What is there to celebrate?

Reminding myself about the reality of the past 30 years

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What is there to celebrate?
by Shahrzad Arshadi
15-Feb-2009
 

February 11, 2009 marked the 30th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic revolution!

I cannot believe it has been already 30 years!  Only thinking about these 30 years makes me cry.  My heart is aching!  

There are nights I wish that when I opened my eyes in the morning, I could take a deep breath and say to myself, whoa, what a nightmare!  Unfortunately, what happened to Iran is a horrible reality! I am not dreaming!

I was not sure if I wanted to write anything related to the 30th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic revolution. A couple of days ago, I was surfing on the Internet to read news about Iran and to learn what is new in my country of birth. To make a long story short, I saw that the Government of Iran is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the revolution for twelve days, from February 1st to the 12th.   

Thus, I decided to write something about it to remind myself about the reality of these past 30 years.  I must try to clarify what the Iranian government is really celebrating! What history did they create in the past 3 decades, which make them so proud that they must celebrate for 12 days?

Allow me to go back to the beginning of the revolution, or maybe a little bit before. It was 1978. The Iranian revolution was in full swing. I was a teenager full of life and passionate about a big change, like so many young people during that period.  We were all ready to get rid of the monarchy and bring justice and equality to our country.  The future was so bright and it was right in front of us; we could be free from the hands of a dictator!

Finally the time had come: 1979 was glorious. The Shah left the country! However, the glory of the 1979 revolution did not last long for many Iranians. Women were the first to be targeted by the new regime.

• On March 3rd 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini announced that women are not allowed to be judges.

• On March 6th 1979, Khomeini announced that women should wear the “Hijab” (the veil) in the workplace.

• On March 8th 1979, the international women’s day turned into a protest against Khomeini’s announcements and this was the start of the Hezbollah’s attacks on demonstrations.

• On March 29th 1979, Khomeini announced that beaches and sporting events are to be segregated by sexes.  

Women with no Hijab were under constant attack on the streets and in public places. There were cases where acid was thrown on the body and faces of these unveiled women on the streets. Finally in June of 1980, with Khomeini’s “Enqelab-e Edari” or “Administrative Revolution”, the “Hijab” became mandatory for Iranian women regardless of their religious beliefs.  

Right from the beginning, Iran Islamic regime started celebrating its power by executing people from every range of the old regime. But the killings did not end there.  The new government started arresting whoever did not want to be governed by religious fanatics.

Iran’s prisons were flooded with political prisoners of every age, gender, religion and ideology. I will never forget the morning news from those early revolutionary times.  Everyday, the news started with the list of the opposition members who had been executed the day or the night before. Thousands had been killed in prisons all around Iran.  Imagine your day when it starts with such morning news! Things changed for us drastically.  We had been betrayed.

The Islamic government had no respect for any ethnic or religious minorities, most specifically the Bahá'ís faith.  Right from the beginning of the1979 Islamic Revolution, Bahá'ís have been reviled for their beliefs.  In the Islamic Republic’s new constitution, passed in 1979, Bahá'ís had been denied of any rights as citizens of Iran.  A good Muslim could attack and kill a Bahá'í with complete impunity.  From mid 1978 to 1979, a great number of Bahá'ís have been attacked and killed by mobs. During 1980, at least 24 Bahá'ís were killed and half of them were members of Bahá'ís Spiritual Assemblies. In the past 3 decades, 207 Bahá'ís have been killed; thousand have been imprisoned and tortured.

Since Islamic regime in power, Bahá'ís have been prevented from obtaining higher education and this discrimination is still going on.  

On August 19th 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini declared Holy War against the Kurdish people of Iran. After Khomeini’s order, armed forces attacked Kurdistan in order to destroy the Kurdish people’s democratic and popular movement.  Thousands have been killed. Many young men and women have moved to the mountains to organize a struggle against the Islamic government’s armed forces.  

June of 1980, universities were shut down. The Islamic Cultural Revolution was on its way.  According to the new government, since opposition to Islamic regime dominated higher education and academia and that they are influenced by non-Islamic thought, university’s systems must be changed completely.  The Cultural Revolution forcefully took over the university campuses. Students and professors try to resist the Islamic Cultural Revolution control; many have been injured, arrested and killed. Universities where closed for almost three years.  After reopening in September of 1982, many books were banned.  Many students were denied access to education and many faculty members were denied access to their academic sites in universities.  

