Pedestrian

Update1: Question II is now complete. The second half (from where I have indicated) was completed by Khordaad88. As I mentioned, I will have the full link here once the whole interview is done.

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Mousavi gave the website Kalemeh a great interview. My friends at Khordaad88 will have the full interview ready by later today (I’ll have the link once its done), but here are two of the questions he was asked and his answers (there are a total of 10 questions).

I especially love his comments about Jannati [Tehran's Friday Prayer Leader who applauded the recent executions].

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Kalemeh: Can we say that the fall of the Pahlavi regime was inevitable?

The regime had completely lost its legitimacy. Of course, the killing of civilians on the streets [by the regime’s forces] had a lot to do with this. The murders of 17 Shahrivard [September 8th] were a defining moment. If we look back, we see that if the Pahlavi regime had not betrayed the achievements of the Constitutional Revolution [which saw the establishment of parliament], the monarchy would have survived and would have continued to rule with the role the constitution had carved out for it, and with the backing of the people’s vote. From the beginning, many warnings were given to the Pahlavis regarding this [their disregard for the constitution] and someone like the late Modarres sacrificed his life for this aim. But all these warnings and reminders were useless and within a few years of the constitutional revolution, despotic governance had taken over once more, although this time with a modern façade. The relatively long rule of the Pahlavis shows that in the constitutional revolution, the roots of despotism were not completely destroyed. And these roots continued to live on, within cultural, social and political structures. I remember that in those years, one picture which the Shah constantly used to promote himself was a photo of a farmer kissing the Shah’s feet. In his view [the Shah’s], this showed the deep love of the people for him, but of course, wise men saw much more in that photo.

Kalemeh: The elements which you say recreate despotic regimes, were they eliminated with the Islamic Revolution?

In the first years of the revolution, people were convinced that the revolution had completely destroyed all those structures through which despotism and dictatorships could be recreated. And I was one of the people who believed this. But today, I do not believe this anymore. Today, we can identify those very structures which have lead to despotism, and we can also identify the resistance people have shown against [allowing for] a return to dictatorship. This resistance is a valuable heritage of the Islamic Revolution. People’s lack of tolerance for deception, lies and corruption which we witness today clearly shows this heritage. Just as the tight control over newspapers and the media, the overflowing prisons, and the brutal killing of innocent people who are there to peacefully ask for their rights on the streets … These all show the roots of despotism which have remained. The people are after justice and freedom, and they are aware that the arrests and executions are politically motivated and are unconstitutional. They despise the monarchy but are also aware that people may be condemned to death based on frivolous accusations and without being even lawfully put to trial.

[The people know that these executions are only carried out] so that a ruthless, brutal Friday prayer leader who has constantly defended corruption, violence and deception can applaud them. For him [the Friday Prayer Leader] it couldn’t matter less that there are widespread forced confessions, and he doesn’t care that these individuals [those who were executed] have nothing to do with the election. For him, what matters is the power of the executions to create fear. He is ignorant of the power of innocent blood, he doesn’t know that it was the blood of martyrs which caused the Pahlavi regime to collapse. From the revolution onwards, people have believed in freedom, independence and the Islamic Republic. The strength and courageous resistance of the people and our soldiers in the eight year war was a sign of the very fundamental changes which had taken place in our society. We should remember that parts of our country were lost in the wars, crises and political games created during the time of the shahs [kings] and the courageous resistance of our people during the eight year war ended this vicious cycle. And now, in the courageous, resistant green lines of the people who demand their rights, we see a continuum of the very resistance we saw during the war, and the 1979 revolution. [Khordaad88]: On the other hand, when we see today that the government, national TV and their affiliated  newspapers easily lie; when our people see, that in reality the security and military forces control cases in judiciary system and the judiciary system has become an instrument of security forces, we can conclude that we were too optimistic at the beginning of the [Islamic] revolution.

I believe the martyrdom of men like Beheshti, Motahari and other martyrs of the Islamic Revolution was [due to] the extension of those very despotic roots of the previous regime that have not been fully destroyed. Therefore I don’t believe that the Islamic Revolution has achieved its goals.  The Fajr festival that is held every year is in reality,  [for people] to become vigilant and to reinforce [their] strength in order to remove the remaining roots of despotism. Today people are actively present in order to pursue justice, freedom and to rule their own destinies. We should remember that  our nation has had hundreds of thousands of martyrs in this quest.

The Islamic Revolution is the result of efforts and sacrifices of our great nation. But [even] the slightest ignorance and retreat will lead us to a darker dictatorship than [the one we had] before the revolution. Because dictatorships in the name of religion are the worst kind of dictatorships. On the contrary, knowledge and persistence over the main legacy and goals of the Islamic Revolution [which are] serious demands for freedom and justice will carry us from a dark past to a bright future. They will destroy the remaining residues of dictatorship and prepare the contexts for living in a free [society] where diversity, pluralism, freedom of speech and human dignity is respected. I believe that the interpretation of Islam which leads individuals to call people goats and dirt and dust, and works to divide people, is [actually] influenced by pre-revolution dictatorial culture. The right thing for the judiciary to do was to pay attention to these roots and [influences] instead of executing a number of young men and teenagers when there are serious, widespread rumors regarding how they were forced into confessions.

Although as I mentioned before, we have lost any hope in the judiciary. A judiciary system that imprisons an intellectual, a religious man dedicated to freedom like the son of Martyr Beheshti and other freedom lovers like him, a judiciary that places him under his father’s photo in the hallways of the court rooms, has moved far away from the ideals defined during the revolution

Today the prison cells are occupied with the most sincere and devoted sons of this nation: students, professors and others.  They [security forces] are trying to prosecute them with financial, sexual or espionage charges based on expired formulas. While the real criminals and thieves who steal public money are wandering freely outside prisons. Instead of looking for real spies, they accuse decent religious people of espionage. I should take this opportunity and express my regret that all of my advisors who are decent, honest and educated individuals have been arrested and I am not there with them. Not a single night goes by without me remembering Imam [Khomeini], Ayatollah Beheshti and other dear martyrs and thinking that what was achieved is far from what they wanted. I did not name any of my advisors to pay my respect to all political prisoners. Iran will remember their names and their sacrifices.