Current Events

Funny and Original

A little bit of Parazit and a touch of Alireza Rezaei!

Good job!

Correct title should have been "Greens and/or Vs Reza Pahlavi"

Don't quite see where your arguments against the Monarchists were in this clip ? The Second fellow tries desperately to mockingly personify the man Monarchists like me deem is their legitimate sovereign: Reza Shah Dovom (known and often presented merely as Reza Pahlavi by his opponents without his royal title).

Fine I have no problem with that but I fail to see where the so called Monarchists are being targeted as suggested in this clip.

By Monarchists I mean Genuine Monarchists :

ROYAL FORUM: Explaining the Concept of a Constitutional Monarchy to a Staunch Republican

And Not what has become known as "Shahollahis" ...

Crown Prince Reza Slams 'Shahollahis'

From my understanding The fellow was imitating Reza Pahlavi the Man who would be King and not Monarchists even if he aimed at targeting the latter or both.

If Not then his imitation is inaccurate to say the least.

Monarchists don't claim to become king themselves (as suggested by the actor here) but put the man they deem as their legitimate sovereign on the Peacock Throne of Iranzamin.

As such One can support the Qajars as legitimate heir's to the Peacock Throne and also be a Monarchist, hence not a Pahlavist.

Being Pro Pahlavi aka Pahlavist on the otherhand is in itself another term which can encompass equally Monarchists as much as Jomhurykhahs very much like the Spaniards who see themselves as Juan Carlist rather than Monarchist in that their loyalty to the Crown is expressed more in their appreciation of Juan Carlos' role in bringing democracy to Spain ( something Crown Prince Reza has not been able to date to achieve but who knows ? ...) than the royal institution itself or even his legitimate heir. Prince Philipe is to succeed him.

But the above definition of the term "Pahlavist" or "Pro Pahlavi" is actually one which has entered our vocabulary quite recently eversince the Green Protest has ebbed in popularity and the allegience of the so called Pre Selected Leaders seem more and more clearly at odds with the nation at large:

How YOUR "Green" Color Was Chosen & By WHOME !

In otherwords it is not a long time that even former Revolutionaries see in Reza Pahlavi a potential Political leader therefore something more than just another ordinary a citizen in exile but a potential alternative to the Green Leadership or the IRI on the long run.

As such one can very well be a Pahlavist upon those terms and yet not be a Monarchist.

But originally being a Pro Pahlavi or Pahlavist as I define myself and have been unapologetically for the past 32 years is first and foremost being a legitimist.

We believe in the historic and political legitimacy of the 1906 Constitution but also of the Pahlavi Dynasty which we wish to see restored:

pictory: Bakhtiar Denounces Bazargan's Provisionary Government in exile (1979)

RESTORATION: Shapour Bakhtiar advocates Restoring the Monarchy

Even if that means amending the 1906 Constitution however imperfect to adapt it to the realities of 21st Century Iran:

Crown Prince Reza on importance of "Checks and Balances" of future regime

Cyrus Amir-Mokri on Pros and Cons of 1906 Constitution

As opposed to the current Constitution drafted by these folks:

Mehdi Bazargan and the controversial legacy of Iran's Islamic intellectual movement

But even then regardless of which Constitution is adopted in the Future, for Genuine Monarchists the Crown is Not Bargainable. We deem the future Constitution should include a Royal Framework with Royal Prerogatives for the reigning but not ruling monarch as is the case in all Modern Monarchies which have a Parliamentary Democracy.

A Monarchy never claimed to be an egalitarian system or democratic, it is only benevolently democratic but in practice fully democratic.

HISTORY FORUM: How Truly Democratic is The British Monarchy ?