1980 to 1983 was when eliminations of the opposition groups occurred.  According to Amnesty International reports, more than 6000 were executed in Iran between 1979 to1983. However, imprisonment and execution did not end in 1983.  In 1988, thousands of political prisoners were brutally murdered by the Iranian government (estimates range from 8,000 to 14,000 executions). In the summer of 1988, the massacre started right after Ayatollah Khomeini’s “Fatwa”: execution of all political prisoners, those who the Islamic Republic of Iran called “moharebs” (meaning those who war against God) and “mortads” (apostates from Islam).   

The 1980’s were a decade of execution of oppositions and war! The government executed thousands of political prisoners of every age, gender, and ideology. They never provided any information to how all these prisoners were killed and also never acknowledged these executions. Khavaran in south east of Tehran is one of the cemeteries that have been used as a mass grave for the 1988 executions of political prisoners. Even though many families did not know where their daughters, sons, husbands, wives, mothers or fathers are buried, in the past 20 years Khavaran became a place for thousands of families to get together to grieve for their great loss.  However, the Islamic government cannot even let the dead be in peace, as they are doing everything in their power to destroy this mass grave. During the past month, in the winter of 2009, Iran’s government dug Khavaran’s mass grave in order to remove the remainder of the bodies to an unknown place. They have changed the soil and planted trees! They hope maybe with the destruction of Khavaran, the blood from their hand will be washed away.

As I am looking at what I have written until now, through almost two and half pages, almost twelve hundred words, I cannot find a single word or reason that makes me believe this revolution deserves a celebration.

Through three decades of violence, abuse, discrimination, torture and execution; Iran has lived and still continues to live in fear!

Art was another victim of the new government. According to the new government, only art related to the Islamic Revolution was worth creating. Music was forbidden unless it was a tool for Islamic propaganda. Almost all the popular singers in Islamic Iran had no right to sing because their music was to promote western and non-Islamic values, which only the devil could benefit from.  Hundreds of thousands of music albums and films were confiscated from radio and TV stations. Studio productions and even private collections in people’s houses were not safe. Women’s voices became property of the Islamic government according to their belief that no man should hear women singing! Women were completely banned from being singers, unless they sang in a choral with men.

The new reality was even harsher for dance! Dance had been forbidden for men and women. All the dance schools were shutdown.  Nobody was allowed to dance in Iran in those years!

Spread of fear and killing of the Iranian dissidents did not only stay inside Iran borders. Iran’s government secretly orchestrated a “Committee for Special Operation” outside of Iran.  Several Iranian dissidents have been killed in Europe and Asia.

• Shahrokh Misaghi, member of the student opposition was killed in Manila Philippines on January 14, 1982.

• On June 8, 1982, Shahram Mirani, a Kurdish Iranian student and member of student opposition to Islamic government, had been attacked on the streets of Aligahar-India at night and beaten to death.

• On September 10, 1982 Abdol Amir Rahdar, student opposition to the Islamic government, was killed in Bangalore, India.

• In 1990, Kazem Rajavi, was killed in Switzerland.

• In 1991, Shahpur Bakhtiar, the last Prime Minister under the Shah, was found with his throat slit at his house in France.

• On August 9th 1992, Fereydoun Farrokhzad, a famous Iranian singer and poet, an outspoken artist against the Iranian Islamic government’s human rights abuse, was stabbed to death and beheaded with a knife at his home in Bonn, Germany.

• September 17th 1992, Iranian Kurdish dissidents and opposition leaders Sadegh Shahafkandi, Fattah Abdoli, Homayoun Ardala were assassinated at the Mykonos restaurant in Berlin, Germany. The killers were arrested but let free and sent to Iran after a while. The German federal prosecutors during the trial directly accused Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's spiritual leader, and former President Hashemi Rafsanjani for ordering and approving the killings.  

The list goes on!

The 1998 serial murders of Iranian dissident intellectuals were a series of murders and disappearances of Iranians who had been critical of the Islamic Republic. Among them were Mohammad Mokhtari, a great Iranian philosopher and poet, Mohammad Jafar Poyandeh, philosopher and translator, Ms Parvaneh Eskandari, Dariush Forouhar, Majid Sharif and ... No one ever gave any answers for these crimes.  

The 1990’s were the beginning of independent student rallies against the government and the university policies.

On July 9th 1999, police and hard-line vigilantes attacked University of Tehran’s dormitory.  One student was killed and twenty injured by the attackers. Not long after that, the Government of Iran banned street protests.  Many students were arrested and tortured for the simple gesture of asking for better treatment of students.    

Hundreds of newspaper and magazines were shutdown and banned from being published ever again.  Many Internet sites and blogs were disrupted and their creators arrested.

In spring of 2003, university student’s rallies hit the streets of Tehran and other big cities.  It was during that time when Ziba Zahra Kazemi, Iranian – Canadian photojournalist happened to be in Teheran. On June 23rd 2003, she had been arrested in front of Evin Prison while she was taking pictures of the demonstrations.  She was tortured and murdered while she was in the custody of the Iranian government.

