Iran Revolution Part 2 - Nigerian Village Square

Jun

2009

The streets of Tehran have become the outpost of a national pain and an open stage for the heart longings. The people of Islamic republic of Iran deserve our support at this crucial time in their history. Their hunger for change, the build up to their June 12 elections is comparable to the US elections. The Iranian people are sick of the status quo. They are sick of ayatollahism. They want the person they elected to be the supreme leader not the one the grand ayatollah says should be. An Islamic state cannot be a republic and a republic cannot be an Islamic state. The forced union of the two is the reason for the mass convulsions on the streets of Iran today. Gone were the days when President George Bush referred to Iran as a pillar in the axis of evil and so mullahs and reformists united behind the clerical regime to oppose the Bush threat. But with a conciliatory Obama, the internal contradictions of the state began to play out in calling for a free Iran. The June 12 election was a referendum on the ayatollahs. And they too subsequently turned it into a stage-managed insult on the electorate. They recourse to fear tactics and overwhelming firepower. They are tapping into historical hatred for Jews and the west. The grand ayatollah referred to the protests as influenced by ‘Zionist media’ and the protesters as tools in the hands of ‘Evil Britain’ and the US. No, ayatollah, you cannot convert your people to Pavlov’s dogs responding to so-called Zionist-western interests, you cannot reduce the yearnings of millions of Iranians everywhere to self-serving rhetoric. It just goes to show how psychotic the clerics have become and why they need to be gotten rid of as soon as possible.

There is no point in speaking truth to power because power knows the truth it just wants to hide it. The ayatollahs know that a grain of truth can outweigh the whole world. They know that if one word of truth is joined to another there would be a revolt. That is why they have quickly moved to prevent all means of its joining. They have hacked opposition websites and newspapers, they have banned and detained many foreign journalists. And yet the state owned media like our keeps drooling the clerical consensus calling it news. But they found the Internet difficult to tame. Twitter, Facebook have already emerged as heroes of the Iranian revolution 2.0. Just like our Radio Kudirat, the BBC should be commended for foresight. When it launched the Farsi TV channel last year, nobody knew how crucial it would be now. This is not meddling into Iranian domestic affairs. The BBC is just offering Iranians the means to express themselves not telling them what to express.

That neighbouring Arab leaders refused so far to comment on the unfolding event in Iran is not coincidental. It has nothing to do with the historical enmity between Arabs and Persians, shias and shittes. It is for fear that if it can happen in Iran, it can happen in their own countries too. Which society would not be inspired seeing women lead battalions of protesters to confront the government forces? They see footages of ninja women lifting their burkahs - that black symbol of patriarchy and oppression - to beat up elite anti-riot policemen. They see the wife of the opposition candidate, Zahra Rahnavard an eminent political scientist in her own right rousing rallies. They see Faezeh Hashemi the reformist daughter of one of the ayatollahs hording men to the barricades. These images will definitely inspire Arab societies to organise not agonise. And leaders from Egypt to Saudi to Syria and Kuwait cannot sit comfortably anymore.

The Iranian people have discovered what concerted efforts and thoughts can do. They deserve our support at this crucial time. Their fight should be our fight. Who knows, they could provide us with models and strategies when our time too comes: when we must bring Tehran to Abuja.

Your Comments

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Robot

# 1 | 27.06.2009 09:16

	An Islamic state cannot be a republic and a republic cannot be an Islamic state. The forced union of the two is the reason for the mass convulsions on the streets of Iran today....Read the full article.

Suleimana Suleimana is offline

# 2 | 27.06.2009 17:58

	I find our interest in Iranian June 12 rather amusing. Iran has got problems but right now our problems seem to make Iran look good. These guys have refineries. They generate electricity. They have good schools. Life is safe in Tehran (unless you cross the 'divine' one) The idea that you cannot have 'islamic republic' is new to me. I tried but I really do not see the contradiction. Islamic scholars and Muslims have compared the concept of Shura in Islam to western parliamentary democracy. A random example of scholarly opinion on Shura: Sadek Jawad Sulaiman in "The Shura Principle In Islam" wrote and I quote "What is the Shura principle in Islam? … It is predicated on three basic precepts. First, that all persons in any given society are equal in human and civil rights. Second, that public issues are best decided by majority view. And third, that the three other principles of justice, equality and human dignity, which constitute Islam’s moral core, … are best realized, in personal as well as public life, under shura governance." I think it is important that people Study Islam and not 'Muslims' in making public statements about the religion. For centuries, Christian societies existed without representative governance but it would be wrong to say that Christian values are inconsistent with democracy. A little intellectual exercise would show that Shiites are a minority sect in Islam and the concept of a Grand Ayatollah does not exist outside Shiite societies. It would be useful to review the history of democracy in Iran and the role of the west. It is a grand illustration of 'nemesis'. I find the persistent rants about Zionist media a little irritating but not without basis. It is a fact that control of the global media rest with parties sympathetic to the interest of Israel. It is also factual that Iran today remains the only real threat to the Jewish State (Conspiracy theorist once claimed that Iraq had no nuclear weapon and that the war was waged to make Israel safer. Paul Wolfowitz?). I also find it so hard to accept western support for democracy in Iran as altruistic. Our own Obama's definition of the Muslim world has Saudi Arabia and Egypt right up there (These guys make Iran look really good). I still remember Mr. Brown's visit to his Excellency soon after assuming office. Rewind to 1979 and how America stood with the Shah to the bitter end (Or how they subsequently provided satellite maps to Saddam to enable him gas Iranian soldiers and civilians, an act not considered as war crime by the civilised world). We must fight to enthrone democratic rule whenever the opportunity arise but something is fishy about the media coverage of Tehran. Granted, the security apparatchik in Iran reminds one of soveit era KGB and the sight of some bearded man ruling in the name of God is deplorable but these instruments of fear are standard with some of America's closest friends in the region. I am also curious as to why the BBC did not give Nigeria this kind of attention when the will of 140million people was subverted. Enough of other people's problems. I say we all prepare to twitter our way to world attention the next time our elections are stolen (It might help if we have a nuclear program for effect). As for human rights, the Niger Delta is not that far from BBC and CNN's studios. I am certain that all those fearless war correspondents freshly out of work in Iraq can help us ‘project’ what is happening in Niger Delta (Both sides of the story of course). The one thing I agree with absolutely is that the Internet will be instrumental in ending the slavery we call governance in Nigeria. But that day will have to wait until we become more inclusive- South and North, West and East, Muslims and Christians, Professors and barely literate. We are from different backgrounds with varied beliefs and numerous cultures but we are all united by oppression.