The Green movement and Reform in Iran

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The Green movement and Reform in Iran
by Taghootshekan
06-Nov-2010
 

A year ago, it was confidently asserted that the CIA-engineered and Zionist-backed "green revolution",designed to topple the current leadership of the Islamic Republic, was inexorably moving towards victory over its opponents in the Iranian administration. After all, similar "color revolutions" had been successfuly staged in the Ukraine and other ex-Soviet republics [1]. In his Friday prayer sermon on June 19th 2009, Ayatollah Khamenei angrily retorted to western governments who were supporting their latest color-coded creation: "You think this country (Iran) is like Georgia?" [2]

No, Iran is actually a 2500 year old civilization and proud nation but clearly many Iranian exiles - royalists, communists, marxists, bahais and ethnic separatists among them - had thought that the Islamic Revolution was fragile, just how they miscalculated when they encouraged Saddam Hussein to invade and crush Khomeini's revolutionary state and enslave all Iranians - purely out of revenge.

If there was ever an admission that this entire political movement was merely the brainchild of foreign powers, then look no further than arch-neocon and Zionist extremist, Michael Ledeen. He has stated that he built up contacts in Iran within Mir Hussein Mousavi's prime ministerial office during talks over the arms for hostages in the 1980s - known as the Iran-Contra affair. These officials, excluded from power by Ahmadinejad, would be used to "dismantle" the Islamic Republic [3]. Ledeen is very clear about this and his support for Mousavi and Karroubi [4]. These political dead-enders were to be a fifth column used to sabotage the system from the inside. The CIA, as reported by ABC news in 2007 [5], was to covertly destablize Iran using every possible opportunity and with consideable funding [6].

The Green movement's ringleaders used tactics similar to revolutionaries in 1978 - shouting "Allahu Akbar" from the rooftops and using religious imagery/slogans to give the false impression that they were the true voice of the Revolution. They would declare those killed on the streets "martyrs" for the cause and, as in the case of Neda Agha-Soltan,would even go so far as orchestrate murder for the purpose of propaganda and designed to cause worldwide opprobrium towards the Iranian government.[7]

But the Greens overplayed their hand during the Ashura commemoration of December 2009 when a few thousand rioters attacked property, police and even mourners to make their voice heard. They clearly wanted to re-enact the Ashura protests of 1978 that led to the downfall of the Shah. The Iranian people, who had tolerated the greens up until then, were shocked at the desecration of the religious occasion and both Mousavi and Karroubi quickly retreated as hundreds of thousands of Iranians demonstrated against the rioters and in support of the Islamic Revolution. Khatami would go further in asking his supporters to defend the Islamic Republic from those wishing it harm by causing sedition. Khatami has increasingly distanced himself from Mousavi and Karroubi

Now, a year on, the green wave has clearly passed and nobody in Iran is interested in waging another "intifada" against the government. However, the reformists in Iran are keen to extricate themselves from a prior association with the green movement. Despite the crackdown and closure of several reformist parties and newspapers, the reform camp is still very much alive. They retain a significant voice in the Majlis, led by the likes of Mostafa Kavakebian and Elias Naderan. They continue to publish newspapers such as Sharq, Mardomsalari, Arman, Farhang-e-Ashti, Farhikhtegan, Asrar, Aftab etc. They were instrumental in getting the authorities to indict feared ex-prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi after their own investigation found him responsible for placing post-election detainees in danger [8].

47-year old Kavakebian, in particular,has emerged very well from the political crisis. He held a fascinating debate on IRIB with Kayhan newspaper's hardline editor, Hossein Shariatmadari [9]. There, he defended himself against charges that his party was part of a front to undermine the Islamic Republic and was committed to reform based on adherence to the Constitution. Kavakebian has recently claimed that Mousavi and Karroubi do not speak for the reformists and that he is loyal to the system [10]. He realises that denying the will of the majority in a fair election ,and inciting sedition, are NOT consistent with democratic principles.

The reformists are indeed regrouping to form a new block with some moderate independents and conservatives to contest the 2012 and 2013 elections for the presidency, Majlis, municiplalities and Assembly of experts. They know that meeting the needs of the people, and not burning buses, are what the people expect of them.

The Green movement has, as Ayatollah Khamenei has stated, "vaccinated the system against microbes" [11]. Those who declare themselves to be the winners of polls without presenting any evidence and who rebel against the nation are a political disease that brings no benefits. The unrest of last year may have been of a cathartic nature and one which offers some positives after all.

The Green movement has ceased to exist [12], but it has left an enduring legacy.

[1] //www.voltairenet.org/article160764.html

[2] //notsylvia.wordpress.com/2009/07/04/ayatolla...

[3] //www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZh14rAxOOc

[4] //online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527487033...

[5] //www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRwUZ-u6KFo

[6] //pakalert.wordpress.com/2009/06/18/cia-has-d...

[7] //iranian.com/main/2009/nov/no-rest-or-pe...

