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Let’s Have a Referendum. Not!
04-Dec-2008
I am still a new kid in this Iranian.com block, still testing the waters, still holding my tongue. And it is in true Iranian fashion that I author these words humbly, paying reverence to the veterans and seasoned writers first and for most. Although I am no longer a youngster by any stretch of the imagination, I am a child of the revolution; a kid robbed of a “normal” childhood and forced to grow up fast in the chaotic streets of Tehran.
There were no tea parties for me, no doll-houses, no juvenile role plays, no casual strolls down our alley, no blushing at the sight of a first crush. I wasn’t groomed in the art of traditional Persian cooking or Gillani dress making. Instead, I threaded my way through childhood by re-enacting war games of political rallies. I passed out subversive pamphlets to my playmates and spray-painted the outhouse with militant slogans. I pretended to assemble Molotov cocktails and burned tires to counteract the effects of the make-believe tear gas.
And later on, when my father exiled me to the countryside to be rehabilitated under the watchful eyes of his oldest sister, I decorated the family farmhouse with red revolutionary cries and before long returned to Tehran resembling a guerilla who had just stepped out of Iran’s northern jungles. By my adolescent years, after the war with Iraq was already in progress, I hosted family send-offs to the front-line and catered funerals.
In fewer words, my childhood was plagued by politics, and as a result, my adult life is peppered with persistent whys:
-- Why aren’t we free?
-- Why are we still debating the return of Pahlavi?
-- Why aren’t we united to reclaim the legacy of our uprising?
-- And on a lighter note, why can’t I call Khamenei a moron on TV?
In 1944, when Mosaddeq together with nineteen other Iranian patriots founded Jebhe Melli, the modern struggle of Iranians for democracy was born. Today, that struggle is sixty four years old. Numerous lives have been sacrificed at altar of freedom, and thirty years have passed since the last revolution, but our political activities are still confused, still calling for a referendum to determine the future of our nation.
Our motherland has said no to the Pahlavi dynasty, has rejected the dark ages of mullahs, has dismissed the advances of Mojahedin-e Khalq to tryout another flavor of Islam, and still awaits the revelation of a new, coherent proposal from the radical left.
As a child of the revolution, I have earned the right to say on behalf of my motherland, “What part of no don’t you understand, gentlemen?” And as an Iranian woman who is anything but a “silenced, mute, and answerless mother,” [see eroonman's "The Little Prince"] I submit to you the fruit of my labor: Generations of patriots and freedom fighters raised by Persian mothers since the dawn of our civilization. Unite them to change our future!
A referendum in the current environment of Iran is a joke at its best and a fraud at its worst. Upon whom will we bestow our trust to conduct and monitor such a referendum? Corrupted civil servants eager to sell their services to the highest bidder? How about a mishmash of various political groups, each with a different agenda and allegiance? Even better, we can forgo the headache and aggravation altogether and turn the whole referendum over to an international monitoring group. Wait! When was the last time we trusted foreigners to do right by us? Does anyone still remember the outcome?
What our nation needs is not another half-baked referendum but a group of founding leaders who by the courage of their convictions are driven to spell out our rights as the citizens of an ancient civilization:
-- We pay homage to no foreign power;
-- We reserve the right to defend ourselves against any and all foreign intruders;
-- We wish to rip the riches of our land to feed our poor;
-- We hunger for peace to build a better future for our children;
-- We bestow power to a republic encompassing all ethnic groups within our borders;
-- We grant temporary power only to elected public servants;
-- We reserve the legal right to dismiss public officials and prosecute them for abuse of such power;
-- We possess the inherent and non-alienable rights to freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of religion, freedom to bear arms, freedom to assemble, and freedom to demonstrate.
Once these collective principles are recognized by Iranian political factions, the road for democracy is paved; if denied or bent to suit one’s own interests, we have with all likelihood another tyranny on our hands.
The seeds of freedom are sown by bold patriots whose unwavering principles embrace a nation together until democracy takes roots. Our rights as the citizens of an ancient civilization must not be up for debate or subject to the outcome of any referendum. We need not another referendum! We need unity under the Derafshe Kaviani, a 5,000 year old symbol of Persian resistance towards oppression, a banner risen by a common man to topple tyranny.