These recent years are not different form the years past. Farzad Kamangar, a 33 years old Iranian Kurdish teacher and trade unionist, was sentenced to death by the Iranian Revolutionary Court on the 25th of February 2008 after a trial which took place in secret and lasted only minutes. His execution can happen any time. Many Kurdish activists have been arrested and killed during the past few years.  

On May 15th 2008, six Bahá’í leaders in Iran were arrested and taken to the notorious Evin prison.  They are still in jail without going through a trial.

On December of 2008, Islamic authorities shut down the Centre for Defenders of Human Rights led by Shirin Ebadi, and raided her private office, seizing her computers and files. Furthermore, January 1st 2009, pro-regime "demonstrators" attacked Ebadi's home and office.

On January 15th 2009, at least six Bahá’ís were arrested, including a woman who worked at the Centre for Defenders of Human Rights and who were connected with Nobel Prize winner Shirin Ebadi. The six were arrested after government security agents raided the homes of 11 Bahá’ís. They also confiscated Bahá’í books and other items, such as computers and photographs.  

The list of human rights abuses in Iran is longer than anybody can imagine. On June 12th 2006, a peaceful demonstration organized by women activist to demand changes to discriminatory laws against women turned to violence no thanks to the Islamic government officials and supporters. 70 women were arrested during that demonstration in Tehran. A great majority of these women are not looking for a big change or to overthrow the government as they emphasized in a “One Million Signature Campaign”. These women specify that the Demands of there Campaign is not in Contradiction to Islamic principles. They are looking for the change in the current system. Regardless, even a simple demand of change to the discriminatory laws, by only collecting signatures, is a big threat for the totalitarian government.   

On Oct. 15th 2008, the Iranian Ministry of Information arrested Esha Momeni, an Iranian-American student at California State University/Northridge. She went back to Iran to make a documentary about women’s rights activists and to this day, she is trapped in Iran because officials confiscated her passport and forbid her from leaving the country.  

Alieh Eghdamdoust, was transferred to Evin prison on January 31, 2009 to serve her three-year prison term in relation to participating in the peaceful protest of June 12, 2006.

Nafiseh Azad was arrested while collecting signatures in support of the Campaign for change, on January 30, 2009. She is now under interrogation in Vozara Detention Center. February 3rd 2009, Security Officials from the Special Security Branch of the Office of the Prosecutor of the Revolutionary Courts stormed the home of imprisoned activist Nafiseh Azad and seized her personal property as well as the property of her housemates.

This is what the Islamic Republic of Iran is celebrating!

I understand there is so much more that I have to add to this text, but let’s stop here.  However, this is a brief version of these occurrences!  This is only a part of what Iranian people have been through since the Islamic government came to power!

For that, let’s not forget what happened to Iran in the past three decades! Let’s remember the thousands and thousands who lost their life in past three decades! Let’s remember those who are in prison because of their beliefs! Let’s remember those who are being stoned to death because they make love outside of Islamic frames and laws! Let’s remember the ones who live under constant abuse because of their sexual orientation! Let’s remember…! Let’s remember in order to prevent the same thing from happening again!

We need to narrate what happened to us. We need to remind ourselves that oppressors may be able to confiscate many things from us, but they never can confiscate our hopes and dreams.

Two weeks ago, I participated in a demonstration to support the people of Gaza.  The slogan that was mostly repeated by the participants was; “Silence accomplice!”

I think it was for the same reason that the great Martin Luther King Jr. said: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matters.”

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Iran Now

by Amin (18) (not verified) on

What are some people even talking about?

Before the revolution, Iran was a superpower respected throughout the middle east. Iran had the second biggest air force in the world, after US and yes, it was even bigger than Israels. There were 100,000 people working only for the air force. Everyone had respect over Iran and I do not believe Saddam even could think of attacking Iran.

Another aspect is that super-powers need to be able to communicate with other nations and have a safe and good foreign relationship. I am quite ashamed of what Iran is doing for the moment. They are only collaborating and talking to Arabic terrorist groups or Syria, which also are arabs. Somehow, Iran turned from US loving to Arab loving in a matter of years.

We should take notice on the 2500-year anniversary festivities that were taken in place. WE have to remember that over 50 world leaders and important people were invited and attended these festivities. People knew what Iran was and how lavish it was. This event increased the foreign relationship with other countries with a lot. This was however during the 1970's. Now If you ask someone how Iran is, (at least here in US) they won't think Iran as of this respectable country. They think of it as the country who wants to wipe Israel out of the map and wants to enrich uranium.

