Iranian Liberal Democrat

responses

Dear friends Fred, DK, JR, AM, Killjoy, and ID,

My apologies for the late response.  I have been grading essay exams and it has been taking much longer than I anticipated.  Next time, I should give my students multiple choice.  As soon as I am done (hopefully in a day or two), I will write my thoughts on your thoughtful writings.

Best wishes,

MK

Dear Dr Kazemzadeh

I did attend the meeting yesterday with a good friend of mine. We were very excited at first, Dariush and Parvaneh Forouhar meant a lot to us and we were and still are appalled by the gruesome murderous acts, as all true Iranians are.

We watched the documentary about Parastoo's struggle to find the source of these crimes at the root of IRI and cried with her and the families of other martyrs. 

I am afraid our excitement turned into disappointment quickly after the movie... 

There had not been many advertisement about this event and if you had not posted this blog, I would have probably never heard of it. Maybe that accounts for the very very low turnout. The hall was prepared with about 1000 seats of which only 50-60 were occupied (finally). A lot of people were very late and called in to ask for directions! The gathering was to start at 3 PM. At 3:30 they were still trying to make the audio-video work and someone decided to tape a picture on the front of the podium. It was ok because there were only two people there in the audience!

There was no printed agenda of the meeting anywhere and we didn't really know what to expect next or even how long we'd be there. 

There were representatives of quite a few groups and parties who read their messages of support and told personal stories of these heroes. It was disheartening to see that 9 political groups had gathered 60 people at most! Even the ladies who were collecting contact information at the door of the event didn't show up until late.

Maybe the fact that the first speaker, Mr Ghaemmagham had forgotten his "Jebheh Melli" message in his car and decided to speak casually to us instead, explains why we felt as if a school play would have been more organized and disciplined. Or maybe when he suggested that some of the martyrs were "nobody"s because they were writers and Farokhzad was "only an actor",  that we felt as if we were slapped by the reality and woken up from a dream.

Still crying when I thought of Parastoo's words and feeling helpless last night, I was thinking about writing a complete report of the experience, but I don't want others to lose hope like I did.

IRANdokht

Dear Masoud,

Dear Masoud,

It is disheartening to see that after thirty years of perennial brutalities by the tyrannical regime in Tehran against Iranians, many in the opposition camp are still reluctant to unite and free Iran, once and for all.

It is always sad to remember those we have lost.

Here are a few lines from an unfinished poem on this occasion:

Ey gosasteh zeh band
Ey ramideh az shabeh taareh koor delaan
Ey rahideh zeh changeh khunbaareh jallaadaan
Baa man sokhan begoo

Beh man zeh marg o meer
Beh man zeh neesti magoo
Beh man zeh eshgh o aasheghi
Beh man zeh shaadiyeh doostan begoo
Beh man zeh gham magoo

Beh man zeh zajr o naaleyeh javaanaaneh dar zanjeer
Beh man az shekanjeh magoo

Beh man zeh dardeh zendaaniaaneh be khun khofteyeh evin
Beh man zeh ghatleh khowfnaakeh yaaraan magoo

Beh man zeh tars o vahshateh in haakemaaneh paleed
Beh man zeh zellat o khaari in jaaniaan begoo

Beh man z'aatasheh adaavateh paasdaaraaneh marg
Beh man zeh e'edaameh dardnaakeh khord saalegaan
Beh man zeh dardeh deleh maadaran magoo

Beh man zeh razmeh daliraaneyeh zanaan
Beh man az shahaamateh mardaan
Beh man az shojaa'ateh kaargaraan begoo

Beh man az daaneshjoo
Beh man az mobaarezaaneh aazaadeyeh vatan
Beh man zeh ashkeh shaadi chashmeh maadaraan
Beh man az rahaa'iyeh Iran zeh dasteh doshmanaan begoo

