Ramazan and Difficult Times

Ramazan has arrived bringing a spiritual revival along. Ramazan is a window of opportunity to change monotonous attitudes, lifestyles and behaviours. Eating , drinking, sleeping and lifestyle changes during the fasting period serve to lighten up and freshen the spirit. It is perceived as an action that can revive the soul that has lost its vitality. Ramazan is an exercise for ethical behaviour, it sets a harness on the strong powers of lust, ambition and selfishness. This does not infer that those powers would be destroyed or ultimately weakened but that they would fall into the humane and sublime direction defined by the Creator.It reminds us of the aggressive and oppressive policies ruling today's world.
Fasting gives us a moment of solitude and contemplation. The hunger we experience reminds us of the widening gap between the poor and the rich and the fact that millions die of hunger in the unjust world we have created today. Ramazan reminds us of the soul that is also hungry for love and worship. I remember I met Archbishop Capucci on an occasion during the Revolution in 1979, he described how terrible the food and treatment of the Israelis were in their prisons and how he had lost weight. " But that is good for the flight of the spirit the lighter you are the higher you can fly" he added. We have many innocent Muslim political activists, journalists, students and ordinary people still imprisoned in Iran and many other parts of the world. Ramazan is the time to pray for them and for the ultimate Justice that we all yearn for.
Although we have a miraculous Book at hand to guide us through the storms and blizzards of our times, yet we do not take appropriate refuge in the Quran. Ramazan is the month of reciting and contemplating the Quran.There is so much to learn and gain, so much that could transform our lives and enable us to proceed and persevere in the path of justice and truth.
We are facing serious challenges in the Islamic Republic, we hope that Ramazan will create an atmosphere for forgiveness and truthfullness in these difficult times.

Green Path of Hope

Tragic events have overshadowed the political atmosphere in Iran after the elections. It is clear now, that supporters of Mr. Ahmadinejad , in the executive, military and judiciary sectors have worked together to prove that the peaceful protests of millions of people against fraud and deciet in the name of Islam, was a foreign instigated attempt for a velvet revolution. Interesting to say, all three rivals of Ahmadinejad have rejected election results on the basis of clear and widespread evidence of cheating and fraud at all levels of vote counting and supervision. They who were all devotees and trustees of the Islamic Revolution, with more Islamic and revolutionary credentials than Ahmadinejad felt that the Islamic Republic is facing a serious challenge to its basic principles and values. The major concern was that clinging to power by any means constitues a deviation that that would distance the government from Islamic values and therefore contradict many of those objectives. Decieving the people into thinking that they could bring about change in the context of legal elections by playing the game and accepting the rules, and then accusing them of formenting a velvet revolution was a senario that the ruling establishment had concieved.

What they could not predict was that Mousavi and Karroubi and the people would resist inspite of brutal suppression , arrests, banning of publications, internet sites and in general freedom of expression. It is evident that the Islamic Republic should be protected but does that mean at any price ? Can a system based on religious and Islamic ethics go too far to infringe on all basic human rights in a very widespread level? The reality is that we are facing a paradox of protecting the sanct entity of the Islamic Republic which was intended to be the ultimate utopia of humanity in contemporary times, or protecting the substance and values that constitute the theoretical and fundamental values of this Revolution?
Mousavi has announced the creation of the Green Path of Hope as a widspread movement to follow the objectives of his campaign, Mr. Karroubi has embarked to defend the claims of those abused and victimized during street protests or while detainment. The Majlis has created a Special Committee to follow complaints.
We adopted a bill in the Tehran City Council obliging the Mayor of Tehran to prepare a report on how the City Council could attend to some of the sufferings and pain that the citizens of this city have faced during the unrest and protests after the elections. Supporters of Ahmadinejad are not content with these developments, they consistently deny or underestimate wrondoings and indicate that they will attend to all claims. The State run TV channels have totally censured the events, while many Iranians, even in villages now refer to foreign media for their news.
The post election events and the tragedies that have ocurred have nothing to do with Islam or the Islamic Revolution , they are the result of the blind actions of ambitious politicians who wish to hold on to power at any price. Imam Khomeini considered selfishness and pride, the egoistic ambitions of leaders, the inner drive for absolute power as the major threat for any Muslim official.He would refer to this reality constantly in his speaches. In his final will Imam idicated that the same way that Western powers are a threat, backwardness and egoism are also threats to the Islamic Revolution. We now witness how the legacy of Imam Khomeini stands,once again, as an obstacle to despotism and oppression in Iran.

The Savior and the Green Movement

There is no question that the string of events that we have seen during and after the tenth round of Presidential elections have permanently changed the trends of the Islamic Revolution. A major rift among the followers and devotees of the Revolution has now occurred. The biased election officials and regulatory bodies have not been able to convince the three rivals of Mr. Ahmadinejad or their large body of followers of the integrity of these Presidential elections.

