Obama Sending Mixed Signals to Tehran

Last week, Mr. Obama invited a group of journalists into the White House to talk about Iran. According to the Washington Post's David Ignatius, Obama's agenda was to signal Iran that the United States might "accept a deal that allows Iran to maintain its civilian nuclear program, so long as Iran provides 'confidence-building measures' to verify that it is not building a bomb." He said that his Administration is prepared to lay out "a clear set of steps that we would consider sufficient to show that they are not pursuing nuclear weapons." Together with the tightening of sanctions against Iran and the CIA Director Leon Panetta's June 27 conclusion that sanctions will "probably not" dent Iran's drive for a "nuclear option" and also former CIA Director Michael Hayden's recent statement on CNN that a strike on Iran now "seems inexorable," the Administration seems to be sending mixed signals to Iran . Some analysts have concluded that other than his unsuccessful attempts to engage with Iran, Obama has come to very similar positions with Bush on Iran. Now, some believe that calls for deals and dialogue on both sides are only to brush of the guilt of being complacent and not doing enough to prevent another tragedy in the Middle East. Neo-cons and zionists whose thirst for war and destruction of the Islamic nation has not been quenched by wars in Lebanaon, Gaza, Iraq and Afghanistan, now insist that the storm clouds of war seem to be circling in the Middle East once again.


In synchrony with other pro-war voices , the Washington Times, yesterday attempted to legitimize an attack:” An Israeli strike may or may not be in the cards, with the acquiescence, if only privately, of some Arab states and others, but the question nevertheless arises: Would an Israeli strike on Iran necessarily be unlawful? “

There is much hope in Iran that Obama will not ultimately play into the hands of the extremists who are similar to certain elements within Iran, in their thinking that any attack on Iran will lead to apocalyptical conditions thereby ushering the rise of the “Hidden Imam” for the Muslims or the “Messiah” for the Jews and the Christians alike. These extremists have gone to the verge of predicting when the Imam will appear and who his true allies would be. Such prophecies had an important role in the initial election of Mr. Ahmadinejad in 2005 and still continues to be a source of religious arousal for his followers, amidst the very difficult times he is facing now in Iran.

I believe it is also very important to mention that Reformists and the Green Movement do not approve of the escalating tensions between Iran and the West . Sanctions and economic pressures are useless tactics that ultimately destabilize the economy, weaken the private sector and put more pressure on the masses thereby impeding democratic processes in Iran. The notion of striking or attacking Iran is outrageous considering the chain reaction it would initiate not only in the Middle East but throughout the world. Dialogue and alleviation of tensions are the only way ahead. Taken in that light, while his other policies were reminiscent of the Bush era,  this recent step by Obama may be cautiously envisaged as a step in the correct direction.

30 Months Ahead : Ya Ali

According to schedule this round of urban and rural councils would  conclude its four year term next April. However, a bill was introduced in the Majlis last year, to merge the timing of  Presidential elections held every four years according to the Constitution, with Council elections also held every four years. Iranians have been going to the polls for elections of various officials practically every year and this has always been taken as a partial indicator of a democratic process in the Islamic Republic (except for, of course, the previous disputed Presidential elections).
Last month the Majlis also adopted a bill according to which the third round of the Councils would be extended for 22 months. Many observers believed that after the tragic events of last year and the unresolved disputes on the elections, any new election this year would be unwelcome for  the people and the turnout would be very low. Supporters of Ahmadinejad in the Majlis were against this proposal and insisted to convene elections according to schedule . The low turnout would be to their benefit as their minority would overtake the Councils, in which a majority are currently  critical of the government and more than 40% are Reformists. The Reformists were also against the proposal, but for a different reason. They believed that the elections would be an opportunity for more freedom of speech and a chance to speak out on different political matters which are unspeakable under ordinary circumstances (like now).
The Majlis approved the bill and the Council of Guardians approved it without any fuss to the surprise of many.
In any case, as a representative of 9 million inhabitants of Tehran, I pray  God will grant me the strength, courage and insight to defend and promote the rights of these citizens and to enhance the quality of life for those living in Tehran.
Begining from this month we have 30 months ahead of us to serve.
For the second round of his Presidency, when it became evident how difficult it would be to stand for another four years Khatami stood for his candidacy with the slogan Ya Ali. In Persian it is customary to say Ya Ali when you need strength and wisdom, since Imam Ali is an example of both.

Abbas

Mr. Masjed Jamei was the Minister of Guidance during the second term of Khatami's Presidency. He is now a member of the Tehran City Council.  Along with Dr Najafi (also a long time Minister and now Councilor) we were on a visit to a mourning family in Tehran who had lost their son a year ago. The young man had loved Abulfazel Abbas as a role model, his mother sadly recalled.
In their home, Mr. Masjed Jamei spoke about the attractive personality of this loyal brother of Imam Hussein and how he is now revered by people of all walks of life even from different religions. He spoke about a religious group (Heyat) that Armenians in Tehran have to commemorate Abbas, their green flag has only his name on it. Jews residing in Tehran also have ceremonies, he noted, for Imam Hussein and Abbas.
I also remembered how in an international conference " Earth Dialogues",  I was attending in Brisbane Australia, the Director had chosen an Islamic symbol for the conference. The hand of Abbas had been chosen from an artistic exhibition in Morocco.

