Posted on 02/12/2002 8:22:09 AM PST by vannrox
Iranians Rally Against United States Iranians Rally Against United States
Mon Feb 11, 5:42 PM ET
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Angered by the United States' labeling of Iran as part of an "axis of evil," hundreds of thousands of Iranians chanted "Death to America" on Monday during demonstrations to mark the 23rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
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Men, women and children poured into Tehran's Freedom Square carrying anti-U.S. banners and burning effigies of Uncle Sam.
"This year, despite insults to the great Iranian nation and the trumped-up charges against it, the Iranian nation has commemorated the anniversary of its revolt on a greater scale than before," President Mohammad Khatami (news - web sites) said.
State television reported that millions of people took part in rallies in all major Iranian cities.
Khatami said the United States should understand the message of Iran's revolution: independence, freedom and an Islamic Republic.
His speech was repeatedly interrupted by chants of "Death to America!" a phrase dating to the days of the 1979 revolution that lost its edge in recent years as the idea of a gradual rapprochement with the United States gained a following among Khatami's reform-minded supporters.
In Washington, the Bush administration said Monday it would talk to and work with Iranian government officials despite the demonstrations and a suggestion by Khatami blaming U.S. policies for the Sept. 11 attacks. But it demanded that Iran stop sponsoring terror and trying to develop weapons of mass destruction.
"If Iran wants to set a clear course toward the modern world, we're happy to talk to them, work with them," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.
Early in the U.S. war on terrorism, American officials spoke of better cooperation with Iran after it tacitly approved their campaign to topple the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan (news - web sites). But recently, U.S. officials have accused Tehran of trying to undermine Afghanistan's new government and of smuggling weapons to the Palestinians. Iran denies the charges.
Last month, President Bush said in his State of the Union address that Iran was part of an "axis of evil" along with Iraq and North Korea (news - web sites) because it seeks weapons of mass destruction, an allegation that Iran denies.
Bush also said Iran "exports terror, while an unelected few repress the Iranian people's hope for freedom."
Bush's words have drawn strong condemnation across Iran's political spectrum. They have pushed the nation's domestic political troubles a long-standing power struggle between moderate and conservative clerics into the background, at least for now, as people pull together against what was perceived as an unwarranted insult.
Khatami acknowledged there were "many differences" among Iran's leaders, a reference to the power struggle, but said the country is united in supporting the cause of the 1979 Islamic revolution.
"Let's not conceal that there are deficiencies and dissatisfaction, but undoubtedly the whole nation is united in supporting the revolution and the path it has chosen," he said.
The reformist president also suggested U.S. foreign policy bore responsibility for the terror attacks on New York and Washington a widely held view in the region.
"The American people have every right to ask their leaders how long should they pay the price for their faulty policies. What policies and what reasons caused the Sept. 11 attacks?" he said.
In Baghdad, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) said Monday his country opposes any U.S. attack on Iran, adding the U.S. description of Iraq and Iran as part of an "axis of evil" proves the United States considers Muslims and Arabs evil.
Iraq and Iran fought a 1980-88 war and continue to accuse each other of harboring opponents of their respective governments. But Saddam told his Cabinet any harm to Iran and its security negatively affects Iraq, according to the official Iraqi News Agency.
One of those taking part in the demonstration, the chief of the elite revolutionary guards, Gen. Rahim Safavi, told state television: "Today's rallies are the biggest deterrent to U.S. threats. The people have shown they have remained faithful to the objectives of the revolution."
The streets were awash in color as people carried placards and balloons in the red, white and green colors of the Iranian flag. Helicopters dropped red flowers over the crowd.
Banners written in Farsi and English read "We still follow the ideals of the Islamic revolution" and "America cannot do a damn thing" a favorite expression of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the spiritual leader of the revolution.
One placard read in English: "Bush is a Dracula."
"Outside threats only result in greater national unity," said Zahra Dowlatabadi, a 40-year-old homemaker who said national pride after Bush's speech led her to attend her first mass demonstration in years.
Monday's demonstration marked the final day of festivities commemorating the 1979 revolution, which swept the U.S.-backed Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi from power.
On the other hand, I don't think any of us believe that there aren't many Iranians who hunger for freedom from oppression and who don't wish to kill us -- unfortunately, they didn't show up on Monday.
Twenty years ago, while I was in grade school I got into a fight with another person, we've since gone our separate ways. Should I now go out of my way to track him down and settle the old score?
I am reasonably certain that Iranian government can bring up all people under government payroll or direct control. Government employees, military, police, security service, public companies(utility, transportation, etc), schools, and lots and lots of students. You can give a fraction of these people a day off and bring them to a large rally. They will come in thousands. First, they have no choice and second, it is a day-off. All they have to do is to pretend to listening to anti-American diatriabes without falling into sleep and fall off a chair. Chant a slogan or two on cue. Then go home and tell your family how you made easy money today or skipped school thanks to stupid mullahs. You can see yourself on TV news footage if you are lucky(unlucky) depending on your circumstance.
IMHO the inclusion of Iran in the "axis of evil" and the reference to "unelected leaders" which excludes Khatami and the reformers was meant to send the message that a truly reformist government could end Iran's isolation. If that doesn't happen, then military action would be appropriate, not to settle the score for 1979, not to trigger an Afghan-style change of regime, but to eliminate any nuclear threat, similar to Israel's destruction of Iraq's first nuclear weapons program.
