While watching this, I had an impulse to embrace (literally) Rafsanjani, Mohsen Rezayee, Javaz Zarif, and the Sepah, the now-turned infamous revolutionary guard. These people DEFENDED us empty handed for 8 years, how can I turn my back on them?
According to interviews in the Video Hashemi Rafsanjani came to realization that Saddam was supported unendingly, while Iran was under embargo. He goes to Khomeini and offers his head: "let me, as your representative in the armed forces, announce the acceptance of ceasefire. And you can then fire me; but we cannot go on and win this war." Khomeini thought Saddam had to be defeated, if Iran were to live in peace (and he WAS right, since Saddam's expansionism manifested later on). But he accepted the advice of his trusted strategist and responded: "no, that won't be fair to you." And then Khomeini came on TV; and said: "I wish I was martyred with all those soldiers and Basijis, and didn't have to swallow from this poisonous cup of accepting the Un Resolution (598)"
In this documentary, you will also see efforts of Rafsanjani and Rezayee to help release American hostages in Lebanon (only in exchange for impartiality of the US in the security council of the UN over the war settlements between Iran and Iraq.)
And for the first time, I saw a video of the actual assembly of experts, replacing Khomeini with Khamenei. Khamenei was chosen by unanimous vote ...
I regret that the media in my country, Iran, is so restricted that we, as a people, are either denied access to the good deeds of our governors, or turn a blind eye on them as pure lie and propaganda. As I am watching this documentary, I am praying that Ahmadinejad and Khamenei would STILL do the right thing, by giving the people the freedom they are owed ... closing a detention center is a good step, even if superficial, it is a little step forward ... BUT, Ahmadinejad's vendetta against Hashemi underline my fears that he may be governed by motives other than the well-being of our country. Ahmadinejad's "special" relation with the "hidden" Imam are cause of graVe concern for me ...
If only the let us free, we will learn to love them and to judge their errors in the light of the good deeds them despots have done for us ... Stop that stupid court circus and show such BBC documentaries in Iran, or have our world-class filmmakers make some!
10 comments:
Perfect documentary. Bravo :)
Dear Naj
The following lines were posted by me under the rubric/heading “comment” of the article
“In Iran, second trial for protesters begins” (Sat, 08 Aug 2009 07:25:23 GMT). They didn’t extinguish this text, what I think says much about the journalists of Press TV:
“Who is damaging Iran’s and Islam’s reputation irreparably? - If Iran conveys the impression that Iran is mainly characterized by a brutal religion, by state-encouraged groups of thugs, by prisons which after a few days you often leave dead on a bier, where reason and justice are not part of the current vocabulary, then the fault lies definitely with those who are ruling the country. The majority of Comment-writers do not improve this impression.”
All the best to you
German
Naj, I've been following your blog silently. I think you do a terrific job. When I saw the documentary some time ago, my reactions were mixed and partly similar to yours. No doubt the West has dirty hands in its dealing with Iran, but so has Iran. Iran has meddled in other countries internal affairs as well. And you should not forget that the same people who defend the nation state Iran internationally has failed the Iranian people. They have failed to convict anybody for the murders in 1988, the chain murders, the horrendous stabbing of Fereydoun Farrokhzad and many others. When the lives of Iranians are worth nothing or little in the hands of the Iranian authorities how can you defend those same people when they represent the nation state in dealing with foreign powers? Should they not be accountable first and foremost for their treatment of Iranians and thereafter for their treatment of other nation states? Or to say it brutally: Are these murders just backyard "collateral damage" in preserving the regime and its position on an international stage?
German, thanks for the heads up. Although i'm not quite sure what you mean :)
Anonymous,
Yes i know. But i believe in giving every one a second chance. I also recognize the volatility of our country and the insecurity with which we are raised politically.
But, the 1988 murders, the 1999 murders and now these ones seem to have stemmed from one source, from same players; and I take courage that more and more people are turning up to say sorry for their complicity or ineffectiveness.
