Constitutionalist's Rebuttal of Republican Assessment that Revolution was "Highjacked"

Share/Save/Bookmark

Constitutionalist's Rebuttal of Republican Assessment that Revolution was "Highjacked"
by Darius Kadivar
05-Dec-2011
 

Constitutionalist Student Shahram Aryan's First series of talks on the First decade of the Iranian "Republic" entitled "From Khomeiny to Rafsanjani". Shahram Aryan argues that contrary to the 'politically correct' assessment today often endorsed by many Iranian Diaspora medias ( notably BBC Persian, VOA Persian) that Iranians at large (including it's Intelligentsia) actually wanted an Islamic Republic and were far from secular.

Shahram Aryan: On First Decade of the Iranian "Republic": 

Part I:

Part II:

Part III:

 

************************************

************************************

A TALE OF TWO IRANS:

Constitutionalism Vs Republicanism 

************************************

************************************ 

Pro Bakhtiar Demonstrations February 1979 in Support of the 1906 Constitution:

 

Shapour Bakhtiar's Last Interview as Prime Minister Prior to Khomeiny's arrival to Iran :

 

Khomeiny Say's : No to Monarchy

Shah's departure not enough; constitutional monarchy must go, he says

News footage includes reports of crumbling economy shortly before the fall of the monarchy in 1979:

 

Iranians at large Vote for an Islamic Republic upon nationwide Referendum:


************************************

************************************

VOICES IN EXILE 

************************************

***********************************

 

 

Shapour Bakhtiar Speaks to Iranian Expats in LA:

( Footage Introduced by Shohreh Aghdashloo on Jameh Jam TV 1990's)   

Farrokhzad explains Khomeiny's Green Book aka The Tozihol Massael during a London Concert (1980's):


TORN APART: How Iran's Revolution Divided Sisters Mahnaz (Afkhami) and Farah:



Sisters Mahnaz and Farah became independent women in America. Both later returned to Iran as adults, where they would be torn apart by Iranian politics during the reign of the Shah. Mahnaz became a minister in the shah's government and advocated for women's rights,while Farah and her husband joined the cause of the revolution. Ultimately, Mahnaz and Farah both had to flee Iran in fear for their lives.

PBS Destination America:

 

 

 

*********************************************************************

*********************************************************************

Debate Over the Legitimacy or Not of the IRI Constitution Prevails to This day

*********************************************************************

********************************************************************* 

Mashallah Ajoudani debates with Fatemeh Haghighatjoo on the incompatibility between Religion and Human Rights ( VOA Persian):

 

 

Shadi Sadre’s Rebuttal of Massoud Behnoud’s Endorsement of the Legitimacy of the IRI Constitution:

Iranian lawyer, journalist, anda notable woman's rights activist Shadi Sadre Contradicts Masoud Behnoud’sexplanation on the Reformability of the Islamic Republic’s Constitution. Debateon BBC Persian Shortly after the last Presidential Election Crackdowns in 2009.

 

Mostafa Tajzadeh:Former deputy Interior Minister's speech a month before June 2009 elections (Who Recently was on a Hunger Strike protest before making a U Turn and rallying the IRI Official Stance on the Election Results (See Khodnevis' Shahram Fereidoun's Article Here):

Tajzadeh ( his name means "born with a Crown") speaks about all the social Freedoms which existed prior to the revolution and Khomeiny's desire to change the Constitution.

SOURCES OF FURY:Nader Naderpour on origins of IRI's "Death Slogans" towards US and Israel (Program Aired in 1990's):

The late Iranian poet, historian, philosopher and constitutionalist Nader Naderpour explains how slogans such as "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" took root in Iran with the Islamic Revolution slowly replacing in the political rhetoric Persia's traditional foes which initially were Great Britain and Russia. (Seems that "Revolutionaries" in Iran have since gone back to the slogans such as "Death to the UK" upon the recent Embassy attack in Tehran by Bassijis)

Related Blogs:

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

37 DAYS: Documentary on Shapour Bakhtiar's Premiership (MANOTO TV)

RESTORATION: Shapour Bakhtiar advocates Restoring the Monarchy

Mehdi Bazargan and the controversial legacy of Iran'sIslamic intellectual movement

Mashallah Ajoudani on Intellectuals and the '79 Revolution

CLUELESS JON STEWART: "Ebrahim Yazdi Such a Lovely Man"

SHEKAYAT KOJA ? Akbar Ganji say's Iran has less than 1000 Political Prisoners

Shadi Sadre's Rebuttal of Massoud Behnoud's Endorsement of IRI Constitution

TORN APART: How Iran's Revolution Divided Sisters Mahnaz (Afkhami) and Farah

Ebrahim Golestan: "The Shah's Coronation Made Me Wanna Vomit" (BBC)

TREASON IS A MATTER OF DATES: Constitutionalist Response to a Jomhurykhah Query

Other Related Constitutionalist Blogs:

Constitutionalist Student on '79 Revolutionaries Infatuation with Arabs

Constitutionalist Student's Views On Shah's Rule after Mossadegh's Downfall

Constitutionalist Student Shares Views On Mohammed Reza Shah's Rule

Constitutionalist Student Shares Views on the Pros and Cons of Reza Shah's Rule

Share/Save/Bookmark

more from Darius Kadivar
 
religionoutofgovernment

Thank you

by religionoutofgovernment on

Thank you for that. I will make sure I don't bleed too much today. My eyes are already so red from crying, I need to see my ophthalmologist!