That's enough reason for me.
Now, if it's NEWS you want, let's have Iranians demonstrating FOR America. That would be news. Man bites dog. Reporting on dog-bites-man is not news. It's like the sun coming up.
Michael
The Iranian people held a candle light vigil for the victims of 9/11.
Those people that you see going to the streets on the anniversary of the islamic regime, comprise only 5% of the Iranian people. They are mainly paid agents and militia men of the regime, and their families.
95% of the Iranian people HATE this criminal terrorist regime that has been occupying Iran for 23 years ! There is an active movement for democracy in Iran fighting against these savage islamists !
International Alliance of Iranian Students
Political discussion by Iranians fighting against islamic regime
Mission for the Establishment of Human Rights in Iran
Don't blame the Iranian people, who are themselves VICTIMS of 23 years of torture, murder, assasination, poverty. blaim the criminal islamists occupying Iran, and the Europeans who support them and do trade with them, and help them in their propaganda efforts !
Mission for Establishment of Human Rights in Iran (MEHR IRAN)
P.O. Box 2037, P.V.P., CA 90274
Tel: (310) 377-4590 ; Fax: (310) 377-3103
E-Mail: mehr@mehr.org ; URL: http://mehr.org
Iranian people have been experiencing the terror of the IRI right after its conception in 1979. They have not been able to dress, speak, write, vote, pray, dance, love, laugh, and live the way they want and they have paid with their lives, hundreds and thousands of lives, for not giving up these basic rights. They have been harassed, imprisoned; tortured, executed, stoned to death by the IRI for so long and none of these were enough to qualify the IRI as a terrorist. However, western governments and media driven by interest factor turned a blind eye to horrible situation of Iranian people subjected to the worst type of human rights abuses and terrorism. The interest factor made the European countries so eager to establish relation with IRI and a fierce competition started among them as to which one will take a bigger portion of the lucrative one-sided deals with a desperate regime to survive. The US, lobbied strongly by the financial institutions and especially oil companies, left the door open by pursuing a dual policy towards the Islamic Regime.
For IRI to qualify itself for such help, and for West to justify relations with one of the most brutal regimes of all times, both needed a wide spread cover up. While human rights abuses escalated in Iran, conference after conferences were held in Iran and abroad on issues like human rights, civil society, dialog among civilizations, women rights, child abuse, etc. Western media and government authorities publicized these events, and participated in them and argued that they should support the so called reformists vs. radicals knowing well that all real reformists are in jails.
This policy of appeasement continued even after September 11 and after President Bushs speech regarding the terrorism of Islamic Regime. Last month, while Iranians were beaten on the streets because of their peaceful protests against the human rights abuses, the representatives of this terrorist regime were given the opportunity by the UN to take part in a conference specially organized for them to lecture the world about dialog among civilizations. Senator Specter among other US Senators and Representatives greeted IRAs representative warmly in another ceremony and Secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld and General Colin Powel had very nice words for them.
The family of the prisoners of conscience and other Iranian people were beaten and arrested under Mr. Kofi Annans nose during his recent trip to Tehran for just trying to meet with him and pleading for the lives of their loved ones, and what they got from him was words of praise for the government of Iran and statements in defense of Islamic Regime for the allegation of terrorism made against it! The UN policy to legitimize the State of terror is quite long term and comprehensive. It is cooperating with a religious school called Mofid University that trains military seminaries in the city of Qom in Iran, to stage a conference on Human Rights on May 2003.
According to the US Government, IRI will lose its terrorist status and will become a US ally if it refrains from threatening America or its friends and allies with weapons of mass destruction. Can any institution just forgive a regime that has been terrorizing its own nation for so long? Can the world forgive a regime that has been involved in the assassination of so many Iranian dissidents and has been condemned by a German Court in Berlin? Can we ignore its terrorism against so many American people in many terrorist activities including seven cases tried in the US Federal Courts?
Our message to all European countries that support IRI unconditionally and the US that is only concerned about one aspect of its terrorism and blames only a few un-elected elements within the Islamic Regime, is that even if the circumstances changed and the IRI abided by all the US conditions and would become worthy of being US ally, this would not change the fact that this regime is still brutalizing the freedom loving Iranian people. Having said this, it is our turn now to ask this question from the world community:
Who are you with? Are you with the terrorist regime of Iran or with the Iranian people who are fighting with this regime for their basic rights and struggle for freedom and democracy?
Although the recent comments by President Bush, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and National Security Advisor Dr. Condoleeza Rice are very promising, the fact that there are no references to the internal terrorism of Islamic Regime is still very disturbing and leaves room for overnight change of policy.
As President Bush said in his speech after the September 11 event, fighting terrorism has a price. The demand of freedom loving Iranian people from the world community is not much. Bombing Iran wouldnt hurt the terrorists. It would hurt the victims of the terrorism. To fight the terror of the Islamic Regime of Iran, just leave the interest factor out. Dont help this terrorist regime. Dont legitimize it by promoting its disgusting shows. Dont make any deal with it. Let the struggle of Iranian people for democracy prevails. That is all they want. It is not much. Is it?
What he can do is to use what powers he has to move his country away from the fanatacism of the Khomeini era. In some ways there is a similarity to Gorbachev, who never really renounced communism but who nevertheless helped bring an end to the cold war. Threatening Iran with attack puts him between a rock and a hard place and is probably not in our best interests.
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