[8] //iranian.com/main/2010/jan/saeed-mortaza...

[9] //irannegah.com/Video.aspx?id=1501

[10] //www.tehrantimes.com/Index_view.asp?code=228...

[11] //irannegah.com/Video.aspx?id=2111

[12] //www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?story...

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comrade

"gun in the picture"

by comrade on

Guns don't kill. Some say bullets do, some say people do. I hope you'll enjoy the rest of your weekend, so peacefully.

Never increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything.

 


yolanda

.....

by yolanda on

Hi Comrade,

     I saw gun in the picture yesterday.....I read this post:

//iranian.com/main/comment/reply/125752/347860

from this news/blog:

//iranian.com/main/news/2010/11/06/iran-climbs-70th-world-human-development-index

I have never seen an avatar like that on entire IC.


comrade

"Chilling avatar"

by comrade on

My dear avatar buster, why and how do you find this particular avatar chilling?

Never increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything.

 


yolanda

.....

by yolanda on

This was the chilling avatar used by Taghootshekan yesterday:

//www.brendangrant.com/BlogImages/MaskedTerrorists/MaskedTerrorist3.jpg

and then he changed his avatar to the red stylized "allah" symbol......


Useful Idiot Detector

Taghootshekan, you have been detected as a useful idiot

by Useful Idiot Detector on

This writer either lives in fantasyland or he/she has tied his/her emotions to politics which means that there is zero logic or rationalism in this piece of sentimental bollix. Frankly, one would think that after 32 years of 'dar-beh-dari' Iranians would have learned to stop the ideological rants and huffing and puffing...but I guess not. You Taghootshekan are very evidently one of those characters (and one can tell from your Khomeinist moniker) who is what we rightly call oghdeh'yee in Farsi. I hope at some point you grow up, get an education in history and political science and are confident enough therefore to write stuff in your own name. For now, because you're such a coward and ranter and raver, I will not give you the benefit of my real identity because you have shown that you don't deserve it.

Either way, the fact that the somnambulistic editors of Iranian.com are willing to publish this blather shows that they too have no idea what running a responsible site is all about...and don't give me the garbage of freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is a luxury for Iranians stuck back in Iran and when hyperventilating Iranians who cost those compatriots inside Iran, they should not be given a public forum...let them go and create their own blogs but do not subject your readers to this utter garbage. Your editorial skills belong 'laa'yeh jerz'!


Sargord Pirouz

Huh, if this user has become

by Sargord Pirouz on

Huh, if this user has become blocked, I speculate his/her DNS was located in Iran. 

Yeah, iranian.com will tolerate two posts a day from Israelis (Fred) but God forbid one from Iran that doesn't sit well with the exiles at IC.

The name of this site should really be changed to EXILED_IRANIAN.COM. 


Fair

Go to hell taghootshekan

by Fair on

You call the people of Iran who rose up empty handed and all they asked for was their basic universal human rights "CIA engineered" and "zionist backed".  You and your camp have absolutely no regard for the Iranian people and our basic human rights.  The only reason the Green movement is silent today is a massive crackdown brutally and systematically using rape, torture, destruction of any press or voice, and open warfare on Iranian civilians.  To hell with you and to hell with the oppressors of the people of Iran.

I also find it very amusing that somebody would call all the opposition outside Iran "westoxified" and "fossilized" and "islamophobe", conveniently throwing a large part of Iranian society into a dustbin, while elevating a guy like Mousavi, who while has tried and spoken out recently, I did not see advocating much for basic human rights of Iranians in the past 30 years, 8 years of which he was prime minister, during which time some of the worst human rights abuses occured.

Neither Mousavi, Khatami, nor Karroubi speak for or are the leaders of the Iranian opposition, it is the other way around (and they have said so themselves).  All they have done is tilt towards the people of Iran after decades of siding with the regime at the expense of the people of Iran.  Anyone truly attempting to actually legitimately speak on behalf of dissatisfied Iranians (of which there are many) would be eliminated ruthlessly by the very system to which all three of these gentlemen have sworn loyalty, and been instrumental in founding (otherwise they would have been dead long ago.).  They only spoke out recently now that the damage is done to them as well as many others.  Evidently too little too late.

Talk about "fossilized".  This is a bankrupt form of government, has failed miserably, and it is time to go big time.  Even Montazeri, Ganji and many like him that were instrumental in FOUNDING this "system" have said that this government is unreformable.

Long live the people of Iran, and death to the Dictator.

IRANI MEEMIRAD

ZELLAT NEMIPAZIRAD

Get used to it.


comrade

Look who's talking

by comrade on

I wish I were in a position to ask the owner of this site to reconsider his decision on blocking Taghoot...

Tolerance is the name of the game. Isn't it?

Never increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything.

