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Inviting intervention
10-Dec-2007
Last week, Akbar Ganji received the annual award from Rights and Democracy (or International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development), a Canadian government-funded organisation which is known to be the Canadian version of the American National Endowment for Democracy.
In his speech, he openly called for Western government's support to spread democracy and human rights in Iran, according to the Persian version of his speech, published by Dutch-funded 'pro-democracy' projects, Rooz Online and Radio Zamaneh.
The award was given to him by Saad Eddin Ebrahim one of the most avid supporters of the now-defunct Neo-conservative plans to spread democracy in the Middle East, who has also been the director of Rights and Democracy and now sits on its board of directors. (Ibrahim was previously the director of the American Islamic Congress and is still on its board, is on the advisory committee of the Journal of Democracy, published by the National Endowment for Democracy, and is exclusively represented by Benador Association. See where else he is or has been serving.)
The award was supposed to be given to Ibrahim. But according to Janice Stein, the chair of the Rights and Democracy board that also include Mr. Ibrahim, decided to award Ganji instead of Ibrahim. (Source: Rooz Online)
Before handing the award to Ganji, Ibrahim praised Ganji and talked about the many similarities between himself and Ganji. Ironically, among other things, both men have been previously praised and supported by George W. Bush. When Ibrahim was arrested and eventually found guilty and sentenced to seven years of hard labour by the Egyptian state, Bush suspended a $150m aid package to Egypt, as a result of the verdict. He later met Bush in a 'democracy' conference in Prague in 2006 and recalled Bush telling him: "So don’t lose hope. We are supporting you, and we are with you."
Akbar Ganji, too, while spending the last months of his sentence in 2005, enjoyed Bush's unprecedented and firm support. "Mr. Ganji, please know that as you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you," he said in a statement published by the White House. How do you think one should interpret all this? Ganji has increasingly become outspoken against military attack and sanctions against Iran and I personally admire him for his courage to do so.
But one has to be quite naive not to see the obvious contradictions between his anti-war and anti-sanction stance and his justification and calls for foreign intervention in Iran with the usual pretext of 'human rights' and 'democracy'. (Interestingly enough, Ibrahim calls for Western help toward democratization in the Arab world in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.)
To me, Akbar Ganji's opposition to Bush and his administration's hardline stance against Iran doesn't mean he is in principle against foreign intervention. In fact, in his own words 'Western governments' should 'support human rights and democracy in Iran,' and that is exactly what the American Democrats think too.
Just wait and see how, with a change of administration in the forthcoming U.S. elections, Ganji and similar figures (such as Shirin Ebadi, Abbas Milani, Ali Afshari, etc.) would become proponents of the new policy toward Iran which, according to a friend, would try to buy the Iranian revolution, rather than bombing it.
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Obviously Mullahs have been very smart .....
by Asghar Javan (not verified) on Mon Dec 10, 2007 08:01 PM PSTWhen you look at the list of people that Mullahs put in jails, and then after they were released and somehow got to US or other western countires, you find that the people Mullahs put in jail are for the most part anti-iranian parasites, supporters of Zionists, and neo-cons, and supporters of enemies of Iranian nation.. So, one can only reach one conclusion: Mollahs are smart, they know whom to grab and put in jail, and if all these are evidence, I would say mullahs are nationalists and patriots.
A/J/
Joojeh tried to act like a rooster
by Jesus (not verified) on Mon Dec 10, 2007 07:17 PM PSTIf you are going to criticize somebody in the manner that he has, you have to be at least morally, and ethically their quivalent. What has hoder done? He supports Ahmadinejad, calls him a genius, he supports execution, stoning, he supports the second citizen treatment women get in Iran. He does this indirectly. He has not done jack shit (for lack of better term) to better the country, other than writing nonsense, and superficial analysis of the political situation in Iran.
He is tremendously ignorant, and unfortunately, there is no way to engage him in a true and geniune politcal discourse. For someone who lives in the comfort of the west, while supporting the Islamic republic to criticize the opposition and particularly folks like Gangi is nothing short of shameful.
Stop writing H Drakhshan
by Anonymously yours (not verified) on Mon Dec 10, 2007 07:13 PM PSTI don't blame you hoder for what you are writing. You are paid for it by the regime and you have to keep doing your job, otherwise how are you going to do your living. Your time is up, no one trust you a bit, so please stop writing and don't waste iranian.com space, because no one read them anyway.
Re: Janice
by jamshid on Mon Dec 10, 2007 06:11 PM PSTHow do you engage in an "intellectual" discussion with a pro stoning, pro child executing, pro torturing individual? Could you please enlighten me?
