It Ain't Over till the Ayatollah Says So

The Supreme Leader has spoken using no ifs, ands or buts in his words. I've stayed up all night listening to the Ayatollah deliver his Friday sermon in Farsi on IRINN TV, simultaneously translated into English on Press TV and Arabic on Al Alam.

For a week now, Iran has commanded the world's attention. Tens of thousands of protesters demonstrated for six days in a row to express their outrage about the results of the election. Protesters from various walks of life marched in the streets of Tehran "to get their votes back". Some had not even voted but still felt the urge to protest and despite threats from the Basij militia they took to the street. They braved the beatings, and on Thursday dressed in black to mourn their comrades who were killed in clashes earlier during the week.

On Friday, they were nowhere to be seen amongst the sea of Khamenei's followers. They've done the right thing and stayed at home... otherwise, a bloodbath might have ensued.

In his speech, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, has said that the people have chosen who they want as president in the country's recently disputed election.

Delivering a sermon during Friday prayers at Tehran University, Khamenei let there be no doubt about where he stood and strengthened the position of Ahmadinejad.

"Candidates were put forward into public eye, everyone could judge for themselves... they have identified the person they wanted," he said.

Earlier, losing candidates Mousavi and Karroubi, had asked their supporters to show up en masse on Saturday instead of Friday to avoid confrontations.

The Arab media has been abuzz with the "Iranian Intifada," as some have been referring to it. I wonder why this term was chosen... could it be because an Intifada expresses the will of the people but eventually gets crushed?

I've read a headline somewhere that Arabs have kept silent about Iran's political upheaval. This is far from the truth.

The Iranian Election has been the lead story for the past week on more than three dozen Arab stations I monitor in the Arab world with one exception: on Egyptian television when Egypt defeated Italy, the world champions in soccer, in the Confederations Cup semi-finals. The western media ought to stop generalizing and profiling. The Arab world is not a monolith, and the people are different from the governments. Arabs have been very energized by the Iranian Election phenomenon. They've been debating it night and day, blogging about it and even tweeting it! They are even jealous that Iranians can get away with one week of anti-government protests. Imagine if this had happened in Saudi Arabia... or in Egypt where Obama chose to visit and address the Muslim world.

Some say tomorrow will bring another dawn and, the opposition will be back on the streets, but will they really show up? The Ayatollah may have put the nail in the coffin of the opposition, my source in Tehran tells me.

Jamal Dajani produces the Mosaic Intelligence Report on Link TV. He has recently acquired a new taste for tweeting.

Follow Jamal Dajani on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jamaldajani

Comments

[stardust835]

CanHandletheTruth: When I read your post, I realize that truth is definitely relative to the source. So what is your point., really?

[stardust835]

6 1/2 hours until the Saturday's rally in Iran. I'll be lighting a candle and saying a prayer for the brave protesters of Iran. The people of Iran have surprised and amazed the world before. They're asking for a second election at the least. The Grand Ayatollah Khameni has chosen consolidation of power of power over the risk of the blood of more Iranian young people. My prayers are with them for peace and justice. Unfortunately, peace without justice is usually tyranny. It is a shame that our (the US) treatment of Iran has been so poisonous since Mossadeq. We have no credibility as a government, but we can still pray and yes, (don't choke) hope. Iranians must be really incredible people. 30 years ago they toppled a US back dictator. Today, they will or they won't fight for their vote to be counted and perhaps more importantly for the right to demonstrate and organize for that right. I hope the" bomb bomb bomb Iran" crowd will remember the faces we've seen in the street this past week. (We can all remember the psychology of the country during the invasion of Iraq when "You are with us or against us" was the war cry. An old tired, but effective excuse.") It's being used in Iran today. We can light a candle at 8:30 eastern time, if for nothing else than to show respect to these brave people and maybe send a prayer. I know I will.

[jomellon]

In the official election count Moussavi won Tehran 2.2 million to 1.8 million so he has a lot of supporters in Tehran.

But it is quite possible that there was election fraud *and* that Ahmadinejad won a clear victory: he apparently enjoys hugh support in the country outside Tehran.

The best thing would be a transparent runoff between the top two candidates.

[leonardox1]

Most ahmadinejad's support comes from outside tehran: the working class, the farmers, and the poor.

[dsws]

"The best thing would be a transparent runoff between the top two candidates."

For the opposition to accept the results, it would probably have to include letting both parties/candidates have observers at both the voting and the counting.