 


Anonymous Observer

Kazem0574 - I predicted that this would happen

by Anonymous Observer on

he/she is just another manifestation of one of IR's regular monkeys on this site.  I guess the IR's welcoming committee below totally missed the boat on this one.  :-))


kazem0574

Looks like "TagootShekan" has ceased to be on I.C's user ID's

by kazem0574 on

Click on his user ID to check.


Simorgh5555

Taghootshekan- One question.

by Simorgh5555 on

Taghoot, you are right about the Green movement being scum but for all the wrong reasons.

Let me ask you a question: Since you are proud of Iran's 2500 year old civilisation and would defend it ardently then imagine you were teleported to the year 640 AD. 

Muslim Arabs led by Umar-Bin-Khalid are attacking Iran. Would you stand up and kill the Muslim Tazi invaders or would you side with them and overthrow the Sassanian dynasty and help spread the spread of Islam?

I look forward to your anwer. 


ayatoilet1

Take a Moment and Consider This

by ayatoilet1 on

Taghotshekan: Even if you are right, and I have to say I disagree with you, there is a fundamental principle you are missing. The "Green" movement has a right to their opinion and their position. I do not support the Green movement as it presented itself; but people have a right to their opinion, to expressing their votes, to putting up candidates, to peacefully march etc. - whatever their views are, whoever is supporting them financially, etc. By the way, Iran's CURRENT consitution actually guarantees that; and Iran's regime does not even honor the Constitution. The problem is the regime in Iran is neither a Republic nor Islamic. Prior members of Majlis (that were qualified before) are now disqualified from running for office, elections are not monitored, there is NO INSTITIONAL democracy. The Green Movement (whoever they are supported by) has a right to exist. Alliances are part and parcel of normal politics, if an Iranian political movement wants to allign itself with a political movement outside the country, that is up to them and their conscious...whether its a movement in India, US, Europe, Russia, China, etc. - that is upto the political movement. The Mullahs and right wing Islamic Conservatives also have a right to exist. BUT they can not deny these basis rights from any Iranian - no matter what their view point is.  The simple issue, is that in a free and fair electoral process the people get to vote for whomever they agree with...not one party alone.  It is upto the ballot box to settle this. Opponents can debate one another freely, accuse each other of being surrogates for foreign powers... - it can all come out in debates and in a free press. The Ballot Box should decide - not you, not the supreme leader, not the Secret Service of the Interior ministry...the Ballot Box decides. The issue is, the Mullahs are cowards, and can not stand open scrutiny and debate, and always acuse their opponents of working for foreign powers, when in fact they are Iran's biggest traitors. If they were true men, confident of their positions, they would not close off debate, election monitoring, the free press, disqualify candidates, shut down political opponents, board up other political party offices, etc etc. The people should decide, NOT you, who should lead their government - be it pro - or anti- Israel, the West, China etc. It is up to Iranians - not this coward regime.  


Q

Taghootshekan, welcome to Iranian.com

by Q on

I absolutely disagree with your message. But I welcome it because it's generally not tolerated by so-called "freedom fighting" Iranians on IC.

A second and equally important reason is that your crazy conspiracy theories about the Green movement mirrors exactly what "taghootis" say about the Green movement. Be it "hezbe baad" Monarchists who pretended to be Green when it was popular, westoxified islamophobes who tried to usurp it or even the war cheerleaders who hated it all along, they're all more or less against the GM as it exists in Iran. Greens are threats to both extremist poles. The fossilized opposition abroad are uniformly Ahmadinejad supporters because he doesn't threaten their narrative. They think that until the time Western powers are convinced to take the country by force and hand it to the same corrupt owners as before, the best thing is to have the worst of the hardliners in charge.

Only Mousavi threatens to actually evolve the system the way they claim is not possible.

Showing people that the authoritarian hardliners in Iran and "regime change" opposition -- including Israel cheerleaders -- abroad are basically on the same team is a very valuable service.

Thanks again and welcome.


Parthianshot91

It's all down hill for the islamists from here

by Parthianshot91 on

 Out of the green movement new groups, nationalist and other groups alike will be created. Just compare the resistance of Iranians to this regime to 10 years ago. This could go down for the islamist regime anytime now.

 --------------------------------------------------------------

"They are not afraid of the ideology alone, but of the detemination and will of the men behind it"


comrade

دیگه دارم پررو میشم...

comrade


Do you have any idea what specifically necessitated the second trip? What you explained was the reason for the 10-day trip. Was he initially shunned by some Grand Ayatollahs?
Thanks.

Never increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything.

 


Taghootshekan

Khamenei's trip

by Taghootshekan on

 

Ayatollah Khamenei went to Qom to allay the concerns of the   traditionalists and hitherto quietists among the clergy that  the government was not militarized in nature, as the opposition claimed, and that the opinion and advice of the ulema was still very important.


comrade

vaccinated question

by comrade on

I don't know anyone better than you to explain the reason for Ayatollah Khamenei's second trip to Qum. Can you please elaborate?

Never increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything.