Iranian Intellectuals Warn Against Possible Military Attack
One hundred twenty Iranian intellectuals, political and human rights activists, and journalists have issued a joint statement, condemning both the repression of the Iranian people by the Iranian government, and possible military attacks on Iran by Israel, the United States, and other countries.
The complete statement is as follows:
There have been worrying waves from several sides over the past several weeks that indicate that military attacks on Iran are once again becoming a distinct possibility, as some U.S., Israeli, British and other countries' officials, and even some members of the opposition to the Iranian government have supported such attacks by speaking carelessly and unwisely about them. The important developments that are referred to as the Arab Spring, particularly the fate of Libya's dictator [Muammar Gaddafi] and the overthrow of his dictatorship that became possible with the direct intervention and military operations of the NATO, have prompted some people's greed to covet liberation of Iran from the oppressive regime of Velaayat-e Faghih through a similar scenario. Such talks and irresponsible acts have created great danger for Iran and Iranians, and have made us concerned.
We the signatories of this [public] letter, a group of human rights defenders and [political and social] freedom activists, want peaceful transition to democracy and a government in Iran that emanate from free elections to secure the civil, political, social, cultural, and economical rights of all Iranians. We hope that there will soon be a political system in Iran in which all the Iranian people, men and women, from any ethnicity, language, religion and belief can participate in its running on equal basis and have effective presence in it, a political system that does not discriminate against half the population of the country -- the women -- and deny them their fundamental rights. We believe that the only way of achieving this goal is through stressing the national sovereignty, protecting Iran's territorial integrity, and recovery of all the rights of the people.
The behavior of the Islamic Republic of Iran over its lifetime has been against this goal. Hastily punishing the officials of the former regime [before the 1979 Revolution] without the due legal process, suppression of ethnic and religious minorities, violation of international treaties, torturing and massacre of political prisoners, intentional continuation of the destructive war [with Iraq], systematic elimination of the opposition members both in Iran and abroad, and expansion of state-sponsored terrorism, all covered ideologically by the dictatorship of the Velaayat-e Faghih, have made rejecting the responsibility [for what has happened] with a cover of dishonest slogans the standard way of doing things. This government has justified oppression in the religion's name, and has made many secret and illegal unprofitable deals [in the name of the nation].
The baseless and hollow claims of the Velaayat-e Faghih have become clear more than any other time, and the financial corruption of some strata of the ruling group has worried even some of those who are loyal to the political system. This regime can now appear powerful only through repression, frightening, prisons, and torture. Soon the Iranian people will pass their nightmare of oppression and ignorance [by the regime], and through unity take their nation to the heights it truly deserves. The fact that this will be at the same time as the historical developments in the region is a cause for great hope and at the same time calls for more wisdom.
We the signatories of this letter are concerned that resorting to humanitarian intervention and support for democracy becomes the basis for anti-Iranian actions and inhumane crimes. We are concerned that such eminent concepts and ideals as democracy, humanitarian aide, and human rights become a mask for power and interest of some who can once again hurt Iran and Iranians and push the country toward more destruction.
We the signatories of this letter believe, and declare according to our human responsibility, that humanitarian aide and democracy do not come out of barrels of guns; that humanitarian aide and democracy cannot be brought [to a nation] through guided missiles; that humanitarian aide and democracy cannot be brought to a people by dropping bombs on them, and that humanitarian aide and democracy cannot be shot at people by drones [pilot-less aircrafts]. We oppose military attacks on our country Iran under any excuse, including those under the guise of concerns for the irresponsible adventurism of the regime in its nuclear activities. It is, of course, preferable to disarm and neutralize the region of all weapons of mass destruction. The benevolent people, including the true supporters and activists of democracy for Iran, whether inside Iran or outside of it, are the voice of the people and share their pain, and will never consent to military attacks on Iran, massacre of thousands of people, and the destruction of the infrastructure of the nation that has been built over several generations and by paying a heavy price.
The voices of protests against the policy of oppression and repression [of the people] by the Islamic Republic are rising everywhere, from inside and outside Iran. It is not appropriate for the gathering of some of the opposition [to the regime] to be organized with the help of the foreigners, or be driven by the interests and goals of foreign powers. There should be no secret activities behind closed doors, away from oversight of the people, and without participation of all the opposition forces that are involved in the struggle for democracy and human rights in Iran.
