Khatami: worst choice
It is very saddening to find that Iranians never learn from their mistakes
["Iranian
of the Year"]. Long time ago when I was a little boy I came about
hearing stories about what type of people mollas are. Obviously when Khomeini's
name re-appeared in the media I became enthusiastic that Iranians have
found someone who would stand up to the Shah who obviously seemed to have
developed a very corrupt system of ruling the country. So I went out to
the streets and along with other Iranians chanted "Death to the Shah"
and hoped for the better not realising that the fabric of the clergy (any
clergy for that matter) is the same and the forgot that power corrupts.
Obviously I was not the only person who was misguided and lots of other
Iranians hoped for the better when they, more or less, welcomed Khomeini.
Now in hindsight I have been awakened once again to the fact that apart
from the fact that power corrupts (which is evidenced by all the atrocities
that Khomeini committed and his successors are following up the same course
whether one may say that those who committed the atrocities while Khomeini
was alive are continuing with what they were doing then and Khomeini himself
is not to blame that I vehemently disagree with in any case) it is true
that religious rule is the worst government as it draws on the power of
"god" and the religious people will do anything they wish to
do by resorting to the excuse that what they say is "god's" commands.
Anyway to make all this short, Iranians are again being fooled by a
"progressive" molla. But as usual religion has never been progressive
for their promoters to be progressive and as such those who are foolishly
hoping to establish a democratic regime under Khatami are again blindfolded
with the fact that first of all he is a molla and as such can not be progressive
regardless of what he says. And the fact that what he does is completely
different from what he says is another reason that Iranians are again chasing
their own tails and are hoping for some good to come out from this very
shrewd and clever clergy who is manipulating Iranians to score points with
his competition who is Khamenei's faction.
It seems to me that Iranians don't have an alternative currently as
those who advocate return to monarchy are up to their own old tricks.
Mojahedin have shown that they are quite immature and communists have failed
to show any hope for the future of human societies. I suppose that the
fact that Iranians don't have anyone to lead them and there does not seem
to be any political party in existence that could be trusted to unite Iranians
behind itself has driven the Iranian people to find a refuge in Khatami.
But I am afraid this is the worst option Iranians have got. In the hope
that some day Iranians wake up to the fact that they are in this mess because
they submitted to Islam.
Jamshid E.