~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ( originally posted 6.21.09 ) I have been blogging about the Election Crisis in Iran, at Watergate Summer my main blog, but it does look like this issue deserves and needs it's own blog, and will not be quickly resolved.All previous posts this month will be moved over to this blog. If you wish to share or send me information please do email me. ( that includes video or photos, or if you want me to follow you on Twitter).Most of the photos and video that I have put with this ongoing story were found on Twitter, Iranians risked their lives to get the photos and video to the outside world. Many of the blogs Inside that I linked to or went to for information are now gone or shut down....and I worry about them and what happened to them.I will not post links to people in risk.The Iranians in spite of a Media BlackOut ordered by an unstable regime,need to have their story told. Thank you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Important New Videos below show Military Presence in Crackdown Scroll Down in Update to 1 PM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ First I need to say that there are many that are Liveblogging and following this situation closely at this point. Huffington Post is still liveblogging it, and so is the NYT.....so do check with them during the day. I am continuing to Blog the Human Condition not the politics of this situation. People there are still going to great parallel,risking their lives to get video and photos and text messages out, and I feel compelled to make sure they are Heard and their Truth Known, this is their story and it must be shared.....(I hope that my readers understand Why I am covering this situation, I spend part of the day digging at Twitter and forwarding the videos and photos and texts, and then I update the blog). President Obama is correct at this point the world is Bearing Witness...
WARNING MORE DISTURBING VIDEOS FROM TODAYThis Video was just post only 300 views, twittered put up in Youtube today 6.24.09, Military Presence HUGE, and More Violence, and It must be from yesterday with cellphone.
Very Close Up Footage of Violent Street Fight,very very Intense video, turn sound down... and take a very deep breath if you are going to watch this one, it shows a very very intense street fight, so intense and bloody that I can not embed here, But it is worth looking at even the first 10 seconds as it shows middle age educated working class people fighting back. Then there is a very bloody scene of someone very wounded trying to be moved- it is heartbeaking....and WHY I posted the First AID Site above...The man does die in the video, and it is much more graphic than even Neda's video, and yet I will never know his name. He too died with his eyes wide open. Here is the Video I apologize but it must be seen knowing a week ago these people were protesting a week ago .....\ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Reports from Within via Twitter updated in Comments
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ No One Should ever have to run for their lives from their OwnGovernment. No One. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ( This Post will kept at the Top and updated throughout the day ) Be Sure to Scroll down and see President Obama's Press Conference where Iran was discussed and he made a strong statement. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ First Update On Liveblogging and Daily Updates::: The Best Source to follow this situation closely remains Huffington Post where Nico Pitney is still liveblogging. Please do see his updates yesterday about the unrest is spreading to outside of Tehran, it has now spread in spite of State Run TV propaganda. NYT has also put together a page combined with the LEDE team that is following closely.Also Google has Citizen Tube where they are updating the Video collection Daily.And CNN has really started covering much better ( since Sunday when Don Lemon literally manned the anchor chair for many many hours and took this story to a new level.) MSNBC other than Keith remains a horrible void on this issue. The Financial Papers also are covering the situation from many angles, which if there is a National Strike is an important piece of the situation, Reuters and WSJ are covering. Youtube and Twitter continue to be the main ways for the Iranians to get their story to the World. Andrew Sullivan of the Atlantic Monthly's The Dish is also doing an amazing job reporting by using Twitter as his source. There is finally a meshing of MSM and Blogs and Citizen reporting that we have never seen before in Journalism.
( Google in a matter of days has not only set up not only Farsi translation services, but also added google earth satellite imagery, and Citizen Tube for videos, and meanwhile Google News is tracking over 20,000 blogs,articles and news resources daily on the Iran Issue ALONE.The deserve much thanks for their creative dedication to assisting this journalistic process.)
If you read yesterday's Update you saw that there is a substantial list of Arrested Reporters and Bloggers. So coverage is still a fragile process that could not happen without the courage of the Iranians who now are being arrested and beaten daily for carrying cameras, yet they are still filming with their cellphones. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When you look at the photos and the video I am asking you to think about this, What would you do ? If your Election was stolen and Blatantly so....Millions of Votes ? And then when people protested Peacefully and asked for a Review or a Recount or a Review If was Denied and the Election was officially Stolen , What would you do ? And then let's take it further, the Government of power, stolen power set forth Crushing Forces upon the people, shooting people, beating people in the streets, and arresting people in the Night....What would you do ? Would you film your neighbors being beaten and arrested and shot ? Would you risk your life to get the film and photos out to the world ? Would you want the World to see The Truth ? And if Armed Forces invaded your street what would you do ? I look at this photo of this woman with her rocks...and the look in her eyes.