Truthseeker9

Stick to the rules and you'll be OK

by Truthseeker9 on

"As far as mourning is concerned and getting attention of entire world, then it should be done very nicely with "beating chests and heads with hands" and with complete discipline in procession........After reading the above mentioned orders from two Great Ayatollah's of our times. People should start following the orders to safeguard Islam and to fail the propaganda of "Taghoot" and arrogant powers of this era against Shiites proving them "Crazy" & "Insane" people who beat themselves sometimes so hard even threatening their own lives. "

//www.ezsoftech.com/mazloom/zanjeer.asp 


religionoutofgovernment

Brother Salman,

by religionoutofgovernment on

Make sure you have lots of Gheymeh and polo. Just don't beat yourself too hard! 


salman farsi

ALL Iran wanted Islam but

by salman farsi on

 

 

not the kind of Islam given to us by this regime. Now because today is Ashura let us listen to the words of Hossein (AS):

 

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HJqJuGS9WE

For an Islamic democracy


religionoutofgovernment

Missing links

by religionoutofgovernment on

Darius, I watched all the videos carefully. I think he is correct in what he is saying for the most part, but what is more important is what he is not mentioning. In addition, I find him more emotional and rhetorical than factual, as conveyed by his negative sentiment toward Iranians and the gloomy outlook for our future.

Here is what he is missing:

Of course most Iranian were religious and uneducated in 1979 and for centuries prior. This is also true for other Islamic countries. However, how is that Reza Shah was able to remove Hejab, attack the Mashhad shrine, remove turbin's from Mullas' heads and ban Islamic teachings in public school with little or no public backclash?? Weren't these the same people, and even less educated at that time?

What this guy is not mentioning are:

1. The movement of these uneducated, religious masses from the villages tothe cities with no proper planning. At many schjolars have pointed out, this was a very important factor and provided the support that Khomeini needed. Tied to this was the imporper or lack of economic planning in light of increased wealth and oil revenues.

2. The government support or at least lack of opposition to the Mullas and the religious crowd. The late Shah saw the religious crowd on his side in fighting the communists and the Melli's.

3. Opression and lack of freedom of speech and crackdown on liberals led to the growth of 2 underground movements, both very undemocratic: one the communiists/socialist and the second was the evil alliance of Mullas (their grass roots wing), MEK(their armed wing) and Nehzate Azadi (their political, pseudo-intellectual wing). I do not agree that the crowds in the streets in 1978/79 understood what khomeini stood for and wanted velayate Faghih. Many did but many also were fooled by the above pseudi-intellectuals who joined them. Want proof? why don't you post the video of Mr. Sanjabi in Ashura demonstrations?

 My 2 cents. 


FG

I respectfully disagree

by FG on

Re: Iranians at large (including it's Intelligentsia) actually wanted an Islamic Republic and were far from secular.

There are two theses in that sentence not one. 

There's no doubt many Iranians were far from secular (so I agree there though it's no longer true).  There's no doubt Iranians were conned into wanting an Islamic Republic.  But  to suggest they knew what they were getting into or foresaw this sort of totalitarian state alone along with corrupt and going nowhere economy is a hard sell. 

Like the Russians in the first few years after the Revolutino, Iranians were sold a bill of goods promising a bright future and swallowed it wholesale. I suspect Iranians visualized orioginally was a system similar in many respects to Erdogan's Turkey.

I also disagee with both you (one revolution) and the widespread analyses from which you dissent (two revolutions.

I would agree, however, that a certain hardline faction, visible in the pre-revolution Abadan fire and the attacks on women after the Shah's ouster suggests a strongly organized group--much like the Bosheviks who outmaneuvered Kerensky and the Social Democrats in the first Russian Revolution after 1917, had far a long term strategy and demonstrated great capacity for thinking two steps ahead of all revolutionary rivals.

What's happened now is that the hardliners who maneuvered for more than 30 years behind the scenes are now becomming visible to all, like the Wizard of Oz after his curtain was removed, and the puppet masters Iranians see now that it is down are equally repulsive.  Having the advantage of hindsight now, Iranians can see some of the major moves by hard liners as they look back all the way to the Abadan fire.

Not only was there a second coup (the post-election clerical coup made possible by the US Embassy siege), but you can argue that the naked and unmistakable shift to totalitarianism under Khamenei constitutes a Third Coup of sorts.  The recent shift of so much political and economic power to the security forces may mark the start of a fourth.  Handing over control of the Basilj to the IRCG created a praetorian guard capable of replacing the masters who made it so powerful.