We the signatories of this letter ask everyone to avoid falling in the dual trap of [a false choice between] "either the Velaayat-e Faghih or [accepting] the New Middle East," and be alert, and warn others, about both the policy of repression of the regime and the danger of military attacks by foreign powers. Due to the national interests of our country we stress that the government of the Islamic Republic should take steps to help the International Atomic Energy Agency and international monitors to remove all ambiguities from our country's nuclear program, so as not to give any excuse for the threat of war and destruction. We ask all the free thinking and researchers of the world to reveal both the vast corruption of the Velaayat-e Faghih system and the destructive results of worldwide militarism.
Mohammad Dehghan, a member of the leadership of the Majles, said that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has appointed a group of legal experts to study "the problems of the constitution," bolstering a statement the Supreme Leader made two weeks ago in Kermanshah. "In perhaps a distant future," he said, the presidency in Iran may be eliminated and replaced by a prime minister selected by the Majles. According to Dehghan, "dozens of such problems that must be addressed have already been identified, some based on studies, and a report, which will soon be submitted to the office of the Supreme Leader."
Today, however, Dehghan denied his own report, attributing what he said to his own personal views. He claimed that while many people have discussed revising the constitution, with some even having passed their views on to Ayatollah Khamenei's office, it did not mean that they had done so at the behest of the Supreme Leader. Meanwhile, Khamenei's office issued a statement asking the media not to publish "unreal and baseless" reports on important issues, "particularly important and sensitive issues related to the constitution."
After Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani implied that he rejected Khamenei's suggestion for eliminating the presidency, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Abdolkarim Mousavi Ardabili, an important marja' [source of emulation for Shiite masses] and close to the Green Movement, also opposed such a possible move. In a meeting with a group of journalists, the grand ayatollah said, "Changing the political system and selecting the president [or prime minister] by the parliament will decrease people's participation [in the national affairs arena]. But I do not believe that this will happen soon, and the decision of the Leader is not serious."
Thirty-six political prisoners issued a statement on Saturday, Nov. 5, calling on the Green Movement and the reformists to participate in the upcoming Majles elections in March 2012, only if they are open and free, and to refrain from allowing their participation to "legitimize an illegal election process." The prisoners referred to the Majles as a "sham," on a par with the Egyptian parliament during the rule of former president Hosni Mubarak. "For a long time, the blatant interference of the government, and especially that of security and military forces, has turned elections into an elaborately staged show," declared the statement. "And the resulting Majles has become a sham parliament, one that is even unable to defend its own rights and to ascertain the execution of its own legislation," it said, in a reference to recent legislation for oversight of Majles deputies. "The Majles has been humiliated on several occasions by the executive branch, and the president has remained silent in the face of all attacks against the rights of its representatives."
The Reformists will presumably boycott the elections because the government has not met the conditions set by former President Mohammad Khatami, namely, free and fair elections, freedom of the press and political parties, the unconditional release of political prisoners, and an end to the intervention by the military and security forces in the political and economical affairs of the country. The political prisoners declared that, "The administration that claimed to be the best government since the Constitutional Revolution [of 1905-1911] has become the worst government over the last century, and perhaps in Iran's entire history," attributing "Iran's current conditions" to "the natural outcome of the election coup of 2009."
The statement was signed by such prominent figures as former deputy minister of interior and outspoken reformist Mostafa Tajzadeh; Dr. Abdollah Ramazanzadeh, spokesman for the Khatami administration; nationalist-religious journalists Dr. Alireza Rajaei, Bahman Ahmadi Amooee, and Keyvan Samimi; former Majles deputy and university professor Ghasem Sho'leh Sa'di; Dr. Mohsen Mirdamadi, secretary-general of Islamic Iran Participation Front, the largest reformist party, which is outlawed by the government; former minister and deputy prime minister Behzad Nabavi; university activist Abdollah Momeni; Feyzollah Arab-Sorkhi, prominent member of the Organization of Islamic Revolution Mojahedin, the important reformist party outlawed by the hardliners; and Dr. Alireza Hossein Beheshti, university professor and campaign manager for Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Ammariyon, the hardline website that supports Khamenei, reported that supporters of Ahmadinejad intend to "weaken" or "eliminate physically" Major General Ghasem Soleimani, the commander of the Qods Force, and Hossein Taeb, the head of the intelligence unit of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps. After the website published the news, it was forced to remove it just after a few hours (but interestingly not deny it). But by then other websites had reported on Ammariyon's report.
Meanwhile, the website Dolat-e ma, which supports Ahmadinejad, and had just published his hard-hitting speech against his foes and Khamenei's supporters, was blocked.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia warned that military attacks on Iran "will be a serious mistake with unpredictable consequences." Speaking at a joint media conference with his Irish counterpart Eamon Gilmore, Lavrov said that there is no military solution to international conflicts. "We get evidence to that [lack of military solution] every day when we see how problems around Iran are being solved; whether it is in Iraq, or Afghanistan or what is happening in other countries of that region."
