Iran’s non-violent movement, Part 1

Share/Save/Bookmark

Iran’s non-violent movement, Part 1
by Anonymouse
06-Jul-2009
 

Photo caption:  this is one of the thousands of Mousvai's campaign offices in Tehran.  I asked someone behind the desk for permission to take pictures.  This particular office was in a very busy thoroughfare and they had music blasting outside and giving out free ice-cold cherry-syrup drinks (sharbate aal-baaloo). Bah! bah! 

When I visit Iran I sense that I am truly in another world.  Another world so familiar and enchanting.  Every little thing routine and mundane to others becomes an adventure for me.  For example, getting up in the morning (8ish) and walk to our local corner naanvayee (bakery), stand in line, get hot (hand burning hot :-) fresh barbari bread and listen to someone chat with the baker or sometimes people in line.  Or watching people debate at newsstands or getting private cabs (called ajans) and talk or listen about daily politics.  If they are not in a mood to talk I usually throw in a word to get something going.  I can’t get these kinds of dialogues in America, what for?, and even if I do it is not the same, it is not homey!

I’ll go through my recent visit to Iran as it happened and won’t focus too much on the protests after the election, because as I said in my earlier blog due to my family’s pleas and concerns I did not participate and there are news about the protests here that you can’t get back home because of regime’s internet and media blockade.  When I first started to write I thought I could write one blog but as pages piled up I decided to post them in few parts so as not to bore everyone with one long and seemingly endless story. 

So let’s start Part 1 with the debates and before I forget these are my memories and interpretations and I have no doubt some would disagree but that’s ok you can write your own blogs.

The TV debates were awesome.  It was the first time people were seeing back and forth ridiculing of the opponents and criticism of the Govt on state run TV.  I watched each one and even though they would start at 10 or 10:30 or later, people would stay up to watch and discuss the next day.  And discuss they did.

Having watched the American presidential debates since Reagan-Carter I’m used to watching and seeing who ends up the apparent winner in the debate, not in the election, but in the debate.

If you notice when Ahmadi interviewed with foreign media prior to this election campaign he talked so generally like a mullah that the interviewer would give up and say the hell with you let’s end it!  But in these TV debates he did not generalize and would attack specifically like a hawk!

First of all he’d wear an Iranian flag pin (remember Obama’s flag-pin saga?!) while others didn’t and his main strategy was appeal to nationalism and using his Govt as the god given Islamic gift to everyone where it should be beyond criticism and anyone who says otherwise is a non-believer or at least a wishy-washy believer.

The moderator was a useless half-bearded half-shaven ugly ass, much uglier than Ahmadi, wearing a wrinkled shirt and a mismatched jacket.  He was truly useless.  While moderators in the American debates go for the jugular and are tough on candidates and control the debate, he was there only for “decoration”.  By decoration I mean “Islamic” decoration which by regime’s definition should be cheezy or ghetto.

The first debate was between Karoubi and Rezaei.  This one was boring.  Rezaei was taking positions about section 144 of the constitution about privatization which was his pet peeve throughout his campaign and these debates.  He has received a PhD in economics after the revolution and considering he considers Islamic economy as having a better foundation/potential than any other economy in the world, one could only imagine his PhD’s worth.  In fact, considering his looks I think he could be Mahmoud’s subject on many of his cartoons! LOL ;-)

Karoubi talked about rule of law and how sometimes it is ignored or swept under the rug.  Karoubi was always the most radical of the candidates and actually liked by many because he was a vocal and known critic of Ahmadi.  Almost all of Mousavi’s supporters liked Karoubi and followed his newspaper Etemad Melli (National Trust) and his positions which Mousavi would often not take, out of being politically cautious.  Anyway, both candidates were calm and polite and end up lending watermelons to each other.

I don’t remember of any highlights that stayed with me and thought this debate was a tie.

To be continued …

Share/Save/Bookmark

Recently by AnonymouseCommentsDate
Flag as abusive!
30
Dec 28, 2010
دعوت به یاوه گویی!
26
Dec 02, 2010
The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia
15
Nov 23, 2010
more from Anonymouse
 
default

Mousselin'e

by Sakineh Bikineh (not verified) on

'tis been awhile!


anonymous fish

love your proposed format

by anonymous fish on

It is indeed an unfolding story and so much more intimate in it's telling.  Can't wait to hear more.


Anonymouse

Sharbat albaloo

by Anonymouse on

Yes the sharbat was in a huge brass (berenji, not brass, what is berenji in English?) tank like the ones it is filled with water with few fawcets at the bottom and on a bench.

I guess the sharbat was watered down for low costs and also not knowing the proper mixture in a large tank.  So it could've been called sharbate shahadat!  but because it was in the middle of a hot sunny day and people were lining up for it, it was bah! bah!

Also, this time around tea shops and other places are using disposable plastic cups.  Not the styrofoam ones when you can use them for hot and cold drinks, the plastic ones designed only for cold drinks.  The plastic cups gets melted so their solution is to use 2 cups at the same time, it still gets melted but that shows their hospitality!  Also, there are warnings against using these plastic cups for hot teas but for now they don't listen.

That day the correct use of those plastic cups were refreshing too.

Everything is sacred.


IRANdokht

Nice!

by IRANdokht on

Thanks for writing about your experience in Iran. I am very interested to know details of what you saw, what you heard and the impressions you got during the pre and post election period.

sharbat albaloo? seriously? Mmmmm

Can't wait to read more.

and welcome back! 

IRANdokht


Anonymouse

Thank you Q, I do

by Anonymouse on

Thank you Q, I do feel having the privilege of being there at the time as I said earlier. 

Although some would take your approval of me as a sign of something not so good :-) but who cares.  As long as you promise not to engage "jujeh fascists" too much and let them be!  

Everything is sacred.


Q

Welcome back mouse!

by Q on

good piece. At least while ou were gone you were in the middle of history.