New Tension in Iran as Qods Day Approaches

Qods Day marks the last Friday in the holy month of Ramadan.  After the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini used the day to protest the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the plight of the Palestinians, encroaching imperialism, or Zionism, on the part of Israel and the West, and the Jewish occupation of the holy city of Jerusalem.  Though you may not realize it, you’ve all seen plenty of images from past Qods Day celebrations, because in the past millions of Iranians have taken to the streets and chanted things like, “Death to America, Death to Israel.”

And, if you were following Qods day last year, you would know that things have changed.  Qods Day was one of the first major holidays hijacked by Iran’s Green Movement, the opposition to the current regime in Iran.  Instead of a message of hate, tens of thousands of protesters chanted pro-democratic slogans, protesting the direction of their own country and the unofficial chant became, “Not Gaza, Not Lebanon, I give my life to Iran!”

Now, once again, Qods day is upon us, and the political situation in Iran is much different, but still extremely tense.  Just this week, reformist political candidate Mehdi Karroubi released a statement, challenging the current regime on electoral fraud and other injustices. Here is an excerpt:

It is lamentable and disheartening to speak of all the faceless and nameless individuals who have paid such a heavy price during this past year. Individuals about whom most of us still remain in the dark and even if any information has been provided, though inadvertently, little attention has been given to their plight and the difficulties they have had to endure….

The elections that took place last June with unprecedented joy and excitement by the public were turned into unimaginable events. Even now, one and a half years later [sic], in August of 2010, no matter where you are you only hear discussion of those who have been imprisoned and those who have been martyred. It is a pity that an election in which the people were demanding the results of their vote turned into this. We witnessed what they [the ruling government] did to our citizens, whether they were well known individuals or ordinary citizens….

Some claim that there has been fraud, while others insist the contrary. We however continue to state that not only was there election fraud, but more importantly this fraud was massive and widespread. In other words, it was not just around one or two million votes, it was extensive and the results of the elections were pre-determined before the vote took place. The results were rigged in order to show that one individual [Mahmoud Ahmadinejad] had received 25 million votes, while another [Mir Hossein Mousavi] a few million, and a third [Karroubi] only three hundred thousand votes. They wanted the opposition to be defeated. We have sufficient evidence regarding this matter and given the opportunity we will discuss and clarify all the facts.

READ THE ENTIRE TRANSLATION HERE:

Karroubi went on to say that he was “…bewildered at the extent to which religious individuals lie and deceive, turning their back on the truth and reality. I have been committed to religion, the clergy and the Islamic Republic for many years, always seeking to protect and defend the right of the people and unlike claims by some, I have no regrets and am proud of my behavior and my past…”.  He went on to criticize the treatment of political prisoners, and other government abuses in the last year.

Following this statement, Karroubi released the big bomb: he was planning on attending protests against the Islamic Republic during Qods Day.  As a result, since Sunday Karroubi’s house has been surrounded by Bassiji thugs, a paramilitary force loyal to Ahmadinejad (and the reason why Ahmadinejad wears his windbreaker everywhere, the unofficial uniform of the Bassij).  According to Fars News, a notoriously biased government-run news organization in Iran,  Karroubi is accused of meeting with “seditious” members inside his home, an indication that this gang of pro-government thugs may be keeping Karroubi in a kind of house arrest, at least until Friday, though there is no way to confirm this (check back Saturday).  Today, Karroubi’s son confirmed that he is still under a kind of house arrest, but is planning on meeting with Mir Hossein Mousavi and attending the Qods Day rallies.

This is one of several signs that the government of Iran is VERY nervous. Just this past week, Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made statements about how the “overthrowers (Reformists, especially Rafsanjani and the Green movement leaders, ect.) have not been punished yet.” Meanwhile, political infighting within the conservative party in Iran has grown more intense, as has the anti-reformist propaganda campaign (which EA and Dissected News has helped counter), and even the government-run media sources are now admitting that the unemployment rate in Iran may be over 25%.

We have no confirmation of any protests planned by the Green Movement, and Friday is likely to be dominated by pro-government, anti-Israeli, anti-U.S. sentiment, but under the surface the government and its supporters are still very afraid of the Sea of Green.