=93388&id=92844506234

 
  I have to admit that This Paranoia on behalf of Iranian Jomhurykhah's in the likes of Hamid Dabashi or Ganji  is Truly Pathetic at times ...

  As for Gaza and the Palestinian Cause,He clearly said it was a tragedy in an interview but that it was not just to see Iranian money by millions and taxes used to finance Hamas and Palestinian needs when IRanians are unemployed and economic  situation has put millions in difficult situations.
Personally I very much doubt that is an Iranian Priority particularly for Any Opposition figurehead who is not in Power and therefore cannot speak in the name of his country's immediate interests in Foreign Policy.
 
 
  Yasmine Pahlavi
  Stand By Me Photoessay of Rally in Washington
 

Camp Ashraf: Iraq's war heroes deserve better treatment

//iranian.com/main/blog/david-et/camp-ashraf-iraqs-war-heroes-deserve-better-treatment

Irandokht aziz

Thank you for your, as always, thoughtful comment. Allow me to make one thing clear at the outset that contrary to common views by my critics I am not a die-hard supporter of Reza Pahalvi. As a matter of fact I am not a die-hard supporter of anything but that is outside this issue. In the last couple of weeks we were reminded by our leading activists like Mr Ganji and Ms Ebadi of the need to uphold justice and human rights in the four corners of the world. Regardless of my misgivings about the UN hunger strike or the choice of green as the color of the movement, I have been supportive of the these protests as long as they are focused on eventual change of the regime.

RP is not by any means flawless but I think we need to highlight any good move that comes from any activist. Be it Pahlavi, Ebadi or even Ganj! This was one such move but as you say there is no competition. Let us see what the rest will do.

Thanks for your interest

FR

Nice Gesture!

The MKO folks used to call Reza Pahlavi as Neem-Pahlavi. It is very gracious of RP to speak against the actions of Iraqi mercenaries of the Islamic regime.

Dear Farah Rusta

First let me ask you if it a competition. Do people win something by making statements before others do?

I am not sure, but I didn't hear RP getting involved with the united4Iran movement. Did he participate in the hunger strike? did he show support of the huge rallies on July 25th?  Maybe the reason he's first to condemn the camp's attack is because he wasn't that busy... 

Camp Ashraf's attack was a sad one by any humanity standards. Well so was Abu-ghraib scandal and Gaza's attack. I think even more people were killed in Gaza than in Camp Ashraf and in reality, they're both camps that have trapped people inside. One in a foreign country and the other in their own land! Did Reza speak of the killings of civilians in Gaza and condemn the killers too?

Well anyway, I am glad that there are some issues that RP speaks of every now and then. I just wish it wasn't for the chance to justify not having done anything of substance and not to demonize others who have been much more active in the scene. 

IRANdokht

Couldn't agree more!

Akbar Ganji, like Shirin Ebadi, is authorized to be a dissident/critc/reformist whatever. One has to only consider his refusal to condemn Khomeini outright (not authorized yet I suppose!) to see his true colors. The rest of his story can be explained in the light of the his unshakable belief in Khomeini's revolution. 

FR

o.k. seen this?

//iranian.com/main/news/2009/07/28-14

Be interested to read your views. 

Mr. Fozolie

But not with "my" commentary, huh!

The point in this blog is to expose the hypocricy of the so-called human rights defenders like Ganji and Ebadi. Got it?

FR

yawn

Posted already:

//iranian.com/main/news/2009/07/30/statement-reza-pahlavi-concerning-state-mko-members-camp-ashraf

Mr. Fozolie