Long story short,
I am very proud to be Persian, and nothing would be able to part me from my Persian identity, however i am disgusted and ashamed of the actions taken by MY country.


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What is there to celebrate?

by ROSA (not verified) on

I was enjoying reading your article and agreeing with everything you were saying till I got to the end part. Here you are condemning what is going on in Iran for the past 3 decades and then you recently attend the domonstration in support of people in Gaza. Hello??? do you see the similarity here between the Islamist in Iran brutally killing innocent people and the terrorist groups of Gaza working towards the detruction of Israel and their innoncent citizins? Did you read what you wrote? If you condemn what the Radical Islamists are doing in Iran then why would you go support the Radical Islamists in Gaza? you really don't make any sense.


MiNeum71

Dear "Luci Imamnazri, obg"

by MiNeum71 on

Thanks for your answer. Well I´ll repeat what I´ve already written somewhere else: It´s still very difficult to analyse the recent Iranian history in a differentiated way, because people want you to take side for Pre79 or Post79, forgetting that we´ve got many other colours than just black and white.

BOTH Pahlevi and Khomeini were miserable failures. Both contributed their parts for destroying Iran, and both gave chapter for a statement. Both ushered in a new era, both were in company, both were well received by a powerful and violent part of the population, both killed many people to remain in power, and both improved the Iranian society the way they wanted it to be improved. 

It´s useless to think about which conception of leadership was the better one, too many Iranians left Iran in both periods. I left Iran because of the Gulf War, my parents were Shahi, my uncle was a Savaki, four family members were executed 1980/81, so you can believe I´m not the greatest supporter of IRI. But I´m not interested in "My ideology is the best" stuff.

My point of view concerning our answers to 1) and 2) is quite different. Human rights refers to the basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled. It is universal and not cultural relativ. I understand that the 1960s and 1970s were different times, but they don´t excuse Shah´s activities. Besides, he didn´t rule for the people, he did all for himself to show Iranians and the world how good, strong and educated he was, but being "oghde´ee" is not a mandatory requirement for becoming a ruler.

You´re right, Iranians are their own worst enemies: The Islamists torturing the inhabitants in Iran, the Monarchists longing for the continuation of
the past brutal dictatorship, many diaspora living in their own dream
worlds and giving half-witted adivises to people trying to get rid of a
hell. The majority is uneducated ("Bee Savad"), stubborn ("Lajh´baz"), weak in the knees ("Ghar Karde"), uncivilized ("Vah´shee"), wallowing in self-pity ("Bad Bakht") and fishing for pity ("Gonah Dar"). It´s very easy to manipulate or control them.

But this is not the subject. I´ve been living abroad for 25 years, and
the informations I have are the documentaries about "Liberal Youth in
Tehran" and articles about "Repressions in Iran". And I´d like to know,
what all/majority of Iranians are thinking. I don´t like IRI, you don´t
like IRI, maybe the majority of iranian.com´s don´t like IRI, but we are not the voice of Iran; I don´t have any idea what people in Iran are thinking.

So what is the solution? New Revolution? Step-by-step change?

 


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Honest answers...

by Luci Imamnazri, obg (not verified) on

mara: thank you for your honesty, a rare commodity these days.

MiNeum71: If you want spin, read islamists blogs. If you want honest answers, please read on.

1) Were the years between 1953 and 1979 really better than the following ones for the majority of the Iranians and not only for Shah´s corrupt supporters and the members of the educated Monarchists?

You still don't know this? Here are some guidelines:

(a) 4 million iranians now in exile were living voluntarily in iran were shah was there (about 5% of population).

(b) Pahlavis changed iran from afghanistan (of today) in 1925 with per capita income of about $182 to per capita income of $2400 in 1979, with essentially no middle class to a relatively large educated middle class. Look around you and tell me if anything that you see in iran is from pahlavi period or planned in pahlavi period or not: universities, steel mill, army, navy, air force, roads, airports, filtered water, sewage system, radio and television, research nuclear reactor in univ of tehran, electricity, chemical industry, textile factories, research chip fabrication facility on takhte taavoos ave, bushehr nuc plant, and on and on and on...

(c) Best peaceful years were in late shah's period for the past 200 years. He was not perfect, but who is? Iranians? Islamists? or his opposition? Any other rulers that people wanted in his place? we know the answer now!

(d) Yeah shah was corrupt in an absolute sense. But who is NOT? Show me one ruler that is not corrupt in an absolute sense. Corruption meant something else in 1979 than today; but it means more like "imperfect" today after seeing "real" corruption of IRI.

2) Which of Shah´s activities created the social and cultural milieu for the IRI?

