[SIZE="2"]Current Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad[/SIZE] Ahmadinejad is considered by most to be either somewhat unpopular among Iranians or extremely unpopular among them. Ahmadinejad is the incumbent president of the Islamic Republic of Iran and is the former mayor of Tehran city, one of Iran's largest cities. Ahmadinejad is simply too tl;dr to list the criticisms against him check out his wikipedia article for more information. [SIZE="2"]Mir Hossein Mousavi [/SIZE] Mousavi is a professional artist and leave-over from the 1979 revolution in Iran. Mousavi favors open-market economy in Iran as well as a torrent of controversial policies such as aiding single mothers, reforms on policies towards homosexuality and in terms of Iranian theocracy he is the closest thing to a Westerner Iran has ever had running for election since the last Shah. [SIZE="2"]Grand Ayatollah and Supreme Leader Ali Hoseyni Khāmenei[/SIZE] Khamenei is a leave-over from the 1979 revolution in Iran. Many speeches and views he holds are considered out of touch with the current world. Khamenei is considered very stubborn by his peers and wishes to hold onto a theocratic style of governing in Iran. Former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Is considered a "right-wing" thinker among his peers; favors open-market economy and a more democratic style of rule. Rafsanjani is the first and only Iranian president to step down after his first term. Rafsanjani recently wrote an open-letter to all Iranians to urge them to contest the election of president Achmadinijad. [SIZE="2"]The Basij[/SIZE] You will hear the name "Basij" often it is generally referring to anyone suspected of being connected with the Iranian para-military order the "Basij" or Mostaz'afin. They are a mobile slightly tactile fighting force of up to 800,00 young men and some middle aged men who are either too young for service in Iran's military, too old for service in Iran's military or those who have completed their service in the military. The Basij are a decentralized paramilitary organization which operates independent of the Iranian military and indeed more often than not, the government itself. Historically, the Basij were important in fighting the war against Iraq from 1980-1989 with many non-military casualties being Basij forces. Today, the Basij is a disordered de-centralized group of youths and men who have devolved into a spy ring for the Iranian government and are sometimes considered to be government thugs. When reading reports of brutality in Iran, it is important to note that more often than not these acts are committed by the Basij soley because of their independence from the military chain of command their willingness to defend their "government" with fanatical devotion. It is important to know that while the Basij operates independently of the military structure, they ARE a portion of the Revolutionary Guard however they are not controlled by them per-say. [SIZE="2"]Guardians of the Islamic Revolution "Revolutionary Guard"[/SIZE] The Iranian Revolutionary Guard or "IRG" for short is a force which is estimated by the CIA to be at around 12,000 persons at any one time. The IRGC is comparable to perhaps the F.B.I in America. Their role is mainly the protection of internal security to Iran and that of border enforcement with Iran's neighbors.
Interesting note from here: Young Iranian Protester - Shot By Basij [WARNING GRUESOME] : reddit.com Ahmadenijad is fundamentally linked to the Basij, and the Basij are a national tradgedy for Iranians that is very difficult to reconcile for Western minds. During their war with Iraq, Iran needed massive numbers of expendable troops for human wave attacks into heavily mined no-man's-lands between fortified front lines (think WWI, but in the desert, and with more crazy). So a nationalist campaign was started to get every patriotic family to give one son to the Basij militia. Needless to say, it's easier to get children to do stupid things than adults. Thousands of these kids were slaughtered on the front lines, and some stories of how they were employed are truly sickening...civilized countries like Stalin's USSR used dogs for the kinds of suicide missions in which the Basij specialized. So, now the sentiment among those families, who sent their hundreds of thousands of children into battle, is that the Basij are a quasi-religious patriotic nationalist front that is incorruptable. For many Iranians, accepting that Basij are evil would mean accepting that they sent their own adolescent children to die in a meaningless act. That is why the Basij are so powerful and untouchable in modern Iran. Ahmadenijad publically acknowledges that he was a military intelligence officer during their war with Iraq, and it is widely believed that he was a commander and trainer of Basij forces. He has been entitled to massive Basij uprisings every time people speak out against him. Through this mechanism, Ahmadenijad is able to subordinate atrocities such as we are seeing today without using official Iranian military or police forces. Sorry for the intellectualization, it helped me stop crying. I hope that the context helps some of my fellow Westerners understand WTF is going on.
