Sunday, February 06, 2011

The Litmus Test of Islamic Republic's Sincerity with Egypt's Protests

The protests in Egypt have been a God send for the Islamic Republic in many ways, but the protests have also further highlighted the hypocrisy of the ruling junta in Iran. Watching any of IRI media outlets, whether the state TV broadcasts inside Iran or the English language Press TV broadcasts from London, should enrage any unbiased and politically aware viewer into saying 'You hypocrites what you did to Iran's  protesters was ten times worse'. Imagine how many millions of Iranians would turn out if the Iranian Army moved into Azadi Square and guaranteed the safety of the protesters in full view of the foreign media and their 24/7 coverage of it? Millions more than the 200,000 Egyptian protesters who turned out at Tahreer Sq. last week for sure.

IRI's hypocritical coverage of the Egyptian protests was followed by the Supreme Leader's sermon made in Arabic, last Friday. It was incitement, interference and manipulation and all the sort of things he was accusing others of doing during last year's protests in Iran.

Now Moussavi and Karroubi have asked for something which should act as the litmus test of IRI's sincerity in backing the legitimate demands of the Egyptian protesters. In an open letter to Mostafa Najar, Iran's interior minister, they have asked for a permit to stage a rally on Monday, 14th February in solidarity with the people of Egypt. According to the Iranian constitution, there should be no reason what so ever to oppose the permit and if they really are sincere about the plight of Egyptian people, why shouldn't such a rally be permitted? If they oppose the permit or simply do not reply, the Egyptian people should be made aware that IRI is not worried about them but pursuing its own agenda. They did not liberate the people of Iran, they will not liberate Egyptians, Palestinians or any other people. 

22 comments:

Dariush said...

This is a good move by Moussavi & Karroubi, though several requests have been swept under the carpet before. The only way such an event has a chance is if the mainstream media pick this up and the regime comes under international pressure to formerly respond. We need to do everything we can to get this picked up by BBC, CNN...

Potkin jan, do you know whether The Time's or other British newspapers are likely to give this any attention?

Jared Israel said...

If Khamenei does not agree to Mousavi's request, he's a fool. This request is a knife to the heart of the democracy movement: it equates opposites (what happened in Iran and what is happening in Egypt.) Shame!

Mousavi's statement, accepting at face value that what is happening in Egypt is what the Western media presents it as, is a blessing to the IRI -- it represents Mousavi manifesting his long term usefulness to the regime, that he is the conduit through which honest people can be drawn back into a movement under Islamist leadership, which is unfortunately precisely the character of the rebellion in Egypt. It is the meat on the bones of his statement, "Islamic republic, not one word more or less." It's the reason that he is alive, while so many who followed him are not.

Instead of 'pressuring' Khamenei to let him demonstrate in support of the Brotherhood -- which is Khamenei's dear ally, despite the fact that they disclaimed his remarks, as they had to (they are masters of this sort of credible deception, the ultimate smiling weeping crocodiles) -- instead of ORDERING the duck to get in the water and eat bugs -- instead of doing that, Mousavi should be attacking Khamenei for supporting the most extreme example (since the overthrow of Milosevic) of the West essentially taking control of a country and dictating its government and policies. There is not even a pretense in the West of respect for Egyptian sovereignty. With his ludicrous declaration in praise of the protest movement as a rebellion against the West, when in fact it is the pampered pet of the West -- which calls it "peaceful" (Hillary Clinton) after it burns down government buildings, blows up pipelines, seizes government ministries --Khamenei reveals what he is. Khamenei POSTURES as an anti-imperialist. That is his worldwide importance. But by supporting this attack on the soveriegnty of a country -- a Muslim country, no less -- he demonstrates that he is a neocolonial puppet, albeit one with a big mouth, who gets his allies in a little trouble.

Jared Israel
Emperor's Clothes

Unknown said...

LOL.

This is an example of Mousavi and Karroubi exploiting the events in Egypt so that they can stage a rally which will end up having nothing to do with what is going on in Cairo.

The Iranian government should refuse to allow this to proceed and , in any case, we are in the 10 day build up to 22nd Bahman, so no organized demonstrations can be held.