Back-handed compliment

I rarely like to use the term patriot but if there ever was a true Iranian patriot, Dariush Forouhar was it.  He went to jail during the reign of the Shah when he protested against the forced secession of Bahrain, he opposed the IRI in its darkest days and generally stayed true to his principles throughout his life.  He could’ve left Iran and continued his activism abroad like so many arm chair activists but chose to remain inside in the “belly of the beast” and confront it at a terrible cost to himself and his family.  So let Rashidian take a pot shot at him, it won’t diminish Forouhar’s stature.  I have nothing against re-examining history nor do I have any stomach left for hero worship and seduction by charismatic figures (Khomeini was enough for many life times) but it’d be instructive to remember why so many intelligent people were “seduced” by the Ayatalloh’s magnetic No.  Why “the anybody but the Shah” attitude was so prevalent.  It was the Shah’s absolute dictatorship that stunted any semblance of a democratic framework in Iran, more than any other factor, that contributed to this immaturity in democratic movement in Iran.  In spite of recent historical revisionism from certain quarters (Dr. Milani specifically) the Shah and his clique had no intention of democratizing Iran.  Heck, they wouldn’t even allow people like Jebeh-e Melli, as innocuous as they were, have any activity as opposition.  Rashidian is old enough to remember the fear and trembling that the Shah induced in those who opposed him; how he managed to absolutely castrate anyone who dared to put up resistance, how brutal he was to those who picked up arms against him.  Of course the old monarchists and neo-monarchists applaud him for that and wish he would’ve been more brutal, killed more, heck bombed a few mass demonstrations.  My point is that Khomeini’s charisma was the dynamic engine of the revolution, it made certain people nostalgic about the days of Enghelab-e Mashrotiat and Kashani and Tabatabi, the revolutionary Shia clergy. They forgot or perhaps pretended to forget that Khomeini’s mentor was not Kashani but Fazlolah-e Nouri, the reactionary cleric that the revolutionaries hanged for treason to the revolution, that his so-called anti-imperialist platform was reactionary.  But Forouhar and members of the Jebeh-e Melli protested against summary executions and the take over of the American embassy.  Let’s not take that away from them.  They spoke out against Khate-e Emamis’ take over and the coupe de ta of the so-called Cultural Revolution.  But by then they were pretty much marginalized.  Heck, they were marginalized even before the 22 Bahman. It was Khomeini’s revolution. So let’s not diminish Forouhar’s bravery by shifting the blame of what happened in Iran to him and his friends.  A lot contributed to what happened in Iran.  And if there is any lesson to be learned from history it is to remember history and discuss its lessons vigorously, not to adopt reductive views of politics and lumping everyone and everything into meaningless and emotional categories, to get away from sloganeering, and not to be seduced by the anyone but the fill-in-the-blank mantra again, even if it is anyone but the IRI.

Frouhars

اکثر روشنفکران لائيک در پيدايش ج.ا مقصرند: بعضی از ان حمايت کردند و بعضی انرا تحمل کردند. حتی داريوش فروهر هم با چند دهه سابقه مبارزه برای اسقلال و ارزشهای ملی به دام خمينی افتاد، سيدی که مانند نياکانش، از اول نه احساسی برای ايران داشت و نه به فکر سعادت "امت " اين"بلاد" بود. ولی، دريغا احساسی بيمار گونه چشم و گوش ما را بسته بود و روشنفکران پيش قراولان اين خود بيگانگی بودند.

 فروهر و فروهر هاپيش قراولان ما در اولين کابينه ج.ا. شرکت کردند و از مرتجع مذهبی به نام بازرگان حمايت کردند.

کماکان بايد گفت فروهر زود متوجه اشتباه خود شد و تنها بعد از چند ماه همکاری از وزارت کار استعفا داد.   عدم تجربه از پديده اسلام سياسی, که در هيچ يک از اثار کلاسيک  يافت نميشود, و ضعف کمی و کيفی جنبش روشنفکران و و عدم نفوذ انها در مردم ان زمان برای فروهر ها و ارمان انان گران تمام شد.

وقتی خمينی در ۱۹۷۸ از عراق به فرانسه رفت توانست در Neauphlle-le-Château با راديکاليسم بيشتری با رژيم شاه برخورد کند. اين راديکاليسم تنها برگ برنده او بود. بدون شک اين راديکاليسم عاملی برای فريب روشنفکران بی تجربه و برخی از رهبران جبهه ملی بود. خمينی در اين زمان با جسارت و خيال راحت صريحاً نوع حکومتی ولايت فقيه را مطرح ميکرد که طبق ان حکومت تا ظهور امام زمان در دست روحانيت بايد بماند. خمينی با رد دومکراسی"غربی" از همان وقت دشمنی خود را با ازادی, زنان, و عدالت اجتماعی اعلان کرد. سخنگو و مترجم فرانسه زبان او, قطب زاده, به خبرنگاران گفت ما در دولت اينده خود با "کمونيستها به عنوان پارازيت اجتماع" برخورد ميکنيم" Les communistes sont des parasites de la société".