For in Iran, now the people that are protesting and resisting this Sham of a Process, they are now being labeled as "terrorists" by their own Government Even though Millions had taken to the streets peacefully. And now yes, they arm themselves with rocks against the Basiji Thugs on their motorbikes and the Paramilitary Force. But it is the Thugs coming through neighborhoods destroying cars and bashing property. In my lifetime it is the first time I have ever seen women on the streets with their husbands and sons and brothers in such a tumultuous dangerous bloody situation. And as a young American Iranian woman said yesterday, "What Kind of Government beats grandmothers ?" Please do see her moving full 3 minute CNN interview below. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ** Many Videos of this Government Ordered Violence and Thuggery are posted below Sunday Night scroll down, those videos were snuck out at great risk via stealth of night and Twitter and cellphones. ** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Really Amazing CNN Interview from 6.22.09:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1:35 AM Update:::: The News that broke in the Middle of the Night is that the Guardian Council will not nullify the Election even though there were and are Known Issues. The Supreme Leader was the first to Bless the Rigged Election and now the Council is continuing to enable this fraudulent process even further. ( The "recount "issue is still a process that is in turmoil, now there is an offer to Count "Some" boxes ? Even though the first examination revealed that there was over 100% turnout at 50 cities . So what does that mean now ? It means that Internally in Iran, all the processes that perhaps could have enabled a Recount, or even an Annulment with a new Election as Mousavi has requested is no longer a realistic option. But do remember that there is still much to happen and that is ongoing there is Unrest and Division in different factions of the government, and as I posted below the Clerics are not all siding with the Government....so the situation remains volatile and on many other levels unresolved. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It is in no way normal there for a Cleric to join a Protest and stand side by side with his people in the street yelling at the Government....especially after the Supreme Leader Spoke so sternly on Friday. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Guardian is still covering this story in depth and has this article that explains how complicated this situation is. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now there comes forth a new story of how cruel and crushing this situation has become The Iranian Government is now charging a Bullet Fee of families that must be paid before they can claim the bodies of their loved ones. At first they denied Anyone had been shot, and now they are charging for the bullets. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is the the Correct photo of Neda, Both TIME and other Sources have now corrected the error and do read the LA TIMES article below to learn more about her. ( The girl in the other photo is very much alive. ) I did also post the interview with BBC with her fiance.There is a rumor on Twitter that her father has been "detained" or arrested, but I am still researching that part, for now it does look false. It is true that she was not allowed to have a traditional funeral or memorial and that there were problems finding a Cleric to bless her for burial. The other part of the story that needs correction is that the man that was with her was not her father but her music teacher, but he remains the one that tried to comfort her in her dying moments.
IMPORTANT PLEASE READ THIS Nico Pitney just posted this and it is worth forwarding , especially for those of us monitoring Twitter: "10:12 AM ET -- An Iranian on Facebook says he's in danger. An Iranian who has built up a large Facebook following by posting a consistent stream of new videos and images from Iran's demonstrations left this message today: "The Iranian agents attacked Our home, attacked people there and keep looking for me across the country." It's a frightening reminder to appreciate all the citizen-produced media we are receiving from Iran. Recording the state's actions puts a target on your back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *(( My Summary below via Twitter/retrieved videos and photos/huffpost/guardian/internet resources}}** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Over the weekend, the situation which was already tense and volatile due to the Unanswered Election Fraud Questions and Suspicions, erupted after the Supreme Leader gave his speech on Friday. His "prayers" unleashed a firestorm, he spoke at Tehran University where students were murdered and ambushed and also students were taken away who have not been seen since. ( Hundreds ? or unknown number to the Dept of the Interior Ministry at the beginning of last week). When Supreme Leader spoke at the prayers he did not mention the dead or missing students, his only mention was of the Spiritually Inadequate Youth. And as to the Election, he made no concessions that there were problems whatsoever, and so now Lies and Deception and Denial and Complete Invalidation of the Millions of People demanding Voting Justice were left with no other path than Revolt.
