Current Events

Regime is a tyranny, that's all, nothing more or less

Tell me that all the basiji's that were ordered to shoot protestors and did not carryout their orders after the mass protests and then later found themselves being tortured in evin were khodi. 

This regime does not act in terms of khodi ad gereh khodi, it kills even it's own sons. It is not so focussed on apartheid style practices, giving deals to insiders is not apartheid people... thats called corruption...

It is totally innaccurate to call it Apartheid, the fact is it's tyrannical, ie the definition is it breaks its own laws to gain more power, it prefers to be feared for control of power more than to be loved.

my guess is the real true reason many republicans would rather you not know the definition of tyranny or tyrant/dictatorship/despot is because those liars used it to misrepresent the shah in 1978 who left the country without ordering his military to shoot on innocent protestors and sadly these republicans still do misrepresent the late shah.

also corruption was innacurately used for the late shah of irans govt too, that would better describe the US congress today in all ts republican lobbying for votes greatness.

please kids pick up a dictionary

its embarrassing this is how the previous generation caused the revolution not knowing a definition!!! 

this is a tyranny running iran... unlike shahs years of lawful monarchy.

next topic?

Mehrban, Darish, and Roozbeh

Mehrban jaan,

I am also surprised why this analytical concept has not been embraced widely by the opposition. I have used many many times since around 2004.

Many opposition groups were using the concept of gender apartheid. That was not embraced widely. I think because there is so much segregation in the Islamic world and much of that comes from within the society rather than the government. And many scholars are worried about insulting the beliefs of the masses. In Iran it is mostly our feminists, modernists, and progressives who used that concepts because it was primarily imposed from above by an unusually oppressive and reactionary regime.

Gheir-e khodis do NOT have any political rights, civil rights, and civil liberties. ALL they can do is to go and vote for one of the khodis selected by the Shoray Negahban (which then the khodis would count the vote as support for the system). Gheir-e khodis have been brutalized by the regime. The ideological apartheid regime in Iran has killed more, tortured more, tortured more severely the gheir khodis in Iran than the racist apartheid regime in South Africa did to non-whites in South Africa. One may compare how the racist apartheid regime treated Nelson Mandela with how the fundamentalist terrorist regime has treated the Iranian opposition members. In other words, the fundamentalist terrorist regime is far more oppressive and repressive than the racist apartheid regime in South Africa. In my opinion, the Islamic Republic is close to the KKK and fascist regime in Italy than it is the apartheid regime in terms of mass killings, mass torture.

Not all the khodis have all the rights either. There are degrees of rights even for the khodis. Basically, what Khatami has asked for was for the hard-liners to respect the rights of khodis. Khatami has never asked for democracy. Khatami only wants khodis to have equal rights with each other. In other words, Khatami wants Khamenei to give reformists khodis the same rights that hard-line khodis have.

Keep in mind that until June 2009 election, reformists members of the fundamentalist oligarchy (e.g., Mousavi, Karubi, Khatami) were prominent members of khodi. What has been transpiring since the June 2009 election is that the hard-line faction has dramatically increased repression of the khodis. What is interesting is that Ahmadinejad wants to repress other khodis like Rafsanjani and even some hard-line khodis like Motahari.

In my analysis, Islamic fundamentalism (Khomeini’s followers, bin Laden’s al Qaeda followers, Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas) is the Middle East’s and North Africa’s equivalents to European fascism and the KKK in the U.S. I have posted a number of blogs on this subject.

Best,

Masoud

P.S. I read your post that was posted later and we agree on the reformist members of the oligarchy (khodis).

========================================

Dariush jaan,

I am confused. Are you saying that monarchists who established the Rastakhiz party and the Shah told the Iranian people that you either join the sole party, or go to jail, or go to exile is "progressive and inclusive" but those of us who have always supported freedom and human rights for ALL Iranians are in parenthesis "apartheid"!!!!???????

