A Message From the Coordination Council on the Occasion of the Birth of Jesus Christ, the Messenger of Peace & Friendship

A Message From the Coordination Council on the Occasion of the Birth of Jesus Christ, the Messenger of Peace & Friendship
By Banooye Sabz
December 26, 2011


December 24th, 2011

In the name God the kind and merciful,

We would like to take this time to extend a warm greeting and congratulate all followers of Jesus Christ, the messenger of peace and friendship and in particular all of our Christian compatriots, on the occasion of his birth.

In the eyes of religious monks and men of God, the birth of Jesus Christ is reminiscent of the long journey they have taken, dedicating their lives to fighting evil in the quest to free humanity of injustice, violence, lies and deception, with the goal to spread peace, friendship and kindness across the globe.

During these holy days, we wish upon all citizens of the world and in particular our free spirited and patriotic compatriots, regardless of their religious beliefs, a life filled with compassion, tolerance and peace.

The Coordination Council for the Green Path of Hope is of the opinion that the ethnic and religious minorities in our country are not afforded the same fair and equitable rights as all other citizens of our great land. There are many obstacles that stand in the way of ethnic and religious minorities realizing their dreams to live a normal and healthy life. Many of these challenges are rooted in the policies of the illegitimate, authoritarian and inefficient ruling government of Iran. The citizens of Iran, regardless of their religion, ethnicity, gender and political affiliation, deserve to live in an environment that is free, fair and secure. Our citizens have a right to sovereignty and demanding that their legal rights be upheld and the ruling government should be held accountable for upholding these rights and performing their legal duties. Any deviation by the ruling government of its responsibilities towards the nation is open without a doubt to criticism and punishable under the law.

During these holy days, we call upon all free spirited and informed Iranians and in particular our Christian friends to show compassion towards and pray for the release of all Iranian prisoners whose only crime has been to to dedicate their lives to the goal of achieving stability and improved economic, political and social conditions in Iran. We are hopeful that by eliminating the morally reprehensible effects of tyranny in the near future, Iran will once again transform into a symbol of peaceful coexistence between individuals with varying opinions and beliefs, allowing citizens with different religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds to interact in a peaceful and reasonable manner and to promote our blessed land to the world at large based on our national interests.

The Coordination Council for the Green Path of Hope
December 24th, 2011

Source: Kaleme: http://www.kaleme.com/1390/10/03/klm-84408/

Banooye Sabz
http://banouyesabz.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/a-message-from-the-coordination-council-on-the-occasion-of-the-birth-of-jesus-christ-the-messenger-of-peace-friendship/

“Mir Hossein, We Are Traveling Companions You and Us… Mir Hossein, You are Unlike Anyone We know…”

“Mir Hossein, We Are Traveling Companions You and Us… Mir Hossein, You are Unlike Anyone We know…”
By Banooye Sabz
November 18, 2011

Translator’s Note: I have been translating the news regardiing the Green movement for over two years now. It was through these translations that I came to know Mir Hossein Mousavi , a man of integrity who referred to himself not as the leader of the people’s Green movement of Iran, but rather as “their humble companion”. Through the statements I translated, I came to know a humble and soft spoken man who in in his own words “had come to defend human dignity, a man who had come to defend the freedom of speech, expression and thought; a man who had come to defend the people’s right to be informed about their nation’s affairs; a humble man who wanted to be a vehicle for restoring Iran’s dignity, power and identity; a humble companion who had come to accompany us towards an Iran that is free, independent, thriving, modern and productive…”

The following is a translation of a letter addressed to Mousavi written by an anonymous Green Iranian. I decided to translate it because it so eloquently describes why Mousavi captured the heart of a nation. My gratitude to the writer for the beautifully written text and for expressing my feelings and the feelings of so many other Iranians who came out to the streets in the millions in June of 2009 in support of a soft spoken man known merely as “Mir”, who spoke of hope, patience and tolerance…. I hope this translation does the original text justice…

Our relationship with you began with a ballot box and yet I am still uncertain when I how this relationship went so far beyond that stolen ballot. Though prior to the elections we saw you on our television screens, soon thereafter our relationship migrated to pen and paper. Images were converted into text, as you began writing solutions for restoring the rights that had been robbed, refusing to surrender to this dangerous mise-en-scène and alas we once again found you, though this time far away from those television screens that much like the ballot boxes were now also in control of a totalitarian ruling government.

