Dec 22nd, 2009 by pedestrian
Those who were fiery revolutionaries in 1978, a year before the revolution in 79, recall that it was Ali Shariati’s death in that year that gave the movement momentum. I am not comparing Shariati to Montazeri, but we will have to wait and see how this death unfolds.
As a religious man, he could not have died at a better time. In the ten days of mourning for Ashura. People can mourn his death by wearing black and they will not be harassed – they will be lost in the sea of mourners, all wearing black. The seventh day of his passing will coincide with the day of Ashura itself, the epic Shi’a gathering to mourn the death of the third Shi’a Imam, Imam Hussein.
Iran is covered in black tonight. As it will be the nights that follow. It is in our hearts and minds where we decide for whom or for what this black is really for.
Pedestrian, welcome back, I was getting worried with the long silence.
It’s funny, in a blog post yesterday I made exactly the same point – see here, it’s in English: Making History in Death: Montazeri (http://rational-idealist.blogspot.com/2009/12/making-history-in-death-grand-ayatollah.html).
I am holding my breadth for how this will unfold.
The death of Grand Ay. Montazeri is truly a great loss. I have written a tribute to him here.
THE WEAKNESS OF THE IRANIAN RULING ELITE
Who is the one that really undermines the state power in Iran?
Is it those, who are demanding to put into reality that which the Iranian constitution promises anyway?
Or is it the state authority, which always lashes out wildly all around it(self), if any independent voice makes itself heard?
Iran as a geographical unit and the Iranian citizens have convincingly proved to be a modern country.
But in politics the internationally increasingly self-righteous leadership presents itself as unexpectedly timid and weak, comparable to the East European governments and regimes, whose downfall is remembered for the twentieth anniversary during these weeks.
From this historical experience much of the paranoia is being fuelled that capture and seize the Iranian leaders when the subject of political reforms comes up.
When a regime is trying to achieve some sort of legitimacy, while “forgetting” to allow any question as to the power issue,
it is in danger of being overwhelmed and run/rolled over.
So the Iranian leadership goes into the trenches of oppression with the likely result that
that what is being feared most
will happen and occur the more certainly and rapidly.
Dear Pedestrian,
Thank you for your hard work the results of which will not be in vain, I’m sure,
and
whatever your creed or religious belief,
whatever my creed or religious belief
[if I’ve got any at all, though having been baptized a Roman Catholic !!]
I wish you a merry Christmas
in the sense of / meaning originally personal and political peace
and a happy New Year
Yours
German
Dear Pedestrian,
Wishing you a happy new year,
scholarly success
and all the best from everything good
with all my heart
remains
your
German
[as my "pen-name" has been hijacked by someone else, I am going
to write under the new pseudonym "Publicola" [ = a (mythical?) figure of ancient Roman history, participant in the successful efforts to convert Rome from a monarchy to a republic]
update!!! we’ve been missing ur posts already…
lol. u just did.
Salaam Siavash …
Can’t wait to catch up! got some good turkish coffee for it too 
Glad to be back
Pelin, Eskandar and German so sorry for posting these comments so late … I wasn’t checking the blog for the past few weeks.