FT continues to propagate in this piece the Western fiction that Rouhani is a “centrist.” The only value of this article is the statements it contains from the protesters. They are not just calling for reform, but for the scrapping of the entire Islamic system. In the West, we are constantly told that opposition to Sharia is “Islamophobic.” How did so many Iranians become “Islamophobic”? By living under Sharia since 1979.
“Growing dissent adds to Iranian regime’s troubles,” by Najmeh Bozorgmehr, Financial Times, January 5, 2018:
Too young to vote last year, Mohsen encouraged friends and relatives to back Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s centrist president, who was re-elected in a landslide victory in May after promising to improve relations with the west and boost the economy.
This week Mohsen, not his real name, was on the streets of Tehran for four consecutive nights calling for the president to be sacked and the Islamic regime, which has run the country since the 1979 revolution, to be torn down. The 18-year-old university student was not alone: over the past 10 days thousands have taken part in what appear to be spontaneous demonstrations to complain about the economy and inequality in cities and towns across the country.
The reason for Mohsen’s volte-face is a belief that Mr Rouhani, the architect of the 2015 nuclear deal, has not lived up to his economic and social promises.
“We should have an Iranian republic not an Islamic republic,” says Mohsen, whose anger partly stems from an incident last summer when he and 20 friends were harassed by security forces over their clothing. “Anyone who comes is better than this regime. Even a bloodbath is worth it. Any big development needs deaths and blood . . . Islam cannot address our needs. It cannot bring a strong currency, social freedom and investments by Americans.”…
For now the protests, which left at least 20 people dead and banks, cars, police stations and mosques burnt out, have subsided, although sporadic unrest continues. But their impact has been enormous. Even in 2009, when the largest protests since the 1979 revolution followed allegations that the election had been rigged, millions of largely middle-class protesters called for reform of the Islamic system, not its scrapping.
But the typical 2018 protester is more working class. Many are based outside the capital — in towns and cities that have traditionally backed the regime — and resent alleged high-level corruption. Anger has been fuelled by government plans to cut monthly subsidies for those who earn more than IR7m ($194) a month, while increasing funding for some religious institutions. The move could directly affect 30m people, many of whom are already struggling. Fuel prices are also expected to rise….
By last Friday, protesters in dozens of towns and cities were pouring on to the streets to attack the entirety of the political establishment. They chanted “Reformists! Hardliners! The game is over!” and “Clerics! Get lost”….
Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, a senior cleric in the holy city of Qom who last month was forced to deny that he received state aid, said this week that social media was “a disaster which promoted vice inside families and posed threats to the Islamic system”.
That freer flow of information, which has expanded since Mr Rouhani took power, has added to the discontent and sense of discrimination for young people in small towns beset by high unemployment, analysts say. They read on social media about the alleged corruption of senior politicians and budget spending on religious and revolutionary organisations, with 50 of them due to share $49.5m this year to promote “Islamic propaganda”.
“In a small town, a young unemployed man has a sense of nothingness and humiliation which was behind recent rebellions,” says Mohammad-Sadegh Javadi-Hesar, a reformist politician. “Slogans such as ‘Iranian republic’ should be taken seriously.”…
JawsV says
How about a Persian Republic? And no more polygamy.
elee says
Applause to you JawsV! The people there have called themselves Persian since the beginnings of history. Nominally “Iran” was a permissible name since, well, a long time, someone kindly inform me. This preference for “Iran” seems to roughly coincide with Persia’s decision to throw in with a rising world power in the 1930’s that put much stock on its “Aryan” ancestry and did everything in its power to support and foster Islamism and its treasured anti-Semitism.
The political course of “Iran” got corrected by concerted allied intervention, chiefly by the British and Russians, which kept their Muslim oil out of the hands of the Nazis. Churchill used to demand that his maps be labelled with “More of Mesopotamia and Persia and less of Iran and Iraq.” As with so many things he was amazingly prescient.
Now IMHO the practical question arises: how is the West to trust anything connected with the politics of any Islamic country, given (1) the events of 1979 in Persia; (2) the outcomes of the Arab Spring, which mostly range from barbarous anarchy to the neo-Nazi Islamism that Muslims seem to default to; and (3) half a century’s worth of experience with Pakistan’s covert support of virtually every known form of armed evil, and shorter recent intervals of much the same in Turkey and Persia itself.