How in the world a system that says one person is king for life and after than his child is monarch for life and this is EXCLUSIVE to his bloodline and no other Iranian has the right to become king is not segregating the Iranian people into Pahlavis on one side (with being monarch for eternity) and all other Iranians who cannot be king????????

Best,

Masoud

=====================================

Roozbeh jaan,

I fully agree with you.

Best,

Masoud

"You are either w/us or against us!" Then US is Apartheid 2?

Wasn't the Bush/cheney gang doing the same if not worse criminal activities against the people, mostly foreign. How easily you forget!

Some of you in rushing into demoniziing IRI (rightly so), you end up demonizing our country too. Jimmy Carter wrote a book about Israel calling it ...apartheid....! Oh my, the whole zionists in America were up in arms harassing him as to how dared he calling their apartheid system in israel, apartheid!!!

And now, you just casually calling our country the same because someone in the US said so. Apartheid was used based on race and the atrocities against the blacks in so. africa and later about the zionists in israel. A palesitian would never have the same rights as his jewish counterpart no matter how much he leaks their asses.

However, you can join the IRI gang by simply changing your attitude - growing beard, pretend your religious and becoming a criminal like them. So, you have option, but blacks and palestinians don't!

I know there is a political under tone to this and that's why all of a sudden you want to call it appartheid while you could call it many other names that could be even more demeaning and appropriate. Now you are going to accuse me of being pro-IRI!! LOL

"God Is Love - but Love Is Not God!"

سجاد پور هم خیلی دمش گرم باشه

چون رفته اونجا زندگی کرده حالا کی دیالکتیک خودی و غیر خودی رو باب کرد کاری ندارم ولی این بابا خوب اومد.
"جیش دارم" بابا یه خورده سرشو ویشگون بگیر، چه خبرته مگه درس املأ وانشأ می خوای بهش نمره بدی؟

In the words of Bush & AN: you are either khodi or no-khodi

The titled catch phrase has been used just too many times by too many people. 

Good catch Mehrban.  The word Reformed was bolded to emphasize that not everything labeled as "reformed" is better.

This long video clip

has a couple of minutes

on Sadjadpour and

the rest is pure 'loos' propaganda.

Please,

Next time,

only show the part

that is related to the subject advertised 

on the main page,

in this case

the interview with Sadjadpour 

not what is not related. 

For defintion of 'Apartheid' please study the last standing racist apartheid (designated by the United Nations) regime on earth called Israel.

Even the leaders of the Reform movement (in Iran) were

the guardians of the same Apartheid system.  They may have been by nature more moderate and in my view could have been that they saw the longevity of their system in a softer approach (maybe).  None the less the freedoms that Iranians enjoyed under Khatami (for example and there were some) were basically treats that was given to the people that could and was taken away by the next guy.  The reform (Khatami's for example again) was not towards a fundamental reform of abolishing this system of Apartheid.

Ps. MM jaan, this is because you bolded Reformed in your past comment ;).

Roozbeh Gilani, very well said!   

khodi/gheir khodi vs apartheid in Iran

Try finding a sunni mosque in Tehran to pray as a sunni muslim. You cant? This is apartheid for you.

Try starting a business importing/developing much needed machinery for agriculture development in Iran. You cant, but the fat belly bearded guy with his cousine the revolutionary guard boss of region can? This is apartheid for you.

Try getting a visa to study abroad. You can't but the thicko bassiji who can hardly read or write and his only intent for going abroad is to spy for the regime and visit local brothels full of blonde women can? This is apartheid for you.

You want me to go on?  

"Personal business must yield to collective interest."

Mehrban - understood - want to stear discussion to main issue.

.

MM

Regardless of who said it first it can be used effectively.   It is a piggyback off the success of the South African change.  It is important if people (men and women) understand that they are in an Apartheid vis a vis the ruling class(of khodis).  If that is clearly understood and verbalized by leaders (?), the discussion and the language or dissent can advance from Ahmadi vs Mousavi for example, or from where is my vote to where is my share of the power or something that conveys that message.  

