PrintDecember 22, 2006
Iranians Are Defiant
Nearly complete results from two important elections of 16 December 2006 in Iran reflect the defiant mood of the Iranians and their determination to work toward "regime change."
Ahamadinejad and his camp suffered a decisive setback. Candidates of a clerical coalition of conservatives and reformers are poised to trounce those of Ahmadinejad's in both the Municipal Councils as well as the Assembly of Experts in charge of selecting the country's supreme guide.
The great majority of the people of Iran are disillusioned and even disgusted by the incompetent, oppressive, and corrupt rule of the mullahs, irrespective of which gang is in power. The votes, more than anything else are protests ballots cast against the entire system, rather than indications of support for the so-called conservative-moderate coalition.
It is critical that freedom-loving people and governments rally behind the Iranian opposition to the tyrannical mullahcracy that is a scourge to Iran as well as the world. The Iranian people themselves are fully capable and are determined to remove the cancer of Islamism from their country. The United States and Israel and other democracies have a huge stake in the success of the Iranian people to rid themselves of the Islamic tyranny.
During the previous "election" only a small percentage of the voters bothered to vote, since voting under the pre-screening system of the mullahs is more like selection than election. The result of staying away from the polls materialized in the person of the fascist Ahmadinejad.
It took less than two years for Iranians to realize that boycotting the so-called elections in the Islamic Republic of Iran can only bring to power even a worse bunch of Islamofascists. This time around, the people turned out to vote for the lesser of two camps of evil-the mullahs dominated gang of conservatives and "moderates." It is as if running away from the devil, Ahmadinejad, to the deep sea, Rafsanjani-Khatami cabals of turbaned thieves and murderers.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, with its policy of leading a new Islamic conquest by any and all means, including by the aid of the bomb, poses a great danger to the region and beyond. To deal with this imminent threat, some in the United States advocate pre-emptive military action. Others propose negotiation as the best way to work out an accommodation with the seriously troublesome and troublemaking mullahs.
Neither the military option, nor the appeasement of the present regime is the way to defeat the Islamofascists. The mullahs are highly vulnerable, given the ruin they have visited upon Iran and their stone-age discriminatory practices. A comprehensive political, moral and economic measure by the United States and others offers the best chance of ending the mullah's reign of terror and re-enlisting Iran in the rank of free democratic nations.
There is no question that a small faction of Iranians supports Ahmadinejad, his gang and their policies. These supporters are primarily from the poorest segment of the population that has been traditionally the most ignorant and religiously fanatical. Ahamadinejad has appealed to this group by portraying himself as a religious populist. To them, he has promised significant financial assistance. To a limited extent, he has been able to divert some funds to his constituents. He has, for instance, doubled the salaries of some school teachers and has indeed purchased their loyalty.
Ahamadinejad has also craftily capitalized on the Iranians' strong sense of national pride. He has presented himself as a proud Iranian Muslim who is going to make Iran the leading force for Islam. His adamant stance on the nuclear issue is also intended to bolster Iranian nationalism and retain their loyalty.
Yet, all is not well with the mullahcracy, no matter which gang is in power. The people are pushed to the brinks of ruin by these self-serving oppressive Islamofascists. Signs of ever-growing widespread opposition to the mullahs are seen among every segment of the society. The limited functioning allowed to labor unions, student unions, and the press no longer keeps the people mollified. The vicious attacks on people by the hired thugs of the regime are failing more and more as the mullah's instrument of rule by terror. The police and official security apparatus are less and less willing to exercise brute force to suppress the people.
A recent speech by Ahmadinejad at Tehran Polytechnic University saw the President booed, his pictures burned and his talk interrupted by firecrackers set out by student protesters. Protest posters greeted him. A huge placard was hoisted, "Dictator Fascist, University is Not Your Place." All these valiant acts of defiance by the students were performed in the face of great risks that include expulsion from the university, imprisonment and torture.
In short, Iran is in a state of serious upheaval. Replacing Ahmadinejad with the already tried and proven wanting gang of Rafsanjani-Khatami is not going to change matters much. As for the West, it is prudent that it does not embark on a trigger-happy policy. The mullahs' lease on life is just about over. A concerted political, economic and moral support for the long-suffering valiant secular opposition can put an end to the shameful and hate-driven Islamofascist of any and all stripes.
Amil Imani is an Iranian-born American citizen and pro-democracy activist residing in the United States of America. He maintains a website, http://www.amilimani.com/