More interesting was an international  contemporary arts exhibition he had visited in Tehran, wherein an Indian artist had displayed a short skit comprising of a dialog with a pot of water. He was playing the role of Abbas, when he returned from the battle ground of Karbala ( a battle incited by Yazid the Ommayid Khalifa  against the grandson of the Prophet ,Imam Hussein in 61 Hegira), to bring water for the thirsty women and children from the Euphrates . According to the narration, he filled a pot with water but inspite of his thirst , recalling the thirst of his brother and family, he could not drink from that water. Abbas  returned, but was attacked midway and martyred ,while carrying the water back.
Now, 14 centuries later this inspirational event was brought to life by an Indian Hindu who had grasped the message of love and loyalty and resistance in face of oppression from Abbas.

The Arabic month that we are now in, Sha'ban is one of the most festive and joyous months for Muslims. In many narrations it is known as the month of the Final Prophet (Muhammad SA).  The third of Sha'ban is known as the birthday of Imam Hussein and the following days are the birthdays of Abulfazel Abbas his legendary loyal brother and AliAkbar his valiant son. The 15th of Sha'ban is the birthday of the twelfth Imam who is in  occultation  according to Shia tradition. Sunnis also consider the 15th of Sha'ban as a night of Ghadr (value), a unique night when the holy Quran has descended and when a year's destiny takes shape.

Stoning

The verdicts of the Shariat, or Islamic jurisprudence come basically from the Holy Quran or from reliable and authentic narratives from the Prophet of Islam (SA) or his descendants. I have heard and read the views of many   knowledgeable  interpreters of the Quran (including Ayatollah Mousavi Bojnordi) who infer that there is no reference to stoning or Rajm in the Quran.The references to Rajm in the context which it is employed in the judicial systems of  Iran and certain Islamic countries in contemporary times are only found in the Torat. Modern  jurists  have indicated that such practices stem from Judaic tradition and have no Islamic backing. Also there are indications in the sayings of Imam Ali  and other religious leaders that providing evidence for adultery is very difficult and probably impossible.

Nevertheless there are Jurists and scholars who believe that the only  forceful response to adultery is stoning. In the Islamic Republic of Iran the verdict of stoning has been given in limited cases,and practiced rarely, while during certain periods internal and external pressures resulted in a moratorium on stoning (in place since 2002). Judicial officials have noted that Imam Khomeini had ordered a halt to this practice in the early years of his leadership.
The recent case of Sakineh Ashtiani, who was indicted on charges of adultery,  found an unprecedented level of coverage and condemnation and has apparently resulted in a review of the verdict by the Iranian judiciary. Having said this I would like to make two points.

The first issue is that according to Islamic tradition and according to modern psychology,the family is the unique cornerstone of human development. To safeguard the family is to protect the rights of the future generation and the society. For the past decades promiscuity, obsession for bodies and looks, the comodification of women and sex has held the upper-hand in Western civilization. Teen pregnancies, single mothers and children with no families are the imminent result of this culture. On the other hand  modesty, protecting the dignity of human beings and the rights of the future generations and the emotional  and moral integrity of the young generation are the concerns that religions follow world wide. These concerns are justified when we see the soaring rates of social and cultural challenges both in industrialized and developing nations prone to western culture and propaganda for the hollow "western lifestyle".

The second point is that the Western media and the neocon  propaganda machine is taking advantage of this matter as well as other obvious weaknesses of the Iranian government to turn their public against Iran and prepare them for an imminent attack or aggression.  This is an unjustified approach that had prevailed in the early years after the Islamic Revolution and today, unfortunately, an incompetent government in Iran is creating pretexts for this unlawful synchronization of public opinion against Iran.
We have to campaign for a revision of the current marital law in which it has been proposed that stoning be deleted. We also have to campaign to restore the authentic image of Islam,which is in many cases,very different from what has been portrayed in Islamic countries.

Sanctions will not bring stability

During the past month we have been hearing alot about the new round of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran initiated by a UN Security Council Resolution and followed by US and EU legislative bills to impose more specific and targeted sanctions. As for the Americans, this has been the general trend after the Islamic Revolution in 1979 and in most areas where the American government had imposed sanctions deals have been made through intermediaries. This had only increased the prices and the risks involved, otherwise you could order whatever you needed in Iran and obtain it ultimately via an intermediary corporate sector in a neighboring country. The new round of sanctions might sound harsher than before and might create more difficult circumstances for the private sector  striving to work in very difficult economic circumstances in Iran. 


