Reading between the lines
By Shervin Nekuee
voteforiran.com
Ata’ollah Mohajerani, maybe the most important representative of the Green Movement living abroad, gave an important speech on the 19th of October at Montgomery Collage near Washington DC. He illustrated 4 major issues:
1. The Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei must be held accountable for the state crimes that happened since the presidential election on the 12th of June. Ahamdinejad cannot be seen as the only one responsible, Mohajerani said. Apparently, there is a consensus among the top figures of the movement that the critique of the regime should increase and there should be more focus on criticizing the Supreme Leader himself.
Video- Key Figure of the Green Movement speech at Montgomery College (available on YouTube):
2. According to Mohajerani, the Green Movement has three leaders: ex-president Khatami and the two president candidates Mousavi and Karroubi. There is no need to appoint or involve any others in the leadership. Not inside Iran or abroad, Mohajerani said. it seems that by emphasizing this, Mohajerani was saying that the Green Movement is determined to keep its headquarters inside Iran. Keeping the heart of the movement in Iran would prevent the quick radicalization of Movement in its slogans and ideas, because it will force the movement to operate within the constitutional framework.
3. Mohajaerani said: I hope that it will take a while before our movement will prevail because it will give us time to work on a strong and sustainable foundation. Various commentators have stated that the Green Movement has a identity issue. It has not crystallized yet. It is currently a broad coalition that includes hardcore secular people who are radically against the fundamentals of the Islamic Republic alongside supporters from a religious background who believe that if only the constitution would be applied properly, the Islamic Republic would be an ideal state. The more we move forward and away from the elections, the more the need to become more than an election-protest gathering develops. So there is a need to find a right formula and balance to approach such a heterogeneous public.
4. Mohajerani’s message to Obama’s administration was also clear: You cannot do anything for the Iranian Green Movement, and until now, everything you have done has damaged the movement, not helped. Mohajerani is clearly and subtly pointing at the fact that the eagerness of Obama’s administration to solve the nuclear dossier has legitimized the Presidency of Ahamdinejad. Mohajerani is insisting in his talk that the Green Movement doesn’t need any help to make it clear that according to the leaders of this movement it is crucial not to be seen as a puppet of the West.
Comments on this entry are closed.