People opposing shah lied to people -- that is what Ganji and Baghi say today, both ex-revolutionaries, and people were fooled and wanted to be fooled. Khomeini did not believe in progress and modernity. He hated shah because: (a) mullas were not in position of power and wealth. They "had" to work (if preaching is "work") to make a minimal living. That was NOT acceptable to mullas. (b) Mullas did not like shah's progressiveness: girls going to school, girls going out without veil, radio broadcasting music, television showing films with kissings, alcohol served in restaurants, eating in ramadan being allowed, iranian events celebrated which put mullas "out of the loop", mullas becoming irrelevant, etc. But khomeini could not say that he was against progress, or else he would have lost the support of the left and the so-called intellectuals, so likes of Yazdi taught him to use any weakness in shah's regime rather. He reversed all the progress of the previous 38 years in a matter of a year, as the above article mentions some. That should tell what mullas, left, and stupid intellectuals were after. They all "hated" the shah for their personal reasons "far more than" they cared for iran or iranians or believed in progress. The focus was that shah was in their way to power and wealth. That was the problem. Had shah been a perfect ruler (which does not exist anywhere), with mullas and left out of reach of wealth and power, shah still was a barrier that had to be eliminated.

3) How many supporters and followers has the IRI really? Is a change necessary?

Hard to say! But a random phone survey taken from turkey into iran last year showed 14% still support the revolution and IRI. BUT, iranians lie easily; I bet some of those 14% just want to avoid any trouble with IRI or have financial ties to the regime so they lie!

4) How civilized, educated and capable of living democracy is the majority of the Iranians now? How is a change possible without foreign power?

Sad, very sad! Democracy cannot develop in vacuum. Democracy needs informed, educated, wise, and nationalistic class; or else it turns into a tool of deceit that we see. Iranians are none of that. So people elect an average person at best who either looks most like them (aka ahmadinejad) or has the best tactics to fool (aka rafsanjani). Iranians, after decades of screaming against the brutality and thievery of the shah, voted, to the tune of 32 million votes, for either rafsanjani (the thief and architect of hangings by cranes) or ahmadinejad (to be guided by mahdi in a well to imprison and torture and loot the country for arab causes).
.
An authoritarian king can be good or bad. If he is good, like reza shah or MR shah, he progresses his country. They both did.

But an elected person, specially with restrictions placed on who he can be, is as good as the wisdom of an average person - the same person who marched after a mullas from 7th century period of arabia whose expertise is in namaaz and vozoo, sigheh and ghosl, etc. This elected below average person can hardly cure the ills of the country as the country's demands are always way ahead of him (as has been the case for every IRI leader for the past 30 years).

Iranians should get far more education, wise up, grow up, and then build iran. Foreign intervention is useless, or else it turns into another "pirahan-e osman" like coup of 1953 did, and an excuse to go back after a few decades, mobilized by another collection of nationless deceivers. If iranians do not care for their country, how can any foreigner do?

Truth is bitter and hard to swallow! Denial and lying is easy.


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Dear Luci, OBG: I loved your

by mara (not verified) on

Dear Luci,
OBG: I loved your response. Why don't you make it into a blog? Thanks for sharing your thoughts.


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There is a lot to celebrate...

by Luci Imamnazri, obg (not verified) on

As long as Iran and iranian culture are not totally destroyed, the objectives of islamists, leftists, and intellectual pretenders are not fulfilled.

The devolution was not about iran or iranians, but a coup to take control of iranian wealth and power; the fools were iranians who participated in the deceit, and the deceivers were islamists who always hide behind iran and iranians only to oppose anything iranian.

Shah gave iranians more than what they deserved, as they proved it when they lined up behind a fanatic mulla from 7th century arabia.

Shah cured all iranians' deceases: kachali, saalak, aabeleh, sel, vabasir, kerme medeh, shebesh; and educated their children for free; and brought them filtered water and sewage system and a lot other things. Islamists had everything but maybe not enough vaajebi; that is why they became haar and screamed "roohe mani khomeini". Khomeini did not even bring enough vaajebi for akhund's consumption.

They complained about hezbeh rastakhiz, yet they screamed "hezb faghat hezbollah."

They complained about lack of fair elections and dictatorship, yet they screamed "rahbar faghat roohollah."

They complained about lack of free speech, yet they ransacked offices of daily Ayandegan.

They complained about shah's killings, yet they killed more in the first week of revolution than shah was allegedly killed in a decade or two.

Iranians lied to themselves. All that they were complaining about were excuses to turn the table around in their favor. Had shah been as brutal as islamists were, they would have never been able to take over the country.

