Iran’s Underground Revolution

As Iranians passed the one-year mark of a tumultuous and historic year, an unimpressive and rather quiet June 12 anniversary left many wondering what happened to the disenchanted Iranians. Regime threats, issued weeks in advance against protesters engaging in anniversary demonstrations, succeeded in deterring some. However, from its initial moments, this movement was remarkably forged by hundreds of thousands of courageous Iranians who have not let government intimidation discourage them. Journalists, analysts, and politicians questioned the movement’s strength and survival, wondering if President Ahmadinejad, the clerics, and their Revolutionary Guard had succeeded in quashing the masses.

The people of Iran tell a different story. Rather than pouring onto the streets and surrendering to the brutality of regime forces, the Iranian people say they have voluntarily taken a step back. The one-year anniversary of Iran’s fraudulent election has seen a transformation in the Iranian people and consequently, their ongoing movement.

“What’s the point of demonstrating when we are putting up our finest and most intellectual minds to go up against conscienceless guards to be shot at?,” asked Maryam, a 34-year-old radio producer for Iran’s state media in an early morning phone call to Tehran. “People have given up too much over the last year and have since changed their strategy,” she said in her native Farsi.

Maryam is politically active and socially in tune with the changing ambiance in Iran. She wants regime change for her country. An Iran that is secular and democratic is what’s best for everyone, she said.

Among friends, Maryam is considered to be bold, courageous, and even “crazy” for speaking out openly against the regime. Yet, she could not even use her real name in this interview.

Like many Iranians, Maryam had friends who were arrested and beaten during the protests. She quickly became upset when remembering some of these instances and changed the topic. Iranians have learned a very valuable lesson over the last 12 months, she concluded. They realized that they could be more efficient staying home.

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A very interesting article, which I recommend you to read in its entirety. Too often I've noticed that people think that there are just two parties: the Iranian extremist regime versus the Western alliance. These people see the conflict in black and white, meaning that every news story negative about Iran must be Western propaganda and vice versa.

Last years protests were dismissed as a Western instigated attempt to overthrow the ruling power. If you really think the hundreds of thousands of protests were American controlled zombies, you are either biased towards the Iranian regime and don't want to see the truth or plain stupid. There is very good chance that the CIA and other intelligence agencies have funded and supported the protests indeed, but they did not instigate them - the iron fist with which the Iranian regime rules the country, on the contrarily, did.

The Persians are a beautiful, intelligent, proud and progressive people. Especially the younger generations: they are modern, Western-minded, but more importantly: they want to be free. Free to dress in the way they want, free to do what they want, free of the strict Islamic rules.
Yes, there are plenty of people who do support the regime, but they cannot force their thinking upon millions of others. Progressive thinking and the Iranian conservative theocratic regime are not a good match, which is why their leadership hates the West and Western influences so deeply.

No regime has ever been able to sustain power by forcing their ideology upon its people. The ayatollahs are not going to be able to stop the revolution. It can take one year, it can take a decade, but freedom will eventually prevail. Iran is facing a very dark times, but the Persian people will rise from their ashes and they will lead the nation to a bright and prosperous future.

Amidst all the rhetoric attacks between the Western governments and the Iranian regime, let us not forget about the people. These people are well educated, capable of thinking rationally and are all but Western controlled zombies.



[edit on 5-7-2010 by Mdv2]

I think the USA is closer to a revolution then Iran is and was not most the trouble in Iran from MOSSAD/CIA black ops ?

My guess is the irainan leadership has more back from the man in the street then any of the leaders in the USA where you get to pick between one $hit sandwich and another presented to you by the zionists or do you realy think you can run a campaign for a few $$$.

They tryied the same tricks with Cuba and if you ask where Sadam got all his weapons from to fight Iran then again it comes back to the USA and he didn't win but now we are to beleive Iran would be a push over.

Americans will soon be well pi$$ed off with the austerity measures needed to pay the banker off and will only be fooled for so long and that might lead to a real change.

In early 2003 a large Internet poll of students of the Amir Kabir University (the second most prestigious university in Iran) was conducted by the Daftar Tahkim Vahdat, the official student umbrella group. The result was posted on the university's student Web site until they were ordered to remove it. In the poll only 6 percent of the students said that they supported the hard-liners, whereas 4 percent said they supported the reformists within the regime.. A mere 5 percent said they supported the return of the former monarchy. Of most significance, 85 percent of the students said that they would support the establishment of a secular and democratic republic.74 Although one cannot extrapolate from the sentiments of university students the attitudes of the entire population, one can appreciate the extent of the unpopularity of the fundamentalist regime among important segments of the population.

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Although not scientifically researched, it gives you an idea of the general sentiment towards the current regime and complements to the story I posted in the OP.