IRAN ELECTIONS 2009 (must read)

[Zainab_M]

By Yvonne Ridley
 
Source:  Facebook
 
Good article!

DEMOCRACY is a wonderful thing ... as long as the results put the right people in power.

And so when Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was swept back into power a great many people across the world began to question the result.

He's certainly popular with millions of voters across Iran but despised by the corporate Western media. Despite my efforts, I could not find one single mainstream newspaper which covered the Iranian elections in an objective way.

Exactly the same thing happened when the Palestinians swept Hamas to power - in its arrogance the Western media decided if it wasn't 'best for the west' then it can’t be good for anyone else.

The journalists are often mere accomplices or tools for darker forces. And so if a democratic election produces the ‘wrong’ result the CIA, among other mischief makers, go into overdrive to create unrest.

And if this is the case, they’ve done a good job - hundreds of thousands of people are demonstrating in Tehran as I write.

Sounds fanciful? Well former US President Bill Clinton "formally apologized on behalf of the United States” for what he termed “American crimes against Iran.”

Clinton relayed the story at the World Economic Forum in Davos in the March of 2005 admitting that in the 1950s the United States deployed the CIA to depose Mossadegh, who was an elected parliamentary democrat. Once he was out of the way the US brought back the Shah, a more compliant, agreeable leader who would do what he was told. (His equally compliant, but deluded, son is briefing those in Washington at the moment).

And just to make sure the brutal Shah remained on the Peacock Throne, the CIA helped train the secret police to teach them effective ways of supressing the people through murder and torture.

The trouble is today’s mainstream media is not prepared to delve far enough in history and it seems there are those suffering from political amnesia, unwilling to check or remind their interviewees of that dreadful period when thousands upon thousands of innocent Iranians were slaughtered under the Shah’s regime.

To some journalists, it seems inconceivable the so-called hardline President had been re-elected. But perhaps that’s because most of the Iranians the Western journalists interview are privileged, english-speaking intellectuals who despise Ahmadinejad’s brash, combative style of leadership. Financially, they have not fared well under his leadership either so there's a lot of self-interest at stake as well.

At this point I should declare my own personal interest which stems from the fact that I present a political current affairs show called The Agenda for the Iranian-broadcaster Press TV which is owned by state-run television IRIB.

My other interest stems from the fact I’m quite a fan of Mahmoud Admadinejad who is adored by the common man and woman in Iran. Anyone who vows to narrow the gap between rich and poor can't be all that bad ... unless you're one of the rich!

I have been to Iran twice now, and as a visitor anywhere, if you want to find out what is really happening on the ground don’t speak to the intellectuals or the politicians ... get a translator and grab a taxi.

Taxi drivers are a great source of information and they will give a more accurate view representing the man in the street - this is the man who can’t speak english and is therefore largely over-looked by lazy western journalists.

So was the Iranian election a fraud?  I can't say either way with any authority but neither can those coming from western democracies.  We, of all people, have no right to throw stones at Iran’s elections.

It is now well documented that the presidential elections which swept George W. Bush to power the first time around were rigged, and there was a question mark over his second term.  Sadly the complaint western media failed to expose this and indeed Fox News announced Bush was the newly-elected president without proof.

I’m told that more 20 people in America voted for Pop Idol and America’s Got Talent TV shows than vote in the US presidential elections.  True or not, they attracted vote rigging allegations as well.

I have stood as a candidate in elections in Britain before, and if everyone who pledged me a vote did exactly that when it came to putting a cross on the ballot paper I would be sitting in the House of Commons by now.  The fact is that voters do weird things when left to their own devices in a polling station, away from the glare of political pressure groups.

In 1992 the media polls told Labour Leader Neil Kinnock he was going to win the 1992 General Election from the Tories - he didn’t.  Ever since that shock result politicians have lost confidence in voters ... they simply can’t be trusted to do the ‘right’ thing.  They’re unpredictable which is why the Conservatives are taking nothing for granted this time around.

On a point of interest the '92 election was very close. Neil Kinnock lost by 1400 out of 25 milion votes - it came to represent 21 seats, a bitter pill for anyone.

Proving election fraud in the face of an electronic system is difficult, but in Iran they used thumb prints and paper ballots in the astonishing 85 per cent turnout.

The country’s Supreme Leader has now ordered an investigation into voter fraud, it should be easy enough to check. If a handful of men have spent the last few months stamping their thumbprints on millions of hoax papers, it should emerge quite soon.

But the sad reality is the Mirhossein Mousavi losers will not accept they’ve lost and the winners will never relinquish their victory.

At the end of the day will it make a great deal of difference?  The reality is Ahmadinejad as president is not the most powerful person in Iran.  He is not the commander in chief of the army or the security forces. He doesn't even have the power to go to war.