Ego and stupidity destroyed iran and put iranians back 30 years. So people revolted against shortage of vaajebi; they could not live without their head-lice and stomach-worm that they were used to living with. They wanted to go back to living the way they deserved.

Iranians lied to themselves. Revolutionaries cared more about arab causes than iranianism that was in their way as they proved in the last 30 years.

They wanted to go back where they belonged, living with ignorance and stupidity; otherwise they would not have revolted only to bring in idiot killer likes of khomeini and ransanjani and montazeri to power. See what you did to your country and enjoy going backwards:

//zamaaneh.com/movie/2009/02/post_148.html

Devolution was all about vaajebi, shepesh, kerme shekam, saalak, ... that the people missed having. They wanted to sleep with akhunds. The rest were none but pack of lies.

Face the facts, and get the bitter truth: iranians are not wise at all, are not patriots at all, and are not truthful at all. They cared more about islam or marxism than iran or iranians. Iranians lied and fooled themselves; and they still do after 30 years of disaster.


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I love it! You are now

by khosrow (not verified) on

I love it! You are now comparing these no good Islamic fascist SOBs to shah’s era! After 30 years you may still hate my beloved monarch but the truth is different. Had it been no Shah for you to bash, you would now be running around beating your chest to grieve a fool who died a 1000 years ago! The Shah is the best thing that happen to Iran for the past 5oo years. Had it been no shah, cherishing a 7th century idiot who went to fight against an army with 72 men would not be questioned now. Stupidity and backwardness is the hallmark and foundation of Islamic government and Shah failure was not removing Islam from Iran.


MiNeum71

Too Many Questions

by MiNeum71 on

There is no doubt that the past 30 years were a tragedy for Iran. What I´m interested in are the answers to the following questions:

1) Were the years between 1953 and 1979 really better than the following ones for the majority of the Iranians and not only for Shah´s corrupt supporters and the members of the educated Monarchists?

2) Which of Shah´s activities created the social and cultural milieu for the IRI?

3) How many supporters and followers has the IRI really? Is a change necessary?

4) How civilized, educated and capable of living democracy is the majority of the Iranians now? How is a change possible without foreign power?

 


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The day that Imam Khomeini stepped foot in the beautiful cou

by Lucifercus (not verified) on

The day that Imam Khomeini stepped foot in the beautiful country in 1979 will always be a day of mourning? a national tragedy? Why then those 7ty Millions Akhunds who live in the Islamic republic of Iran cerebrate this day? Not only in the islamic Republic but all over the world? Mourning day and tragedy for individual singulated persons YES but national targedy? The deserteurs of that time - 1979 - can mourne till reappearance Imam Mahdi(s). The true Iranians will celebrate as long. So God will.


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revoLUTION

by lUCIFEROUS (not verified) on

Greate , we stopped the Great Satan from stealing
I was not there, you?
and opened the way for Akhounds and bache Ahhounds
they opened the way, didnt they? Those 30 Millions? Today they count allready 7ty millions.
Greate achievements in fact..


Farhad Kashani

The day that Fascist

by Farhad Kashani on

The day that Fascist Khomeini stepped foot in our beautiful country in 1979 will always be a day of mourning, a national tragedy.

A day that Iran was hijacked and raped by the Apartheid Islamic regime.

 

The regime just celebrated its 30th year in power. Lets make this year it’s last.

 


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Are you celebrating

by shameoniri (not verified) on

Are you celebrating this?

//iranian.com/main/node/56307


delldaar

stealig by great satan

by delldaar on

Greate , we stopped the Great Satan from stealing and open the way for Akhound and bache Ahhound to loot the country, Greate achievement.


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the stupidity of millions .....

by Faribors Maleknasri M.D. (not verified) on

.......has forced the not any more soo great satan in its knees.
isnt it wounderfull? Not now after 30 years. its problems with those 30 million honorable Iranians - today they count 7ty millions - was actual allready 1978. Today it has problem with 2 to 3 Billions human beeings in all over theworld. From Indonesia to Andalusia has the nations begann toi go the same way which the Islamic Revolution is showing permanently. Now where are the problems? The problem of satans and their minimis is: They just love to stiel other nations wealth but they are not able to do that any more. Rubbery is just their hobby and they can not perform these missdoings anymore. They get sick sick sick and search for rescue by "IRANIAN" and name the honorable Iranian nation who made its revolution by sacrificing blood and lives stupid. These kind of argumentation can not be a cure to them. It intensifeis the sickness only. After 30 years little by little even the enemy knowes: It was a national revolution free of any influence of strangers and free of any terroristical actions.
Greeting


Safa Ali

Jamshid Niavarani oghdeh

by Safa Ali on

The main focus of this article was NOT the Pahlavi Regime.  The main point was NOT about Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi.  But once again, Jamshid Niavarani finds a way to bag on them.  It's obvious that he has some type of wierd obsession with this family and he just won't let it go. 


