Reports coming out of Iran indicate that its citizens are following Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s advice to the people of Egypt, and rising up against their corrupt government. Unfortunately, Ahmadinejad is not following his own advice to Libya’s leader Muammar Gaddaffy. Iranian security forces are cracking down hard on demonstrators.
The Vancouverite reports that thousands of demonstrators clashed with police in Tehran with demonstrators demanding the release of two top opposition leaders and former presidential candidates, Mirhossein Mousavi and Medhi Karoubi, two presidential candidates and opposition leaders who have been under house arrest and have not been seen since February 14.
The opposition in Iran claims that the two men have been arrested, along with their wives. This claim is denied by the regime, which claims that the two men have simply been cut off from “suspicious elements”.
Although the BBC has been jammed, news continues to leak out of Iran. Live Blog continues to collect and publish reports and video from social media. They create a picture of widespread unrest, and have published reports of demonstrations erupting despite brutal suppression in Tehran, Mashad, Isfahan and other cities. The contagious nature of the unrest indicates that news from abroad and within the country can no longer be contained by the regime. Deutsche Welle Persian service has published reports that crowds in Engelhab Square have braved tear gas to congregate and protest against the regime.
The US can not overthrow Iran’s dictatorship. We can not use the threat of suspending American aid that was a factor in America’s influence in Egypt. Despite this, the silence of President Obama is notable.
As a man with a Muslim father, Obama’s words would carry personal weight if he were to say that some strains of Islam are compatible with democracy. He could say that violence in the name of Islam brings dishonour to it. These are things he could say as a private individual with the added attention and weight brought to his opinions by his high office. Yet our President’s reaction has been muted. Changes across the Islamic world have occurred with stunning rapidity. Those like Obama with a pluralistic view that Islamic fundamentalism is an alternative lifestyle are having their view of the world challenged. Rather than timidity, President Obama’s silence may not be out of timidity but a stunned and perplexed mindset. Whatever Obama’s reaction might be, the train of history will depart, with or without him.
The following is some raw footage of demonstrations smuggled out of Iran, as well as a video aimed at western audiences put together by Iranian dissidents. Additionally, there is an Iranian protest shot with a slide show of unrest in that country.
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