I just saw the news that Khomeini’s grandson, Ali Eshraghi, has not been allowed to participate in the March parliamentary elections in Iran. I was looking at the picture of the guy and I was almost feeling the TERROR of Khomeini in my body. You remember how he looked. I could almost feel how the old man was able to kill mercilessly for what he believed to be the cause of Shia Islam. This guy, Mr Eshraghi, looks so much like his mass-murderer grandfather.
By the way, the grandfather was indeed a ruthless man who will in time, definitely, be exposed, but the fact of the matter is that Khomeini was adored by the vast majority of Iranians. He was probably the most loved Iranian ruler since the Safavid. Well, we cannot know this for sure! But neither the Qajar, nor the Pahlavi were loved by ordinary Iranians. They were just feared at best. And they had very few, though powerful, true followers.
But Khomeini… no, he was truly loved by Iranians. His followers were ordinary people, weak as individuals though powerful in masses. Even my relatives who hated him, the female ones mostly, cried when he died! I was shocked, but I have for a long time been starting to learn not to be shocked by human ignorance, as it has little limits. And I had relatives (no fan left anymore) who loved him a lot. Some of them would die for him. And this is my family who were quite educated. Less educated Iranians were far more fanatic about Khomeini. So, enough about Khomeini’s crimes and atrocities! By the way, I am not so sure about this, but didn’t Khomeini also order the mass killing of many ordinary Iranian Kurds just like Saddam had done about Iraqi Kurds? It doesn’t matter anyway, adding some more thousands here and there!
And I don’t quite understand why they rejected this guy, Mr Ali Eshraghi!? Did they also feel the terror when they saw the relatively young fellow, and their pens got off the right track? Very hard to imagine the exact motives! Or is he actually a drug-addict, a heavy-drinker, or something who has just gone out of the basic necessities and needs some serious parliamentary cash? Or maybe he is just a moderate!?!?
I really don’t want to say anything I don’t know. I don’t know much about the guy. He may also be a nice guy, a grandson of a popular mass-murderer who has legitimate rights that any normal citizen must have! Even the children and grand children of mass murderers must be given all the chances that any other normal citizen must have, right? I actually think so. But, why, just why did they reject this man’s application to run for parliament? Maybe someone can come up with the true reason as I am in the dark.
I actually didn’t really want to talk about this politically and socially irrelevant person who brings the most horrifying images about our Islamic revolution gone bad. But I also read that Mr Eshraghi was upset because his family thought that the banning was an insult. This was the word that actually puzzled me. Insult on what? Has Khomeini’s family turned moderate now? Even if this guy is an Islamic moderate and even if he is a decent citizen and a true patriot, I think they (he and his family) ought either to shut up and stay anonymous or denounce the atrocities of the grandfather first, then talk about moderation and rights.
Who is talking here? They feel insulted because the ‘hardliners’ rejected Mr Eshraghi’s application for parliament? Why do they feel insulted? Because their grandfather founded the Islamic Republic? Yes, he did, and thank God he died. Those who are ruling the IRI now are far better than Khomeini. Or maybe it is just a coincidence, and if Khomeini hadn’t done the hard work (killing probably one hundred thousand of his own Iranian opponents) in the early times, they would have done it later. His atrocities are not just limited to the executions. His social and economic policies, and his urging little teenagers (13-14 year-olds aplenty) to go to war and die, were probably even more odious and outrageous.
But anyway, I hope if someone thinks that I was harsh on Mr Eshraghi, I will be forgiven on the grounds of emotions after having noticed the incredible resemblance to his grandfather. I think the grandson owns the Iranian people an apology first. Or he shall keep quiet and avoid the public sphere.
The other huge problem is indeed the fact that the Guardian Council is banning thousands of people from participating in elections. This is not democracy indeed, though I personally don’t mind Khomeini’s grandson being banned 🙂 Okay, he could run in a normal democracy too, I was just kidding. In case too many people are not allowed to participate and run for parliament the best thing Iranians can do is to stay home and ignore the whole process. But it is bad for freedom and bad for the country to go and vote one of many who are the same type of people.
I have nothing against moderate Muslims running against Conservative Muslims, but one hardliner running against another hardliner, one who thinks Khomeini must have killed twice as many against the other who thinks that he was perfectly right on mark, that is not okay! Want to be a patriotic Iranian and show your care for the future of your country? Don’t go to vote so that the leaders understand the desire of the people. Boycott the vote and be a true Iranian!
