Even
though the shah gave us personal freedoms, we had no political
freedoms. In a democracy, people can choose who rules them and how. This
was not the case with the shah. Then Khomeini came along and gave
people false promises and they believed him. As we say in Farsi: Gorbe
az hole halim oftad too dig! There was certainly corruption during the
time of the shah and wealth distribution was far from fair. Originally
though what ignited the revolution was the coup that was staged against
Mosadegh by the CIA and the British. People never forgot that and never
forgave the way the US had meddled in our affairs. The US is always
after its own interests (like any other country) and as history proves
it, it sometimes stops at nothing to get what it wants. Bad US foreign
policy, ignorance, wishful thinking, lying mullahs, and lots of other
elements came together and gave birth to the IRI. Today, the people of
Iran have lived through lie after lie, massacre after massacre, war,
brutality, propaganda, etc. Normalcy has disappeared, yet people crave
it and want to find a shortcut to it when there is none. The terrible
instability in the region, including the instability in Afghanistan,
Iraq, Syria, Egypt, etc. doesn't help instill confidence in people. And
US and Israel keep screaming about the nuclear program when they should
have put focus on Iran's brutal disregard for the human rights of its
own citizens. Iranians cannot even trust themselves. Who can forget how
we messed up in 1979? What we need is a brilliant and decent leader, a
category that has been scarce. But can we ever trust again? I hope the
time will come.
Democracy in Iran has to come from within. Our "spring" in 1979, turned into a horrible long winter. We are in a better position than our Arab neighbours to know that an Islamic government is a recipe for disaster. Any ideological political system has no hope of delivering democracy. This is true not only about Islam but also about Communism. In a democracy all are equal and no one is more equal than the rest!
Democracy in Iran has to come from within. Our "spring" in 1979, turned into a horrible long winter. We are in a better position than our Arab neighbours to know that an Islamic government is a recipe for disaster. Any ideological political system has no hope of delivering democracy. This is true not only about Islam but also about Communism. In a democracy all are equal and no one is more equal than the rest!
