Iran's
Tomorrow is Quds Day in Iran. It is the last day of the Holy month of Ramadan and a day of Solidarity with the plight of the Palestinians. Ayatollah Rafsanjani, one of the most powerful figures in the Iranian Political Establishment, has been barred from speaking during this and will be replaced by the Coup President and Khatami. The regime's moutpiece, IRNA, claims that it is Rafsanjani who has broken a 25 year tradition. They also did not refer to him with his title of Ayatollah, but mentioned his last name with contempt. As for Ahmad Khatami, he is a member of the Guardian Council and one of the most extreme members of the regime who was instrumental in installing the Coup President and declaring defacto Martial Law in the Country. I understand that he is not related to the Ex-President of the Islamic Republic, Mohammad Khatamil.
The Green Wave has been planning for anti-government protests. Facebook has been quite active in providing guidance on how to act and in what manner. The path of peaceful and non-violent protests is what is being planned. One of the key features I found interesting and insightful was a feature on the Green wave's website called "The Sound of Green Islam". It features prominent thinkers like Ali Shariati, Ayatollah Saneei and others who have advocated a modern, peaceful and tolerant brand of Islam that gets away from a sense of dogma that seems to be the order of the day in the current Iranian Political discourse today. It is fascinating for those who are interested to listen and reflect: Really Long Link Hopefully an English version of it will be available soon. This is critical so that folks realize that the advent of Islam's Soft Revolution is something that is clearly happening which should be encouraged and understood.
I am sure that the authorities and their hired guns will be ready to deal harshly with any protests. As I have written before, they shot their way to short term existence. But, they seem not to understand that they have laid the seeds of their long-term destruction. The "coup president" can bask in glory when he goes to the UN and lectures the world about Democracy and human rights. Hopefully a number of delegations will walk out on him as he is speaking so he realizes that his make-belief world is in fact a facade. I wonder if he and his pals realize that.
Mike Pouraryan