Anybody got any ideas? Hint: maybe we ought to consider giving them less weapons to train on us. If there have been any weapons we’ve given to any Muslims who claim to be our allies that haven’t rapidly gone to the terrorists, somebody please tell me, I’d be interested to know if such a thing has EVER happened.
gravenimage says
Iranian protester: “We should have an Iranian republic not an Islamic republic”
……………………….
Hear, hear!
JawsV says
Fine, but no more Islam. The Muslims conquered Persia in the 7th century and turned it Islamic. Islam has to go. Otherwise, just more of the same under a different name.
DVult says
When they start publicly burning korans then the fat will be in the fire.
DFD says
“….Fuel prices are also expected to rise…. “
In a country which is a major oil producer – oh brother! Perhaps if there were less enrichment centrifuges, they could concentrate upon refining crudes.
“…said this week that ***social media*** was “a disaster which promoted vice inside families and posed threats to the Islamic system”….”
Sounds like Merkel, May and others, i.e, Macron etc. Link: independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/theresa-may-internet-conservatives-government-a7744176.html
If it doesn’t work you have to add the https-dot-dot-double-slash-www. by hand. Incidentally, that’s from 19 May 2017. Merkel has succeeded introducing such law, same bullocks for reason as Sharia-May. Oddly enough, by now even some of the left-wingers in Germoney are getting cold feet about this, and want it to be scrapped again. It’s not “only” against German laws and constitution, it violates several European laws, EU and otherwise, as well. Merkel gives a damn, May gives…
BTW, you all know the stock photo of Sharia-May used by JihadWatch, here’s another one: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DSyt82QUMAI5b8F.jpg Maybe (!) we should rename her into Hijab-May? Mind you, she often or occasionally sits in cabinet meetings with headscarf/hijab as well. Not wearing it hijab style, but just around her neck.
elee says
Good of you to call attention to the scarcely-noted western “liberals” who recognize Islam’s true colors. One need not call himself a Trumpista or a “conservative” to recognize the threat to our collective survival and freedom. And consider the words “conservative” and”liberal”: “liberals” are at their core much concerned with conserving and extending the work of our ancestors in bringing political and religious freedom to ever-widening sectors of society, and many “conservatives'” favorite argument is that their views are most consistent with realizing more liberties for ourselves and others. So hey folks on both sides: let’s quit baiting and antagonizing each other.
And BTW huge kudos and praise to most of the posters at this site for their courtesy and civility on line as well as their willingness to educate and be educated.
eduardo odraude says
The older and more recent meanings of “liberal” have shifted, at least in the U.S. The older meaning, of say a century ago, referred to individual freedoms, individual rights, free press, freedom of religion. Then in the 1970s or 1980s, “liberal” started to overlap with “progressive” — i.e., someone moving in the direction of a bigger welfare state, “democratic socialism” or even communism.
To call oneself “progressive” is also a bit conceited. It’s a bit like the left wing version of the right wing group a few decades ago that appointed itself the “Moral Majority”.
LeftisruiningCanada says
“To call oneself “progressive” is also a bit conceited.”
True. It’s about as honest as saying you’re ‘for freedom’. Well, duh.
gravenimage says
Agreed, elee.
Walter Sieruk says
The actual word “Republic” has on origin the Latin meaning “Of the people” With the mullahs ayatollahs in so much power and even influencing the parliament of this Islamic regime is tyranny is hardly a real republic .Furthermore the ruthless gang of thugs who are the stooges of those Muslim clerics, called the “Revolutionary Guards,” those Islamic State “police” come down hard on the human rights and freedoms of the Iranian people. Therefore the people do have the right to overthrow a tyranny. This reality had even been expressed and described by men of great intelligence of for example the philosopher .John Locke . This is wisdom that mullahs and other villains in power in that Islamic tyranny don’t wan the Iranian people to know about or understand
gravenimage says
North Korea and other tyrannies call themselves “republics”, as well. Just perverse.
LeftisruiningCanada says
that is one of the many ironies produced by communists
Guy Forester says
When will the Iranian military and regular police start backing the people of Iran or Persia? The IRGC and basij keep these despots in power.
