IRAN PROTEST: THE THINGS I HAVE BEEN SILENT ABOUT

Hundred of thousands of Iranians have rallied in the country's capital in defiance of a government ban to protest against the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president.

• Iran's state radio reported Tuesday that clashes in the Iranian capital the previous night left seven people dead after an "unauthorized gathering" following a mass rally over alleged election fraud.
• Barack Obama urged that any Iranian investigation of election irregularities be conducted without violence but said it was up to Iranians to choose their own leaders.
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• According to Azar Nafisi (above photo) a professor who is best known as the author of Reading Lolita in Tehran; what has just happened in Iran is a continuation of what has been happening for thirty years.

• Iranian people took up opposition and used an open space to express what they want. Their vote was not just against incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad but for what he stood for.

• The most amazing thing is that so many people came out into the streets to demonstrate and protest and to make their wishes known.

• This is great because it disproves the myth that the Iranian people want the extreme laws imposed on them by the Islamic regime. In any society you will have extremists.

• There will be always people who will support those like Mr. Ahmadinejad, in the same way that many Americans supported Mr. Bush or support Christian fundamentalists. But that does not mean that the Iranian people prefer a theocracy to a pluralistic country with freedom of religion and expression for everyone.

• The fact that Mr. Mousavi or Karoobi choose to talk of freedom and human rights show the degree to which the divisions within the regime are affected by the resistance of the Iranian people. I think these are the important points about the elections and not only who won or who lost.

• Elections in a country such as Iran don't have same meaning as in countries such as the US. We hardly have a choice in who we vote for anyway. There was also not one single international observer. A sizable number of people can't even read in Iran and they will vote for Ahmadinejad.

• The real poles are not the number of votes. The real poles are what sort of platform the candidates use in order to win

• One of the problems with revolutions is that it is a time of great excitement but also great confusion. People are very certain what they don't want but not very certain what they want. When people voted for the Islamic republic, they didn't know what they were voting for.

• How is this election going to influence Iran's conversations with the rest of the world? Part of it depends on the rest of the world, how will they choose to converse with Iran.

• The US government is sometimes silly in its response to Iran. For them, supporting human rights translates into giving money to various groups and individuals and to have a hostile stance on the country.

• In this juncture, US President Barack Obama should acknowledge that the Iranian people have a history, a culture and aspirations, which is different from what the regime claims.

• Iranian women have really worked for their freedom this election. Look at their signature campaign, they choose a non-violent campaign to educate people inside and outside Iran about the country's repressive laws.
  They played an important role in the beginning of the last century in bringing about a constitutional revolution. In the beginning of this century, they will play a central role in changing society towards openness.
  Summarized by: SOLYMONE