Faeze Rafsanjani's Arrest and Ayatollah Khamenei's Fears

The arrest of Faeze Rafsanjani, the oldest daughter of Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani by the Iranian government, is a sign of warning against her father, and her supporters.

Faeze is a well known figure. She is an ardent reformist and feminist. A former member of parliament, she was voted the 46th most powerful woman by Forbes magazine in 2004. She has already been in trouble before. In the late 90s, her feminist magazine, called Zan (meaning woman), published an interview with the former empress of Iran, Farah Diba.

What worried the Iranian government about her is the fact that she took a leading role in the demonstrations. According to the Tehran based Asr Iran news agency, she was arrested, alongside another one of her brothers and four other family members, after attending a demonstration in Tehran's Tohid square. The fact that she is a leading Islamic feminist is one major source of worry. What has been notable about the current demonstrations is the presence of young women on the streets. Not only are they participating, but according to Roger Cohen's recent article from Tehran, they are also leading men to take on the baton wielding Basijis.

Her presence can also motivate other demonstrators, as it could make them believe that they are being supported by higher powers from within. What is interesting is that she was not a big fan of Ayatollah Khatami, because he was too "weak". According to her supporters, if during his eight year presidency Khatami had stood up to the conservatives, they would not have suppressed the reformists. Faeze is much more in favor of Mousavi and his unwillingness to back down.

Meanwhile, other senior politicians are voicing their concerns about the way in which the elections were carried out. In a recent TV interview, Ali Larijani the speaker of the Majles stated that the support of some of the Guardian Council members for one member (ie Ahmadinejad) was not helpful. In this case, Larijani is pointing to Ayatollah Jannati, who currently serves as the head of this all-powerful Council. An ardent supporter of Ahmadinejad and a close friend of Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi who is Ahmadinejad's messianic mentor, it is thought that his close friendship and defense of Ahmadinejad is another reason why the president's "victory" at the polls is disputable.

As the demonstrations in Iran continue, sooner or later, the demonstrators are going to need the support of a leader. Otherwise, the demonstrations may disintegrate, due to factionalism and dispute over how to continue. For now, Mousavi has not been too controversial. However, his recent statement that he is "ready to be martyred" could be taken as a clear sign that he is not going anywhere, and that he is going to lead until votes are recounted in a fair and transparent manner.

The head of Iran's police force recently warned Mousavi about the demonstrators. What could separate him from his current status to that of Iran's Nelson Mandela, could very well be prison bars.

Ayatollah Khamenei's perception about the demonstrator's current desires for regime change are inaccurate. However, if his unwillingness to compromise and violence against demonstrators continue, he could very well turn this fear into self fulfilling prophecy.

Comments

[pgunn01]

A correction - Mohammad Khatami is not an Ayatollah. The highest religious qualification he posesses, as far as I know, is Ijtahid.

[roshni]

Good for the women who are seeking a better life in Iran!

[Jeffry House]

The new Iranian revolution pits democrats against authoritarians. Those who want to direct our attention elsewhere, like Mexico, are simply uncomfortable with the truth that the Iranian dictatorship is falling apart.

When the people speak, democrats listen.

[am5454]

In all fairness, Rafsanjani's family has been rumored to be stealing from Iran for 30 years. His sons supposedly get a cut of every business deal - through their control of licensing - and they've stashed billions overseas.

I don't think there's an Iranian who hasn't heard this rumor.

[roshni]

What does that have to do with electoral fraud?

[breakingpoint]

They had an election
They've had elections
This isn't Saddam's Iraq, Saudi Arabia or the UAE, not even Darfur (which has gotten worse than Iran)
Iran will work it out
Heck, the protectors have more guts than most Americans when it comes to marching.

The American People need to take a good hard look in their own back yard, Mexico is on fire and far worse than Iran. - http://jischinger.wordpress.com

[culturevue]

Thank you very much.
And, I've been waiting for someone to refer to Mexico where we made no protest because he was "our guy."

[mergina]

The women are behind the true change that is coming to Iran.

[BillZBubb]

Hopefully, the conservative's heavy handed moves will all backfire. True democracy in Iran would be amazing outcome.