Those powers are reserved for the supreme leader of Iran Ayatollah Khomeini and if Iranian people want more say in the running of their country perhaps it is to him they should go for reform instead of listening to siren calls from the self-serving West.

[Heba E. Husseyn]

Read it here yesterday but didn't have time to comment.  Today I sent it to all in my email list.  And you know what?  I tried to find its source in other news sites because Facebook link will not be accessible by those who aren't on Fb.  But it was unavailable elsewhere.  Obviously because the article doesn't support the so-called "reformists" thus search engines have not listed it.  The current search engines cater to Western policies.  They haven't even provided a direct link to Fb.  I think it's about time that non-Western medias and organizations should start bringing forth their own search engines.  Or at least, they should all combine together to bring online even one well-recognized search engine that would have all those listings that are tabooed in Western politics and policies.  Just the way Al-Jazeera is known to be an independent international media based in the Muslim world that presents facts as per their perception, there should also be a similar search engine online.  Then, just wait and see the kind of info that's set loose.

[Zainab_M]

You're right sister.  I too tried to fish out this article online outside of Fb.  Couldn't find it .. not even the Fb link in Google.

Btw - I really like one comment by a Fb member on the Iranian elections which I quote:

"IRAN HAD A DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT IN 1953 - he was Anti West - so some People did CIA orchestrated protests - they then overthrew him and killed him and put an American Monarch in Power.  This is a repeat of that. Obama admitted to Overthrowing Irans democratic president 50 years ago.."


This brother is referring to the 1953 coup in Iran that overthrew the Iranian PM, Mohammed Mosaddeq.  Mosaddeq was PM from 1951 to 1953.  He was from an aristocratic background, highly educated, a well-known writer and politician of repute.  Wikipedia states that Mosaddeq was "famous for his passionate opposition to foreign intervention in Iran. He is most famous as the architect of the nationalization of the Iranian oil industry, which had been under British control through the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC), (later British Petroleum or BP), and which is thought by many to be the reason for his deposition."

'Long live' the endless wicked interference of the self-serving West!

Sickening!!

[N. Truth Seeker]

The contents of this article as well as that brother's comment at FB couldn't have been more correct.  Very sadly, Mossadeq's history appears to be repeating itself.  People may now think that Pres. Obama is a good guy so CIA won't interfere.  That's wrong.  Obama maybe be a good guy but no matter who's the U.S. president, CIA works independently of the WH.  WH does not even know of most of the plans of the CIA.  In the early 1960s, JFK was assasinated by the CIA.  That's becoz the U.S. presidents don't have a clue what heir intelligensia is upto.  At present, CIA have somehow succeeded in making Mir Hosein Mousavi and his close ones fall into its trap.  It's hard to put down the details as to what extent Mousavi has fallen out as an Iranian nationalist, but he surely isn't averse to making concessions for pleasing America.  The nature of those concessions can be unveiled only if his rioters succeed in bringing him to power after completely disrupting the country's current infrastructure. 

As someone suggested in one of the Iran threads here, America won't rest in peace until its made its way back to Iran.  For 30 years America has been unable to control that land.  This election was the opportunity it was waiting for after luring one of the presidential candidates.  And only Allah knows best to what extent Mahdi Karoubi and Mohsen Razai have also fallen into America's temptations.  Or maybe not, they are simply supporting Mousavi becoz defeated ones always take up for those defeated. 

But here's America's long-awaited strategy which could come true, Allah Forbid.  My biggest fear is that it looks America is now coming close to dominating that entire block from Egypt to Pakistan.  America already has a tight hold on Pakistan and Afghanistan and has successfully posted two presidents in those 2 countries who are totally subservient to it.  Iraq has been America's puppet since the last 5 years.  Even when the occupation ends, politically Iraq will continue to be America's colony for all practical purposes.  Jordan and Egypt, next to Iraq, have been puppet states of America for decades.  It's only Iran that's the odd one out, totally independent and against being controlled by America.  Therefor, America feels that if it succeeds in changing the present Iranian policy by replacing the present president by someone they feel more comfortable with, that could be the first step towards taking the entire block from Paksitan to Egypt and making Israel feel much happier.  This is America's dirty dream.  Just pray to Allah that it doesn't come true.  If America succeeds in posting its man as president of Iran with the support of the elites of Tehran, it's only a matter of time for the council of the supreme leader, Ali Khomeini, to weaken and finally be ousted.  Thus, bringing about a true repetition of history.

[Ruhi_Rose]

Yes, great article.  All of Yvonne Ridley's writings pick the right issues.  That's why they aren't too popular with the media nor the search engines. 

And the points put forth in the discussion are thought provoking too.  Br. pt's view of U.S. self-interest for taking the "odd one out" sounds right on. 