And because his "Prayers " were basically his way of raising an iron fish cloaked with words of the Holy, the Warning was issued before he brought out the full force of His Military, ParaMilitary Militia and Baseji Thugs ( In the photos you will and footage down below you will see them in plain clothes, camo with full riot gear protection or dressed in Darth Vadar Black with POLICE written on their vests. I find it odd that their vests are written in ENGLISH- POLICE ?). In the Photos you will see from the weekend, there were massive groups of people trying to reach the one planned rally of Saturday at 4PM, with a Complete Media BlackOut Ordered and with No Cellphones and No Internet, he unleashed his desperate Bloody Fury upon his own people. There the Baseji MotorBike Thugs shooting at people on the streets and there roof top shooters, and fully riot geared and armed "police" blocking off roads and alleys to the Designated Squares.There on those streets, unarmed people were beaten with batons, clubs and teargassed and shot at. There were deaths, the numbers range from 35 to over 100. The most known and seen a young woman named Neda Soltani, her story is in the post below. There were also hundreds of injuries.
Now the Iran State Run Media has called these incidents, a response to "terrorists" and "Hooligans", to "quell the violence". Yet that is not true, thousands went to the street to protest Election Fraud, and were beaten for it. In response to the beatings, yes, they did protect themselves by creating road havoc so the Baseji could not ride their motorbikes through and shoot at people. They did this by barricading with dumpsters, and yes, setting tires and dumpsters on fire. These fires also help quell the Tear gas that was supposedly sprayed at them and also dropped from helicopters. There were also the water cannons sprayed at them, but according to twitter that was not the worst of it.
And yes, they watched people get killed in front of them or wounded, and yet in all the videos you see people working together. You see in most of the leaked videos people leading people to shelter, or sheilding young girls, or helping each other up or running. And all the videos have women, girls bravely fighting alongside the men. Unarmed people fighting with fully armed Paramilitary with Rocks. You hear them chanting, banging pots and pans and bring rocks and you see them yelling and also filming . Please do see the post below with some of the photos. Over the weekend I posted all the videos that explain the story, many are too graphic to just post. Youtube is still pulling them off and on. Huffpost bravely ran most of the more violent telling videos. There is a rock scene below that very much shows people fighting to keep the Forces off their streets. At night the Forces and Baseji have been attacking people in their homes and destroying their property and cars. Basically these people, mostly edcuated middle class working people are being terrorized by their own government.
And yet they film and take photos mostly with phones at this point and somehow get the video out, mostly to Twitter. And over the weekend the CrackDown Forces did start arresting and beating those with phones and cameras. And yes, if you read below, they also have arrested more than 27 journalists that the Reporters without borders is tracking.
They are still on the streets, using cars to barricade, and setting up road blocks so the Baseji can not run their motorbikes through, during the night on the Twitter they were discussing ways to make the Roads more difficult for the motorbikes, there was even advice how to "disrupt" a bike ( they were planning to visit the bikes when the Baseji eat or sleep ).There were also giving tips how to place glass or oil on the road ways so the Baseji bikes would wipe out. These are resilient brave people.
In this video you can hear what sounds like Pots and Pans, I did read ( also on the twitter) that they will start doing that as well, that Silence is Over. Another thread said that they will start chanting to the Police" Join Us". And yet during the night a Baseji HQ was apparently set on fire, it is hard to see in this but clearly they are not going to be put down by the Baseji Thugs.
Huffington Post still has the best Live Blog and NYT has set up their running own Liveblog today, the link is below. I will be posting new TWEET information and links when I have it. On another note do see Google News, they have set up a whole page for News Sources and BLOGS on Iran ( amazing). And they also are offering Farsi translation too, they deserve major thanks for that. But I wrote a scathing post earlier today about the MSM coverage, and in light of some research I should maybe not be so angry, some of them are clearly working with limitations and problems. On another note google news this am had 27,000 article and links for Iran Election, that says to me that the Whole World is indeed watching.
For Neda and her Dad that was with her, This Song, is called "Oh, what a day to be alive" , the video montage is haunting and yes, shows what they all are facing right now....
Okay, this is a Rock Fight., plain and simple. Down at the far end is the Protesters trying to stop the Forces from moving in on them, now note the Military Forces or Riot Police or whatever they are, you will see them move forward, but the Protesters are heaving rocks at them, now it is 2 Minutes and 39 Seconds WATCH ALL of it closely...VERY closely, because the Protesters...yes...Push them back...Remember this- they have no weapons just rocks...In other videos I have posted the girls and women of all ages are out there, they are in charge of the Rock Supplies and the Chanting...It is amazing, Such Raw Courage....and yes, you will find yourself Cheering when it is over- you won't be able to help your self. ( if you need to see it bigger go over to Huffpo and Nico has it posted bigger).