Even in the most Perfectly accountable and democratic countries which happen to be monarchies no one claims it is a Perfect system of government but we consider that is the best we can afford:

Stephen Fry On Why Monarchy Is Imperfect Yet Should Be Preserved

Up to you to choose it or leave it at the Ballot Box in a fair and free democratic election or Referendum as it is usually known and attempted with some success it seems in a country like Morocco today:

Morocco vote to curb king's powers, abolishing death penalty

On the otherhand the Constitution defended by other so Called "Green" Reformists notably Mrs. Shirin Ebadi, her friend Karim Lahiji who drafted it or the likes of Massoud Behnoud, Mohsen Kadivar, Amri Arjomand, Fatemeh Hagighatjoo Hamid Dabashi to name a few is the current Islamic Republic Constitution which they deem as still legitimate despite the bloody crackdown and killings that continue to occur to this day but which they wish to safeguard ...

Yet I do not believe that None of the above people are De Facto "Fundamentalist Islamists" for that matter no more than genuine Monarchists or Constitutionalists deserve the belittling and reductive term of "Shahollahi" to describe them.

So ultimately in the end of the day it's about who considers what as Legitimate and which system of government and constitution is in adequacy with democratic ideals we wish to see implemented in our country in the future Post IRI Iran:

Constitutionalist Mashallah Ajoudani debates with Green Reformist Fatemeh Haghighatjoo on Secularism why religion is incompatible with democracy

Reformists believe in the legitimacy of the current republic and it's constitution which they hope at best to reform into a democratic ( if not secular one).

Monarchists on the otherhand are genuinely opposed to the IRI so as such they cannot be dismissed as a fake Opposition.

Incompetent maybe ... But Fake ? Definitively Not !

We have been against the regime since Day One.

Where as the Greens only since 2009 many of whom ended up in exile like the rest of our miserable and incompetent lot.

As such we have no "moral" lesson to receive be it on that front.

I define myself as a Monarchist and a Legitimist in that I believe in the Restoration of the 1906 Constitution and consider Iran's last Dynasty which ruled Iran as legitimate based on the notion of Royal Continuity ( too long to develop or explain here but maybe in a future blog ) and not just any other previous dynasty or any other eventual heir who would wish to declare himself or herself as candidate to the job.

However debatable our stance may appear in itself but that is how we understand being a Pro Pahlavi in it's original definition and that is how we see it and aim to defend our views in an debate we deem worthy to participate to on a national scale.

That does not mean that we Pro Pahlavists are any more any less legitimate than other monarchists but that is how we define ourselves and believe we are.

But to us and people like me as opposed to Hezbeh Baad Aficionados LOYALTY MATTERS !

Up to others to prove us wrong or even campaign against us if they wish.

We are not begging for recognition. We Know where we stand and always have stood and we will struggle for what we believe in our own right with the democratic tools available to convince others to rally to our cause.

As such I see nothing wrong with that.

So before typecasting us the least is to do your homework before making inaccurate comments aimed at typecasting a given constituency of Iranians who have their own legitimate aspirations and arguments in favor of another system of government than the one defended by be it the Greens or far more genuine Secular Jomhurykhahs ( Like Abbas Milani or Azar Nafisi for instance) whose views are respectable in their own right however different than ours.

Otherwise Making Up Stereotyped Clichés is easy ...

Ma Ham Baladeem :

COMPLAINING JOMHURYKHAH: What Have the Pahlavis EVER Done For Us ? ;0)

LOL

Lokht: You guys rock

excellent & frank presentation of reality.

The content and presentation beats Parazit each and every time, probably with 0.0000001% of the budget.

Keep up the good work

'Vahdat' is the main key to victory 

Mehrdad

The "Green" label is an attempt to co-opt the Iranian opposition

The "Green" label is an attempt to co-opt and misdirect the legitimate Iranian greivances against the regime by foreign elements.  In much the same way as the Western media's pro-Khomeini media blitz in 1978-79 became an instrument through which to unite and channel legitimate dissatisfaction against the Shah, and redirect it under Khomeini's leadership towards the aim of foreign powers seeking to set Iran back decades - the media blitz backing the so-called "Green" wave is a play out of the same playbook.  Just when the foreign powers think Iran is getting a little too independent and powerful (under any regime of any ideology), every 30 years or so they endeavor to uproot, destroy, and destabilize the social and political foundations of the country to set it back another few decades.  

Honeymoon over?

The Greens are sure taking a beating these days... such is life!

Another home run guys! khasteh nabaashin :)