Will you heed his glorious call to unity?]=
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The French Revolution is relevant!
by Iranian Reader on Fri Dec 05, 2008 11:32 AM PSTCome on guys, who can possibly AUTHORITATIVELY claim that the revolution in Iran was a NO to this or that. I myself think the return of Pahlavi monarchy is so unlikely that it hardly matters what I think or like. Perhaps if others also thought of it as such a far, far remote likelihood they wouldn't try to convince others with such iron resolve and strong language! I mean, would you get all worked up to set forth your conviction that the earth is not flat? Don't you know that, zaboonam laal, this excess effort might appear to your enemies as weakness of position?!
That said, God bless DK for bringing up the French Revolution. (We should all study the French Revolution very carefully; we are still living in the era that began with it!) You must know that after the Republic was established and the Terror that followed (to make a long story short!) Napoleon ended up declaring himself emperor in 1804 (i.e. return to monarchy). Then after the defeat of Napoleon (to make an even longer story short!) followed decade after decade of "return" of Bonaparte and Bourbons monarchies in the 19th century. And, as DK pointed out, the debate about a plebiscite (referndum) was both interesting and relevant.
So why is so out of the question for us to have that debate?! Or, those of you who seem to be in the know, was a the revolution a NO to that too?!
EXPLAIN
by ??? (not verified) on Fri Dec 05, 2008 11:24 AM PSTWhat powers will a constitutional monarch have? What powers does the Queen of England have for example? Is she corrupt? Is King of Sweden corrupt? Is the Queen of Netherlands corrupt?
Dear Readers:
by LalehGillani on Fri Dec 05, 2008 11:04 AM PSTI am honored that you have taken the time to listen to what I have to say. After reading your discussions, I must reply to a few inquiries briefly:
Personally, I don't trust the outcome of any referendums held in Iran in the past or the present time. Consequently, the legitimacy of IRI based on a referendum held in April of 1979 is highly questionable. Only under democratic conditions protected by the rule of law a nation can feel confident that a fair and free election has been held. (In 1979, there was anything but the rule of law in Iran. Believe me! I was there!) We haven't had such conditions in Iran for a long, long, long time...
Even if we accept the outcome of 1979 referendum, The Islamic Republic of Iran has simply betrayed our nation by thirty years of oppression and blood shed. Therefore, the result of that referendum is null and void.
On the other hand, there are certain principles that ought not to be subject to the outcome of a referendum. At the heart of these principles lies a simple fact that I have borrowed by putting a slight twist to a popular English axiom: Permanent power corrupts!
I admire His Majesty, Reza Pahlavi, tremendously. He is the last Crown Prince of my motherland! The tradition of monarchy is deeply rooted in our history, and I for one don’t deny its elusive lure. However, at this defining moment in the history of our nation, the measure of patriotism is not only the acts that one chooses to do but also what one refuses to do.
In 1783, after wining the War of Independence against the Great Britain, George Washington, beloved by his people, was offered to become king. This offer was made at a time when the memory of King George was still fresh amongst Americans. Some remembered the old king fondly; others reviled him. What George Washington chose not to do marks a pivotal moment in the history of his nation. When he opted out of establishing a dynasty, he displayed the ultimate expression of wisdom and patriotism. Do you know why?
Because permanent power corrupts!
Inversion
by Abol Hassan Danesh, Ph.D. From UCR (not verified) on Fri Dec 05, 2008 10:45 AM PSTThere are new things one can see with this inversion:
1. The original crown before inversion looks like the english letter "W"
2. The crown after its inversion looks like the english letter "M"
3. An upright crown from the perpective of new born baby appears in inversion until the baby learns to invert what is inverted to see thing as they are out there straight--is Laleh a new born baby? if so there give her some milk to suckle ....
4. If it is a heavenly ctown then upon its descendence looks like a leaf that goes through many flip flop (Like an astraunat in free space) until luckily rests somewhere straight upright correctly.
5. Thanks God Turban is things of the past and no one makes any of it anymore for inversion or other purposes
6. With inversion the crown also appears like a war helmet the one that gladitor was wearing in the movie...
7. Hope these observations kept your head hot and warm and kicking ...so you don't need to wear any hat hot in cold winter...