( Persian BBC released, taken by a Watcher.... The photo note the woman is carrying rocks....they are fighting side by side with the men....)
These two men appear to have been chased into the alley and then they hid behind the car, and there is this weird interaction of the Forces- they don't' speak much to each other, and I wonder if there is a Language barrier, and then they drag these two poor souls out and they for some reason shove a shoe in the one guy's mouth. And then there are the two people filming - very brave, whispering, a girl and guy, and then there are noises close by, like apartments getting raided, so it is amazing that this video made it out.
I worry about these people...being chased and hunted down and arrested...for what, Because they Questioned the Election Results??? This is what a Dictatorship looks like...Especially one run by Desperate failed Leaders...
It is now 8 AM in Iraq....their Day of Destiny was indeed a horrendous day...and sadly we don't know how much Blood was shed, but we know it was unjust and brutal....and heartbreaking...that there are families there that are in pain and worried. I do not understand what kind of Leader would do such a thing to his people.The Baseji are evil but I am still praying that the other forces and police side with the People....We don't know what will happen next...But the battle is not over..it has just begun.
Photo by Newgoya, much video from yesterday is posted below. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday Night we posted the video of the Rooftop Prayer....I am reposting..in honor of NEDA...
A neighbor who has relatives there corrected me on this today..she said they hold their hands up- it is a Peace sign...not victory...I am not sure which it is ....but to stand in rubble and send a message...is beyond brave. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "We want Change" her placard says in farsi ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I had to say something, we need the MSM to get on board and cover it like ANY crisis where people are being shot in the street and in their homes. WHY are they taking orders from a Dictator and the Supreme Leader, they are journalists they should report what is happening. Instead they have Ex Beauty Queens making irrelevant comments about the Videos that have been sent to them, and they did not even watch the videos. The one video that was sent to them that shows street acitivity and is 5 minutes long, if they actually watched the WHOLE video, they would realize that 2 minutes into it a man is shot, and there is much gunfire and then the people try to move him to safety. It is stunning, shocking and disturbing. The Street is where people were shot and pummeled attempting to get to the Rally today. Police showed up well armed and attacked citizens and shot at them, and fired tear gas and water cannons on them.
By Evening time, around 8 PM people were advising others on Twitter to seek care of injuries at Embassies ( Dutch, Aussie,Brit, and Slovenia, Most were taking people in, Canada is not.). The reason they were doing this is because the Police were showing up and taking people from the hospitals. Twitter reported that the Khomeni Hospital is right by one of the main street that has shooting on it and ongoing gunfire.
There was a video of a young girl that was also shot on the street, and yes, she dies in the video. It is clear she was on the street. There are videos of BBC Persia that clearly show shooters on roofs and also from windows. CNN could air these, they were sent to them, they chose not to. There are also videos that clearly show college students cornered and backed up to a fence and then rushed and beaten by the police. Another video shows girls being whipped and beaten and called Derogatory names.
CNN and MSNBC and MSM should be ashamed....Citizen Bloggers have covered this Crisis for days with Journalistic Integrity and did their best to make sure that the Iranian's videos and photos that they risked their lives sending were shared with the World.
I will be posting all the video and photos I found today in a post below later this evening in a couple of hours. I spent most of the day sending Huffington Post Nico Pitney twitter finds, and he has done an amazing job, a true journalist. We are grateful that The Guardian and Huffington Post stuck with the story when the Bloody Violence hit. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ALL of the videos, photos and information was obtained by internet resources and by trolling hours and hours of Twitter ( which is why the Iranians are putting their data and messages on twitter- to get it out to the World ).
Her name was Neda. She was standing with her father on the street corner, just watching when she was shot in the head from above. Her father was with her as she died. heartbreaking.If you listen to the video you can hear her speaking to her, he is saying " Don't be afraid Neda" " Stay with me Neda".....words of a father to his dying daughter.
Atleast 35-45 have been killed, and hundreds injured. It is estimated that there up to 20,000 set loose on them as they attempted to get to the Square for the rally, ambushing them in alley ways and streets. There were also snipers placed at heights and on rooftops that shot people in the street as they walked, even though some of the people were not part of the demonstrations.
2 Minutes in the people are trying to get past one corner and many shots are being fired, ongoing, then there is a man shot, and you see people trying to help move him, and it is grim and bloody watching them trying to move him and look for cover while shots are still ringing out.