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You forgot to mention the

by khosrow (not verified) on

You forgot to mention the stupidity of millions who trusted a 78 years old religious fanatic to lead them. No people in the history of mankind screwed up a good thing on purpose like this. Perhaps it is time to get red of Islam from Iran, only then I will admit this revolution was worth all the lives that it took.


MRX1

Daryush

by MRX1 on

I  am not getting to pissing match with you. Your comments in here is exactly what I said in my osting. barvo, you proved my point.

It's amazing how you omat parasts are so angry all the time. you won in 1979 so what's the problem?  go a head and embrace your imam, reveloution or what ever it is that makes people like you happy. May be for fun attend a 16 year old execution that might cheer you up!

 Finaly,  even if I was  racist and ignorant, arrogant which I am not, I am proud that I have never been an omati, islamo facist and/or tazi parast. Case closed.


Daryush

MRX1

by Daryush on

Your anti Muslim and therefore anti Human Rights comments are sick. Just substitute Islam for Jewish and Muslim for Jews in any of your comments to understand your Anti-semitic position!

You are racist and ignorant, arrogant and unreasonable. Shame on you.


Daryush

What is dictatorship

by Daryush on

If any system, anywhere in the world sees itself in danger, it will react dictatorial. The concept of government is to support and protect the ownership of the land and as a owner it will demolish the anti regime forces.

The west came to the grip of "democracy" not too long ago. The idea of free speech is relative based on time and position. During "dangerous" times, in US or "free world", you may not speak about issues that endanger (read weaken) the system. That's arbitrary term.

Today you may not criticize Israel as an state, and if you become a force to truly stand against Israeli actions, you could disappear for some unknown reason.

This intro is to make you understand that beyond the issue of social restrictions, politically Iran can not be a free country unless it reaches a level of certainty. If it's pro western and the people don't like it (Shah era), the government acts westernized but kicks the bottom of opposition. If it's IRI and sees threats, it closes it's openings to secure its position.

The answer to me is the security of the country and unification of the people to demand freedom. But not in the expense of changing the system. Then we will have a chance. Otherwise another system, another dictatorship-Start all over again.


MRX1

What is there to celebrate?

by MRX1 on

Well Islamo fascists can celebrate it can't they?

You see their obnoxious postings on this web site on a daily basis. They destroyed a thriving country, poisoned its language, culture and socio economic level, and destroyed its international reputation in the process. on their way of erasing a unique entity called Iran altogether and replace it with some foreign mumbo jumbo from 12 th century. Nothing is new, their ancestors did the same thing 1400 years a go. only back then they did not have an access to billions in oil revenue, internet, TV and media.

On top of that a class of low life’s who would ordinarily get menial jobs in any half decent society, ended up in power, stealing billions in the process which helped building places like Dubai and revived economies from Europe to Canada. So some one's loss is some one's gain!

 People who don’t know their history will surely repeat it. People who don’t use logic and instead use empty emotions full of hot air, end up digging big whole for themselves and others. The man did try to warn about this when he talked about alliance between forces of Red and Black, sadly no one was listening…   

 


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REVOLUTION ? What is there to celebrate?

by Faribors Maleknasri M.D. (not verified) on

i think no "IRANIAN" could ever give answere to this question. Rather Iranians. Those honorable Iranians who threw away his majesty the last and forced the Imperialism, the not any more soo graet satan in knees. The deserteurs have of course nothing to celebrate. I whish them all they would soon get free from their frustration and find back to a comfortable life whereever they are and whereever they want to be. beeing not able to participate the festivities because one is not invited is in fact frustrating. beeing not able to participate in the achievements and blessings of the Islamic Revolution, beeing forced just to look on masses who enjoy their lives in honor and freedom and self beeing in the diaspora without any social rights is a very uncomfortable condition. However going back is also only physically possible may be. but having to go to Freiday`s assembly Pray may have a deadly effect after one has lived in western democracies. NA RAHE PAZ NA RAHE PISH. So sad. what is there to celebrate? what? something less than zero. so the question worthwhile to be asked. or?
Greeting


ghalam-doon

They brought it upon themselves

by ghalam-doon on

The writer has compiled a laundry list of what she considers as atrocities of I.R. I was a teenager before the revolution. At the time Americans were everywhere. They used to walk around the northern towns in bikinis and shorts and nobody could stop them. The northern people like all of our mahroom compatriots are deeply religious. They were very offended by this scene but could not utter a word because they were disfranchised. They could not go to the police or protest to authorities.

