I recently stumbled across a book which gives a harrowing account of prisons in the Islamic Republic. The book is called, ‘Letters to my torturer, love, imprisonment in Iran’ by journalist Houshang Asadi. The fact that Houshang spent the years before the Catastrophe of 1979 opposing the Shah warrants attention, as his personal friendship with the then small time opium smoker Ali Khamenei before he was fast-tracked through to the rank of Ayhatollah, and ultimately Supreme Leader.
Througout the book Asadi expresses his sense of betrayal that the leftists and Islamists he trusted implicitly would inflict horrendous physical and mental torture on him. However, the biggest revelation is the way he grudgingly admits that he was never treated this inhumanely under the Shah. However, Asadi’s sense of betrayal amongst the leftists and liberals of Iran is not unique and indeed, Asadi’s expereince confirms that non-violent opposition to his regime was largely tolerated. The cover of the book perfectly sums up Asadi’s spells in prison during the regime of the Shah as a “minor inconvenience” and little did he know of the gruesome punishment that would await him and others Iranians after 1979. Asadi, Bazargan, Shamlou, Forouhar, and the singer Dariush Eghbali are just some of those amonst the Left of the Iranian political scene who gained their fame and even flourished in fmae or creativity under the Shah’s rule but are now have been killed by the monster they helped pave the way for or are living in exile indefinitely. Take the singer Dariush Eghbali , who was at the peak of his music creativity with his politically motivated songs challenging the poltical status quo of the Shah, where is he now? Yet, during an interview with Voice of America last year he seemed to sugegst that there is no real fundamental difference between the regime of the Shah and that of the Islamic Republic. The difference, Mr Eghabli, is that you are living in exil, rather that inside your country. THAT IS THE DIFFERENCE. If other Iranians like Mr Eghbali cannot tell the difference then their judgment is beyond repair.
Some of the Left learned their lesson, take Shapur Bakhtiya, who opposed the Shah, and was imprissoned, but yet he was willing to put aside his differences for the love of his country and knew that what the a government run by a mob of Islamist/Marxists was infinitely worse than that of the Shah.
Indeed, when Reza Pahlavi, was asked the question directly as to why there was no liberal democracy during his father’s regime, he accepted the fact, and did not try to defend it. However, if politcal freedoms were absenst, the Shah more than made up for it for social equality,emancipation of women and their right in the work place.
However, what has this to do with Mousavi? You may ask. Has he learned the lesson of other misguided leftists such as Asadi? In 2009 Mosuavi remarked that the torture and ruthless clampdown of demosntrators in the rigged election of that year by the government forces were “far worse than that of the Shah”.If this is so , then why does he not demand for the overthrow of the Islamist regime in the same way he did for the Shah? Is there an inch of regret or compassion for the thousands killed before 2009 , especially during the time he was in office as prime minister in the early ninteen eighties? Mousavi has conducted himself as a gutless coward and still vows allegiance to Ruhollah Khomeini, murderer, mad man and self-confessed paedophile.
When you see a supporter of Maryam Rajavi, or an over excited ‘Green’ supporter trying to flog you a green breacelet, just smile and walk on knowing their life and achievements have been a total failure.
