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Islamic attack on democracy
19-Jun-2008
The Islamic Republic of Iran has reached the highest level of illegitimacy. The Illegitimacy is now an evident characteristic of the regime and henceforth can hardly be denied by an increasing majority of people in and out of Iran. Therefore, the Islamic regime, especially its so-called reformist factions, needs activists in the West to prop up the claim of regime’s legitimacy.
Among the various pro-regime cyber-media in the West, Iranian.com is one of the most read websites. Although, it has a secular character, because of its high popularity and openness to any idea cannot escape from the supporters of the IRI.
IRI’s supporters and lobbyists and on this site are three main groups:
--the first group consists of Islamists, either pro Ahmadinejad or not, they are the absolute devotees of Khomeini, the founder of the IRI, and his ideals for an ideal Muslim community, Ummah. Whatever their differences with each others, their writings on this site unmask their of Islamist attitudes; aggression, superstition, anti-democracy, anti- Persianism and anti-non-Muslim culture are their common attitudes. They attack, slander, humiliate and threaten any writer on the site, who rebuts legitimacy of the IRI.
--the second group does not share all traits of the first group; however support the IRI by showing their own ideological or political conviction. They side with the first group in many aspects.
The second group seems to be the teammates of the first group and fulltime staff hired and orchestrated by the institutions of the regime. They are mostly present on the site to do the job. Their job consists of attacking any other thinker who does not tolerate the regime. They incite feeling of nationalism, fear, populism to support the IRI against the “foreign enemy” while attributing feeling of self- deception, immaturity and weakness to people in order to prolong IRI’s parasitic life.
--the third group is a category of regime’s supporters who are supposed to look like “opposition”. This fake opposition consists of some lobby groups, ex-collaborators of the regime and those who have personal interests. They are supposed to neutralise all ideas and activities of the “subversive” opposition.
Although, members of this group mostly live in the West and are enjoying their western lifestyle, paint a rosy picture of daily life in Iran. They come also to the regime's rescues by ignoring or playing down the plight of people. In fact their unconditional supports for the regime go beyond that of some pro-reformists or factions within the regime in Iran. Even protest within the factions of the ruling system sparks their reactions-- Ebadi’s warning of human rights conditions in Iran can be criticised by IRI’s lobby groups in the West.
It is to mention that a segment of the opposition mistakenly considers the second and third group “leftist”. However, the word “leftist” cannot objectively match IRI’s supporters in any circumstances because the regime is in total contradiction with the philosophy of socialism. At best, these IRI’s supporters or lobbyists are “lumpans”, sold members of an antagonistic class to a reactionary regime like the IRI, as Marxist theory of “deception” describes. In fact, they prove a “false consciousness” which irrationally leads them to support one of the most anti-socialist regimes.
IRI’s supporters, malignly or roughly, convinced or self-sold, propagate a series of pro-IRI views which deem to determine people’s passivity. Either religious or ideological, and so on, they attempt to patch up the fate of Iran and Iranians with the further survival of the IRI. This fatalism is to be imposed to all Iranians and especially on other thinkers.
In this perspective, sensitive issues like the military attack on Iran, economic sanctions on Iran, US invasion of Iraq and precarious sovereignty of Iran (initially violated by the regime itself) and IRI’s nuclear progamme are their major issues “Ottoman’s shirt” to insist on IRI’s survival while totally camouflaging the non-Iranian, barbaric and vile characters of this regime.
The second and third group rarely raised the problem of human rights in Iran. Even so, they parrot baseless claims that human rights, democracy, and social justice are improving under the IRI. IRI’s lobbying activists argue that the main factors for economic problems, increasing gap between social classes and human rights violations are not due to the IRI’s mismanagement, class character, and Islamist brutality, but rather the pressure of the West, immaturity of people and resistance from the victims of the regime. They suggest tolerance, patience and acceptance toward the regime.
IRI’s Achilles’ heel is its record of human rights violations. By arguing that all ills of Iran come from any factor but the regime itself, all IRI’s supporters are at the first place supposed to highlight the external factors and western coercive policies as the normal reasons of IRI’s atrocity.
IRI’s supporters on Iranian.com misuse the democracy on the site to support the undemocratic Islamic regime in Iran. Their message concludes baseless and dehumanising condemnation of all other thinkers on the site. They implicitly come to the following conclusion: since the West is the main enemy of “Iran’ (the IRI), any material on this site against the regime automatically parallels with a ploy of “anti-Iranian” enemy. Therefore, any protest toward IRI’s legitimacy deserves legitimate punishment of “traitor”.
Religious or secular, under original or fake name and avatar, aggressive or demagogue, these three groups attempt to blame, slander and weaken the true opposition to the ruling clerical regime.
