An Open Letter to Mr. Mousavi

In the name of freedom.

Dear Mr. Mousavi,

I write to you as an Iranian immigrant who like many others is glued to the TV and monitor screens every possible moment to follow the developments in Iran. Even though we do not have the opportunity to walk shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters on the streets in Iran, we diminish our sense of powerlessness by being a media outlet per your instruction, broadcasting the news, images and videos of the heroic acts of our countrymen and women. Mr. Mousavi, in my life of 28 years, within the Islamic Republic political system, I have not seen courage and tenacity like those that you have demonstrated in the past week. You have defied corruption, despotism, and lawlessness. History will never forget that. Before the events of this week, I was looking in history books, trying to find the pride I have lost because of this regime. Kuroush, Mani, Mazdak, Aboumoslem, Babak, Lotfalikhan, Ghaem Magham, Amir Kabir, Kasravi, Bahar, Taghizadeh, Dehkhoda, Sattar khan, Mosaddegh, Fatemi, Baazargaan, … the list is long, but it belongs to history, not the present. Now, all I need to do is to turn on the TV or browse the internet. You along with my brothers and sisters marching on the streets, chanting “death to the dictator”, have revived the pride of Iranians all around the world.

Never have the Iranians opposed to the status quo been so united. Never have we been so homogenous in solidarity with the movement of social and political reform. However, after participating in three protest rallies in support of the demonstrators and talking to my friends who have taken part in the demonstrations on the streets of Tehran, I feel responsible to point out a divisive factor which could potentially be detrimental to this movement in the long term. A rift between the supporters of a movement over what slogan to chant has surfaced. This signifies a movement with obscured goals, magnificent means with no profound end. As you mentioned in your speech, this motion is not about Mousavi or any other candidate. It is about the people’s will which has been ignored. The events of this Black Saturday resonates this fact even further, that this regime is not only willing to cheat people of their will, it is willing to murder to stay in power. Undoubtedly, this movement is not just about the fraudulent presidential election anymore. Neda Sultan’s last breath, caught on camera, testifies to that. This movement is against the system which allows corruption to grow exponentially, which encourages incompetence and hypocrisy, which rewards mismanagement and lawlessness. This movement is against the regime which allows suppression of women’s rights, freedom of speech, press and communications. This movement is against state-owned media whose audacity to lie without any repercussions is truly incredible. Just take a look at yesterday’s headline of Keyhan newspaper or watch the staged confessions of poor souls on the state TV.

Dear Mr. Mousavi,

In the past week, the Iranian people have been the most tolerant. They were cheated of their votes, yet they marched the streets in silence. Their cell phones, SMS messages, weblogs, and free press were shut down, reform leaders and journalists arrested, yet they whispered their roar of unity through the word of mouth. They suffered the flesh wounds of batons and chains, yet they helped their attackers out of harm’s way. First they were ignored by the state media, then they were called terrorists and anarchists, and finally staged confessions categorized them into either Mojahed or drug addicts. They stayed patient. The student’s dormitories in many cities were attacked during the night, students were beaten with chains, knives and baton, and their residences ruined as if an earthquake has gone through them. The state media blamed the anarchists for the attack. Despite the insult to their intelligence, the Iranian people remained forbearing. They were terrorized and brutalized, and against their constitutional right of peaceful assembly harshly warned by the supreme leader, Mr. Khamenei, in his Friday prayer’s sermon. They continued to rally peacefully. I believe the last Saturday marked the turning point of this movement. The heroism of the Iranian people, demanding what is rightfully theirs, and the brutalities of the armed militia, ordered by those who see the realization of those rights endangering their position and powers, are both carved in the pages of history. The horrific violence and murders captured in images and videos will continue to shakes our existence to its core. Neda Sultan was not the only innocent soul murdered in cold blood this past week. The streets of Tehran have witnessed many more last breaths, many more fainting eyes, many more faces with blood flowing to disguise their lifeless pale. Not allowing a single mosque in Tehran to hold a service for Neda and asking the mournful family of the 19-year old Kaveh Alipour for a $3000 ‘bullet fee’ demonstrate the outrageous shamelessness of this regime. The shamelessness of the government to rig the election seems honorable in comparison.

It is getting harder and harder to imagine that the injustices imposed upon the Iranian people in the last week have taken place without the direct consent of Mr. Khamenei. Article 110 of the constitution endows the supervision of the radio and television network of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the supreme leader. Mr. Khamenei is directly responsible for all the misinformation, biased analysis, accusations and lies committed by the state media against the people of Iran. Based on the same article of the constitution, the supreme leader is the chief commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards and the supreme commander of the armed forces, and therefore responsible for their actions. Who has given permission to the armed forces to aim their loaded guns at the hearts of the sons and daughters of this land? Who has allowed sharp shooters to position themselves on the rooftops aiming at innocent protestors? Whose apparent commands are not to break up the rallies, but to break their spirits and their will? I believe the answer is clear to all bound by deduction.

Dear Mr. Mousavi,

You yourself have experienced the deadlock of this regime. Despite all the evident irregularities in the election process, the Guardian Council failed to nullify the election. Mr. Khamenei has also stepped out of his essential qualifications for the post of the leader; he has defied justice. He has blood on his hands, yet the Assembly of Experts writes a letter of support for his unjust actions, calling the reform movement “foreign powers’ mercenaries and anarchists”. After the events of Black Friday in September of 1978, where 88 men and women lost their lives in a protest against the Shah’s regime, even the parliament representatives who were handpicked by the Shah criticized the murders and called out for justice. The silence of every single entity of this regime including the parliament, the judicial branch, the cabinet, and the Expediency Council, and the illegal positions taken by the Guardian Council and the Assembly of Experts proves one point and one point only, that people are on their own; The ruling parties will continue to cling on to every inch of their power, regardless of the cost, regardless of the limbs broken and the lives lost.

During the Constitutional Revolution of 1906, after a series of refuges (tahasson) in sanctuaries and mosques, people’s demands continued to be ignored by Mozafferdin Shah and his establishment. Finally, the constitutionalists took refuge in the British Embassy and forced the Shah to meet their demands which consisted of the removal of chancellor Einoddole, and the creation of justice houses. As people were preparing to exit the embassy, a group of protestors, made up of clever elites and clerics, warned the people of the apparent unreliability of the Shah’s orders in the past. They demanded the draft of a constitution limiting the power of the Shah and the establishment of a national parliament made up of representatives directly elected by the people. Ultimately, the goal of the constitutionalists evolved from removing corrupt and despotic individuals from power to something profoundly more fundamental, reforming the system so it does not allow for such corruption and despotism.

Dear Mr. Mousavi,

You are the leader of this social reform movement. You are bound by your responsibility to call out for justice against those who have perpetrated violence and murder against your supporters on the streets. You have stood with the people, strong and unyielding. People are united in solidarity for your next step. The time is right and the momentum is on your side. You are the flag bearer of our 103-year struggle for democracy, freedom and the rule of law. You have followed in the footsteps of Tabatabaei, Behbehani, Kasravi, Bahar, Taghizadeh, Dehkhoda, Sattar Khan, Bagher Khan, Khiabani, and Mirza Koochak who ignited this wave with the constitutional revolution over a century ago. You have inherited a flood in the 21st century, much more powerful and resilient, much more educated and informed, much more willful and audacious.

May democracy, freedom and the rule of law prevail inIran.

Yours truly,

Ashkan O.