However, I wouldn't be as optimistic as WH must be feeling at the moment.  The more rational analysts have said that this isn't anything like the revolution of 1979, not because the crowd is much less, but also because the ideology is very different.  The West's idea of labelling them as "reformists" might imply that these people want a return of the pre-revolution era.  But that's very unlikely to be the case.   While it's hard to say to what extent Mousavi himself has fallen into America's money-trap, these people we see thronging the streets of Tehran are very definitely for changes (whatever that means to them) within independent Iran away from Western intervention.  Their desire for Iran to have good relations with the West means working with the West, not working under the West.  So, U.S. and E.U. shouldn't allow their expectations to run too high.  They'll only end up gettin disappointed.   Making a contigious power block from Egypt to Pakistan, if that's what America and Europe are looking for, won't be as easy as it sounds.

[Heba E. Husseyn]

Hey folks, what's up. I posted this long comment, clicked the post button and nothing came?

[Zainab_M]

O sorry sister.  I cannot think why that happened.  I never experienced it.  If you get the time, kindly re-post those comments sis.  Really sorry.

Btw - Did Presstv mention anything about a blast near Ayatollah Khomeni's mausoleum? A few insignificant sites are reporting that presstv had put this up on headline news and then removed it shortly afterwards. If the explosion really took place, it strengthens the presumption of the CIA's link with extremist groups like Jandollah to wreck havoc in Iran. Suicide bombing has never been Iran's strategy of an offensive even in the toughest of times. And now, a protester protesting the polls gets so inspired that he blows himself up near the mausoleum?? Sounds too suspicious. If so, this attacker has to be a foreigner. Just as the U.S. opened the way for Al-Qaeda in formerly peaceful Iraq, it very clearly has similar naughty plans for Iran.

[Heba E. Husseyn]

O sorry sister.  I cannot think why that happened.  I never experienced it.  If you get the time, kindly re-post those comments sis.  Really sorry.

No problem sis.  InshAllah I'll repost it.  I'll have to draft it again though as I didn't save it. 

Btw - Did Presstv mention anything about a blast near Ayatollah Khomeni's mausoleum? A few insignificant sites are reporting that presstv had put this up on headline news and then removed it shortly afterwards. If the explosion really took place, it strengthens the presumption of the CIA's link with extremist groups like Jandollah to wreck havoc in Iran. Suicide bombing has never been Iran's strategy of an offensive even in the toughest of times. And now, a protester protesting the polls gets so inspired that he blows himself up near the mausoleum?? Sounds too suspicious. If so, this attacker has to be a foreigner. Just as the U.S. opened the way for Al-Qaeda in formerly peaceful Iraq, it very clearly has similar naughty plans for Iran.

I don't know if Presstv put it up, but I read it at KUNA (Kuwait News Agency). The information in conflicting.  Some say the suicide bomber killed himself and another person while some claim that only the bomber died, injuring a visitor.  Such conflicting news is itself indicative of suspicion.  However, even if it's true (and it might be), I absolutely agree with you that it could well be the beginning of the advent of extremist Sunni groups in Iran to rob the most peaceful country in the world of its peace and set it aflame, just like they did in Iraq.  Thanks to the United Snakes of America once again.

[Ruhi_Rose]

Yes sisters.  Presstv did report this and it wasn't removed from their site.  I quote the story below.  It's definitely either a Sunni extremist group or Al-Qaeda, by the courtesy of United Snakes of A.   It's a very serious incident and couldn't have happened at a worse time when Iran is busy with its local rioters.  The foreign terrorists were apparently watching like a hawk and used this opportunity to pounce on their target, otherwise it would never be easy for them to enter Iran, let alone go so close to the Ayatollah's mausoleum.  It's more than just sad to see the only true and honest Muslim country left in the planet being wrecked by enemies from outside and within.  I guess it was too good to come true for the Ayatollah's great Iran to survive permanently, being situated in the midst of all rogue countries that are the donkeys of America and so full of hatred for Iran.  Not to mention America's greedy eyes on Iran for making a re-entry by using the treachery of the small segment of rich Iranian traitors.   30 years of a fine era and then back comes Uncle Sam  

Suicide bombing leaves 3 injured in Tehran
PressTV

A terrorist bombing attack has targeted the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini in southern Tehran, wounding three pilgrims at the site.

The suicide bomber himself was killed in the blast that rocked the northern entrance of the shrine of the founder of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini, on Saturday, IRNA reported.

The report added that two of the wounded are Arab nationals who suffered minor injuries. The third casualty was an Iranian citizen.

Earlier reports said two people had been killed and eight others injured in the suicide attack.

The injured pilgrims have been taken to hospital.