کماکان بسياری به روی مبارک نياوردند و به دستبوسی خمينی و بدعت با مرام او رفتند. اخوند زاده ای گمنام که حتی زبان فرانسه درست نياموخته بود شد "دکتر" بنی صدر معروف و تئوريسين اسلامی (يکی از تئوريهای اين نابغه فرانسه "تحصيل کرده" تائيد اين فرضيه "علمی" بود که از موی زنان اشعه ئی خارج ميشود که برای بينائی نا محرم زيان بخش است)!

با وجود تمامی اين شرايط تار و نا موزون, انچه بيشتر باعث تسليم پذيری روشنفکران و ملی گرايانی مانند فرهر شد راديکاليسم خمينی و نه افکار او بود. جنبش ضد سلطنتی بالاتر از هرقبول و يا رد هر مرامی خواستارسقوط ديکتاتوری شاه بود اما انطور که تاريخ ثابت کرد بدعت  اينان با خمينی خفت و مذلت مردم ما را بدنبال داشت. بله فرهر هم به علت ضعف تاريخی يک جنبش دمکراتيک و سوکولار در ايران نميتوانست پرتگهی را که خود و ملتش بر لبه اش بودند تشخيص دهد.

دهمين سالگرد قتل فرهر ا را با دانستن اين واقعيات گرامی داريم و از اشتباهات رهبران بزرگی مانند او هوشيارتر با رژيم و لابی هايش دراين سايت مقابله کنيم.

FYI/Iranian Just hanged for Alledged Spying for Israel

They hang without a proper trial. Nothing has changed since 79:

The regime distorts now the term "terrorist" on nearly everyone it deems dangerous. It is a new way of getting rid of people under the cover of justice:

//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7743638.stm

I also read that they have also arrested kurd rebels they accuse of "terrorism against Iranians". I bet We can thank Robert Baer the former CIA Agent now on the IRI payroll for this:

 From IRNA report published on payvand: go to bottom of the following page:

 //www.payvand.com/news/08/nov/1221.html

Terrorist group arrested in border areas

Tehran, Nov 22, IRNA - Iran's intelligence forces have arrested a four-member terrorist group at borders with the Iraqi Kurdistan province, in western Iran, an official at the Information Ministry said on Saturday.

The counter-espionage director of the ministry told reporters that the group was arrested with Israeli made weapons and was to assassinate a number of Iranians.

They were arrested at border before finding a chance to make any action, the official added.

Forgive & never forget

No matter what the Islamist/Anti-Semites and their likeminded lefty allies do in shoring up their Islamist republic, there are million and one images of the Islamists’ savagery that are seared into the collective memory of the Iranians. A prominent one among them is the image of knife wielding officials of the Islamist republic literally butchering defenseless Parvaneh who was upstairs in bed with a cold.

from Dr. Hossein Ladjevardi

from Dr. Hossein Ladjevardi:

//www.aciiran.com/10_saal_gozasht.htm

Thank you

Dear Javad Agha,

Thanks for your comments.

MK

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

IranDokht jaan,

Thank you. If I were close to California, I would have been there as well.

Best,

MK

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

Dariush aziz,

Seapaas gozaram.

Masoud

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

Samsam gerami,

There are also right-wingers who promote appeasement of the fascist terrorist regime such as Patrick Buchanon’s journal The American Conservative.

//www.amconmag.com/

There are also dudes in the US such as David Duke the former head of KKK who went to Iran and participated in Ahmadinejad’s Holocaust conference, as well as some neo-Nazis from Europe who strongly support the fascist fundamentalist terrorist regime.

Let’s not forget

Neville Chamberlain was the leader of the Conservative Party.

//www.historyguide.org/europe/munich.html

It was counter-productive and immoral to appease Nazi regime as it is to appease the fundamentalist terrorist regime. BOTH left-wingers and right-wingers who promote appeasement of Nazis and fundamentalists are doing something that is both harmful and immoral. We need to stand up to Nazis and fundamentalist terrorists until they are defeated.

