Intellectuals worry: Ahmadinejad's Government is trying to radicalize the Green Movement!

I have been staring at the pictures coming out yesterday--and posting those that narrated themselves. I have been in "shock and awe"; wondering where this movement is heading to. We are all fully aware of the savagery with which the regime is trying to push people to self-defense--that apparently needs to be violent and extreme to be proportional to governmental attacks!

How provocative the regime has been?

• The regime that announced a public mourning for tearing the picture of Khomeini on video also ATTACKed the home of Khomeini where President Khatami was delivering a Tasou'a sermon.
• The regime who claims leadership of the Shiite cause also opened fire and unleashed batons and tear gas on the citizens of the Shiite country--a deed that has been carefully avoided by the most tyrannical of Iran's rulers who have been fully aware of the sanctity of "moharram", a month in which violence is forbidden (inherited by Muslims from prophet Abraham's times.)
• The same regime whose Basiji's consider "Seyed" Ali Khamenei the representative of God on earth on the credit of his "Seyed-ness" (i.e descendent of Imam Ali & Prophet Mohammad) also assassinates Mousavi's nephew, a "seyed" himself.
• The regime operators has targeted which people to hit yesterday: relatives and children of reformists (Moin, Mousavi, Abdollah Nouri) seem to have been singled out.
• They have now arrested many of the voices of reason, promoters of PEACEFUL protest; and they are setting the stage for arresting Khatami, Karoubi and Mousavi.

And to Ahmadinejad's aid come cheerleaders; some staunch Iran-Bombers, who have suddenly become so pro-green; whose support is aiming to further radicalize a movement out of its path and out of credibility.

There are also individuals like the internationally renowned filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf who is calling for general strikes, fanning the flames with writing and reciting a hateful letter to Khamenei. Considering this gentleman's revolutionary past; his "artistic" tendency for emotional outbursts--of the cheapest, most superficial sort, and his radical tendencies that he best described in his self-reflexive film "A Moment of Innocence", I conclude he is a mercurial figure of good intentions but little wisdom and patience; and he also likes the spotlight a little too much! This kind of "leadership" is dangerous!

Of course, there are all sorts of genuine IRI haters; they are Iranian monarch-lovers whose radio and TV stations are quite useful in acting as laxative; plus the ex-communists who helped bring about Khomeini; who were jailed and tortured and their friends were killed before their eyes; who are vengeful and who think "they know how to do a revolution" and are eager to pass on their failed methods on to this new generation! (These sorts often attack me on other blogs if I call for pragmatic brainstorming about Iran, they want Khamenei's head; and tomorrow's to late; they want it yesterday!)

So, yes, there are all sorts of elements that seem a little too cheerful about the magnitude of the protocol that was broken yesterday: killing on Ashura! This is no small deed; and whoever is pulling the strings of violence is full aware of the sparkle it has set in this dynamite box.

But; many who have spend their lifetime for democratization of Iran are worried. All these individuals have been critical of the regime and in odds with it before the Green Movement took shape.

Mehrangiz Kaar: Human/Women rights activist lawyer.

اما حکومتی که با ادعای دین محوری سوار کار است و مردمی که با ادعای حضور مسالمت آمیز و اعتراضی در کار اعلام نظرات خود هستند در یک چنین شرایط خاص که تحریک پذیری عادت است، بهتر آنکه با یکدیگررویارو نشوند و از آن بیش، جنبش مدنی و مسالمت آمیز که از ثمرات تجدد خواهی است و در بر گیرنده مفاهیم و مضامین مدرن و حقوق بشری است ، چنانچه به بهانه مبارزه مدنی بخواهد درگیری تاریخی و اسطوره ای امام حسین و یزیدیان را باز سازی کند، ویژگی مدرن و حقوق بشری را یکباره از دست می دهد . در یک ظرف پر تلاطم تاریخی که با خود زنی در آمیخته است ، جنبش چگونه می تواند بر ضد خشونت شعار بدهد و از ظلم و جور ستمگران بر سر و سینه بکوبد . اینکه می شود نقض غرض !