At least that is the way I see it.  We are all still falling over one another arguing over this person or that person all in the Khodi group, okay some in the ex khodi group :).  

Ghalam doon is right - I clearly heard him say apartheid

But seriously - is this what the argument has come down to: who said apartheid first?  Well, the first entity to use the word apartheid was the Reformed National Party of S. Africa in 1948 which ran on an apartheid platform and made it a law.

You're all WRONG!

I was the one (scholar, layman, observer, outsider, talking head, paid agent, Royal moft-khor or otherwise) who used the concept of ideological apartheid while talking in my sleep!

LOL!

بالام جان نوه

چقدر تپق و اشتباه دستوری و ...آقای سجاد پور عزیز  خیلی از نوجوانان
ایرانی بر خلاف نمونه ای که ذکر کردید  هم درگیر انقلاب شدند و هنوز هم( پس
از سی و چند سالی ) هستند، پس خواهش که ناامیدی و درماندگی قشر خاصی ر ابه
همگان و کل یک نسل عظیم و پیچیده تعمیم ندهید.

در مورد تاریخ مفهوم آپارتاید در  جمهوری اسلامی ،  بد نیست به یادآورده 
که تحلیل از جمهوری اسلامی بمثابه دولت کاست Caste روحانی ، حدود سی و چند
سال پیش از سوی چپ ایران (راه کارگر,... ) مطرح گشت. هر چند بسیاری از
خوانندگان محترم کاست روحانی را با کاست ضبط صوت   عوضی میگرفتند و
میگیرند!  تحلیل و پرداخت نظری :خاستگاه ، فرایند ها و پی آمدهای چنین
دولتی در طی سی سال اخیر در ادبیات چپ ایران جایگاهی نزدیک به مثنوی هفتاد
من کاغذ پیدا کرده است.          

بژی حسینی و یارانش  در همبستگی با کردستان. پیشنهادی از سوی این حقیر برای
برنامه های بعدی;معرفی  بلوچستان: خوزستان و اعراب ایرانی: ترکمن صحرا :
بهاییان : یهودیان : دراویش: دگر اندیشان: کانون نویسندگان ایران ..... و
هر گونه اقلیت ظلم دیده دیگر در ایران زمین، منجمله نصف ملت شریف، زنان
ایرانی. که حقا نسبت به مردهای ایرانی بسیار بسیار شریف ترند.     

گر نکوبی شیشه غم را به سنگ
هفت  رنگش  میشود هفتاد  رنگ   

Mehrban Jan Nope RP2 is not the genius but our forefathers ;0)

Who unlike the Revolutionaries of 1979 understood what having a modern democratic Constitution was all about: 

HISTORY FORUM: Nader Naderpour on Iran's Constitutional Revolution and European Rennaissance (1996)

And why it was important to maitain it:

pictory: Bakhtiar Denounces Bazargan's Provisionary Government in exile (1979)

PS: Thank you Massoud Jaan for your knowledgeable feebacks. I am willing to give credit to you or others of the National Front for the use of the word "Apartheid" ... for as Mehrban rightly observed we Constitutionalists Only use it  in the parantheticals or as the French say "entre parenthèse" for that is precisely how we see the future of "Republicanism" in Iran (i.e:  in the parantheticals or if you will ... an unfortunate "Accident" ) as opposed to the inclusive and progressive continuity of "Constitutionalism" :

Words For Eternity ...

;0) 

KingReza

The song is by Radio Tehran, the part you are looking for starts around 3:25.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCsaA87RJjY

I have enjoyed the interviews on this show

The rest of the show is getting same old same old, so I just skip them.

This interview however is rather blah... like a good Ghormeh sabzi that is missing the dried lime and salt.

Mehrdad

With all due respect

I don't think Mr. Karim Sadjadpour offered anything that all of  you have not been saying for the past 31 years as well.

Tongue in cheek, broken Persian words and incoherent analysis. We should expect much more from our so-called  "scholars" and please do not unleash compliments unless it's justified and for accomplishments.  Mockery of Khamenei is what any teenager does these days, let's offer something new. I wish him good lcuk.