Email to a friend
Print version
Plain text
I wished that the petitioners would keep the subject short and strictly to the "invasion" matter instead of adding the discussion of the present internal disputes between mullahs to a such an important subject.
The result would be a poppet government, as they had from 1953 coup through 1979 revolution.
Please read the article bellow.
“Party of Sepeedjamegan” October 25, 2011
In my opinion the 1979 revolution, regardless of who or which foreign power had triggered it if any, was a genuine uprising of the majority of people of Iran against a corrupt dictatorial regime. In other word it was genuinely an uprising and revolution of the people of Iran, from every segment of Iranian society, seeking change and longing for freedom.
Unfortunately due to none existence of an organization on behalf of the majority who made the ouster of the Shah possible the revolution was stolen by a minority group that had the organization, the fund, the establishment for gatherings (the Mosques), and a sufficient number of unsophisticated “fourth-class” followers to make the take over possible. As I mentioned in my memoir; according to the Kenneth Pollack’s book, “The Persian Puzzle” the above “fourth class citizens” was a new class of poor people created by the Shah’s corrupt and mismanaged regime.
Right after the revolution and departure of the Shah, the mullahs knew that the majority of people of Iran would not accept a theocratic regime. That is why when Khomeini entered the country he promised that the religious leadership, including him are not interested in the business of governing the country and had said that they will go to Qum and will leave the governing of the country to the politicians.
That “smooth talking” gave him enough time for his maneuvering. Using his organizations (the mullahs all over the country) and his establishments (the Mosques all over the country) mad him able to expand his powerbase which had created a bandwagon forcing the prominent leaders such as; Karim Sanjabi the leader of “Jebhe Melli”, Mohsen Pezeshkpour the leader of “Pan Iranist Party”, Dariush Froohar the leader of the Party of “Melate Iran” and others to jump on that deadly wagon oblivious of by doing so they had just signed their own death sentences. At that point the time became right and ripe for Khomeini to reveal his real intention of creating a theocratic government and becoming a politician as well as the spiritual leader which is a well known principle in Islam, remembering Khalafat system of government.
Of course we know now and Khomeini knew then that his promise of not engaging in the business of the politics of the country was a lie. But what people of Iran did not know at that time and Khomeini did know was that lying in Islam, not just is allowed but, in certain circumstances is a must (vajeb) considering if the lie will benefit Islam. This religion-approved lie is called “Taqieh”. Please refer to a book by Shoja Aldin Shafa titled “Tavallodi Digar”.
Even though the majority of people of Iran are Muslims but they are not affected by the Arabo/Islamic culture of lies. They are still under the influence of their ancient Mehrian culture; in which lying is considered a major vice and consequently they were not expecting to hear a lie from a top spiritual leader like Khomeini. And the rest is history.
Well that is passed and can not be undone. The reason that I brought up the above subject is for those who forgot the events of those chaotic days and for the younger generation of Iranians to know that the 1979 revolution was a genuine peoples’ revolution but it was stolen from people and the reason behind it was the lack of existence of a political party that could appeal to the majority who made the revolution possible. In other word; it was the lack of a well established political organization in advance that had left the revolution to be grabbed by a more organized group, in this case the mullahs.
As I mentioned in my memoir “Reza Shah vs. Mohammad Reza Shah”, disgusted with the Shah’s corrupt regime; in 1972 when I was a major In the Iranian Air Force I resigned my commission and resided in the United States since. To read the memoirs please go to: http://iranpoliticsclub.net/history/reza-shah-MRP1/index.htm
When the revolution of 1979 took place and subsequently the mullahs had took over with all those enthusiasms demonstrated by the people I became even more disgusted thinking; this is what the people have wanted, let them have it, and I decided to forget about Iran.
It took couple decades for the people of Iran to see the true face of Islam and realized that their good dream was nothing but a nightmare. When in mid 1990s I saw on television the student uprisings in Iran I realized that the people really did not want the theocratic government and woke up to their mistake and are trying to correct their mistake and they need help from their fellow Iranians abroad. Once again I saw hope for Iran and became interested in getting involved and started writing political articles.
