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Political unrest in Iran has been the top story in the news since June 13th when President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was reelected. Officials announced that he won the election by more than 60 percent of the vote. But Mr. Admadinejad's main challenger, Mir Hussein Moussavi, quickly rejected the results and called on supporters to protest.
Since then there have been mass protests on the streets of Tehran. Now those protests are coming here. On Thursday people will protest in Portland's Pioneer Courthouse Square. On Friday there will be a vigil at Portland State University.
A local expat, Faramarz Mehrdadfar, spoke to the Wall Street Journal and said:
People are just in a state of shock... As far as family, contacting them via telephone is very hard these days... Cellphones are almost impossible to call, and even their land lines are super busy. It took me two days, and more than 50 tries to finally contact my parents.
Are you an expat from Iran? What do you think of the political unrest there? How do you view these protests from here? Do you have friends or family members in Iran? Have you been in touch with them? What do they say about the current situation?
GUESTS:
- Mina Schoenheit: Cultural consultant who came to the U.S. from Iran with her family in 1961
- Bahram Bahmanyar: Volunteer programmer at KBOO Community Radio hosting Persian Art and Music, came to t he U.S. from Iran in 1972 as an engineering student
- Faramarz Mehrdadfar: Graphic designer for Visual Concepts, came to the U.S. from Iran as a teenager to go to school
Tagged as: election · international relations · iran · protest
Photo credit: Faramarz / Flickr / Creative Commons
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I'm astonished and embarassed for all the protestors who claim the election was rigged yet have no, nor even claim to have, any reason to make that claim. It is this kind of fake claims that damage the credibility of the democratic process. Iran has a history of honest elections but now it appears that honest elections don't matter after all, that the opposition, without cause or reason, can simply claim fraud and get world wide support. I oppose the current leadership of Iran, but this is NOT the way to get him out of office. This IS the way to bring an end to honest elections in Iran. DO YOU really have a reason to claim there was fraud? If so, they state them. Otherwise, you should be supporting honest elections wherever you find them. This is a Bush tactic, not honest complaint and I'm ashamed of it.
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I don't know if the Iranian elections were rigged or not as i am not there and have no proof either way.... from what i have seen on you tube and around the blogisphere I do not believe the Iranian gov is handling this issue the best possible way. The supreme leader like said before should be a uniter of his people. If he did not want to sponsor a new election that is up to him his aggressive tone did not help the situation in my opinion. That being said there has to be something said for the government not trying to stop all media going out of the country. This screams we have something to hide which is why alot of us believe the vote was rigged had they had the election and tons of protesters came out against the winner and the government said to the world.....
Come report on how grand our democracy is we had an 85% turn out. Our people are not happy but they have the freedom to protest and raise there concerns. We will look into there concerns and resolve this issue.
If this stance had been adopted there would be alot better vision of the iranian governement in the worlds eyes. Instead the gov has chosen to adopt a dictorial stance...... IE we must not let the world see us having problems controling our populace this could make us look bad, when actually that stance is making them look much worse.
The fact he blamed the west for the problems in his government. Is well childish instead of saying why are my people upset and how can i unite the country. He said its all there fault not mine
Mr supreme leader he who points the finger has 4 more pointing back at him. -
Iran once had a secular democracy, but the US overthrew it in 1953. The US is now spending millions of dollars supporting terrorist groups in Iran. A few weeks ago they bombed a mosque near the border with Pakistan.
The US is not acting with clean hands.
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Certainly this is an important issue, but I find the intensity of the coverage a bit strange when compared to the coverage of the most recent Mexican elections (not to mention the previous Salinas election) where there was actual evidence of fraud that could have changed the outcome.
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There has been much discussion in many countries regarding the validity of the election results and what, if anything, should be done about it.
When Geroge Bush beat John Kerry in the U.S. Election, many questioned the validity of those results.
What do you think the reaction would have been in the U.S. if other countries had discussed taking action to find out if that election was rigged?
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Hello Emily,
I love your show – a bit disappointed now because I think your 2 guests are not really answering your questions.
I am really interested to know what sources they use to inform themselves, and they didn’t give specifics yet… (which websites/radio or TV stations etc…)
Maybe open to the callers about sources of news…
Thanks,
Sarah
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Here are some resources where I find information.
IRTV.com
Radio Farda
Radio France (RFI)
KRN670AM
Deutche Welle
Radio Israel
Voice of America
Radio Farda
Meybodi
BBC.UK.COM/Persian
CNN.COM
NY Times, Washington Post, La Times (papers)
Huffington Post, UTube (videos)
However, it would be my hope that people use these resources as a secondary or additional source of information to on-going educationa on world affairs.
