Far From Zion

Regime in Panic

Khamenei and the regime in Iran are struggling to hold on to their power, and, as they have demonstrated, will stop at nothing to thwart the will of their people. He is desperately trying to blame foreign actors for the unrest, and trying, as usual to pin Iran’s problems on  “the Zionists,” ignoring the social and political factors around what is fairly obviously and popular movement against an attempted coup by Ahmadenijad and the hard-liners (pdf of the Chatham House Study on the dubious official election results). No one is fooled.

Attacking your own people does not give you legitimacy. Arresting your youth, who are attempting to realize the democratic ideals of the 1979 revolution does not support your system. Sewing divisiveness does not heal a society. I hope and pray that clearer heads will prevail, and that those protesters arrested will be released. Sorry for you Khamenei, but this is the people’s moment and you cannot blame the U.S., the MEK, or the Jews or the Zionists or anyone but yourself.

Watching video of the brave protesters in Iran, I think of this poem by Langston Hughes, and hope that the days of the forces of oppression and fear in Iran are numbered:

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore–
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over–
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?