In 1998 I suggested the formation of a political party that would appeal to the majority of freedom seeker Iranians. I wrote a charter for such political party and named it “The Party of Sepeedjamegan” and put it on the internet. But the oppositions, specially the “Shahollahies” were too fragmented and my suggestion did not attract the opposition groups. I suggested that any freedom seeker Iranian; even the monarchists could set aside their differences and could participate until Iran is free then bring their idea forward through national referendum. But they were too arrogant. They tried their own ways and failed again and again.
Lately a few opposition activists have been complaining that everything that they had tried so far has failed because the majority of people of Iran that want free Iran are silent (Silent Majority). And they have suggested that the US invasion is the only answer to the overthrow of the IRI. My response to this group while opposing to any kind of foreign invasion was and is; it did not work because it was not done properly and if you try another 33 years the same way that you had tried before it will fail again and again. Pleas refer to:
http://iranpoliticsclub.net/club/viewtopic.php?t=1632&highlight=&sid=3dc749ded433597ed74f1b261467d4a6
A free Iran is a possibility:
But there is a correct way to free Iran without the help of any foreign invader and that is unity, as I had suggested in 1998,. But unity needs a leader to energize the silent majority. The silent majority is silent in every country of the world. It is not exclusive to Iran alone. Human, like all social mammals, has the herd mentality which is instilled into its gene. That is why in every mammalian society, including in all human societies, there are only a few leaders and the rest are all herds. So please do not blame the silent majority, they are not at fault. It is the minority leadership that should be taking the blame. It was the minority leaders that for the last 33 years were unable to devise a formula for freeing Iran.
In the first ten or so years of mullah rule the silent majority in Iran, who put Khomeini in charge, were still hopeful but after that, especially since early to mid. 1990s, they have realized that accepting mullah leadership was a mistake and were ready for a new revolution but they did not see any leader or leaders yet to be able to count on. Thousand even gave their lives but there was no leader to take them home. They even resorted to Mousavi who himself is an akhoond. Is that a desperation and longing for a leader or what! All opposition groups abroad that the silent majority could count on are fragmented with no organization and consequently with no plan and now are complaining why they are still here in the land of Yankees!
Necessity for creation of a new political party
The recent history has demonstrated that a revolution can succeed without any foreign invasion. In 1979, the Shah’s regime had the fourth largest armed forces in the world with the latest and the most sophisticated weapon system with its powerful SAVAK but came down by popular uprisings, (the silent majority). In 2011 Mubarak of Egypt was overthrown after more than half century of dictatorial regime without any foreign invasion which has created a prospect of a free and independent Egypt. But one can not anticipate a free and independent Libya with several foreign powers, thirsty for oil, involved in the invasion of that country. Every invasion has a price tag on it.
As I mentioned above the reason for the failure of the oppositions in their 33 years of struggles against the IRI is the non-existence of a political party that could appeal to the “silent majority”. The only road to success is by energizing the silent majority and they are the only force that a patriotic person should and could rely on.
The way to do it is the creation of a political party that can meet the desires of that segment of the society. In that case there is no need for a full participation of the silent majority either, only a partial participation will do the job. The rest will remain silent as silent majority usually do. But they do not rise against you either. They support you by staying silent which is a plus. But the real responsibility lies on the shoulders of a handful of thinkers with leadership qualities, or a coalition of thinkers and leaders.
That is why in order for the next revolution to succeed there should be an organization capable of uniting the progressive minded opposition groups, a political party with goal and plan devised by the leadership that would appeal to the majority of people of Iran; an organization with a correct charter that could bring the groups in question together.
Bellow is the charter of the Party of Sepeedjamegan. The charter is written in a way that it could be used as a ground work for writing the next constitution of Iran. In other word, the people should know what exactly they should be expecting before joining or advocating the party or its movement.
I named the party “Sepeedjamegan” after the group that was formed by our forefather right after the invasion of the Arabs in seventh century AD. They had chosen that name because the Bany Ommayehs who were the invading tribe used to wear black attire and had black flags. The Persians, regardless of their religious beliefs, had chosen the White Jerseys to contrast the Arab’s black. Consequently I figured out that the name will have a unifying effect among the present day Iranians, regardless of their religious beliefs or ethnicities.
The plan is that the Party would be open for membership to all likeminded Iranians. After gaining enough members, within some period of time, the party could find its leaders through individual participations in its day to day activities involved. The next step would be the election of the party leadership and eventually formation of a government of Iran in exile. At that point the Party could seek its formal recognition, from those countries that oppose the IRI, as the legitimate “Government of Iran in Exile”.
Believe me; there are a few governments out there that are waiting for such an opportunity. When that is achieved then plenty of funds available in those nations belonging to Iran could be transferred to the party and money is always the life blood of any organization and the government in exile would be ready to govern. This; I consider readiness. What do we have now, what did we do last 33 years that we could count on; nothing?