People believe today that the voting process was rigged and that fraud and deceit in the system has seriously damaged the dignity of the Islamic Republic. In addition, the violent and illegal behaviour of militia and security forces with people demonstrating in the cities, and the irresponsible and inhumane behaviour they have had with the detainees has created many questions. Their actions have led to injury and death for citizens who only demanded a response to their questions on the elections and this has shocked the sincere believers and followers of the Revolution. The only response they have heard, has been allegations of a velvet revolution and foreign conspiracy displayed recently in a large trial of dozens of reformist leaders. Last week former Vice President Abtahi and political activist and journalist Atrianfar made obscure televised confessions in a very awkward manner clearly indicating the pressures they faced in prison. Abtahi who had lost over 20 kilos during 40 days of detainment was evidently under duress. No one on the street believed what they said about taking back their claims on election fraud and denouncing Mousavi. During the last week many leading religious authorities ( Marjaa) denounced the value of confessions under pressure. Pressures from the people has forced officials to announce the closure of an unofficial detainment facility as well as indictment of the perpetrators of assaults against detainees.

In the mist of these events and ongoing street protests, the legitimacy of the government( which is now endorsed and inaugurated) and the confidence of the people has eroded significantly. This is the ethical crisis that the Islamic Republic faces today; three decades after its inception.
Tomorrow we celebrate the birthday of the twelfth Imam ( descendant of the Prophet) who is currently in occultation. He is the Saviour who will appear to bring justice and peace for the world. The philosophy of awaiting the appearance of the Saviour is an integral theme in Shia teachings. Awaiting the Savior is an indication of protest against the status quo and dissatisfaction with existing trends. It is a message to current world leaders that their efforts have not made the world a safer place but that war and armed conflict of people against people and against nature is still taking its toll. The Islamic Revolution has been closely affiliated to the belief in the reappearance of the Savior and today it is clear that due to the serious challenges and crisis that it faces , we need to pray more than ever before for the Saviour to come and take affairs in his divine hands.
The Green Movement feels that it needs to believe and pray for the Saviour to come and change the current conditions of mistrust, insecurity and legitimacy crisis.

Green Movement in the City Council

Although more than 40 days have elapsed since the Presidential elections in Iran, general political and social conditions have not stabilized. In addition to sporadic demonstrations in Tehran and other major cities, the presence of security militia in public areas, Allah-o Akbar calls at night, a ban on SMS messaging and widespread discontent displayed in lowered activity in the government and economic sector are all serious signals of an imminent political crisis.In the few remaining reformist newspapers and news sites as well as the blogs which have survived filtering, news of the green resistance movement dominates. News of men and women who have been illegally arrested with no formal charges, young people injured and wounded during demonstrations and the victims who have given their lives is slowly emerging despite government attempts to block and prevent dissemination.

Members from the Tehran City Council met with more than 50 family members of activists arrested after the elections. Among those arrested were top political party leaders, journalists, lawyers, students and even innocent bystanders. They initially spoke about the plight of their loved ones. They elaborated on their revolutionary and Islamic reputation and the fact that they supported Mousavi who was approved by the Guardian council, they explained how militia men in plain clothes had entered their homes to arrest their kin. Mehdi Chamran the current pro-government head of the Council who had a critical role in bringing Ahmadinejad to power was present in the session. The attendees indicated that they expected the City Council to follow the reports on illegal detainment procedures and also on the biased and distorted reporting of the State radio and television which has a monopoly on national news broadcasting. This behavior is unIslamic and has nothing to do with the authentic values of the Revolution they stressed; we have nothing to do with foreign powers, we fear a serious deviation from the values of the Islamic Revolution. The mother of Sohrab Aarabi , a young student killed during the peaceful demonstrations on the Monday after elections also came to the session. She spoke courageously about the legacy of her son to promote the values of the Islamic Republic, freedom and democracy , "his blood has not been shed in vain" she said, "the green campaign will succeed".

Friday Prayers for the Majority

The Friday prayer ceremony in Tehran today was very different from other weeks. Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, who has clearly opposed current government policies, led the prayers. People, from all walks of life particularly supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi, took part with the hope of expressing their continued protest against the government. Hundreds of thousands of people took part inspite of tense security conditons. Mobile connections were cut off, thousands of police and anti-riot militia lined in the major streets leading to the Tehran University. I took part along with friends and family , we sat in Taleghani avenue and witnessed the presence of large populations who were calmly demonstrating and expressing their support for Mousavi and Hashemi. Although we could not see , but news reports indicated that Mir Hossein Mousavi, sat among the worshippers, attending for the first time since the turmoil began. Many of the tens of thousands at the prayers wore headbands or wristbands in his campaign color green, or had green prayer rugs.We also experienced the smell of tear gas among the worshippers.
Mr. Hashemi spoke firmly despite prior speculation that he would take a conservative stance. He reprimanded the Guardian Council (the body in charge of election oversight) for not listening to the controversy over the election, which was declared a victory for Ahmadinejad despite widespread claims of fraud by all three rival candidates.