It is time to bring Mousavi and Karroubi to trial for inciting sedition and lying to the people about the election.

The government hangs people for dealing drugs but not for the treason committed by these two.

Waybec said...

Actually I don't think the Egyptian protests are a coup for IRI's propaganda machine! In anything it really does expose their own murderous hypocrisy and tyranny! Khamanei's fearful wishful thinking says it's a great Islamic uprising. Yeah right... Do I see American flags being burnt? Have I even heard the Muslim brotherhood say thanks to Khamanei. On the contrary, they've just told him to butt out while also slandering his own lack of democratic freedoms! Tunsia and Egypt aren't Islamic marches. They are marches for liberation, freedom of speech and a for a proper democracy! Free from the likes of cheats, state sanctioned murderers. Oppressive police state tactics, and power hungry fat cats who have got obscenely rich at the expense of the people! So on that account Khamanei. Be afraid. Be very VERY afraid! When the Iranian regime now bans foreign cookery programmes, they really have become paranoid and insane! And so nah - permission or not - it won't be long before the people's march does indeed spread to put such homicidal theocratic lunacy and maniacal tyranny out of it's misery! Azadi Irani! It can't come quick enough!

Winston said...

The Iranian regime is consisted of hostage takers. The Iranian people are their hostage.

Unknown said...

Why don't Mousavi and Karroubi just attend the Feb 11th celebrations and declare their support for the revolutionaries in Egypt there?

The Mubarak regime has been a major enemy of the Islamic Republic, as were Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime and that of the Taliban.

Interestingly, so too is Mr. Potkin Azarmehr. Seems like he is in the right company!

Azarmehr said...

@Dariush

Doing my best, See LA Times :
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2011/02/iran-opposition-demands-permit-to-march-in-support-of-egyptian-uprising.html

Jared Israel said...

I wrote a comment that I guess got lost in transmission, so here are my thoughts, more developed than in my first attempt.

Regarding Mousavi's challenge to Khamenei to let him hold a mass demonstration to support the Egyptian protesters, I think it is a betrayal of the Iranian movement on two scores.

First, the Western media’s grotesquely one-sided coverage notwithstanding, the Egyptian and Iranian movements are in fact polar opposites. Iran’s is rooted in people’s desire to be free from clerical fascist suppression. Egypt’s, despite talk about Facebook protesters, has been overwhelmingly a Muslim Brotherhood affair – hence the pictures of EVERYONE praying at the rallies.

The Brotherhood is the intimate ally of Hamas and Hezbollah, which provided the vanguard of the thugs that beat Iranian protesters in 2009/10. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of those same thugs were employed to burn down government buildings in Egypt. By equating the Iran and Egypt protests, Mousavi obscures what is unique about Iran: that people under the thumb of Islamic clerical fascism heroically rebelled. The Muslim Brotherhood wants to institute precisely the type of regime the Iranians rebelled against.

Second, Khamenei's statement of gushing euphoria over Egyptian developments, saying Egypt and Tunisia heralded the dawning of the great Islamic Age, threw a monkey wrench into the Western effort to force Mubarak to resign and open the door to the Muslim Brotherhood, the IRI's close ally.

Immediately Khamenei’s statement was stupidly translated and posted by Al Jazeera, Clinton and Obama had to backpedal.

On Jan. 31, the administration EXPLICITLY stated that the brotherhood had to be part of a future government (adding, in unintentional black humor, that it had to eschew violence), and on Feb. 1, Obama said that Mubarak had to resign now. (The next day his spokesman said “Now means yesterday.”) With these combined demands, Obama appointed himself Rahbare Mo'azzame Enghelab of Egypt.

But the combined stupidity of Khamenei and Al Jazeera changed public perception, forcing Clinton to say 'participation of the Brotherhood in the Egyptian government is an open question’ and -- amazingly -- suddenly the US was declaring that Mubarak was needed for the US-ordered transition. These changes were necessary as a first step toward ending the US government's exposure as the hidden ally of the IRI, which exposure Khamenei’s statement had brought on.

