July 17, 2010
In a meeting with a group of professors from the Teacher’s College, Mir Hossein Mousavi made the following statement:
“We believe that lies, oppression, and fighting the authority of the law destroy the legitimacy of the establishment. The Qur’an, our Prophet, and the exalted events of Ashura demonstrate that oppression cannot remain. I believe that, God willing, the Green Movement will soon see victory because it is seeking to revive the rights of the people; because it is an advocate of human freedoms as well as rationality and reason. The Green Movement will be victorious because it stands against force, lies and oppression.
A movement inspired by Ashura
The celebration of the Eid of Mabas [1] has motivated us. The life of the third lmam of the Shi’as, Imam Hossein, is an inspiration to us [all]. The norms in our religious society have been influenced by the events of Ashura as well as the messages it promoted – messages that encourage one to resist [the use of] force and oppression, so that society can move toward justice and truth.
Every difficulty is followed by peace
Today, followers of the Green Movement have no more reason to be afraid
The Green Movement’s slogan, encouraging a stand against deceit and a push toward truth and justice is inspired by the freedom-seeking spirit of those historical warriors of Ashura as well as their leaders, Imam Hossein and Abolfazl. Such resistance is [always] paired with hardship, but the Qur’an promises that hardship is accompanied by results. We see these results in our society as we speak. Despite enduring suffering, imprisonment, deception, pressure, and unspeakable torture, there is still a high spirit amongst our youth to motivate society away from oppression and force.
[Today], members of the Green Movement are less afraid. Is this not the [period of] calm following hardship [promised by the Qur’an]? Members of the Green Movement struggle to have a system of government that recognizes the authority of the people with a Constitution that explicitly alludes to people’s rights. Is this not, in itself, a [form of] progress? Is it not [considered to be] progress if we can condemn the murders and atrocities committed by ‘self-developing’ forces within our society?
Iran is for all Iranians
The goal of the Green Movement is to establish a governance [based on] the people’s votes
The Manifesto of the Green Movement is a text that is open to change. Hopefully, with the members’ collaboration, it will move toward completion. I think one of the topics that the Manifesto lacks is attention to religious minorities. There are some indirect allusions, but it should be stated more explicitly in the text, emphasizing that Iran belongs to all Iranians. This is a key maxim.
We are victorious because…
The goal of the Green Movement is to establish the authority of the people’s votes. I believe that, God willing, the Green Movement will soon see victory because it is seeking to revive the rights of the people; because it is an advocate of human freedom and reason; [because] it is equipped with the weapon of rationality. The Green Movement will be victorious because it defends a democratic bond between the nation and the Constitution and it stands against force, lies and oppression. We believe that lies, oppression, and contesting the authority of the law annihilate the legitimacy of the establishment. The Qur’an, our Prophet, and the celebrated events of Ashura indicate that oppression cannot remain. You need only to look at the fate of the governments of Omavian and Al-Marvan [to see this fact].
The Constitution is our unifying bond.
We support the motto ‘abide by the Constitution without exception’. The presupposition is that this document is neither eternal nor divine scripture, and any nationally-acknowledged change that ensures the opportunity of free, competitive, and inclusive elections is acceptable. We cannot establish a consensus merely based on memory, but we need a document that can unify us and in the current circumstances there is no substitute for the Constitution. Calling for complete implementation of the constitution is a call for the demands of the people, which have been ignored. Our common platform is based on our democratic ties to the Constitution.
The liars are looking forward to taking advantage of some people’s ignorance. The Shah said the same thing. With the way things are going, [these people] will soon attack the Constitution. Unfortunately, lying has become very widespread. Recently, a speech by one of the security officials has been distributed extensively at the community level. It is full of ridiculous, blatant lies and vulgar myths. The producers [and distributors] of this tape have counted on the possible ignorance of some people in the spread of this [nonsense]. Interestingly, the speech starts out with attacks on the few legal [political] parties that still exist in the country. And when you put this together with the recent claims that we in Iran actually have just one party — the ‘Velayat Party’ [2] — we can conclude that there are some people who, intentionally or unintentionally, are driving this country into a dead end. These kinds of statements are very similar to those of the Shah who, [only a few years before the revolution], declared the Rastakhiz party [to be the sole party], which is clearly unconstitutional. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Constitution itself is attacked in a similar manner in the future.
However, the Green Movement’s networks are not confined to the borders of Iran. On the contrary, these networks live in virtual technology and other media, engendering the amazing atmosphere that has currently emerged. This is one of the strongholds of the Green movement.”
Let us believe that ‘the people’s vote is the judge’ [3]
In my opinion, whoever wants what is right and just, whoever follows a peaceful path in moving the country towards a situation in which the people can decide their own fate, and whoever supports the law and the truth -– this is a person who is a part of [the Green Movement]. We should all believe that, in the end, the people’s votes will be the deciding factors for our country.”
[1] The day when prophet Muhammad received his first revelation
[2] Reference to Ahmadinejad’s recent statements
[3] Reference to a quote by Ayatollah Khomeini
Mir Hossein Mousavi on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=408536627605
Khordaad 88
http://khordaad88.com/?p=1713
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