The only thing guaranteed under the current Islamic regime is that those sitting on top of the poop pile will continue to grow their perks and swiss accounts while the rest of the populace goes without a voice, jobs, or necessities.
Carol says
Yes, according to Aayan Hirsi Ali the two major dens of bearded vipers underneath it all are in Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Carol says
This article in Middle East Forum actually shows the setup (with 86 mullahs for the ‘cherry on top’).
Carol says
oops…here’s the link:
http://www.meforum.org/7146/is-iran-regime-about-to-fall
Thomas Kimball says
How is it that western governments always seem to be on the wrong side of nearly everything?ie:islam, global warming/ “climate change”since global warming isn’t working out to well for them,Syria,and on and it goes! Can they really be that stupid that the average person can out think them and how do all these A-holes keep getting elected? You Have to be missing a chromosome or two to be a politician! Now Iran, what logic can they possibly be using to be against the millions of Iranians who want to throw off the shackles of sharia law! Epic stupidity!
elee says
You aren’t seriously suggesting that this country should intervene there, are you? Let’s see, we tried that in 1953, they had a reasonably forward-looking tolerant government until 1979……no guarantee it lasts that long this time around. How many American lives is that worth? Oh and see Salome’s comment below.
Thomas Kimball says
Nope ,just send weapons to keep the Iranian government busy so they haven’t got time or money to export terrorism or continue developing nukes!
elee says
Any weapons we ever send to Muslims who claim to be our allies turn up pointed at us an astonishingly short time later. Elsewhere I challenged Commenters to cite a single instance where this has not happened (yet). The Pakistanis don’t like the Persians either (Persians keep trying to use their fifth columns to pry Balochistan away, among other things), but that certainly doesn’t mean it’s a good idea arm the Pakistanis, you know who those weapons go to..
ISIS has announced its intention to engage Hamas in Gaza. Maybe we should give both sides maps of the roads to Persia, illustrated with graphic pictures of every martyr’s 72 virgins.
Flavius Claudius Iulianus says
elle says:
“Any weapons we ever send to Muslims who claim to be our allies turn up pointed at us an astonishingly short time later.”
yup. Also, see my comment below.
gravenimage says
Thomas Kimball wrote:
How is it that western governments always seem to be on the wrong side of nearly everything?
………………………
Why do you consider taking a stance against the sanguinary Mullahs–as President Trump has done–to be the “wrong side”?
Salome says
Don’t all candidates in Iranian elections have to have approval of the mullahs? In that case, how can we call any of them ‘moderate’?
eduardo odraude says
Yes, the mullahs permit only a very narrow political range of candidates to run in Iran — like 5%. (Unless things have changed since I last checked.)
Thus you make a good point that it is wrong to call any of them “moderate.” If it were my newspaper, a journalist who wrote that way would be fired as an incompetent and/or a sellout.
Carol says
Aayan Hirsi Ali says well-chosen “opponents” are typically arranged.
melek-ric says
Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi …said this week that social media was “a disaster which promoted vice inside families and posed threats to the Islamic system”.
It’s about time that these theocracies started to experience some of the corrosion that the social media have already brought to the West. Social media are good things if they facilitate the fall of corrupt dictatorships, but not so good when Leftists, progressives and globalists use them to destroy Western civilization, as is happening here.
Ibrahim itace muhammed says
It is à lie, non of thé protesters said any thing closer Such report was concocted by CIA, It is not crédible. we had confirmed from reliable source such reports covered with video are all fake. CIA has failed.
why not scrap It altogether ?
LeftisruiningCanada says
And yet you provide nothing to support your assertions, how strange.
🙂
gravenimage says
This has nothing to do with the CIA.
And of course Ibrahim itace muhammed wants the CIA scrapped–despite the degree of willful cluelessness about Islam there, they are still pretty good at foiling Jihad terror plots. The Mohammedan *hates* that…
concern citizen says
I’m curious about one thing…we haven’t heard any comments from Miriamrove about the situtation in Iran. She has family members over there.
Guy Forester says
I think she made some remarks on another one of the articles. I can’t remember which one. She said she was in contact with family there and seemed to support the info JW is posting. Since her family is probably being monitored, I suspect they will need to be careful about communicating. I also hope Miriam is using a nome de plume and code.
gravenimage says
miriam is actually a guy–so his username is definitely a nom de plume.
