Iran’s Supreme Leader Denounces 2009 Street Protests in Iran, Calling on People to Follow Legal Channels during Upcoming Parliamentary Elections
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei today told a large crowd gathered in Kermanshah’s sports stadium that the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protests in the US show that 99 percent of the American people are not supporting their government and only one percent of the country is imposing its rule over the people, using their treasure to wage wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and in support of Israel. Ayatollah Khamenei predicted that the capitalist regimes in the US and in the West will collapse.
Pointing to street protests in Tehran and other cities in Iran after the June 2009 parliamentary elections, Ayatollah Khamenei said the “troubles” (the Green Movement) were dealt with powerfully by the people and were defeated two days after the Ashura demonstrations. The ayatollah was referring to the day when he made a major speech at the University of Tehran’s Friday Prayer two days after one of the largest pro-Green demonstrations, during which he denounced the street protesters and publicly sided with the sitting president (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) in the disputed election.
Ayatollah Khamenei called on people’s vast participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for 2 March 2010. Referring to the experience of the 2009 presidential election, Khamenei said even if some people would object to the outcomes of the 2012 parliamentary elections, they should channel their objection through legal means.
The supreme leader was clearly discouraging any future anti-government street protests in Iran, especially during the upcoming parliamentary elections, while wholeheartedly supporting the anti-government street protests in the US.
Ayatollah Khamenei, in a pointed and threatening remark, said if an official of the Islamic Republic wants to take a path opposed to the ideals of the Islamic revolution, the people will eliminate him.
In another part of his speech, Khamenei again called on the heads of three branches of the government to pursue the case of the recent multi-billion dollar banking embezzlement in the country to the very end by prosecuting all the guilty parties. He again emphasized the importance of waging a campaign against financial and official corruption in the country.
For a report on Ayatollah Khamenei’s speech, in Farsi, please see the official Iranian news agency, IRNA.
The same way I don't think it's any of our business indulging in Iran's internal affairs, likewise I don't think it's any of their business indulging in ours. It's all counterproductive.
ReplyDeleteKhamenei also points out that the decadent New York City Police Department is so lacking in what he calls "true Islamic values" that they didn't even kill any of the OWS protesters.
ReplyDeleteKhamenei also gave a shoutout to Mark Pyruz and agreed that Iran's internal affairs should not be interfered with by Iranian citizens.
They don't have the knowledge and wisdom necessary to participate and they need a few old guys to tell them what to do and to tell them that they are enemies of God if they don't believe that he old guys are infallible.
Anon, I was referring to us Americans indulging in Iran's internal affairs. That is to say, Iran's internal affairs belong to Iranians inside Iran.
ReplyDeleteI also believe dual nationals living in the United States should restrict their indulgence into Iranian internal affairs to that of voting in presidential elections every four years.
Likewise, I don't think Iranian leaders or Iranian citizens in Iran have any business indulging in American internal affairs.
To me, to do otherwise is a counterproductive and unwise intrusion.
It's really sad to see the state of the United States, especially when compared to the glory period of the late 90s.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you possibly mean by "Americans indulging in Iran's internal affairs."
ReplyDeletewhat's an indulgence and why do you think Americans are selling any?
surely can't mean to say that Americans shouldn't express opinions about Iran?
and you can't really mean that iranians living outside of the country have no political rights other than casting a vote for some candidate that the Guardians Council will allow to run?
surely you're not saying that all iranian political rights and opinions begin and end with what the theocracy allows?
what ARE you meaning to say?
So Mark should the regime decide to perform a genocide on the Iranian people will that be an internal affair of Iran?
ReplyDeleteAnons, these are my personal beliefs.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we Americans should be making policies that are intrusive into Iran's internal affairs. Likewise, neither should the Iranians be making the same towards the United States.
The same way I disapprove of Obama and Clinton making public judgements concerning Iran's internal affairs, I also disapprove of Khamenei's judgements concerning matters like the Occupy Wall Street protest.
As for dual nationals living in the United States. it's my opinion that these persons should restrict their personal sense of advocacy in Iranian affairs to that of elections held every four years, while directing a full sense of advocacy to the country they live in, the United States. Privately held opinions are another matter, but even for these I for the most part maintain the same.
You might disagree with my conservative approach, but that's how I feel on the matter.
Mark, you're allowed your opinion and you're allowed to express it fully and not just once every four years in a very restricted manner.
ReplyDeleteand your thought that there should normally be limits to direct interference in the internal affairs of another nation is normally a wise one.
but there was this Iranian guy living in Europe who was not content to restrict his "... personal sense of advocacy in Iranian affairs to that of elections held every four years." the dude's name was Ruhollah something-or-other and maybe if the dude had listened to you Iran would still be a monarchy.
Khamenei is a jack ass and he thinks others are like him and his lot.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 1:06 AM said...
ReplyDeleteIt's really sad to see the state of the United States, especially when compared to the glory period of the late 90s.----
you're right. the US had a rather glorious 100 years throughout the entire 20th century.
Persia had some pretty glorious centuries also, but none in the last couple of thousand years and probably never had one to compare with America's century.
But that's the way of the world and probably thousands of years from now, Americans will sitting around in their own third-rate backwater, ruled over by fools and crackpots, and somehow the Americans will still be foolishly thinking their country amounts to anything and strutting like peacocks while their lives are in tatters