[Antifascist-08]

Over, I don't think so.

Don't you think the protesters knew this would happen?

They are going to give up after one speech?

get real.

[newsjunkie5]

I don't know...he is the Ayatollah...in Iran that means something.

[CanHandleTheTruth]

Iran's has been, and will always be, a patriarchal culture. That is why global and internal calls for "Democracy" (whatever that term truly means anymore) are so comedic when it comes to Iran.

Iran's past Shahs served as former patriarchs, and now this ayatollah does. The people protesting in the streets are akin to disruptive children at a formal function, and *daddy just put his foot down*.

No amount of (Israeli sponsored) Twittering will shift said generations-old patriarchal culture. The rioting will subside, things will go back to 'normal', and, most tellingly, Obama will inevitably need to engage Tehran because of pressing US agendas regarding Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia, China, and oil strategy issues.

[cohen238765]

There are only a handful of countries in this world that aren't patriarchal in nature, right?

[justice2008]

What do you mean? Iranians cannot change, advance or adapt?

[jad114]

This is condescending!

[alexa07]

"The Arab media has been abuzz with the "Iranian Intifada," as some have been referring to it. I wonder why this term was chosen... could it be because an Intifada expresses the will of the people but eventually gets crushed."

Jamal, I always ponder about your deep interpreta­tions.Than­k you also for correcting the record about how the reaction of the Arabs is being depicted as "silent," by some of our mis-informed media (no surprises). Seems as if everyone in the region is attuned with generating information, covering it, analyzing it, causing so much more availability of news about the region . I hope this will make a difference & cause more Americans to become dissatisfied with the old stereotypical coverage of the Middle East by our corporate journalism.

[newsjunkie5]

That is the hope isn't it.

I wish we had more journalists reporting accurately on the Middle East.

Maybe then and only then would all the stereotypes about Arabs, Muslims, and the Middle East vanish away.

[alexa07]

Yes, the news from the region just has never been reported very well. Many Americans, for example, still identify with the old movies, Exodus & Paul Newman a case in point (guess who are the good guys?) that are still being played frequently on our satellite & cable networks. Even many local PBS affiliates were running outdated & one-sided "documentaries" about Israel, timed quite surprisingly & suspiciously during the Israeli onslaught on Gaza. Of course, every Easter we get to see the old DeMille classic that still foists the erroneous idea of who really built the pyramids on viewers. Some positive points: Arab & Arab-American film-makers are telling their own stories; journalists like Jamal Dajani are setting a great example for the young generation of Arab-Americans of all religions & Muslims of all ethnicities to follow by taking up careers in the field of journalism; & Link TV, Al Jazeera & other alternative sources for our news are becoming more available to one & all.

[justice2008]

"The Ayatollah may have put the nail in the coffin of the opposition, my source in Tehran tells me."

No Jamal, YOU hit the nail on the head. It is up to the Ayatollah...he cannot allow Moussav'is supporters to have it their way, otherwise, the entire regime would collapse!

[cohen238765]

Is that necessarily a bad thing?

[Taxi]

Mousavi cannot live with the blood of thousands of Iranian civilians on his conscience.

But he can live with stepping aside for four more years and in the tense meantime work to strengthen his coalition.

He is that smart and sound.

[justice2008]

I'm all for giving the voters the benefit of the doubt but someone should look into the history of Mossavi

[stardust835]

Hmmm. I think that is what Khatami did 10 years ago. Stepped aside and stopped the protests.

[cohen238765]

It will be interesting to see if the protests do end.

If all it took was for the Ayatollah to speak then why didn't he speak sooner and perhaps it would have avoided the violence that has been raging for the past week.

[justice2008]

He spoke but he was not stern like today.

[jad114]

The size of Khamenei/A­hmadinejad supporters today seemed to be much larger! I read they were brought in from nearby towns and villages.

[leonardox1]

Jamal, are you saying that it's over? It will be a shame if the Iranian voters abandon their struggle to have their votes counted.

[newsjunkie5]

I doubt that it's over...it seems the will of the people is STRONG!

I wish we (Americans) got out into the streets too in protest of the stolen election by Bush against Al Gore!

Maybe it would have changed the past 8 years!

[alexa07]

Yes, & how many people would still be enjoying their lives who are now in their graves?

[joz22]

Fanatstic perspective! this is very juicy yet insightful. Love the title!