And please don't say Hoder is not any of these. He is totally supporting this regime which does engage in these brutal acts.
Either come up with an answer or be quite.
To Janice: You MAY have a point BUT...
by aaj sr (not verified) on Mon Dec 10, 2007 04:17 PM PSTHow can you reason with some one who constantly, lies, and accuse people without any shred of proof/document? One may argue and counter him few times, but if he continues the trend, what do you do?
Ignore him? insult him?, or keep writing informing NEW readers who may not be familiar with his dangerous accusatory, misinforming tactics. Some of his lies and accusations have had severe consequences in some people's lives (I know a couple of them, who were devastated emotionally) and that's not a fare game to let him continue and ruin innocent lives. This is everyone's DUTY to confront him every time he writes with intend of character assassination, accusation and creating division among oppositions.
We, Iranian, believe what we read most of the time, or at least the reading will effect our judgment without having enough time or desire for verifying the resources.
I strongly suggest you to read his previous blogs in this and other sites; follow comments left by people who know him or are familiar with his past history.
To Janice
by Anonymous-everyday (not verified) on Mon Dec 10, 2007 11:49 AM PSTRead my comment on Hoder's last article titled "Rejecting [European] Rationalism" (it's in Persian).
The west should intervene?
by Bored Iranian dude (not verified) on Mon Dec 10, 2007 11:31 AM PSTThe IRI is an iranian problem, and an iranian problem alone. No other country should directly help the resistance other than allowing them visas to stay. If iranians are so die hard to change Iran, they can do it without asking for western blood and money, which will just cost iranian blood and money in double digit interest rates. No please keep "the west" out of this. They have done more than enough.
To Ben Medadi
by Janice (not verified) on Mon Dec 10, 2007 11:28 AM PSTBen, I've read this same standard response you give to everyone with whom you disagree with. What else? Do you have an argument challenging the premises and arguments in this piece?
i suspect you have not even read it, because you always use the same response. Why do you even bother then?
Purely "Political" Activity Is Weak
by Mehdi on Mon Dec 10, 2007 11:22 AM PSTAny activist who uses only "political" stance and never involves himself/herself in anything else will not eventually be successful. I believe one has to tinker with all aspects of life more or less at the same time in order to find a way out. I find that people who "specialize" only in politics, they end up going off the road because their view is limited. What about philosophy, science, religion, etc? It is not enough to just look at the existing powers and try to come up with a solution based on manipulation of these. One has to also be creative and innovative. You can't solve the problem of Iran only through political action.
Janice: The short answer is NO
by Ben (not verified) on Mon Dec 10, 2007 11:21 AM PSTIranians subscribe to conspiracy theories, bad pop music and fantasy politics..... You won't find a "challenge" in the comments section here... just accusations about moms, dads, wives, sisters, lovers, and all of us work for secret organizations and get paid that way. lol
About the comment below
by Ben Madadi on Mon Dec 10, 2007 11:06 AM PSTHow do you argue with a supporter of a regime which acts wholly against its own citizens, hanging them for speaking their minds, and selling their oil and supporting other terorist organisations with the revenue? Isn't this arguement enough?
I wonder if there is one
by Janice (not verified) on Mon Dec 10, 2007 10:53 AM PSTI wonder if there is one intelligent person here who can argue against him, not attack his personality or calling him an agent of the Islamic Republic etc.
Is that how Iranian diaspora always engage with critisism?
intervention in Iran
by Anonymous-haha (not verified) on Mon Dec 10, 2007 09:18 AM PSTLast time the west intervened in Iran, they installed a brutal puppet that is adored by many iranians in the western world.
Iran belongs to Iranians.Ganji has superior guts to demand west to interven and impose their values on us like Iranians lack the brains to move Iran forward.
never trust the west!!
OK!
by Ben Madadi on Mon Dec 10, 2007 08:40 AM PSTWill I be flagged to write that this hoder figure is the only serious IDIOT on this website?! Idiot is too good a word for a person who supports a regime which hangs people for "crimes" ranging from speaking theri mind to accepting the blame of having killed someone when they were 14 years old. But Jahanshah is doing a good thing that he is also publishing these articles. These people do exist and some of them actually believe in what theya re saying!
Everybody loves Hoder
by Anonymous2 (not verified) on Mon Dec 10, 2007 08:35 AM PSTLet's face it, people, you all love Hoder; that is you either love him or love to hate him. And I think this is a mutual love. The guy sure knows how to push your buttons. Have fun y'all.
Mullahs' reward
by Anonymous x (not verified) on Mon Dec 10, 2007 08:26 AM PSTHoder, you get your reward from Mullahs too. Do not be jealous to your older brother, agha Akbar, you will get a better one.