We all fear.
When faces with someone who holds a naked knife to you and your children, unless you shut the fuck up, you WOULD shut the fuck up! This is what these thugs have been doing, reining on terror, and they have sure been helped by the hungry dogs to the west (Iraq), the east (Taliban), the north (russia) and the south (America). Now they are helped by Israel and by Hillary and by BinLaden; creating images of a threat from outside to paralyze our resolve to fight the parasites inside!
The generation who was killed en mass in 1988 suffered, to a great extent, its own ideological inflexibility and disconnection to the main-stream. It's taken us twenty years to become a little more mature; a little more informed; and perhaps a little more connected and assured of what we do NOT want. Enough to rise together and say: NEVER AGAIN!
The King is finally dead!
The King died when despite Mousavi's request millions flooded Tehran to ask "Where's my vote?"
I think this is unprecedented.
Many years ago, a friend of mine, the daughter of a diplomat who was plucked out of Iran, had become a doctor, and was yearning to do something for Iran (it was same year of chain murders) told me: "we cannot leave Iran alone in their hands; even if we must 'pretend' we must find a way to participate."
Let's just say, those who are now on green posters of this movement, have done a little, in as much as they could, to keep us fed (Mousavi) and push us a little towards freedom (Khatami) and break taboos (Karoubi) ... and let's forgive Hashemi for he came out and in ne of the most critical junctures of our history spoke on behalf of "the people".
I will give anyone a second chance, even the devil!
Naj,
You are most likely right. 1988 was my generation. It is now a castrated and paralyzed generation. I am not sure I can forgive, I can certainly not forget, but I can give them the benefit of a doubt. I am happy when I see these people standing up for what is just and right. And I stand with them. I believe I allow them a second chance, but with some reservation. Allow me that, and I can live with you forgiving...
Anonymous,
What you tell me is what I have heard from almost any one of that generation. I understand their vehement skepticism. Perhaps my generation will be proven wrong; perhaps we will be laughed at as the naive ones. But what choice do we have, other than to look forward?
I have more on this, but since you are anonymous I can't share here :)
Dear Naj,
I don't know whether it is a choir I want to belong to...
You are right. You have no choice, other than to look forward.
But you worry me.
Nobody knows what tomorrow looks like, not the students at Tiananmen Square, and not the people in the streets/prisons of Iran in 1979, 1999 or today. And none of them were wrong.
Who will prove you wrong? There are no right answers. Besides, when you fight for inclusive freedom, you are never wrong. How can you be?
You play for tomorrow with the pack of cards that you have. But if you never play, you never win.
I will never laugh, I will cry my heart out.
I remain your A, castrated as I am :)
A,
You should not belong to this choir. No one should descend from their own standards.
Dear Naj,
["Press TV" - "Although I'm not quite sure what you mean":]
I don't know if it's a good idea to post these lines publicly:
Obviously great pains seem to be taken to leave and keep critical statements under their comment-rubric. No wonder, when one observes how the Iranian power structure deals with journalists at present.
All the best
German
Dear Naj
Apart from the already mentioned statement [statement I] I posted the following two statements which were also left undeleted by Press TV for at least one whole day during the weekend:
[statement II]
There had always been a favourable picture in Germany of Iran due to its millennium-old high culture. Western academic studies emphasize the deep influence of Persia on Greco-Roman and Christian culture, philosophy and religion. Will a nation with that past and potential be able to accept that image of violent hatred against differing opinions and doubts, of cruel destruction of young people’s lives in prisons, of juridical impunity of the responsible organs – in the long run?
[statement III]
One word on Persian tradition: 2500 years back Cyrus embraced linguistic diversity, codified the laws and observed them painstakingly. Perhaps most striking was Cyrus’s religious tolerance. So why move lightyears away from that great and exemplary tradition of Persia ?
with the hope that all my best wishes may come true for you
I remain
your German
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