Besides Clinton's backpedalling, I believe two other measures, in the way of damage control, have been taken.

First, the Brotherhood and its Facebook allies (ludicrously) have started denouncing Obama for interfering in Egypt -- as if, absent his interference, they would have been meeting with Egypt's VP! Not to mention, that because of the US and Western Europe, they are not being jailed for burning down half the government. But their attacks on the US are needed to undercut the impression, created by Khamenei, of US-IRI collaboration.

And second, Mousavi made the statement that you have, mistakenly I believe, praised.

You see, if Khamenei allows this demonstration to take place, media like the N. Y. Times and others that simply refused to print Khamenei’s statement would be able to gush over the evidence of supposed all-Iranian support for the so-called protesters, saying see, *all* parts of the Iranian spectrum support "Egypt". (As if the protesters = Egypt.) Thus obscuring the importance of Khamenei's stupid admission.

So Mousavi is helping to pull Mr. Obama's irons out of the fire by obscuring the reality that Khamenei witlessly exposed: that the IRI is a subordinate ally of the West, which in turn means that despite Khamenei’s babble about anti-imperialism, IRI Islamism = neocolonialism. Not one word more or less.

Jared Israel
Emperor's Clothes

Waybec said...

You know even after what's happened in Tunisia and Egypt, all I hear is that the Iranian regime is too different and difficult to defeat! Crap! Because I fear even you Potkin roll over a little and look for the excuses as to why Iranian's shouldn't protest. Remember, the exact same things were once said about Ben Ali and Mobarak! In the end all it takes is enough men, woman and even children to mobilise and march in mass numbers to overcome the fear factor and overthrow tyranny!!! Yes it's takes guts. Even unfortunately split blood. But surely it's better to loose blood fighting for your beliefs in the streets, rather than having it constantly dripping from your veins by the IRI murderous thugs in torture and executions? It's clear now that Khamanei nor Ahmadinejad will never play by any fair, decent or polite rules now. Hence, only by playing the mass wild card of Tunsia or Egypt can Iran ever really be free of the despotic jokers!

Unknown said...

Dariush:

Potkin is very good friends with Martin Fletcher, the associate editor of the Times of London.

Martin Fletcher used much of the "information" Poktin was supplying him with to write articles covering the post-election unrest of 2009.

I am sure he will help Potkin.

Jared Israel said...

Hey, what's going on Potkin? My sharp (and deserved!) attack on Mousavi for his Egypt statement gets printed by the LA Times but not by Potkin, whose life is dedicated to a *secular* Iran (and Egypt, I presume), and whose heroism has inspired us all?

I sent you two comments. If you didn't receive them, would you please take what I posted at the LA TIMES?

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2011/02/iran-opposition-demands-permit-to-march-in-support-of-egyptian-uprising.html

Hoping for the best,
Jared
tenc.net

Azarmehr said...

@Waybec: When did I ever say Iranians shouldn't protest? Generally speaking I never tell Iranians what to do, instead I tell the world what they tell me from Iran

Azarmehr said...

@Jared Israel:

I am really sorry, I honestly publish every comment as long as it is not spam or is an insult against people's family including if it is insults against families of IRI officials.

I don't know how it must have slipped, but don't think wrong of me. I hope your latest version will suffice. If not please send it again

Dariush said...

Potkin, thanks for the link. it seems now most media outlets are picking this story up, with the exception of the good old BBC (incl. BBC Persian?!?). Ironically they have no hesitation reporting the "stories" that the IRI throw it such as the current spy trial. I'm convinced there is an agenda at work now within the BBC, aligned with that of the IRI.

The problem i see with the proposed protest is that the full "security" aparatus of the regime will be prepared to confront it. If any protest is to topple this fascist junta, then i think it will have to be spontaneous. Unless of course the numbers are that big to overwhelm them.

Azarmehr said...

@Dariush :

I share your thoughts exactly on the points you raised

Dariush said...

Potkin, perhaps the IRI are plugging up that licence fee freeze! I have formerly written to the BBC about this now, though I expect no response, or an evasive one at that.

Isn't it funny how John Leyne has been reassigned to other countries since his criticism from the Iranian government.

