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After the epic overthrow of Shah in Iran in 1979, the young generation of that time became heroes whom we looked up at with respect. The people of my generation always lamented the fact that, at the time, we were not born to participate in such a milestone of our history. However, time has given us a chance to become heroes of our own era.
85% of the eligible people participated in the election, most of which were dissatisfied with the four year presidency of Ahmadinejad, a man who is notorious for being deceptive and capable of lying to people at ease. This caused an increase in unemployment, inflation, international confrontation, a restriction of women’s rights and freedom of speech. Instead, most of us wanted Musavi to be our president, a man who would bring greater freedom and prosperity to our homeland, a land of great men for the last 2500 years. The colour was green, and Musavi was our would-be president.
We were awake to follow the election results bit by bit whilst chatting and emailing friends in Iran to exchange our excitement and anxiety. The first part of the results were announced, it showed that Ahmadinejad had two third of the votes. We all comforted each other that these were results from the rural areas where he gave people money and goods for free – instead of creating jobs for them - to gain their support. However, all through the night nothing changed and the margin was constant. Due to the different ethnicities existent in Iran it is impossible for one person to win all the different counties. Another worrying factor was that all 5 million votes were counted in a matter of two hours – votes which had been written on a piece of paper and not computerized.
The next morning people were whispering that “the election has been rigged” and “this is a coup d’état”. However, it did not last long before whispers turned into outspoken protest. At the time fear of criticizing the government had become a taboo. We all wanted change and were ready to pay the required price to achieve it. My friends, along with thousands of other protesters, went on to the streets to show that this time they were not afraid of anything.
On the first day of protests the police forces, along with the Basij - the militia affiliated to the government - attacked people on the streets trying to prevent them from gathering in one place. Random gatherings and unorganized rallies took place that day, many fearing that nothing would change if things carried on as they were. The next day Ahmadinejad stated in a televised conference that those who had gone to the streets were like leftovers. Musavi was under pressure to accept the results and many of his political allies had been arrested. We were worried about his safety. Musavi could become a brave opposition leader or a great victim of governmental oppression. No one really knew which one would be the case. He was nicknamed ‘the grey man’ because of the little charisma he had.
It was Sunday evening when my inbox was overflowed with forwarded emails announcing a rally in “Freedom Street” in Tehran on Monday. What really gave all of us serenity was the last sentence: “Musavi will be among you.” Tears showed up in our eyes, tears of joy reminding us that the resistance could still go on and more importantly we were not alone and our leader was with us.
Sunday night people went to the roof tops and shouted “God is great”, “Death to the dictator” and “Musavi we support you”. This reminded me of my father’s memoirs from the revolution in 1979. The masses were at the front now. They are the ones who change a society, not the intellectuals sitting in their ivory towers. The intellectuals are mundane drops of the sea formed by the masses. My friends in the dorm of Tehran University were attacked by the Basij. All of them were wounded, three reportedly dead, scores arrested. All means of communication from SMS to landline phones were out of order throughout Tehran. All breaths were locked in breasts till Monday.
I could not believe my eyes, the streets were flooded on Monday by people wearing any green kind of clothing that they possessed. A green river was washing the fraud results away. More than a million pro-reform protestors showed up. Musavi had also acted as he had promised and appeared among people. He stood on a car among the population and spoke to them. Suddenly I remembered Benazir Bhutto - she was assassinated in exactly the same situation. A cold drop of sweat started rolling on my forehead. I kept on shouting "someone please tell him not to stand on a car, they will shoot him". But I was shouting behind my laptop thousands of kilometers away from my beloved reformist politician. Fortunately nothing happened to him and he proved that his charisma was equal to that of any great leader.
We do not know what is going to happen in the coming days. Whether the coup would be imposed on our nation or Musavi will overcome this conspiracy, one thing is certain, and that is the fact that Iranians’ spirit for overthrowing tyrants is as alive as it was in 1979.
Fantastic article! Sometimes the West seems so ignorant towards the feelings and workings of our Eastern neighbours. Good to see this brought to the forefront.
This is a fascinating article, really interesting to have this insight from a student!
Absolutely beautifully written.
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