Dr Shodja Eddin Ziaian

Analysts compare uprisings and oustings of dictators in the Arab world to the situation in Iran. They are wrong. Some articles are emotionally and poetically well written, but are wrong, also dangerous. They are dangerous because they indirectly invite for violence, even though calling people to unite.

1. Situation is Iran has not much if any resemblance with Libya, Syria, Tunisia, or Egypt. In the past 35 years, Egypt had only two chief of State (Sadate and Mubarak). Libya only one (Qaddafi), and Syria two, a father and son. During the same time, in Iran, we had one King and two Vali-e Faqih, half dozen prime ministers, 6 elected presidents: BaniSadr, Rajai,
   Khamenei, Rafsandjani, Khatami, and Ahmadinejad. Those presidents had to share their power with two Rahbar, Khomeyni and Khamenei, and nine (?) renewed elected Majlis.
2. Iran has been engaged in a 8 or 9 years war against Saddam Hossein, a bloody anti-Iranian panarab head of state helped militarily and financially by the East and the West. There still are two wars waging in the East and West of Iran, in Afghanistan and Irak, militarily occupied by foreign forces, by Anglo-American troops to be more precise.
3. Anglo-American troops (leading some Nato troops in Afghanistan)
   are massively surrounding Iran, including in the Persian Gulf, threatening military to attack Iran, directly or through their proxis, Israel and Saudi Arabia, imposing economic sanctions. During the same time, Mubarak was a close ally of these powers. Qaddafi, a friend of Saddam, and a friend of the West again since Tony Blair gave him visit, and then welcomed by Sarkozy and Berlusconi.
4. Iran is a very different special regional power. It's problematic can not be isolated from Irak, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrein, Armenia, etc... having an impact not only regionally but worldwide, no comparison with the other mentioned countries.
5. Culturally, the Iranian problematic has a totally different global dimension for humanity.
6. President Ahmadinejad is not only popular in Iran (whatever his opponents might think) he is also very popular in the Arab world, more than the popular President Obama (recent polls have shown).
7. Ahmadinejad has been elected by a majority of Iranians, whether one like to believe it or not. Two years from now, his term ends, democratically and legally, and he will be replaced.No comparison with Mubarak or Qaddafi's lifetime ruling.
8. M. Khamenei was elected by a Council for lifetime. Although he has lots of power as Rahbar and Velayat-e Faqih, but this power is given to him by the Consitution, not by his behaving like a dictator.

If, like me, you do not agree with things the way they are in Iran, you should however realize it is not due to a dictatorship behavior of the head of states. The cause was the people who (following Imam Khomeyni's charismatic leadership, or hating the Shahinshah) voted for the present Islamic Republic. Our leaders, whether, Ahmadinejad or Mussavi, whether Rafsandjani or Khatami, and even more the Leader Khamenei, are just following those rules.

Iranians voted for those rules over 30 years ago.Too bad for them.

I am writing this because most if not all unhappy Iranians are making the mistake as to the cause of some of our problems. Examples are numeorus. Lately, here in Iranian.com, the prolific Hossein Bâqerzâde compared Iran to Libya, amongst many other analysts. Same with
Ramin Jahanbagloo in his if people unite...

Well, first Iranians are not united and differ widely in opinions, But if people unite in Iran, I wish the following:

If people unite in Iran, I wish it would not be with the idea to oust dictators like in Libya, Egypt, etc... Because the comparison is wrong. Our presidents, in Iran, were not dictators, none of them, not President Banisadr, not president Khamenei, President Rafsanjani, President Khatami or President Ahmadinejad. And M. Khamenei as the Leader of the IRI cannot be called a dictator, really.

If people unite in Iran, it should not be with the idea to put their hope on the Anglo - American help. They encouraged and created more Islamic republics, in Irak and in Afghanistan, as they did previously with the creation of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and of one of the world's most backward state, Saudi
Arabia, all their allies.

If people unite in Iran , I wish it would be, in a civilized and peaceful manner without allowing any anglo-american interference, through a referendum following an open discussion, to change the present Islamic constitution and the present Islamic rules that promote inequalities, that confuses responsibilities, and that intrudes to individuals and families' ways of life, to a secular one.

This would be the kind of Iranian solution for Iran, based on pendâr-e nik, goftâr-e nik, kardâr-e nik.

Dr Shodja Eddin Ziaian