Thanks

basijibazi ro khub oomad

:=)

Masoud

The way I see it is that Khodis are the ones in/and attached to the government "Gheyr e khodis" are "everyone else".   It is this vast majority of (gheyre Khodys) that need to ask for their share in the political process and not just their "VOTE" in which one of the Khodis is to be elected.   (I know, we all know that, kinda, but our political discourse is not framed by these terms at all). 

Apartheid!

Masoud jaan, so you are the genius.  Or RP according to DK however only Apartheid is in the parantheticals in DK's headline :).

Anyway, it is amazing that this concept has not taken flight in the lexicon of dissent but a more niche concept like Gender Apartheid has.  

The Islamic Republic: Similarities with Apartheid and Fascist

Dariush jaan,

Mehrban is referring to the concepts of khodi and gheir khodi as pillars of IDEOLOGICAL apartheid in IRI. The concepts of khodi and gheir khodi were used by regime officials during late Khatami period to distinguish khodi (reformists) from gheir khodi (democratic opposition and all other opposition supporters who should not have any rights).

Many others (including myself) have used the notion of gender apartheid.

Since mid 1979, JM (and myself) regard the fundamentalist regime as a form of fascism. See my article for citations to Dr. Sanjabi, JM documents and others:

//iranian.com/main/2008/fatal-attractions

Best,

MK

Mehrban Jan the First to use the term "Apartheid" was RP2 ...

Already back in 1982 when he published his first book with the following French Journalist Christian Malard who interviewed him again a few years ago:

Reza Pahlavi : à l'heure du choix ! | www.lejournalduparlement.fr 

as well as in his Two Books Winds of Change and The Time to Choose: 

Reza Pahlavi New Book (A TIME OF CHOICE) Q&A With French Media

As well as Our Shahbanou:

Farah Pahlavi and Desmond Tutu

And Not just in the French Press: 

Le fils du Shah se voit en "Juan Carlos" d'un Iran démocratique ... (Rue 89)

"Tout au long de l'interview, Reza Pahlavi s'est référé à l'Afrique du Sud et la sortie de l'apartheid, avec sa dimension de pardon et de réconciliation, à la fin de l'Union soviétique, à la négociation de la fin du communisme en Pologne, et enfin à l'Espagne, évidemment, avec l'instauration d'une monarchie parlementaire qu'il aimerait voir établie en Iran."

And Other parallels with Poland's Solidarnosc Movement: 

Iran's Farah Pahlavi and Poland's Lech Walesa

REZA's CALL: An Iranian Solidarnosc...

RESPONDING TO REZA's CALL: An Iranian Solidarnosc in the Making ...

And Yet In both case I would say that the comparisons are Pre Matured.

They may correspond to a similar desire or aspiration but we are still far from achieving such a movement at this juncture given the "Green Movement's" PRE- SELECTED Leaders and their allegience to the IRI and it's Ideological foundations.

Hence the THIRD WAVE suggested by Reza Shah Dovom as a possible Alternative to the current status quo  !

Reza Pahlavi's message on the Anniversary of the 1906 Constitutional Revolution

But Have You Jomhurykhahs Bothered Reading or Listening to what His Majesty has said or wrote to date ? ...

;0) 

Got to go to Bed but may come back to this thread later ...

DK 

Fantastic Show

I really enjoyed this show.  Karim, Kambiz, and Saman did a fantastic job.

Dear Mehrban

Mehrban jaan,

As far as I am aware, I am the first scholar (and person) who has used the khodi and gheir khodi to describe the ideological apartheid in Iran.

2007

//130.102.44.245/login?uri=/journals/comparative_studies_of_south_asia_africa_and_the_middle_east/v027/27.2kazemzadeh.pdf

The fundamentalist regime explicitly segregates its subjects into "khodi" [of one’s own] and "gheir-e khodi" [not of one’s own], with the former (members of the fundamentalist oligarchy and its supporters) granted some rights, while the latter are deprived of political and civil rights and liberties. The Islamic Republic of Iran has one of the worst human rights records in the world.