Best,

MK

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

Dear sick of iri,

Thank YOU sooooooooooooooo very much for these most useful links to Mr. Azarmehr’s wonderful blog and to the site of Parastoo Forouhar. And thank you for you wonderful writings at Iranian.com. I read them regularly.

Ba sepaas-e faravan,

Masoud

Parastou Forouhar's

Parastou Forouhar's website:

//www.parastou-forouhar.de/english/documents_...

//www.parastou-forouhar.de/

//www.parastou-forouhar.de/english/Works/

""In the last few years the

""In the last few years the regime has banned all public commemoration ceremonies and has even tried to restrict the private family gatherings in their house.

Despite all the obstacles and restrictions, this year too, Parastoo has returned to Iran and as she told Deutsche Welle radio, she will continue to commemorate her parents until she is alive. The commemoration ceremony is due to be held this Friday in the Forouhars' home were they were repeatedly stabbed to death.
Last year, the authorities banned the commemoration from being held in a public place and the ceremony was held in Forouhars's home instead. Despite these restrictions, giant slides displayed images of the Forouhars to large crowds gathered outside their home and in the nearby streets.

This year, the authorities have put up physical barriers and fences, to stop anyone from going anywhere near the house. Even relatives and close friends have been prevented from entering the house.

Every year on the anniversary of the Forouhars, I remember a conversation I had with Arash Forouhar, the son of the late Forouhars, who was describing to me the events during the funeral of his parents, which was attended by tens of thousands of Iranians. During the funeral people were holding Iranian tri-colour flags but with a X in the middle instead of the Islamic Republic un-Iranian symbol now in the country's official flags, as a sign of protest. Just before laying the coffins to the ground, a working class woman with her chador wrapped around her waist and arm, stood in between the coffins and shouted 'People, do you know why there is no Sun and Lion (the true Iranian symbols that should be on our flag) on these flags that are draped over the coffins? Its because the Sun is inside this coffin, pointing to one coffin, and the Lion lies in that one'.""

//azarmehr.blogspot.com/2008/11/tenth-anniver...

//azarmehr.blogspot.com/2007/11/until-i-am-al...
//azarmehr.blogspot.com/2007/11/until-i-am-al...

Thanks Masoud!

"" کینه دیرینه آنان به باورهائی بود که اساس زندگانی شخصیت هایی نظیر شاپور بختیار و پروانه و داریوش فروهر را تشکیل می داد: باور به آزادی انسان و حق حاکمیت او برسر نوشت خویش، باور به اینکه مردم ایران اول ایرانی اند و بعد مسلمان یا پیرو دین یا مذهبی دیگر، باور به اینکه ایرانیان هرگز حاضر به قبول اسارت و قیمومیت بیگانه نشده، سر زمین و فرهنگ پرافتخار خود را گرامی داشته وهمواره  در راه حفظ آن ها  قر بانی داده اند.""

Any one who find these mullahs the legitimate government of Iran, is with Mullahs .. God bless these  butchered true patriots soul . Ommatists & reformists know which group is their real opponents . Their real opponenets are not buncha 2 face status quo/leftists appeasers but men & women like Zendeh yad Parvaneh ,Forouhar & Bakhtiar , true Iran parastan .  

God bless & keep well

Thank You Masoud Jan

Thank you for this reminder.

The Criminals who are still on the run should remember that NO ONE will EVER FORGET and that Justice will one day come after them.

These crimes are just one of the long list of treacherous criminal acts  that this fascist regime has commited against our nation and the true and eternal values of humanism for which Iran and Persia were once respected for.

May We Keep the Memory of these Innocent victimes alive so that Justice will one day have the final word.

Best,

DK 

Thank you for the reminder

Another year goes by, a whole decade went by and we're still hoping to see the end of these criminals. I will try to make it to UCLA tomorrow.

Thanks again  ایران هر گز نخواهد مرد

IRANdokht

Yes, very sad.

Yes, it is very sad. 

Many should be blamed, those who did the crime and those who are quiet about it.

Iran will be survive these crimes. 

Interview with Parastoo Forouhar

interview with Parastoo Forouhar:

//jebhemelli.net/htdocs/Press&Media/2008/November/Parastoo_AmirKabir.htm

how low the terrorist fundamentalist regime can go?

the terrorist regime prevented the family and friends from even holding a commemoration at the HOME of the victims....

//jebhemelli.net/htdocs/events/2008/November/Foruhar_Commemoration.htm