OpEdNews - Article: Iran's Growing Culture War / Change Is In The Air

Iranian civil society groups, stifled by the country's rulers, have long sought gender equality, economic opportunity and freedom of expression.

The Iranian Green movement is in reality a culture war and the current presidential post-election chaos is actually welcomed by many civil groups. At their core is the women's movement who feel the election is a means to an end and that needed change is in the air: Allen L Roland

America knows quite well that it's not too hard to hijack an election ~ for it only took four states to hijack our National election as witnessed in 2004 when four crucial GOP targeted states showed Kerry leading substantially in the polls on election day ~ only to have the states flip to Bush with each state demonstrating clear election violations and fraud. Here's the tale of the exit polls ~ except we did not take to the streets. http://blogs.salon.com/0002255/2008/09/27.html

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has seemingly bowed to intensive public protest over the recent dubious presidential election results by calling for an investigation into election complaints. That probe is to be conducted by the Guardian Council, a 12-member body of clerics and Islamic law experts. However, note that half of the Council is chosen by Khamenei, while the other half is elected by the legislature from among a group of jurists vetted by an appointee of Khamenei ~ so expect a whitewash of the election results but the real issue is the growing culture war in Iran.

First the big picture in Iran and it's all about maintaining political power ~ ( Courtesy of The Progress Report ) " After a twenty year absence from politics, Mir-Hussein Moussavi was embraced by Iran's young reform movement, and endorsed by reformist leader Mohammed Khatami, who pulled out of the presidential race in March in order to support Moussavi. Though he is cast in the West as a moderate because of his support for greater social freedom and for warmer relations with the United States, like all of Iran's leaders he strongly maintains Iran's right to a nuclear program. It's believed that Moussavi and his ally former president Hashemi Rafsanjani are perceived as dangerous competitors by Ayatollah Khamenei and his inner circle. Unlike Ahmadinejad and his confederates ~ Moussavi and Rafsanjani have political power and legitimacy derived from the revolution, and not primarily from their proximity to Khamenei and ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)." http://pr.thinkprogress.org/2009/06/pr20090615

The growing Culture War in Iran ( Courtesy of Patrick Martin, The Globe and Mail ) " At the core of the civil society groups, long stifled by Iran's rule, is the women's movement. Noushin Ahmadi Khorasani is one of its leaders. She and 31 other Iranian women were arrested in Tehran on March 4, 2007, just before the International Women's Day demonstrations. Ms. Khorasani is one of the founding members of the One Million Signatures campaign, an effort to petition the government to pass legislation that recognizes women's equality in law.

To Ms. Khorasani, the election was not the end but a means to an end ~ “Already, diverse groups of equal-rights activists in Iran have taken appropriate advantage of this opportunity and formed a large alliance called the ‘coalition of women's movements to advocate electoral demands,'“ she wrote last week in the online magazine The Mark. “The election atmosphere provides these movements an opportunity to find a common platform beyond the cliché and repetitious slogans,” she wrote. They are “a golden window of opportunity for civil society activists and social forces in the country to vigilantly and prudently develop solidarity and joint actions.” Indeed, the alliance of women and student groups visible this past week is a manifestation of that tendency, as is the less visible but still strong alliance with parts of the trade union movement... Ms. Khorasani warns that “it is only through the organization of popular forces and formation of groups for change that they can hope to survive the next four years.” http://www.truthout.org/061509B

Or as Allen Woods writes ~ " Iran is an overwhelmingly young country. Its population has a median age of 27. These people cannot remember a time when the mullahs were not in power. Long ago the mullahs were considered to be incorruptible, in contrast to the degenerate pro-western monarchy. But that was long ago. After decades in power the mullahs have been exposed as corrupt and the regime is losing the authority it used to have. Ahmadinejad had to bus in supporters from the villages in order to stage his mass rally. His real base is the Revolutionary Guards, but even they no longer inspire the kind of terror they did in the past. The most significant thing about the riots this weekend was not that they were suppressed, but that so many people were prepared to come onto the streets to defy the state and its repressive forces. This means that the days of the regime are numbered." http://www.marxist.com/18th-brumaire-ahmadinejad.htm

So there you have it ~ A long ignored culture war has been simmering below the surface of Iranian politics for some time and has now boiled to the surface during this election. It will not go away soon ~ not should it ~ for it represents a diverse group of civil rights activists and particularly long repressed women who will not be silent any longer.

The parallels between the apparently stolen Iranian election of 2009 and the American elections of 2000 and 2004 are obvious. Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman summarize this along with our decades long love/hate relationship with Iran in their fascinating article Facing the Bushes' Iranian whirlwind ~ required reading for fully understanding the present Iran turmoil. http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2009/3473

In summary, the present chaos in Iran goes hand in hand with needed change and most Iranians, including my contacts, welcome it as part of the necessary and painful process leading to eventual permanent freedom.

Allen L Roland http://blogs.salon.com/0002255/2009/06/16.html