December 2008

"One of the main problems with the fundamentalist regime is the apartheid system of khodi and gheir khodi it had created."

//iranian.com/main/blog/masoud-kazemzadeh/critique-dr-mahmoud-sadris-article-religion-and-terrorism

May 2008

on khod and gheir khodi and Islamic fundamentalism as elements of fascism in Iran:

//204.232.242.254/main/blog/masoud-kazemzadeh/my-top-ten-lists-best-and-worst-political-leaders-world

In each society, according to its historical trajectory, this reactionary response manifests itself in various extremist right-wing reactionary groups and ideologies. In the US, this reaction was manifested in the KKK, in Italy with the Fascist Party, in Germany in Nazi party, in Egypt in Akhavan Moslemin, in Iran with Khomeini and Islamic fundamentalism, in Sunni world today in al Qaeda.

Each of these movements, is a reaction to the modern world attempting to stand up to the modern democratic liberal secular world. They strongly oppose the equality of opportunity embedded in the liberal and liberal feminist presuppositions of the modern polities, many to its secularism (modern secular education, modern secular judicial system, modern secular culture). Each opposes individualism and freedom embedded in liberalism.

These anti-modern movements (KKK, fascism, Nazism, Khomeini’s Shia fundamentalism, Osama bin Laden’s Sunni fundamentalism) is a way to confront the modern world by combining aspects of the modern world with aspects of the traditional world that specifically attempts to restore to power its own (khodi) while attacking gheir-e khodi. For the KKK of the 1920s, the gheir khodi included African-Americans, Jews, and Catholics. For Nazis, gheir khodi included Jews, communists, liberals, feminists, Gypsies. For Shia fundamentalists in Iran, gheir khodi are those who oppose Khomeini which includes perhaps 85% of Iranian today including liberal democrats, feminist women, labor union activists, pro-democracy students, etc.

These reactionary reactions to modern world (KKK, fascism, Nazism, Islamic fundamentalism), are extremists, terribly violent, terribly dictatorial and war mongers. The nature of their violent ideologies have tended to produce wars with others around the world. Khomeini’s genocidal warmongering is evident from the slogans of "marg bar Amrica" "marg bar Israeli" and the violent attack on US embassy, the call for uprising in Iraq, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, in the slogan "jang jang taa piroozi" "rahe Qods az Karbala migozarad" [effectively promoting other wars even after the capture of Karbala].

The warmongering foreign policy of Khomeini and his buddies (Khamanehi, Ahmadinejad) is like that of Osama bin Laden: violent terrorism.

=======================================　

Sadjadpour is one of the very BEST scholars of Iran.  But he did not come up with the description of IRI as "ideological apartheid."  As far I am aware, I am the first scholar to have done so.

Best,

Masoud

Dk jaan, so far.......

Apartheid in Iran has been characterized as Gender Apartheid.  To me the more fundamental problem of this regime (articulated by Sadjadpour here) is the Apartheid between KHodi and Ghyre Khodi.   The fact that the majority of the Iranians (men and women) are disenfranchised from the political process by being Ghyre Khodi.    

In my view what he just said could frame dissent in Iran going forward.  It has never been articulated in those terms before (to my knowledge).   

Monarchy in Iran has been based on democratic principles.

Kings that would govern were always mindful of the wishes of the people and for the most part kept secular administrations.

Hence 2500 years monarchy by the people.  Many Kings came through the ranks of the people.

If the republicans of Iran were honest democrats we wouldn't have a problem since a slight majority of Iranians favor Monarchy and their own culture above arabic system in Iran today.

Darius K, be less passionate and more nonchalant since reality will have to sink in at some point and eventually something close to your views is most likely to succeed.  Even CIA and US govt can only resort to the gun, but not change reality of good and loved traditions.

well done, Karim jan. Hope

well done, Karim jan. Hope to see you on more the Daily show.