CNN only showed part of this video, implying that the protestors were breaking things with rocks, this is wrong, they did not show or watch the entire Video. The Entire video showed what really happened. And it is disturbing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ He write: First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win. Mahatma Gandhi ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Guardian Live Blog ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nico Pitney at Huffington Post ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New You Tube Channel worth monitoring.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Imagine....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7:50 AM::: Have been monitoring Twitter for most of the night. People have started arriving at the Designated Square in past 40 minutes. ( remember they have no real way to communicate of organize and many were unsure for the past 24 hours if March was still on). ( Here in Ohio, wicked storms, so hope my modem stays connected).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ People of Iran be strong. "The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice." -- Martin Luther King, Jr. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I went over to Nico Pitney's Liveblogging at Huffpost, and there was an amazing video was posted, I have reposted it below with the transcript. ( I don't think Nico would mind me sharing it, I have sent him much video these past few days). There is a transcript, of what the woman is saying as she listens out the window, as her neighbors again cry to God....For many nights now as phones and Internet has been removed and communication repressed, the Iranians have gone to their roof's and called to God. I am printing the transcript that someone painfully transcribed for him.( below the video). I am also posting video of them calling to God earlier in the week, there is a shift in the cries now,there is more pain, more desperation. I want to go up on my roof and cry with them at this point.....I don't know what we can do to help them....I know there are mothers like me, crying for their sons, wanting something more for their futures...as a mother I know that...and I look at the young faces in the photos and the photos of the old women in the photos I posted yesterday and I think they have waited so long...they have hoped and prayed...and they too marched for Mousavi ...for Change....They too have hungered for something else. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Checking Twitter and Pitney's post and The Guardian, and they are all reporting that Mousavi's people, his inner circle, have all been arrested, and his office ransacked by plain clothes policemen.....It is 3am there now...What tomorrow brings for them...I do not know...But I pray they have the strength to meet what comes....I light my candles and send many prayers on the wind for them.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Transcript of what the girl is whispering as she listens to the Calls in the Night:::: "Tomorrow is Saturday. Tomorrow is a day of destiny. Tonight, the cries of Allah-o Akbar are heard louder and louder than the nights before. Where is this place? Where is this place where every door is closed? Where is this place where people are simply calling God? Where is this place where the sound of Allah-o Akbar gets louder and louder? I wait every night to see if the sounds will get louder and whether the number increases. It shakes me. I wonder if God is shaken. Where is this place that where so many innocent people are entrapped? Where is this place where no one comes to our aid? Where is this place that only with our silence we are sending our voices to the world? Where is this place that the young shed blood and then people go and pray -- standing on that same blood and pray. Where is this place where the citizens are called vagrants? Where is this place? You want me to tell you? This place is Iran. The homeland of you and me. This place is Iran." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is the video from two nights ago Calls to God in the Night:
And then I watch this video again....The Opposition video, and it reminds me of us, last year campaigning for Obama, wanting Something more for our children, something better, Change, Change that would bring a world that is more together, that people connect more....I watch this video and think they are no different than us....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quotes by Rumi::: "Let the beauty of what you love be what you do." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "All day I think about it, then at night I say it. Where did I come from, and what am I supposed to be doing? I have no idea. My soul is from elsewhere, I'm sure of that, and I intend to end up there." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Silence is an ocean. Speech is a river." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Namaste....Allahu Akbar....Allahu Akbar....Allahu Akbar.....
For days now I have been forwarding messages, links, and photos, videos to The Guardian and Huffington Post ( and yes, much has been from twitter the past 2 days)....as I know many others have as well. I encourage people to keep doing this, as the Media Blackout continues, Online Sources will need to continue to need people digging at twitter ( that as of last night was still getting over 100,000 hits an hour).I will continue to update this post throughout the day, email me if you have updates. To those that have been sending updates I say thank you. To the "Sites Within" that I was using to get information and have now been shut down , I send my prayers for your safety.
Nico Pitney posted this video and an explanation on Huffpost, explaining that the video was explained by an email what the chant Allahu Akbar means,....really means....
"I cannot in any way claim to know what people are thinking or meaning on the ground, but for centuries, 'Allahu Akbar' has been in the Muslim world a battlefield of meaning and ultimately of political legitimacy. They are five syllables pregnant in meaning, mutability and richness, not simply a ritualistic or fundamentalist dogmatic trope. Nor is 'Allahu Akbar' simply a prayer. In fact, despite all its negative, violent connotations in the West, 'Allahu Akbar' has been uttered by Muslims throughout history as a cry against oppression, against kings and monarchs, against tyrannical and despotic rule, reminding people that in the end, the disposer of affairs and ultimate holder of legitimacy is not any man, not any king or queen, not even any supreme leader, but ultimately a divine force out and above directing, caring and fighting for a more peaceful, rule-based, just and free world for people to live in. God is the one who is greatest, above each and every mortal human being whose station it is to pass away.