I have spoken about sanctions here before and I have mentioned that even though I oppose the current policies of the Ahmadinejad era and believe that their national and international policies deserve serious criticism, but I also firmly believe that sanctions will not help to reduce tensions and to bring more stability and security in the region. The Canadian Prime Minister  Stephen Harper , in response to a question on the effects these sanctions will have on the Iranian people responded today by saying" Instead, these targeted measures are meant to send a strong signal to Iran that the international community expects Iran to meet its international nuclear obligations. They send a message to all states -particularly those with nuclear aspirations -that international standards cannot be flouted without consequences." 


Yet on the contrary as long as countries like Israel continue with their non compliance to the IAEA resolutions and have not reported their nuclear activities, this remains as a double standard policy that  the international community faces now for decades.
The incompetence of international multilateral agreements in dealing with Israel in many respects has sent a very strong signal that international standards can be flouted by certain states, whenever they wish, under the tacit support of certain superpowers.

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Canada+strengthens+Iranian+sanctions/3188835/story.html#ixzz0rm7vSIGI Nor will these sanctions make the Middle East more secure. In fact there seems to be a deliberate emphasis on increasing tensions and channelizing public opinion to think that Iran may be actually on the road to, not only building a nuclear bomb, for many countries have done so without actually employing it ( with the exception of the US ).  But,  there is a persistent propaganda effort to implicate that Iran will employ the imaginary bomb, one imaginary day in the infinite future. The deployment of naval ships to the Persian Gulf  and the new spy satellite Israel has launched do not imply a sense of security for a region, already torn apart  by at least four wars during the past three decades.

Ceremonies and Rifts

The local media,last week. were obsessed by the stream of accounts,analysis and condemnation flowing after the humiliating actions of a small group of hooligans, apparently preplanned ,to prevent Seyed Hassan Khomeini ( the grandson of Imam) from delivering his speech on the occasion of  the twenty first anniversary of the demise of Imam.  These hooligans freely jeered and sneered at Seyed Hassan under the guise of supporting the Supreme Leader in front of millions of viewers, national and international dignitaries present .

Extremist supporters of Ahmadinejad have been very angry at Seyed Hassan for his independent stance on recent events and for his taking part in the marriage ceremony of the son of Dr. Mohsen Mirdamadi, a reformist leader who has been detained and convicted his progressive thoughts and for leading the Islamic Participation Front.  A photo from that ceremony later emerged in which Seyed Hassan and his brother sat around a table with Mir Hossein Mousavi , Mehdi Karroubi , Seyed Mohammad Khatami , Seyed Mohammad Mousavi Khoeiniha and Seyed Mohammad Mousavi Bojnordi and other reformist diginitaries including many political prisoners who were out on bail.

Since the tragic events of last Friday many religious leaders and political personalities from various political tendencies have condemned those actions and asked judicial authorities to take action. No one has supported this decadent behavior, but some sympathizers of Ahmadinejad  have attempted to justify this action.
This is another sign, in the long string of events in recent years, that indicates a serious rift and distancing  with the original line and thought of Imam Khomeini, now led by a minority that wills to cling to power by any means possible.

The Standards of Imam Khomeini

Monday's assault of the Israel Defense Forces on the flotilla of humanitarian aid which was heading to the besieged Gaza Strip from Turkey left at least 16 dead and many others wounded. This terrible event which Israel still attempts to downplay and to somehow justify has shocked the world. This tragedy  could instigate a positive development, only  if it leads to a lifting of the blockade which is suffocating the people of Gaza and if it leads to the awakening of the international community. 


Along with members of the Tehran City Council and the Mayor of Tehran we payed a visit to the Shrine of Imam Khomeini on the twenty first anniversary of his demise. The grandson of Imam, Hojj. Hassan Khomeini was also present.  There is a general feeling among many from our generation, who remember the charismatic and balanced personality of Imam and recall the roadmap that he drew for the Revolution, that some of what he hoped the Islamic Republic would embody has not actualized.  Great strides had  been taken for Iran following the Revolution, but  while enough had not been done, many now admit that the events of  last year  have compromised the moral and spiritual integrity of the Islamic Revolution. There has been a surge of warnings among Reformist leaders and politicians and in the few Reformist newspapers concerning a gradual deviation from the objectives of the Revolution and the ethical standards of Imam.


During the past 5 years some pro Ahmadinejad officials have questioned Imam's belief in democracy and have given the impression that he did not believe in the right of the people to determine their destiny.  Certain clerical figures , Hojj Mesbah Yazdi the most renown among them, have openly propagated a distorted image of Imam's thoughts and actions. They infer that Imam did not believe in the intrinsic right of people to decide for their future.  They insist that the rule of God is in contradiction with the rule of the people. Other decisions in open contradiction with the policies emphasized and decreed by Imam have also surfaced, military forces involved in politics, use of religious beliefs for legitimzing certain  actions, seeing women as second class citizens,  and many other issues. Even the family of Imam and many of the close friends of Imam have been targeted and isolated for criticizing current trends. They have targeted Imam's grandsons for visiting Green political prisoners released on bail. 

The question which lingers in our minds is how much does this country now meet the sublime spiritual , political and economic standards Imam Khomeini set for the Islamic Republic three decades ago? Are we moving towards or away from his dream?