Flavius Claudius Iulianus says
Are they willing, ‘en masse,’ to apostatize? If not, same old same old. Just different mullahs in charge next time around.
Carol says
There seems to be some daylight showing through in the link I posted above from Middle East Forum
Relic says
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2osQPU7CT0
LeftisruiningCanada says
There’s always time for Fleetwood Mac 🙂
elee says
Thanks for reminding me!
tgusa says
In 79 the Shah was deposed (he was really strict and mean, a totalitarian). And so khomeini was brought in to replace him.
I would really appreciate it if you Iranians would just, Make Up Your Damn Mind!
Ibrahim itace muhammed says
Leftruinigcanada, i like the way you write with sense of maturity unlike other ignorant idiots writing in this site. However, you have missed the truth.I studied christianity extensively with open mind and found that It is not appealing. many people in the West are not satisfied with christianity and for that some convert to Islam wich is more convincing ,while Some become atheists.
I urge you to study Islam, not concocted lies from Christian evangelists and evil Jews.
LeftisruiningCanada says
Working on the koran and Bukhari, Ibrahim.
It’s going to take something major to convince me to throw my lot in with a guy like Mohammad though.
I’ve already seen Jesus at work, and you have to admit that His way shines with goodness.
Remember Ibrahim, the demons fear Christ’s name. Call on Him if they come to you. He will save you.
All joking aside, this is the greatest thing i can pass on to you. Accept it with the respect i intend towards you, as it’s not everyone who would keep posting here as you do.
elee says
Hey LeftisruiningCanada are you reading these in English? Where do you get a translation of Bukhari? Oh and…..this site used to have a link to a PDF (presumably English translation of) Reliance of the Traveler but it’s defunct now, it doesn’t connect to anything. Know anything about that? Or how to get an hard copy English translation? Thanks!
LeftisruiningCanada says
Yeah, i found an .epub version of Bukhari somewhere online, sorry don’t recall where.
Archive.org is a good source too, and they usually have multiple formats available for the same book.
https://archive.org/stream/BukhariVol.220473948/Bukhari%20vol.%201%2C%201-2046#page/n1/mode/2up
http://www.mijnkerk.com/files/Reliance_of_the_Traveller.pdf
elee says
Thanks much appreciate the guidance.
LeftisruiningCanada says
These links are only guidance to documents which themselves offer no guidance, and certainly no light. Be careful on your journey, ’tis dark places you venture into, which i’m sure you know.
Champ says
“…unlike other ignorant idiots writing in this site.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now there’s an amusing bit of irony from the imbecile …
Truth is welcome here, not the pack of lies “ibrahim itace muhammed” enjoys spreading.
Be gone LIAR.
Ibrahim itace muhammed says
Leftruinigcanada, idont think there is any muslim with basic understanding of islam Who does not accept Jésus as messiah with highest rank among prophets and messengers of God. It is even an apostasy to reject him as such.
However, he is not considered as you take him as God or son of God, which Islam considers as blasphemy reducing God the most High to the status of His created beings.
Just take away such pagan doctrines líke divinity of jesus and jesus as beggoten son of God, we are all the same in Jesus.
Thank you
LeftisruiningCanada says
I know that islam teaches a false Christ, Ibrahim, just as it teaches false things on what we believe about God.
Don’t you think it would be better if you trusted the sinless Jesus of the Bible, instead of the utterly sinful mohammad of the koran and ahadith?
If you learn about the real Jesus in the Bible, you will learn about God who came to save sinners from the punishment we all deserve; if you keep reading about mohammad, you are choosing to follow evil, and a false god who is an unjust judge.
FYI says
Beware the muslim trolls and their lying tricks[Taqqiya,Kitman,Tawriya,Muruna}
They are professional liars:the concept of “bearing false witness” of course does not exist in their corrupted souls.
God gave us His laws to be obeyed :But allah tells his muslims to lie…and steal..and murder..
They are full of fraudulent islamic shite.
Just like the muslim ayatollahs of Iran:fradulently pious Shi’iteheads.
{Sunnis or Shias:they are all religious shites}