Btw, i just seen that PressTV have released an app on iTunes, believe it or not!

Jared Israel said...

Dariush, this is not a fascist "junta," i.e., a usurper of legitimate power. It’s a clerical fascist regime. An important distinction.

Ahmadinejad did not win the majority of votes, but the decision to put him in power was made by Khamenei, and Khamenei is constitutionally all powerful.

Anyway, this proposed demonstration is not an attempt to overthrow the fascist regime.

Quite the opposite.

Mousavi -- as opposed to perhaps most Iranian rebels – doesn’t want to overthrow it. He states that the proper stance is "Islamic Republic, not one word more or less." How could he not take that position, unless he were prepared to admit that he was one of the main creators of the fascist regime, being second in command during its bloodiest suppressions?

Mousavi tried in 2008-2009 to be an enabler of the regime, to give it a better facade, but his efforts were turned into their opposite by the forces at work: the law of unintended consequences.

Then Mousavi tried to stop the demonstrations, but they proceeded without him, with the people virtually forcing him to maintain his position as leader despite his opposition to the political line of the protesters. He has been used by both sides: by the people, as a way of presenting their movement in a quasi legal light, that is, as reform not revolution, thus isolating Khamenei from some who would otherwise support the ruthless suppression; and by Khamenei, who was perfectly aware that the people wanted revolution, and left Mousavi in the leadership (instead of in jail or dead) because Mousavi might draw the people into the fold of clerical fascism.

If Mousavi was ambiguous, he is no longer. His uncritical praise for the Egyptian protesters, echoing the Western media and not opposing Khamenei's line on Egypt (but challenging him to prove his sincerity!), is a brilliant move FOR THE REGIME.

The almost unanimous prostrated prayers at the Egyptian rallies constitute a *political* statement: we will die for the Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood, the supposedly nice Islamists who dominate this movement despite the Facebook illusion, are in fact as “nice” as Iran’s mullahs, not one word more or less.

By this call for Iranians to support what is in fact the Brotherhood, Mousavi has finessed some Iranians at home and abroad back into the fold through supporting the (supposedly) democratic Egyptian Islamism -- like the "good" Islamism some believed they would get with Khomeini, to whose monstrous beliefs Mousavi adheres, which beliefs Mousavi falsely says Ahmadinejad has betrayed.

That's one reason the media is picking this up. And some on this discussion list wax poetic about this publicity -- this wonderful knife thrust into your hearts!

Western governments tried first to kill the Iranian protest movement with faint praise, downplaying it, promising fervently not to interfere (!), misrepresenting its politics, ignoring it after July 1, and finally boosting Ahmadinejad with those fascism-dignifying negotiations.

Now governments and media fiercely promote the fascist protests in Egypt -- fascist because they are dominated by the people who called the Iranian protests a US plot and sent goons to help the IRI -- and the media attempts to finish off the Iranian ANTI-ISLAMIST movement by promoting this false linkage to the Egyptian PRO-ISLAMIST movement. The rape victims linked to the rapists.

That Mousavi has set the stage for this POLITICAL linkage outweighs the outrage that he begs Khamenei, who has the blood of thousands on his hands, for a PERMIT (not surprising since Mousavi wants the system to work!) so that Mousavi may provide the survivors with an outlet that channels them into supporting the Islamism that murdered their friends.

If this demonstration happens, may demonstrators chant: No Egypt! No Muslim Brotherhood! WE DIE FOR IRAN!

A chant similar to what the rebels chanted at the 2009 Quds day march for Hamas, which is also the Muslim Brotherhood.

Jared Israel
Emperor's Clothes

Waybec said...