It is best if a government that is religious-centric and a people who believe in peaceful protest to claim its rights do not confront each other in such provocable ground [Ashura]. Furthermore, a civil movement that is peaceful and stems from a modernist discourse that encompasses modern human right issues do not get entangled in the historical mythology of Imam Hossein and Yazid as it will lose its modern objective. In a turmoiled historical context that is intertwined with self-flagellation, how can a movement chant against violence but beat himself in protest to oppressor? This is an oxymoron!

Masoud Behnoud:(Journalist)

یک بار نسل پیشین با شعار و در خیابان و با آتش زدن خواست سعادت را بخرد، گذارش به بهشت نیفتاد. آیا قرارست نسل امروز، نسل روزگار شفافیت، نسل روزگار خبر، روزگار آبی و سبز باید از همان راه بگذرد. راست بگویم دلهره دارم.

Once, the previous generation tried to buy happiness by slogans and by bonfires, but it didn't find heaven. Is today's generation, generation of lucidity, genration of media, generation of water and Green, supposed to cross the same road? To tell the truth, I am worried.

Ezat Sahabi: (A leading nationalist politician)

ما که می‌دانيم خشونت را اين حاکميت دارد به مردم تحميل می‌کند. زور و فشار وارد می‌کند برای اين‌که مبارزات مردم برود به سمت راديکاليسم تا سرکوب‌شان کند. اما حرف ما اين است که اگر بنا بر خشونت گذاشته‌شود، اين حاکميت هيچ ابايی هم ندارد که يک ميليون نفر آدم را هم بکشد.

We know that the government is imposing this violence on people, in order to push the movement towards radicalism in order to oppress it. But, if we base ourselves on violence, this regime will not hesitate to kill one million people to keep itself.

Today, communication in Tehran is back to normal. The phone lines that went silent and unreachable are now easily connecting; chat lines and facebook access seems to have been restored to Iranians and the internet is operating at tolerable speeds. A friend tells me that yesterday morning, the guards who underestimated the size of crowds tried to intimidate people with extreme violence, but were caught off guard by people's reaction. However at night, things went to normal. People who were flying out of Iran are now safely on their ways home. People who have mortgages, projects and deadlines are working in their offices. Those who are teachers are preparing their lectures.

But I fear, Ahmadinejad will NOT stop escalation. As Sahabi notes:

ما بايد خواسته های مان را بر اساس توان مان مرحله بندی کنيم. اگر ما با آقای خامنه ای و رهبری کشور مسئله داريم، سوال داريم، اعتراض داريم ـ که خيلی هم داريم ـ اما مصلحت ما در اين نيست که پای آقای خامنه ای را به ميان کشيده و شعار عليه رهبر بدهيم. ما بايد به هر وسيله ای می توانيم تبليغ، ترويج، نوشتن، انتشار اسناد، نشان بدهيم که احمدی نژاد بلای جان ايران است. حضورش نابودی ايران است! آقای خامنه ای آيا می خواهد به سرنوشت کسی دچار شود که از يک چنين شخصيتی دفاع می کند؟ چون واقعيت اين است که احمدی نژاد ملاحظه آقای خامنه ای را هم نخواهد کرد از او هم گذر خواهد کرد. او نقشه ها دارد برای ايران و برای خودش. او می خواهد به عنوان سردار امام زمان ظهور کند. او نه تنها عليه آقای خامنه ای، اصلاً عليه روحانيت در خواهد آمد. ما بايد از اين موضع با آقای خامنه ای حرف بزنيم.

We have to categorize our demands according to our abilities. If we have a problem with Mr Khamenei and the leadership of the country, which we do, it is not in our advantage to pull him into the battle field and chant slogans against him. What we HAVE to do, is to use any tool: advertisement, publicity, writing, publishing documents and proof that Ahmadinejad is Iran's peril. His presence equates to destruction of Iran! Does Mr Khamenei want the destiny of a person who defends this man? Because the truth is Ahmadinejad will not stop at Mr Khamenei. He has grand plans for himself and for Iran. He wants to emerge as the lieutenant of Imam Zaman. He will turn not only against Mr Khamenei but against the whole clerical establishment. This is the position from which we have to dialogue with Mr Khamenei.

Post script: as I am finishing this note; new arrests are made. see earlier post for the growing! list ...