Very Good Interview Karim Jaan but did anyone explain to you ;0)

That Monarchy and Democracy are Not Incompatible ?:

ROYAL FORUM: Iran-born Hanif Bali elected to Swedish Parliament

More Here: 

Oh and Guess where Your American "Bill of Rights" Comes From ? :

The English Bill of Rights and it's influence in Drafting the Constitution of the United States

Fellow IRANICANS Go and Travel a little outside America and Smell the air ...

You may Even Realize what Jon Stewart Still hasn't that the World and the Iranian Diaspora is a Far more politically diverse entity than his Insular "Jomhurykhah" ( Not the Political Party but the "Concept") Mindset could conceive ... ;0)

ROYAL DAILY: Star of the "King's Speech" on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Hee Hee ...

So No the Hopes of a Restoration of the Monarchy Are Not Dead !! ... Far FRom that:

Dr. Bakhtiar Suggest REGIME CHANGE based on RESTORATION of 1906 Constitution ( Last Speech before Assassination)

Debate on IRI TV in Iran over the différences between France’s Secular Revolution and Britains« Glorious Revolution » of 1688

No hard feelings in my comment but just a Friendly observation Not to underestimate the Chances of a Royal Restoration (as was the case in Great Britain After Cromwell's Theocracy Fell or in other periods in European History) on mere grounds that Iranians are merely Nostalgic about the Monarchy !

If we are to look at the political evolution of Iran through the perspective of a concept we have identified as "Republicanism" ( Again Not the Party but the Ideology and Institution) which is in itself Imported from Europe, then might as well consider that there may be a "Constitutionalist" Outlook of Iranian History and Politics from the same European Outlook.

The reason being Not that IRan is in anyway identical to Europe or America but that the Democratic Political Systems of government which exist on both Continents are the ones to which Iranians aspire to: One that respects human Rights and the fundamental universal principles to which any man or woman is rightfully entitled to. 

In addition Iran is closer to Europe geographically than the United States. Culturally and Historically Iran/Persia has interacted with Europe often refered by you Americans as the Old Continent.

So the "Apartheid" comparison seems to me a little reductive in describing Iran's Theocracy. This is not merely about Gender Equality but more importantly it is about SECULARISM and SEPARATION OF POWERS !

Something that the 1906 Constitution initially ambitioned to achieve but failed for the reasons we all know and not merely because of the so called Coup of '53 :

THE PAST IS A FOREIGN COUNTRY: How Would You Evaluate Iran's Democracy Index in 1953 ?

Whether that will ultimately happen or not is another debate. But Keeping an Open Mind and the different political Options on the Table as to the type of democracy Iranians aspire to appears to me essential if we hope to see the advent of a genuine Parliamentary System of government finally established in our Old Nation. 

Good Program as always !

DK

PS: Oh and Thank you for that Great Article on Our Late Persian Prince Shapour Ali Reza : 

PSS: Congratulations to Kambiz and Saman for Your Amazing Recognition on the Daily Show: Daily Show with Saman Arbabi & Kambiz Hosseini

You Deserve it ! BRAVO ! 

Lets Learn from last Shah & Focus on Freedom, Justice & Equity.

Realists in Russia and China were smart not to prioritize Democracy. 

And this for 2 countries with people more advanced than our own.  They are both busy building institutions that can handle and manage Freedom and Democracy at the same time and in Russia's case expect it to take another 30 years before they reach the same level as Europe.

The Danger with focussing on democracy for Iran is that we will not be able to achieve freedom (the real goal) and become like most of all the other democracies in the world, corrupt and backward.  See Haiti if you don't believe what I say.

This is a sophisticated concept I know and based in practice on years of expert study of how wealthy countries take advantage of democracies, but the point can not be ade enough times.  Wishes without a realizeable plan are just dreams.

The song at the end

Anyone know the name of the song at the end of the show? The one about the rock and its 7 to 70 colors?