Goodbye/Hello 11 "Iran's Clerics Give Green Ray Of Light And Hope To Opposition"

Just when it appeared that the opposition movement of Mir Hussein Moussavi was squashed, comes a ray of green light and hope for the opposition through a crack in the clerical establishment.

The Association of Researchers and Teachers of Qum issued a statement siding with the Iranian's of the opposition movement and Moussavi, calling the new government illegitimate. This courageous act of defiance to the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is an unparalleled challenge to his absolute authority. The will of the people, association of clerics, and the reform movement tests the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's power and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's legitimacy.

The Greek philosopher Plato said, "The excessive increase of anything causes a reaction in the opposite direction." There is clear evidence that within the Islamic republic there is a growing movement away from the denial of a people's rights toward transparency and truth. In all revolutions there are the seeds of freedom and the right to live without suppression held in
peoples hearts, for themselves and future generations. This is fundamental to the nature of human beings everywhere, and it is what spurred people to take to the streets and protest Iran's clouded elections. The Revolutionary Guard and the Basij militia may initially win in stomping out or trying to extinguish peoples spirits in achieving this freedom. But, to do so goes up against the will of life itself and no police state can withstand that force without eventually succumbing.

Iran's population is young with 60% of its people are under 30 years of age. Its youth remain split in how they see the future of Iran. There are those who still hold on to the theocratic ideas of Khamenei and Ahmadinejad and see the principles of Islam under threat, the west as evil, Israel as an illegitimate state, and women as second class citizens. This is a traditional and conservative Iran, of strict control of Islamic values seen through a religious lens. A lens that is framed and focused by the patriarchal supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Iran they see is not open to the outside world and is in a protectionist mode. Then the rest of the youths are seeking a government of tolerance and reform. They see an Iran much more engaged with the world at large, one that embraces human rights, and the rights of women, and believes that people's votes and voices must be counted in determining how their country moves into the 21st century. Their reformist leader Mir Hussein Moussavi campaigned with his wife Zahra Rahnavard, an educated woman who refuses to be bound by the rigid constraints imposed on women in Iran. The power of a woman campaigning as an equal cannot be understated to those seeking equality for Iranian women. With Moussavi the opposition can begin to see an Iran that is less isolated and willing to engage with the world. They see an Iran that they want to have a future in.

It is with the youth of Iran where all the hope of its future lies. The naturalist Jane Goodall said: "It's easy to become hopeless. So people must have hope: the human brain, the resilience of nature, the energy of young people and the sort of inspiration that you see from so many hundreds of people who tackle tasks that are impossible and never give up and succeed." Will this youth populated nation find a way to bring everyone to the table to write a future chapter for Iran that holds as much promise as its rich historical past?

Goodbye to the youth of Iran divided against each other
Hello to the youth of Iran finding common ground with each other

Goodbye to the youth of Iran seeing everything in black and white
Hello to youth of Iran seeing the gray that connects them

Goodbye to the youth of Iran writing a history of neither conservatives nor reformists
Hello to the youth of Iran writing a unified history that holds promise for all

Comments

[wereeverywhere]

The cracks in the ruling class of IRI are a hopeful sign of its collapse. Compounding Ahmadinejad's fraud is his arrogance and sectarianism.

From Bataille Socialiste http://bataillesocialiste.wordpress.com/2009/06/21/preliminary-statement-on-the-upheaval-in-iran/ Since the 2005 election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the presidency, the regime has tightened repression, clamping down on women, youth, and trade unions, while at the same time engaging in flights of demagoguery in the form of right-wing populism. Ahmadinejad, the fraudulent President, taunted the opposition at his large victory rally on June 14. He called them “dirt,” ridiculed their charges of fraud, threatened them with arrest, and in a blatant example of his reactionary form of anti-imperialism, stated that in Iran, “everything is grounded in moral values,” but in the West, “thieves, homosexuals and other impure people are included in the electorate in order to gain a few votes” (Le Monde, 6/14/09). The next day, the clownish Ahmadinejad got his answer, as over one million protestors filled Tehran’s Azadi Square, far surpassing the pro-regime rally.

[PattCott]

On Saturday the senior cleric Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri launched a loud and clear criticism of the country's rulers calling them "usurpers and transgressors" and unqualified to rule the community
of Muslims. This again shows deep divisions in Iran's clerical community of how the opposition protesters where treated after the elections. Other clerics will have to come forward and add their voice to Montazeri's to add more weight on the scale of truth and transparency. On more ray of green
light and hope for the opposition movement.

[Hass]

Oh for god's sake, stop with the naivety. Mousavi is not Ghandi, but was a hardcore revolutionary involved in the hostage crises and other signficant events in Iran's revolutionary history. The only difference between Mousavi and Ahmadinejad is that one is a populist socialist and the other is a populist conservative. If there was any doubt, Mousavi has openly stated that he is committed to the Islamic Republic's foundations.

And there was no real evidence of fraud in the elections -- see IranAffairs.com for the claims matched by counter-claims. There was no NEED for fraud because Mousavi was specifically vetted and cleared by the regime to run for offce -- and yet we're supposed to think that he presented such a threat to the system that the same government had to resort to massive election fraud to keep him out of office?

[PattCott]

I agree with you Moussavi is no Ghandi. Ghandi was able to bring the British to their knees in a totally peaceful revolution by employing the power of non-cooperation and non-violence. That was Ghandi's brilliance and power not Moussavi's. Yet, Moussavi in representing the opposition gives
voice to the will of the reformists. In doing so he plays a vital role for those seeking change in current day Iran. If being committed to change makes him bear the title of hardcore revolutionary so be it. Also I don't think that it can be ignored that there are sufficient questions about the legitimacy of the elections that even the "clerics" of Qum are speaking out. This is a pretty unprecedented challenge to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wouldn't you agree?

[Hass]

Mousavi represents "reformists"??? Nonsense. He is backed up by Rafsanjani, who is considered to be the locus of corruption and nepotism. You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about and shouldn't be opining on matters outside of your knowledge.

[wereeverywhere]

This is not about Mousavi anymore so much as the reform movement itself. The screwy non-democratic system of IRI screens the candidates, the reform movement and Mousavi joined together, at least after it was down to the last four candidates. This fraudulent election, called by such as Juan Cole, Noam Chomsky, and the 538.com guy, was a declaration of war on the reform movement. Iranians know that and that's why so many went to the streets to stand up for themselves-an amazing, beautiful stand for freedom and I feel sorry for those whose ideology blinds them to what the Iranians are doing and aspire.

[Hass]

None of the claims about fraud are supported by the facts. IranAffairs.com has compiled them and the counter-claims. You assume that the Iranians you see on Twitter represent all of Iran -- they don't.

[wereeverywhere]

The shills at Irancom notwithstanding, the election was a fraud. Even more importantly, IRI isn't a democracy which has to be the ground for any analysis. It's in terribly bad taste to even bring twitter up like that, because there's been a total media clampdown with secret police carting off journalists. On a good day, IRI's press freedom level is awful, now it's police state status. My respect and heart is with those who have the courage to protest as best they can these injustices. I'm stunned at those who try, clumsily, to paper over the crimes of IRI.