Fair comment Potkin. Like Jared I also had some comments apparently gone by the wayside and thought I'd either blotted my copybook or thought my statements suddenly too radical for you? However, I do concede that none of us have carte blanche on your blog and am always constantly aware of outstaying my welcome by the sound of my own voice. But of course passions run high and frequent in trying to secure people's genuine freedom's and justice... But compared to Khamanei who's committed some of the biggest crimes on earth and the greatest sins in heaven, I'd like to think at least our moral compass remains more true and the same. Blogs seem to increasingly represent the people better! For when it comes to the media argument let's not also forget Fox News and Press Tv too! To show just HOW out of touch with the people they are - (more governed by political agenda's.) We see Fox News - The Neo-con talking heads channel for opinionted ego's and waxwork presenters, drumming up the Extreme Islamic threat in Egypt. Whereas Press TV always try to veer the argument towards a Muslim uprising against Israel and America. But where in the Egyptian protests did I EVER see a burning American flag or a picture of Khamanei being held aloft??? Again, I even read one media commentator from France saying that Iranian's don't have the stomach for another Revolution after the 1979 one! Er, excuse me - but people under 31 in Iran weren't even born when that happened. And those between 30 and 40 would have a job to remember or truly understand it! Again, what blind-sided people in power and the media fail to understand is that it's young PEOPLE POWER just fed up with hypocrisy and murderous undemocratic tyrants!!! And that's why the internet via blogs or even Wikileaks are presenting and setting out higher ethical imperatives for the people to act against the despots, rather than just stay the sheep to the corrupt brought off powers of either politics or the media! So, beware IRI! By constantly denying the people of the ballot box and oppressing opinion, your day of damning judgement is still coming!

Jared Israel said...

Dear Potkin,

You wrote yesterday that you didn't know how come my two comments, sharply disagreeing with you about Mousavi's remarks about Egypt, didn't get posted for three days.

You then apparently found and posted my second comment and wrote that if it were not sufficient, I should send my other (first) comment again and you would post that too.

So I spent some time rewriting the comment you didn't post, the first one, which dealt with why Mousavi's support for the Egyptian protesters was a betrayal of the struggle INSIDE Iran -- and now, a day later, it is not posted. So that makes four days.

Under the circumstances your failure to quickly take the remedial step you promised might be perceived as an attempt to delay exposure of an effective criticism of Mousavi until the issue in question had lost its timliness. Not that I am saying that's what you had in mind, but of course, when this kind of thing happens, now three times in a row, you don't want people to, as you wrote, "think wrong of me."

If my comment has somehow gotten misplaced again, please let me know at emperorsclothes@tenc.net and I will immediately send it again.

Kind regards,
Jared Israel
Emperor’s Clothes

Azarmehr said...

Dear Waybec,

you will always be welcome to this blog. Please forgive me everyone if you think your comments have not been published. I honestly publish all comments unless they are advertising spams. Sometimes I may be late publishing the comments but I do sincerely and solemnly swear I never knowingly reject a comment whether it is for or against

Dariush said...

Jared - This is no longer a clerical regime. I think it has become abundantly clear that Iran is now in the hands of the IRGC, a military dictatorship that has usurped power, blanketed by a sham parliament and cabinet. Just take a look at Ahmadinejad and his cronies, almost all of them were Guards or have ties with them.

If the ultimate authority was still with the clerics, they would not have risked it all just to keep Ahmadinejad in power during the protests. They could have quite easily kept power and replaced the top man.
The reason Ahmadinejad (a former guard) and his team were kept is because they are agents of the guards who are helping them siphon the nations wealth into the pockets of the IRGC. Estimates are they now control over half the entire nations economy. now if that doesn't meet the definition of "usurping" power, then i don't know what does.

Ahmed said...

Hey Potkin & Others,

Something I have been wondering about the next protest, since a large majority of these protestors are women (maybe >50%), and sheer numbers of protestors from previous outings clearly exceed 100k or more (at least in Tehran), then why don't all the women take off their head veils at some point during the protest? Clearly this would be a huge embarrasment for IRI (maybe the biggest) and the police/basij etc would be powerless to beat up thousands of unveiled women? The world would clearly see unambiguity in the desire for change and disinterest in Islamic gov. My Iranian friend told me the reason they haven't/won't do this is because most seek change within the current establishment and are not vehemently against IRI, just Ahmadinejad jad and Khamenei policies. That the majority of green supporters still support the Islamic establishment, hence why many were actually carrying photos of Imam Khomeini during 2009 protests.

Interested in your thoughts.

Thanks!

Ahmed