8. Is laleh a secret roman admirer? endorsing roman golden headband for the emperor immune from inversion-- the one that "johny cash" was wearing the in the movie the gladiator...
9. Finally is she also plan to invert the saudi flag with Ashahannaa...or not for new perspective?
10. Finally who made the pahlavi crown and what is the whole story behind its making...let's do some study
//blogs.mercurynews.com/vindu/wp-content/phot...
//www.sillyjokes.co.uk/images/dress-up/acc/ha...
FYI/New Documentary: THE QUEEN AND I by Nahid Persson
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Dec 05, 2008 10:50 AM PSTYour Generation Or Mine ?
FILM: The Queen and I
In her award-winning documentary Prostitution Behind the Veil, about two Iranian prostitutes, Nahid Persson expressed fierce criticism on the position of women in her native country. This drove the Islamic regime to accuse the leftist documentary-maker of monarchist sympathies. Whereas during the Iranian Revolution in the late seventies she helped depose the shah the Iranian king. In reaction to these reprimands, Nahid decides to make a film about the last Iranian queen Farah, who lives abroad, like herself. This leads to a fascinating encounter of two women with clashing political visions, who develop an improbable friendship in the two years of their association. Nahid expressly appears on-screen together with the queen and in the voice-over tells about the problems she runs into. For example, out of sympathy and for fear that the now 70-year-old Farah will refuse further cooperation, she does not really dare ask the queen any really confronting questions about the shah's heartless regime. These are interesting reflections, which bring to light a number of dilemmas every documentary-maker contends with. In how far do you let your subjects impose their will on you? And to what extent do you comply with the image people want to create of themselves
30 years after filmmaker Nahid Persson Sarvestani participated in the revolution to overthrow the Shah and the Monarchy regime in Iran, she finds herself still fascinated by the former queen whose fairytale life had intrigued her as a child. Disillusioned by the Islamic revolution that betrayed her trust and forced her into exile, Persson Sarvestani turns the focus to her new film to an unlikely subject: Farah Diba, the Shah's wife. In the process of filming the antagonist of her revolutionary past for almost two years, Persson Sarvestani and her former enemy encounter frequent confrontations and revelations that evolve into an unforeseen journey of two women in exile, who have more in common than any of them could envision.
FYI/Beheaded for Asking a Referendum ;0)
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Dec 05, 2008 10:28 AM PSTFood for Thought and Debate:
I saw a very interesting documentary on this lady recently on French TV and I thought I would bring it up at some point in regard to the Referandum debate. Unfortunately I was Only able to find the following videos on Her on youtube and not the documentary I was searching for but anyhow these are better than nothing.
So Khanoumha va Aghayoun For your Meditation ...
Olympe de Gouges (May 7, 1748 – November 3, 1793), was a playwright and political activist whose feminist and slave abolitionist writings reached a large audience.
A proponent of democracy, she demanded that French women be given the same rights as French men. In her Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen (1791), she challenged the practice of male authority and the notion of male-female inequality. She was executed by guillotine during the Reign of Terror for attacking the regime of Maximilien Robespierre and for her close relation with the Girondists.
As her hopes were disappointed, she became more and more vehement in her writings. On June 2, 1793, the Jacobins arrested her allies, the Girondins, and sent them to the guillotine. Finally, her piece Les trois urnes, ou le salut de la Patrie, par un voyageur aérien (The Three Urns, or the Health of the Country, By An Aerial Voyager) of 1793, led to her arrest. That piece demanded a plebiscite for a choice among three potential forms of government: the first, indivisible Republic, the second, a federalist government, or the third, a constitutional monarchy.
She spent three months in jail and not having an attorney, she tried to defend herself. Through her friends she managed to publish two texts: Olympe de Gouges au tribunal révolutionnaire, where she related her interrogations, and the last work, Une patriote persécutée, where she condemned the Terror. The Jacobins, who already had executed a King and Queen, were in no mood to tolerate any opposition from the intellectuals. Olympe was sentenced to death on November 2, 1793, and executed the following day, a month after Condorcet had been proscribed and several months after the Girondin leaders had been guillotined.