The Charter of the Party of Sepeedjamegan:
Formation of a free democratic “republic” parliamentary system of government based on constitutional law which embraces the followings:
1- Absolute separation of religion and State.
2- Individual freedom to a degree that will not infringe the freedom of others.
3- Equal rights for all individuals under the law.
4- Equality of all political and religious groups.
5- Freedom of religious activities only to a degree that it will not infringe, jeopardize or compromise the freedom of others. In other word; any religious activities in public places would be prohibited. Religion is a private matter and must be kept private.
6- The right of groups and individuals to ownership of estate and businesses.
7- Freedom of trade, travel, job, marriage, and assembly under the law.
8- Equality of genders in all matters.
9- Freedom of speech and the press to a degree that does not infringe the rights of other groups and individuals.
10- Create an educational system based on science without any influence from any religious views or ideologies and a long-term program to educate all people.
11- The revival of the purity of the Persian language and an effort to revive the Iranian national prides.
12- Devise a program for revival of ancient Iranian culture based on “Andishe Nik, Goftare Nik, Kerdare Nik” free of any religious tone and an intense effort in abolition of the “culture of slavery” that exists in present day Iranian society by making perjury, bribery, and deceptions illegal and making flattery a taboo through education and arts including the usage of medias.
13- To hold the government accountable for provision and creation of job opportunities, basic healthcare for all, and a social security system for the elderly, disabled, sick, and poor.
14- Free and compulsory quality education from kindergarten through twelve.
15- Facilitate access to higher education by increasing the number of junior colleges and universities and modernize all fields of studies in order to bring them up to a world-class higher educational system level. Also set a ground work in universities for scientific research in all fields of science, bring businesses and universities together for joint research in different areas of science and technology.
In short; to remedy the 1,400 years of stagnation, in science and technology, education is number one necessity for the nation and again it must be placed in the constitution to be taken seriously and become routine.
16- A long-term plan for modernizing the nation through scientific research and development in all areas of science and technology.
17- Create a friendly relationship with all countries of the world based on equal partnership and a mutual respect for the sovereignty of the parties involved.
Note: Considering our bitter passed experiences with certain countries a special treaty must be signed by those nations promising not to interfere in our internal affairs nor they should be having any espionage activities in Iran.
18- Maintain strong armed forces for the security of our borders with a clause that the Armed Forces are for the security of the country against the foreign invaders and can not be used for internal security against Iranian citizens.
19- Seek national healing to make us able to create a collective force for advancement.
20- Create a modern legal system by accepting a criminal and civil code which has a great regard for “due Process” and is based on human rights founded by Cyrus the Great.
21- Privatize almost all government owned industries and businesses.
Adapt a system of free market enterprise and promote commerce.
Create a comprehensive Short-term and Long-term industrialization program.
By combining a favorable business laws and tax incentives, promote and encourage the export industry particularly the export of home-made industrial and technological products. The goal should be to reduce the country’s heavy dependency on oil.
22- Change the origin of present day calendar to 2,500 BC when the Persian Empire was founded by Cyrus the Great or the date of formation of The Med Empire (the first Iranian empire), with the approval of the people through national referendum.
23- Replace the present day Arabic alphabet with Latin alphabet which would, not only facilitate our communications with most parts of the world but more importantly it will also facilitate the academic and scientific researches.
24- Vigorous campaign against corruptions, starting with all levels of the government offices.
25- Accept “Ey Iran Ey Marze Por Gohar” as the nation’s national anthem with the approval of the people through national referendum.
26- Accept the green, white, and red flag with Frouhar (the ancient Iranian emblem) in the center. The alternative to the Frouhar would be the lion without the “sword of Abolfazl” that the mullahs had added to it during the Qajar era.
Notes:
a) Contrary to general belief, the Frouhar emblem was not created for Zoroastrian religion but was the emblem of Hakhamenied (Achaemenid) dynasty with no religious tone.
b) The lion was used as symbol of bravery by the Meds.
PS. We need a constitution with unchangeable articles which will include the doctrine of great Iranian philosopher Zarathushtra specifically his principle of “Strive for Knowledge” which Iran, after 1,400 years of starvation in scientific areas is in dispread need of. Please refer to: “There is no Need for Religion”; published in Payam and also on IPC site http://iranpoliticsclub.net/philosophy/no-religions/index.htm
All expression of opinions and suggestions are appreciated.
Maziar Aptin
sepeedjamegan@gmail.com
Post your comment