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There are others too
by Fred on Thu Jun 19, 2008 05:55 PM PDTThe frustrating and eventually liberating characteristic of any democratic venue is the ability of truth to survive cover-ups and organized onslaughts. The special groups that you so nicely have spelled out do produce the bulk of comments and rephrased and rehashed pieces of mostly Anti-Semitic diatribes under the cover of Anti-Zionism and pro Palestinian point of “view”. Likewise the Islamist "peaceniks" use the anti-war, Anti-Americanism as a platform for their amateurish support of the Islamist republic. I usually lump them all up as Islamist/Anti-Semites and their lefty strategic allies and to survive the dreaded deletion, the conjoined twins Islamist lobbies. But the indisputable reality is in one way or another other views are published too. And as far as the lefty supporters of the Islamist regime are concerned they are synonymous with your “lumpens” designation.
Thank you dear sir
by Your friend (not verified) on Thu Jun 19, 2008 05:46 PM PDTMy friend Mr. Rashidian
Thank you for so eloquently stating what the silent majority on this website have felt for a very long time. Unfortunately the root of this issue is a medusa's head that can not be addressed under three or four major categories as evident by Ms. Irandokht's response. You have individuals, who in the name of nationalism and patriotism, support a fascist regime to the point of legitimizing their continued existence. I actually do not doubt Ms. Irandokht's true intentions and although they are very admirable they are at the same time based on false logic. It is so illogical to say that a cancer, an infection, a systemic disorder needs to be accepted and not eradicated. The continued existence of this regime is by far the worst possible outcome for the present and future of our beloved country. To believe that one can have an open dialect with fascism, totalitarianism, an absolute theocracy, a regime of mafias is to be as naive as one can be. This regime like any cancer needs to be eradicated once and for all. But from what I have read from Mr. Jahanshah Javid (true traitor) to Ms. Irandokht (naive individual) there seems to be no hope for the future of our beloved homeland. Ms. Irandokht is the type of an individual who may have a gangrene toe nail that may lead to a septic infection but yet will refuse to cut the nail off to save her life because she can not see that its existence would harm her to a greater degree than losing a nail. This regime unfortunately will not be overthrown from within so with whatever means possible it needs to be eradicated from the outside.
Tray statesmenship...
by Mishdool (not verified) on Thu Jun 19, 2008 05:34 PM PDTWhat are you talking about?:?? The marjority of people in iran chased out the monarchs and here you are some 30 years later and still moaning about illigetimacy of the regime.
Wake up! It's oppositions like you and the mojahedeen that strengthen the mullah's more than anyone else so stop classifying the majority with your qualifiers. People have their own brain and ability to judge, and the more you bash their judgement the more you isolate yourselves and strengthen the mullahs weather you realize it or otherwise.
another perspective
by PedramMoallemian on Thu Jun 19, 2008 05:28 PM PDTAs a fan of the site (despite my MANY objections,) I'm trying to see what category I fit in: As a one time political detainee of IRI, I'm certainly no "devotee of Khomeini", so one is out. I don't have a job that "consists of attacking any other thinker who does not tolerate the regime" by visiting here, so two is out too. Lastly, I do not work for any "lobby group" have never been a "collaborator of the regime" and hold no "personal interests". So much for option three.
Perhaps I (and some other visitors) can belong to a fourth category; those who do not agree with Jahanshah Rashidian's opinion on this topic, but will refuse to label others who do and respect their rights to their opinions.
Ignore them
by Mehran-001 (not verified) on Thu Jun 19, 2008 05:25 PM PDTYou are right that this website has been infiltrated by Fascist Islamist. I however think it is the right of people to decide whether they want to listen or not to listen to their nonsense. For example, I don't read articles from Hoder or Kaveh Afrasiabi and don't make comments on them. If enough people stop reading them and making comments, they will eventually disappear. Please remember that every time you click on an article there is a counter that tell how popular the article has been. Imagine that the counter to be zero on the auditor page? I can assure you the columnist will be asked to go elsewhere.
Ignoring these characters are the best thing to do.
The Source of 'Misuse'
by Niki on Thu Jun 19, 2008 05:21 PM PDTYou know who "misuses" this site? Those who want to muzzle their opponents by categorizing them as "IRI supporters" or whatever other label they think will do the most harm.
You know who else "misuses" this site? Those shameless people who make instrumental use of human rights for their own political ends.
And how ironic, and sadly unsurprising, that the same people who want to preach to us about human rights are the ones who try to silence their opponents with dirty tricks.
Very Well Put, Mr. Rashidian
by G. Rahmanian (not verified) on Thu Jun 19, 2008 05:07 PM PDTYou worte:
"They(supporters of the regime)suggest tolerance, patience and acceptance toward the regime."
And here's what I wrote in response to a blog which advocated the same false ideas about how to build a democracy in Iran under the current regime:
"Let's review Iran's history of the past thirty years and remember people's demands for freedom and democracy and what has been done to those demands and those who advocate them.
Today in Iran, it is not the majority of Iranians who are intolerant and disrespectful of each other, it is the laws of the land that enforce and promote intolerance, division and hatred."