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I'm astonished and embarassed for and by the protestors who claim the election was rigged yet have no, nor even claim to have, any cause to make that claim. These fake claims damage the credibility of the democratic process as a whole. Iran efforts at honest elections elections don't matter after all, when the opposition, without cause or reason, can simply claim fraud and get world wide support. I strongly oppose the current leadership of Iran, but this will NOT get him out of office. It may well bring an end to honest elections in Iran.
I must ask, "DO YOU really have a reason to claim there was fraud?"
If so, they state them. Otherwise, you should be supporting honest elections wherever you find them. This is a Bush tactic, not honest complaint and I'm ashamed of it. Opposing honest election is a prime way to bring an end to them. After all, in a totalitarian regime such as Iran's, the only thing that keeps elections honest is the value of the international perception that the leadership was honestly elected. If that value vanishs due to false claims of fraud, then the honesty has no value to the leadership.
This world-wide protest is NOT in support of democratic processes, it is in support of mob rule and damaging to the process. Shame on all of you who protest without cause, you do much more harm than good.
If you have real cause to protest, say what it is. Otherwise, support the democratic process. I'm ashamed of you people and of America's Iranians who rise in protest without cause. This is a dishonest and distructive process and will not yield positive results. If the clerics rise and destroy the opposition, you will have set back democracy in Iran by a whole generation. Shame on you.
The question is simple. Do you support the democratic process or not? DO YOU OR DON'T YOU? That's the real question here. If you do, then unless you can find a specific reason for protest, you should be supporting the position of the winner and NOT protesting without cause. Shame on you.
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@ Paul K the differance between the bush/kerry election was that we left our system completely open. Had we shut out all foriegn media and if the government tried to stop the media from reporting the situation would have been entirely different
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But what do you think the reaction would have been in the US if other countries had questioned the results? It seems to me the US has assigned itself as 'world cop' but gets very defensive when questioned?
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I just came back from Iran and to answer your guest comment as to if this election was a froud or not here is a link very useful link for them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7fiBxU8wEU
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Having spent some time in the early 70's in the eastern area of Europe, I am thankful for more insight as to what is happening, especially from those that have a very candid view and knowledge of the area.Paul
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First of all, I'm just an American watching this whole scenario from afar. I have no roots to Iran. But I have to express that I honor the amazing and courageous Iranian people.
My heart, however, is in my throat as I hear what's been said, as this whole situation echoes Tienanmen Square. I can't help but feel that brutality is coming.
I'd also like to ask, when are we, by "we" I mean the media and everyone who's posted and discussed these events, when are we going to stop referring to what's happening in Iran as a "democracy" or a "democratic process"? There can be no democracy when those who hold the real power (the mullahs and the Council of Guardians) have no accountability to anyone.
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I listened to your guest today who spoke of Maya Angelou's poem and I am posting this in dedication to all the courageous Iranian people.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
A free bird leaps on the back of the wind
and floats downstream tillt he current ends
and dips his wing in the orange suns rays and dares to claim the sky sky.
But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage
can seldom see through his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
of things unknown but longed for still
and his tune is heard on the distant hill
for the caged bird sings of freedom.
The free bird think of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn and he names the ky his own.
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
of things unknown but longed for still
and his tune is heard on the distant hill
I love Iran and I love the people of Iran. I left Iran post-revolution for Copenhagen, Denmark but I left my heart and soul in Iran with my people and country of birth.
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The people of Iran have been heard and their commitment to freedom will be long lived. I want them to know that they have moved the world towards democracy by showing their solidarity. Thank you!
"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back-- Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now." - Goethe quotations
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Comments are now closed.
As an Iranian "expat" I am proud to add my support to the many people who are risking their lives on the streets of Tehran and elsewhere to protest the rigged election. At the same time we need to keep in mind that the protests are not about Moussavi's loss per se (which could easily have been anticipated) but about the fraudulent process. As Obama has pointed out, there is relatively little political difference between Moussavi and Ahmadinejad, perhaps even less than there was between Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad in the 2005 election which many young voters cynically boycotted. The Supreme Leader and his clerical henchmen overplayed their hands by announcing the result of the election before votes could have adequately and honestly been counted, but there is very little likelihood that Moussavi could have garnered a majority of votes given the support Ahmadinejad continues to receive from the poor, bazaaris, and rural peasantry.
Secondly, Obama is wisely avoiding inflammatory rhetoric of the "all options are on the table" variety. Were the U.S. (or Israel) to seize this opportunity to carry out any kind of "pre-emptive strike" in Iran (or even a subversive plot such as in the CIA and British collusion to overthrow Mossadegh in 1953), the reforms advocated by the demonstrators, and possibly also their lives and liberty, would be immediately jeopardized. Without ignoring or abandoning the objectives of the reformers, we need to employ policies and methods that will help Iran overcome its woeful economic condition, but not to exacerbate existing conditions of mutual demonization.