suppot from the us as a young american i have seen many many uproars in the middle east. i cannot even imagine what you youth of iran and the protestors are going through. on monday i have decided to get a tattoo to show my support of mousavi and the youth of iran. i have many iranian friends here in the us but i want your input of what i should get. i want my friends to get the same and all i want is peace there and in isreal so i can come visit like my friends have and my parents have. you have all my support even though i am not there. much love LoLa Bentley
sorry To the protesters in Iran from an American man, I'm sorry for what you are experiencing now. You're fighting for freedom
Not moussavi! please do not get anything in support of moussavi! People in iran are just using this as an excuse to fight back against this regime. If you get anything get something in support of the youth of iran who are fighting and dying for freedom and democracy!
Good place to start at time.com giving a brief profile of the "Top Ten Players in Iran's Power Struggle". * Who's Who in Iran's Political System * Ayatullah Ali Khamenei * Mahmoud Ahmadinejad * Mir Hossein Mousavi * Mohammed Khatami * Ayatullah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani * Mehdi Karroubi * Grand Ayatullah Hossein Ali Montazeri * Ali Larijani * Maj. Gen. Mohammed Ali Jafari * Ayatullah Ahmad Jannati
Fight for your Freedom, but don't raise a weapon. If the youth and democratic supporters all stood up against this tyranny, you can easily change your country to what you please. I wish you all luck, you will need it. I also wish God's prayers to be with you, regardless of Religious beliefs, there is one god and praise him.
I agree with the 7th post.Mousavi is actually an excuse; the current uproar isn't anymore concerning the stolen votes. It's gone beyond that and we're now at odds with the Islamic Republic,particularly its headman Ayatollah Khamenei who has gone to extremes since the dickhead Ahmadinejad took on the presidency approx 5 years ago.Khamenei has been doing his shit as long as this regime has been in power, since 1979; but it wasn't as blatant as it has turned now and thus not everybody could see behind the veil he's been wearing for ages. Also thanks to the globalization phenomenon and the torent of information via the internet and satellite TVs, the newer generation has become alot more shrewd that won't be duped easily by his rammish veil and tricky speech. Back ro Mousavi, albeit he's considered to be a an excuse for the green move to push ahead, on the other hand it's quite plausible that he has generally turned his back on the regime's ideals.In fact many of his agendas before the blasted election were in contrast with the idea of having an Ayatollah in charge of everything, for instance having a private broadcasting station besides the state-run TV;His recent manifestos and announcements can confirm this too. One thing about the IRGC that I think was overlooked in the first post: their business has gone far beyond what's supposed to be.Actually, they are sort of a mafia org now, with the godfather being the leader and their dirty hands in economics and politcal affairs in and out of Iran, in addition to being the devoted martial corps of the Islamic Republic. Basij is also a bastard body within this mafia and you described it very well: a spy ring; and more than that, the body that tries to develop and spread Islamic ideals through the masses by various mechanisms e.g holding social events, religious ceremonies and didactic classes intended for teens during their leisure time in summer. That said, I have relatives including my father working for IRGC but they are being mostly moderate muslims with their minds fucked by paradoxical thoughts.
Hojjatieh Hojjatieh- the group behind the scenes with ultimate influence to the puppets. Hojjatieh - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Haghani Circle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
thank you all people for your support. we just need the world to understand why we are doing this altough it costs our lives. we just want to show the world that what the gavernment are pretendig is not neither the real islam nor the democratic regime. its nothing but dictatorship. we have a great history in fighting against dictators and im sure this time we will 100% overcome the cruelest one.
Is it possible for the original post to be expanded? I found it quite useful. All the brave women and men of Iran have my support and that of my family for your struggles, I wish I knew what to do to help. One side note, I believe the Basij are a tactical fighting force, not a tactile one (although I'm certain they do indeed touch quite a few Iranians).