The fact that 'Allahu Akbar' is echoing through the Iranian night is not only an indication of the longing of people there to find a peaceful and just solution to this crisis. It also points to how deep the erosion of legitimacy is in whosoever acts against the will of the people, in whosoever claims to act on God's behalf to oppress his fellow human, including in this case some of the 'supreme' Islamic jurists themselves. This all goes to show that Islam, far from being merely an abode of repression and retrogression, has the capacity of being a fundamentally restorative and democratic force in human affairs. In the end, so it seems, at least in the Iranian context, 'Allahu Akbar', God is greatest, is a most profoundly democratic of political slogans. So deep is this call, that what is determined out of this liminal moment may very well set the terms for (or against) a lived, democratic Islamic reality for decades to come.
Families Marched together to the Mourning Rallies....Silently wearing black...(updated noon 6.18.09) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Video showing Mousavi at the rally, only 20 seconds, very very loud
I am still gathering and posting information as I find it, from internet sources, utube and twitter, the Media Blackout continues,....Links to Liveblogs of Huffington Post and The Guardian are still linked below. Sadly there are some videos below showing what did happen at the University. More in yesterdays post as well. I am trying to post about the People, and show their videos and photos, that is what they want the world to see.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mousavi speaking at the marches today.....it is said that one million were there, here are more photos from that rally..... Today was a day of mourning, and people were encouraged to dress and black and pray first and that the protests were to be silent and honoring the dead that have died this week.Below there are some videos showing some of the violence unleashed by the Baseji upon the University students. He had also requested that those being held be released.It is now nighttime there....I have updated links below covering the events.Nico Pitney of Huffington Post and the Guardian are both still liveblogging and have frequent updates. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Video from the Rally today 5PM 6.18.09 ( just posted to twitter)
The Mousavi video, Nico Pitney posted today over at Huffington Post, it is in farsi, but beautiful and powerful....the photos alone speak volumes...( he is working on getting it translated)....it is haunting...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Opposition Ad with english subtitles....pretty amazing..( again Nico at Huffpost posted today)
Riot police and Basij hardliner militia attacked the University of Tehran student dormitory last night. Up to 150 students were jailed, at least 1 (and up to 15) students were killed and many more injured. The attack followed student protests against the June 13th coup d'etat in which the government stole the votes of people and announced fake res ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ More video of the Damage
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Amazing photos from the rally today, That show all ages, at the rallies, not just students , yet the Government there keeps trying to portray it is "hooligans" and in Ahmadinejead's last comments he called them " dirt on the wind". ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Opinion Post in the NYT, Must Read, and how more about the Election Rigging...... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ More from Robert Fisk reporting for UK's Independent Snippet::: "Indeed, the arrest of the Islamic Republic's first foreign minister, Ibrahim Yazdi – he was taken, quite literally, from the bed of his Tehran hospital where he is suffering from prostate cancer – shows just how high the level of suspicion is amid the heights of the Islamic Republic. No one has managed to suggest a sane reason why a man who worked alongside the founder of the Islamic regime, Ayatollah Khomeini himself, should suddenly disappear before our eyes. Yazdi had urged Iranians to boycott the presidential poll four years ago – the election that brought Ahmadinejad to power – but was urging all Iranians to vote last week.
If anyone needed proof of the government's state of indecision, they had only to look at yesterday's Tehran newspapers. Suddenly, the mass demonstrations were acknowledged in full. A whole front page of photographs showed Wednesday afternoon's Mousavi rally. Ahmadinejad had said at the weekend that his opponents were mere "layers of dust" – an unwise as well as a childish remark – but across one photograph, demonstrators can be seen carrying a banner which reads: "The layers of dust are making history."
Other papers showed Iran's top six football stars playing South Korea in Seoul with Mousavi's campaign green ribbons tried to their wrists. They complied with instructions to take them off for the second half of the match – which was broadcast live across Iran and which turned out to be a draw. Even Mousavi's website is no longer blocked. We may ask what all this means. But so does all of Iran." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Really interesting video from June17th, note the police standing quietly with the people...there is no tension...this is from the Mourning rallies....
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