Are the Protests in Iran Getting Hijacked?

By Jasmin Ramsey, PULSE. Posted June 18, 2009.

In the future, observers would do us a favor by taking a deeper look into Iranian society, giving us a more accurate picture of the very organic religious structures of the country, and dispensing with the narrative of liberal inevitability. It is the religious aspects of enigmatic Persia that helped put an 80-year-old exiled ascetic at the head of state 30 years ago, then the charismatic cleric Khatami in office 12 years ago, the honest son of a blacksmith – Ahmedinejad – four years ago, and the same yesterday.

Do these articles imply that these analysts don’t care about the protesters who are risking their lives in the streets of Iran? Does my quoting of them do the same? On the contrary, this reporting is more useful to those who are fighting for a free and sovereign Iran now, and for those who have been doing so for many years (here I am referring to the courageous anti-imperialist Iranian activists who are currently in Iranian prisons and graves and who have never been granted this kind of attention) because this type of analysis sheds light on the gaping holes that these events leave for the predators who have just been waiting for an opportunity like this since the overthrow of the Iran’s last reigning monarch. Case in point: earlier this week former Bush White House spokesman Ari Fleischer stated that the Reformist Wave in Iran exists because of George W. Bush’s “tough” policies:

I think it’s fair to say the George Bush’s Freedom Agenda planted seeds that have started to grow in the Middle East.

While referring to recent events in Iran as a ”Twitter Revolution” is somewhat truthful, certainly helpful for those who like to use catchy headlines, and undeniable proof of the increasing power of social media in influencing popular opinion, we must also consider the wider implications. As independent freelance journalist Joshua Kucera so aptly put it:

None of this is to excuse the behavior of the government after the election results came out. Or to diminish the bravery and courage of the people who are out in the streets in Tehran getting beaten. But what if it’s based on a lie? A Twitter-fueled, mass delusion of a lie? That the one third of people who voted for Mousavi convinced themselves, via a social media echo chamber that selectively picked rumors and amplified them until they appeared true, that they in fact represented two thirds of the country? And then tried to bring down the government based on that delusion? Maybe it’s not the case this time. But doesn’t this entire episode seem to show how such a thing could happen? And then what?

Revolutionary street spirit in Iran has an inspiring and complex history, but Iran’s strategical positioning in the Middle East and its highly sought after natural resources have always left it in danger of being hijacked. Those who are moved by images of Iranians protesting in the streets can also express their solidarity with the Iranian people as a whole by educating themselves on the country’s history, while remembering that useful knowledge and valuable information also exists outside of the Internet. This may be more important now than ever particularly for Iran’s newly mobilized youth as opposing elements of Iranian society become increasingly hostile towards one another, while threats to Iran’s sovereignty continue to linger from above.

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