"Doubt has been created (about the election results)," Rafsanjani said. "There is a large portion of the wise people who say they have doubts. We need to take action to remove this doubt." He spoke about he spoke of how Prophet Muhammad (SA)"respected the rights" of his people. He recalled the days of protest that people had against the "arrogant" Shah. He criticized the postelection wave of arrests, saying that the system should show sympathy for protesters and urging the release of those detained.
In his sermon, Hashemi Rafsanjani said the Islamic Republic must listen to the people's voices. "We believe in the Islamic Republic ... they have to stand together," he said. "If 'Islamic' doesn't exist, we will go astray. And if 'republic' is not there, (our goals) won't be achieved. Where people are not present or their vote is not considered, that government is not Islamic."

After the prayer ceremony tens of thousands of people marched , chanting slogans such as Mousavi's name and "coup detat government resign resign!". After weeks of suppression of demonstrations and arrests and detainment of students and opposition leaders the people are still in the scene and hopeful for change in the future. It seems that the faith that they have in their campaign has given them the strength and courage to continue. We arrived back home at 4 pm, exhausted and stricken by the sun and 40 degree celsius heat in Tehran.

Highly Skeptical

The American Vice President, Joe Biden, seemed to give Israel a green light for military action to eliminate Iran's so called "nuclear threat", saying the U.S. "cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do.""Israel can determine for itself -- it's a sovereign nation -- what's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else," Biden told ABC's "This Week" in an interview broadcast Sunday.

This is a clear change in tone compared to two months ago when Biden told the Zionist regime that attacking Iran without American consent was not an option for the Zionist regime. While President Obama has kept his position on non interference in Iranian affairs, this new tone is considered as an implicit threat. Analysts believe this change in tone may be rooted in the recent post election events in Iran.

There have been many instances in the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran when the positions and rhetoric of American authorities has seriously undermined the civil society movements and democratic processes of the country. One example, when during the Reformist term of Khatami , Bush named Iran as a memeber of the "axis of evil" ,thereby giving extremists an opportunity to hijack the political directions of the country.
Now, more recently Obama has mentioned concern for the supporters of Mousavi and the post election protests, while not seen as being helpful; it has not been taken seriously by people who believe that Americans are after their interests in the region and are currently also supporting many tyrannical regimes in the world only to protect their interests.
Biden's recent remarks will not be helpful for Iranian endeavors for reform, since these words will give security forces the opportunity to take advantage and make things more difficult for the people. In addition, any imminent threat to attack Iran will spontaneously unite all Iranians against the external enemy. This act will surely mute the reform movement in Iran for a long time.
It seems quite suspicious for many Iranians that whenever a viable civil rights and democratic campaign has taken shape, within the context of the Constitution and values of the Islamic Revolution, Americans strike the first lethal blow in various forms, depriving it of any opportunity to survive in a society highly skeptical of foreign support and interference.

We Have Succeeded

The recent issue of Nature magazine has an editorial devoted to Iranian researchers and scientists. "Iran's endogenous civil-rights movement needs international solidarity, not political meddling" it says.Other international journals have also embarked on similar endeavors.
On the national level, Mr Mousavi has published his ninth communique calling the elections "fraudulent" and the current government as "illegitimate". Mousavi has called for non-violent resistance and finding new and secure ways of protesting against the government. He has once again expressed his allegiance to the values of the Islamic Revolution and has stressed that the Constitution provides for the democratic foundations of the Repubic which are currently undermined. He has referred to the endless pressures on Iranian activists and his supporters.

These recent acts of violent repression, performed under the guise of crushing a velvet revolution, have left an indelible scar on the image of the Islamic Republic. The reality is that the roots and the popular following of the Green Movement are totally indigenous and have nothing to do with foreign instigation, or a "velvet revolution", as the government seeks to prove through coercive interrogation methods against Reformist leaders. A Reformist cleric in Majlis has recently cried out loud:" we are all Muslims and followers of the Islamic Revolution not foreign infiltrators". It may be that a few hooligans could be found who confess that they have taken orders from abroad but the Green wave was undeniably a symbol of national pride and solidarity with the Revolution.

We have succeeded today since the green wave had united Iranians and brought together many youth who were formerly indifferent. Their peaceful protest in face of all threats and pressures gave a new credibility and value to the Iranian nation in the world. Iranians stood up against fraud, cheating and lies in support of religious and Islamic values that have been the core of the Islamic Revolution. This carries a great lesson for Muslims and believers of Divine Religions throughout the world.
I have included a picture which cannot be denied today. Mousavi has been in the closest circle to Imam Khomeini the Founder of the Islamic Revolution; his sincere calls for democracy, freedom and revival of Islamic values and resistance against injustice will not go unheard.