 

The writer has ignored the other side of the story. There were million of Iranians who were disfranchised under the Shah’s regime. Perhaps she wants to write about them too. She might want to see whether their lives have improved and whether they would give a damn if the beaches are segregated. Everybody has a story including the people who we never hear about.

 The writer sees the revolution as a bleak episode in our glorious collective past. Unfortunately our past was not that glorious. Every regime was out there to destroy its opponents. I.R. committed many atrocities. But it was fighting for its survival. The whole free-market/hegemonic apparatus was out there to destroy it, the same way that they were out there to destroy any other popular revolution. They waged a war against it for eight bloody years. Perhaps it could be different if there was no war. Perhaps we could have a society more to the liking of the writer.


Bunyip

Are you "Yek Irani-e Vaghei hasti?"

by Bunyip on

If you are a real Iranian,

If you are a human being,

If you have an iota of compassion.

You would not so proudly declare, "The Islamic Republic of Iran was the
best thing that could ever happen to Iran".

Our women are being treated as sub-humans. Our compatriots who beleive in faiths other that Islam, are being persecuted and denied of their basic human rights. Our citizens are being incarcerated and / or killed for expressing their opinions.

Yet, you come along and unashamedly and proudly declare an Islamic union, and false freedoms. How can you even look at yourself in the mirror?

Iran will be truly free from the will of foreign powers, and become self sufficient, when Iranian citizens are free from fear and blatant discrimination.


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The Islamic Republic of Iran

by Yek Irani... (not verified) on

The Islamic Republic of Iran was the best thing that could ever happen to Iran. Freedom from foreign powers, self sufficiency, and becoming a superpower. I don't know what else you could ask for if you are a real Iranian! Hopefully when the Islamic Union is formed soon, Iran and Turkey will have a big part in it.

www.theislamicunion.com


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Shirazi jan

by Anonymous21 (not verified) on

In your dreams this regime will last for 170 more years.


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It would Collopsed if...

by shirazie (not verified) on

Invasion of Iran by Iraq and USA strength them. They would have collapsed without the war.

The 8 year war consolidated their powers for next 200 hundred years.


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I agree....

by ali123 (not verified) on

a great, sad reflective look at our misery over the past 30 years.
yet, I feel that with all the shah's problems, he was a true patriot that wanted iranians to be proud of their culture and homeland. iran was indeed becoming a superpower and the brits and israelis couldn't swallow that. it is much more convenient for them to have iran stuck back inth 1400's!
this is what u get when you're "sheekam is seer and you revolt!" the shah would have died off in a few years and we could have had a real democracy after that....
I just hope that iran will be soon be rid of these parasite akhoonds who look at killing another human as killing an ant!


Bijan A M

Ms. Arshadi

by Bijan A M on

Thanks for your timely post that reminds people of the atrocities committed by IRI in the past 30 years. The next revolution will be by a better informed and educated nation that knows exactly what they want, instead of only what they don’t want.

 

Andso: your post is a little unfair to say “they got what they asked for”. A better analogy than the orphan boy would be breaking a prison’s door and letting everyone escape and then offering shelter to the escapees. Did the escapees get what they asked for? I’d say no. They just didn’t want to face the possibility of being thrown into the same prison, assuming that any shelter would be better. WRONG ASSUMPTION.   

 


Jamshid_Niavarani_IV

Regarding the Pahlavi Dynasty

by Jamshid_Niavarani_IV on

The present intelligence apparatus in Iran was created by the government of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.  That intelligence service was named the SAVAK.

 The SAVAK changed it's name in 1979 and became the intelligence service, "Dastgah Ettelaa'aat". 

Nothing has changed in Iran.  The Turban was substituted for the crown.

Change in Iran will come from Iranians.

The theocracy has changed from 30 years ago and it will keep on evolving.

A Democratic Republic in Iran will only bear fruit if Iranians get involved in the politics of the theocracy. 

 

 


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Be Careful What You Ask For Cause You Might Just Get It

by Andso (not verified) on

Neither the Iranian nation nor the people can rightly be considered victims, for it was the nation that threw out the Shah and established the system of government that Iran has enjoyed for thirty years. If anything your article reminds me of the story of the boy who killed his parents, and then begged for the judge's mercy because he was an orphan.

While there are certainly many who stood against the establishment of the Islamic Republic from its earliest days, the vast majority of Iranians supported its creation. It is a bit disingenuous to complain about the very thing that the nation willed into being. I feel sorry for those Iranian that were not yet born in 1979, but not of those that supported the overthrow of the monarchy in favor of something that turned out to be worse. It just proves that one (or millions) should be careful what they ask for because they might just get it.