With the 31st anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution coming up on February 11, two facts remain clear about the Green Movement, which has sprouted like a spring lawn since last year's much-disputed June 12 Iran election.
The first is the opposition remains loosely organized, despite harsh crackdowns by hardliners. (Judging by the social networking sites, their activity has picked up in recent days.)
The second is the Green Movement demonstrably lacks what sociologist Max Weber referred to as a "charismatic leader." There have been significant opposition players -- though all part of the status quo -- like Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, Ayatollah Rafsanjani and the now deceased Ayatollah Montazeri, but none took the steering wheel.
On the other hand, Ayatollah Khomeini, who led Iran to being a country alien to me, was just such a charismatic leader. He brought not reform, but revolution, an earthquake of the highest magnitude, one from which an entire country was rebuilt in a new mold.
Max Weber defined the essence of a charismatic leader as "...a certain quality of an individual personality, by virtue of which he is set apart from ordinary men and treated as endowed with supernatural, superhuman, or at least specifically exceptional powers or qualities..."
Such a person can then "...inspire loyalty and obedience from followers..." and thereby establish his charismatic authority, which Ayatollah Khomeini unquestionably did in Iran when he overthrew the Pahlavi Dynasty.
Since Ayatollah Khomeini's death, however, power has been transferred. With each transfer, the pressing question becomes will Iran's current leadership keep driving or will they continue to drive the people into an unbridgeable chasm?
Iran's Green Movement will almost certainly brave the streets again on February 11, a day in which crowds in Iranian cities traditionally amass to celebrate the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, with similar pomp and spirit to our Fourth of July.
But what can the leaderless -- yet relentless -- opposition hope for? Without a leader, there is no revolution. Is there a fighting chance at reform?
I think of this as the green stubborn streak. Iran is one of the world's oldest major civilizations. Why my elementary age son studies the Kingdom of Mali not the Persian Empire in his school curriculum is beyond me. There is a certain pride among the people that comes with that, irrespective of any political or religious standing. Call it a cultural trait.
Pride's cousin is stubbornness. The same stubbornness that characterizes Ayatollah Khamenei and President Ahmadinejad is the same stubbornness that characterizes the men and women of the Green Movement who risk their lives by demanding reform.
Neither Iranian will turn around and walk away.
Follow Charlotte Safavi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CharlotteSafavi
What if one her “god is a big lie”. An unacceptable assertion for her? Of course, unless she is asked to study carefully the particulars on Gene Sequencing, on how our brains are defective, any crazy idea can be easily planted in it etc.
In her nice post this author doesn’t mention anything about the “blatant interventions of the foreigners in Iran” which is the CORE issue on the current Iranian politics. Could it be that in her peaceful mind, on Iran, there are no sinister plots and no evil psychopaths who create and implement those plots?.
What if one tells her “There was NO provable fraud in the Iranian June 2009 election and Ahmadinejad won with a very WIDE margin”.
If she is interested to verify that, as a first step I urge her to use Google Search for. “Paul Craig Roberts Iran”, “effort destabilize Iran”.
Then it is time to go to theraceforiran.com. There after watching the videos of World Public Opinion Polls she might say:
Wow !! Who are these sophisticated Neocons, their extensive MSM, and their politicians who brainwashed the pubic so skilfully as they did for the Iraqi WMD.... now doing the same on Iranian election, on its nuclear efforts etc..
I warn her, if she digs deep.....she might gradually turn into a female Kafka agonizingly watching her shattered glass-palaces....I know.....I’ve cruised that path.
I know at times, my political wounds drive me towards ugly display of a subtle rage. Unforgivable. Yet... I wouldn’t have commented on your nice post if your impression in my mind was anything but amiable and gracious. I just wanted to talk to you as you were my daughter.....my apologies for sounding so condescending.
No one with a sound civil mind can defend IRI’s past records. They brought down the age of marriage for girls from 17 to 9. They have stoned our sisters, our daughters to torturous death. They executed thousands of political prisoners, when some of them were about to get released....the list of their atrocities is so long.
No Iranian who has dreamed of the paradises of Civilized Freedom can live in Iran without constant subconscious feelings of suffocation, shame or despair. I know the essence and the soul of the protest movement in Iran. For me that kind of progressive drive towards the modernity and civility is paramountly sacred.
Yet it matters A LOT if Green is selected for the color my Cry for Freedom by a bunch of psychopathic blood thirsty hegemonists like Kenneth Timmerman’s group (Google Search “craig roberts timmerman” or go to Timmerman’s website and read his hateful blogs)
I never ever want to be used as their pawns. I want to feel as Rumi’s “humanistically evolved beyond any imagination”, proud and independent where no low forms of life like warmongering neocons are in my sight.
Many times I have painfully felt violated, after finding out the imperialists had played decisive roles in 1906, 1953 and 1979...
And I feel so humiliated when I find out they, so openly concocted the pre-election plot, using their media to spread ”gross lies” convincing my fellow protestors of Mousavi’s victory.
I feel deeply humiliated when I read in Ari Ben Menashe’s book entitled “Profits of war” Mousavi’s friend (Manuchehr Ghorbani) is (was) a CIA agent.
I urge you to read that book......then you might partly understand why I’m so uneasy watching Iranians being driven to the position of “not accepting the will of the majority”.
I am deeply worried of a new war with Iran, a war similar to Iraq wars of 1991 and 2003, where the country was set back for decades.
The list of my concerns are way longer.
As a humanist I fully respect you and your beliefs, yet....can you imagine and feel the pains of someone being tortured in harsh foreign prisons for just being a seeker of freedom and true social justice?
Wish you all the best.