Where are these people???
by Liberal Agnostic (not verified) on Thu Jun 19, 2008 05:05 PM PDTWhere are these people??? Please name some names? Put some examples of posts which fit the said criteria?? It seems to me to be the complete opposite. Anyone who mentions Islam or Khomeini or considers for a moment that one or two positive things may have come out of the IRI, or protests a US attack on Iran, gets slandered and harrassed. This is the reality - the majority of people who use this site are outside Iran and so always have an axe to grind - you often can't even open this site inside Iran - I know from first hand experience.
You are obviously not truly a liberal, because you have no right whatsoever to set the bounds of discussion or what constitutes freedom of expression - the whole point is that it is undefined and doesn't have parameters - the right to offend, as long as it's not inciting violence, even liberal and secular beliefs, is a right which belongs to all members of a liberal society - so freedom is saying Mohammad was a paedophile, yes I agree that is freedom, but stating that the Shah was a dictator or that Israeli policies are inhumane are also expressions of freedom. You need to respect other people opinions and not just call them 'an abuse of freedom' when those opinions are not to your liking. In fact this is just what the Islamists say - they say freedom in small amounts is fine but then a girl wearing a mini skirt is an 'abuse of freedom' - this is all rubbish - all that is happening is that different sides of the ideological spectrum are trying to control the debate for themselves.
This kind of language is the result of certain parties on this site who only want the freedom to express their own beliefs. Respect other peoples opinions and if you want to criticize then at least name names so people can defend themselves instead of creating some vague categories you claim correspond to people's opinions on this site. Barely any one praises Khomeini or the IRI on this site and if they do just look at the infinite list of insults, criticisms and counterarguments they are faced with. This is a democratic forum and nobody has a right to define the limits of that debate and what is to be considered 'free expression' and likewise the 'abuse of that freedom' - if I can say that Mohammad was a paedophile, Moses a dictator, and Mary a slut, I should also be able to say that Khomeini was a great man or whatever. Do you not have enough faith in your own or the members of this site's intellectual ability to challenge such an assertion???? I do.
Can we have a chart, please?
by Anonymous-today (not verified) on Thu Jun 19, 2008 05:02 PM PDTThis is very confusing. A visual aid will be greatly appreciated such as an Excel spreadsheet and / or a pie chart. Also, this part is very wrong headed: "Among the various pro-regime cyber-media in the West, Iranian.com is one of the most read websites. Although, it has a secular character, because of its high popularity and openness to any idea cannot escape from the supporters of the IRI." The first sentence starts with an apparent "trusim" at least to you, that Iranian.com is a pro-regime site. Where is your evidence? There is, pound per pound, more anti-IRI stuff on this site, inclduing your own stuff than what one might term pro-IRI. In case you've forgotten this is an open forum moderated by Mr. javid who has never hidden his own feelings regarding the regime. It seems to me that unless this site accepts at its mission the overthrow of the IRI and only prints stuff that are in clear anatgonism towards the IRI you would call it pro-IRI. Nowhere Javid has said this is a partisan site. So what is your beef?
a revelation...
by IRANdokht on Thu Jun 19, 2008 05:00 PM PDTThis is so disappointing!
I always admired you for being able to express yourself so well in different languages and with a fluent style of writing, but I don't like this new language of hate and paranoia!
you and a few others have tried to shove people in different boxes and label them quickly. I know I have fell victim of it a few times and I am not even as active as some others here. All I needed to do was disagree with someone's point of view and voila! I was an apologist, a leftist and whatever!
The funny thing is the ones who labeled me have in one way or another at some point of their lives supported IRI and I never have! I never even participated in any rah-peymayi or protest during shah time and my whole family voted "no" for IRI, I was kicked out of school by the islamists for being taghooti and called lots of names for not complying with the government until I was forced to leave the country.
But I open my mouth here to express my admiration for a group of people who are working on our behalf and lobbying the American politicians to keep them from bombing our country and I get labeled and frowned upon.
why not practice tolerance for those who have a different point of view than yours? maybe you still can learn something new and using your intelligence and wonderful talent for writing, you could even start writing in a positive and constructive way to attract more people and unite the ones who are truly against the current regime.
We all have to be careful not to act in a way that would bring bitterness and animosity amongst the opposition. Lets unite everyone and open our minds and our hearts to others who don't see the world in black and white.
respectfully
IRANdokht
hahahahaha....
by Anonymous8 (not verified) on Thu Jun 19, 2008 04:49 PM PDTDefinition of a dictator:
- the guy who decides who is "abusing" democracy.
What this really exposes is that Mr. Rashidian's idea of democracy is and has always been self-serving. That is not an uncommon thing among Iranians.
ur right!!!
by shah-he-bozorg (not verified) on Thu Jun 19, 2008 04:43 PM PDTyou are right! let's kill all religious people.
lets slaughter them, and go back to our beloved Iran.
Iran has no room for any Muslims at all. We will bomb their religious buildings, massacre their women, children and akhunds, and tear down any memory of islam in Iran.
What do you guys say?