Student Project on The thoughts and Writings of Olympe de Gouges
Thoughts about Revolution expressed by French Intellectuals
Is the point Monarchy or freedom?
by Abarmard on Fri Dec 05, 2008 09:48 AM PSTThe importance is the goal, which is freedom and democracy; the system should be a tool reaching there. If the point is Monarchy (one believes that the only solution for Iran is Shahanshah) then there are problems with this article as a point of view, but if the point is democracy and freedom for Iran, then one should agree with the fundamental reasoning of this article.
It is understandable for one to argue that the only way for Iran to be a democratic system and a free society is through Monarchy, but that is limiting in many ways and also slightly close minded. Perhaps a list of pros and cons for a Federal/Republic of Iran vs Monarchy is a proper way to solve some confusions among many Iranians.
Why are we still debating the return of Pahlavi?
by Fara (not verified) on Fri Dec 05, 2008 09:42 AM PSTDear Laleh,
Great article. You definitly spoke my mind and I agree with you 120%!
Thank you
Very simple
by Abarmard on Fri Dec 05, 2008 09:31 AM PSTAnd right to the point. I share the same experience as the child growing up in the revolutionary Iran.
-- Why aren’t we
by farrokhzad on Fri Dec 05, 2008 08:59 AM PST-- Why aren’t we free?
Because we can not unite, sacrifice and take responsibility
-- Why are we still debating the return of Pahlavi?
-- Why aren’t we united to reclaim the legacy of our uprising?
Since we failed in achieving the goals of "our uprising" and can not unite to establish a democracy, it is becoming clearer with each passing day, what the late Shah had to deal with and how little credit people gave him.
Unless "we" can fight and establish democracy, the best way is to say "ghalat kardim". Please come back. You were decent people.
David ET
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Dec 05, 2008 08:35 AM PSTWhen did I stop YOU from Expressing Your Views. Don't put words in My Mouth David, You are distorting Facts and Denying Monarchists the Right to Their Opinion and have the nerve of speaking about UNITY JUST FOR REPUBLICANS !
THE HELL WITH BAKHTIAR, FARROKHZAD HUH ?
I'm Dissapointed by You that's all, not angry.
Go on attacking us what do I care ?
They've Already Highjacked your patriotism, don't expect me to join the Sheep !
Dear Dariush
by David ET on Fri Dec 05, 2008 03:24 PM PSTIn my view it is best to avoid emotionalizing the discussions and labeling, we have had enough of that which has got us to where we are now : nowhere! The efforts of those who oppose IR is not denied nor anyone is being targeted as a scapegoat. Just facts are being presented and solutions for Iran are being discussed from different viewpoints.
Everyone has the right to express their views as to what they want (or don't want just) as you and I do :-)
Aboli et al
by David ET on Fri Dec 05, 2008 08:04 AM PSTYou want unity?
by Ironic (not verified) on Fri Dec 05, 2008 08:04 AM PSTDear Laleh
You yourself are sewing the seeds of discord and disunity by excluding all those compatriots of yours who believe, right or wrong, in monarchy, and those who still firmly believe in the current sytem of government in Iran no matter how hopeless it is to you and me. Everybody should have the opportunity to FREELY voice their opinion and choice. The majority's choice will rule then, provided that minorities' right are well preserved and respected.
While You are At it Take a look ...
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Dec 05, 2008 07:31 AM PSTWhile you are targeting the wrong enemy take a look back home at this brave Iranian challenging Larijani and Ahmadinejad. Isn't it time to see how we can help these fellow compatriots risking their lives and freedom standing against the Regime than look for further reason's to divide us and waste our energy for the wrong reasons ?
Its just a mirage
by Alborzi (not verified) on Fri Dec 05, 2008 05:59 AM PSTBack when I was in Iran, we had this maid in our street and she always told us love stories about how her lover who (was the master's son) is USA is going to come back and marry her, she totally believed that and so did we. Never in Iran's history, there has been a government change based on referendum and the people who think so are like the maid. She is in her 60s and still waiting.
Why are we still debating the return of Pahlavi?
by Faribors Maleknasri M.D. (not verified) on Fri Dec 05, 2008 04:56 AM PSTAre we? Greeting
pictory FOR IGNORANT REFERENDUM BASHERS
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Dec 05, 2008 03:36 AM PSTFor You Ignorants ... Turned Overnight Democrats !
See Photo
Do I REALLY need to ANSWER this AGAIN ? ...
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Dec 05, 2008 05:33 AM PSTIranians are incredible. First you all panic about immediate risks of war and swallow all the diatribe fed to you by IRI lobbyists as a pretext to criticize America and its institutions as if the entire US democratic process was inexistant and change impossible to the degree that Ahmadinajad BECOMES your MOSSADEGH.
You allow the IRI to HIGHJACK YOUR PATRIOTISM and even THANK THEM for it . But Now all of sudden discover the virtues of Democracy and American Society when you see that it is possible even fo a Black American to be voted to the Highest Office of Power and rightly realize Finally how America is Beautiful. Now that the risks of War are virtually inexistant or at worst contained to the lowest possibility you need to find YOUR scapegoat: Reza Pahlavi ...
"YES WE CAN !" HUH ?
You speak of Unity and the first thing you do is start bashing those who also have the right to express their opposition and dissagreament with the IRI.
YOU are not the ONLY Person who has Suffered in the Past 30 years. You ARE NOT the Only Person whose Youth was burnt or confiscated no matter how unfortunate.
Besides Who is speaking of a Referandum right now or in the current conditions ?
This Regime in Iran has been playing with EVERYONE and FOR More than 30 years using the same techniques of disinformation, Lies and Anti Opposition Propaganda and YOU ALL FALL FOR IT EACH TIME AND AGAIN !
Those who hypocritically call for UNITY but have NO TOLERANCE for debate and keep on Brandishing and name calling others TRAITORS Or WARMONGERERS First Need to Learn its Definition First and Not just in Wikipedia Encyclopedias.
Also Who Said Mossadegh was a Republican ? Shahpour Bakhtiar was a Mossadeghi but chose to become the Shah's Prime Minister and Refuted the Revolution which you so staunchly support it's so called legitimacy. In that case Hitler was also Legitimate for being elected quite Democratically in 1933 ? ...
I won't repeat what I already told David who hardly bothered to answer my questions But well I respect your Choice, I just don't share it.
IRAN HARGUEZ NAKHAHAD MORD ! -Shahpour Bakhtiar
My Opinion Too !
Best,
DK
What do we do with that "YES"?
by Aboli (not verified) on Fri Dec 05, 2008 01:23 AM PSTI tell you what part of "NO", I don't understand:
The part, followed by a huge "YES" to Khomeini's Islamic Republic.
Are you deleting all my 'votes', or just the first "NO"?
Were we duped ONLY when we said YES, or we just screwed up ( as nations do sometimes) for a period of time?
To Rashti and many other names that you use
by David ET on Thu Dec 04, 2008 10:40 PM PSTThe clueless is not Laleh but yourself: “What part of no don’t you understand". You keep denying history and the NO! and then blame those who just remind you of it! People have spoken.
Call for unity includes you too and if YOU chose not to be a part of it, you can not blame it on those who make the call or participate.
If you have chosen an exclusionist rejected thinking , the one who is holding back from unity is you. You just have to take a deep look within; that it is YOU who wants to force a group, a name and a family permanently and again upon others and because of that you refuse to join a system that allows you and everyone to participate but does not allow you and yours to be treated above others.
A free democratic Iran would allow everyone to participate. No one is excluded from unity except by own free choice .
//iranian.com/main/blog/david-et/referendum-rabbits
CTRL + Click to follow link">//iranian.com/main/blog/david-et/solutions-iran-road-map-unity-days
CTRL + Click to follow link">//iranian.com/main/blog/david-et/open-letter-reza-pahlavi
Dear Laleh
by David ET on Thu Dec 04, 2008 11:09 PM PSTIt is time for the silent majority to speak up .
An honest, to the point, refereshing and well written article that also made me smile!
clueless
by Rashti (not verified) on Thu Dec 04, 2008 09:52 PM PSTSo, dont you think this is really an insult to those of us who do happen to respect monarchy?
or may be it just does not matter to you!
And you really want to know "Why aren’t we free?"
...may be it is because we are very self centered
....too opinionated
... and perhaps too dumb to understand that after an insulting article like yours, you just dont ask ..."Will you heed his glorious call to unity?"