We made on oath on a blank sheet of paper so that the Allah to whom we shall all return, as appeared on your letter of July 6th addressed to the nation, would take us once again towards the dignity that was stolen from us so many years prior to that stolen ballot vote. The blue skies on that June 15th in Tehran were witness to our oath. We were the humble children of Iran, reborn on the day we met you, our numbers infinite and “unlike any oath we had made in the past, this was a new beginning.”

You wrote letters and statements to a nation that was tired and weary of everything. You embarked on a difficult journey in the name of awareness by night, in a place where all was dark and we each had to find our own way. A euphoric journey of “human connections, unity, tolerance, solidarity, wisdom and vitality” that contained “an essence that makes life richer“. It was in this manner that you entered our lives and we became intertwined as one, for “it is not the battle, but life’s journey that is permanent and eternal… ” - and it was exactly this philosophy of life that allowed you to endure and persevere.

You get to know a true friend when you embark upon a journey together. We are traveling companions you and us… You are all that is good, and we the opposite. You remain abducted on one side of the wall, while we survive on the other, depleted and drained; a wall that in your absence reminds us of a freedom robbed, and we listen as your message of “patience” continues to resonate from the other side of this wall. We listen with utter patience, for if this patience comes to an end, it will transform into a fire that will not only destroy your legacy, but will also engulf in flame the “insane officials of a ruling government” that has cast a nation in chains.

… and every time we miss the joy of living, we are reminded of you standing with open arms in Azadi street. It feels as though all the distance that lies between us, a distance that is but a memory now, and the closeness that symbolizes life, is telling us that we can still fly…

… Mir Hossein, we are travel companions you and us… we will fly together some day…

…..Mir Hossein, you are unlike anyone we know…

Source: Kaleme: http://www.kaleme.com/1390/08/25/klm-80474/

Banooye Sabz
http://banouyesabz.wordpress.com/2011/11/18/mir-hossein-we-are-traveling-companions-you-and-us-mir-hossein-you-are-unlike-anyone-we-know/

The Coordination Council for the Green Path of Hope Reiterates its Unwavering Support for the Freedom Seeking Syrian Nation

The Coordination Council for the Green Path of Hope Reiterates its Unwavering Support for the Freedom Seeking Syrian Nation
By Banooye Sabz
October 6, 2011


October 6th, 2011 – [Kaleme] In a statement addressed to the Supreme Council of the Syrian Revolution, Iran’s Coordination Council of the Green Path of Hope reiterates the unwavering support of the nation of Iran for the freedom seeking nation of Syria and all freedom fighters in the region.

The full content of the statement as provided to Kaleme is as follows:

In the name of God the Merciful,

The Iranian nation has carefully followed the recent events in Syrian and the struggle of the oppressed and brave citizens of Syria against an authoritarian regime with a deep sense of empathy and compassion.

The commendable stance and solidarity of the Syrian Muslim nation, despite having lost approximately three thousand martyrs, while tens of thousands have been wounded, imprisoned, missing and displaced will lead to the demise of a regime that has opted to ignore the voices of its protesting citizens demanding justice; a regime that has continued to pursue its own personal interests at the cost of violating the fundamental human rights of its people. This unprecedented level of oppression by the Syrian government has even forced the foreign policy makers in Iran’s current government to reflect upon their unwavering support of the Baathist Syrian regime.

The widespread rise in the Middle East and North Africa against despotic and oppressive regimes is an unprecedented and unique movement in the history of the region. The developments and consequent results achieved in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya bring with them a promise of a bright future for all freedom seeking citizens of the region; nations that will eventually define their own destiny and achieve self sovereignty through their national strength and unity.

The people of Iran and Syria are without a doubt fully aligned in their support of liberation movements in the region from the rightful movement of the freedom seeking people of Palestine to the uprisings in Yemen and Bahrain.

The people’s Green Movement in Iran that arose from a struggle against the pervasive forms of authoritarianism, corruption and power within the Islamic Republic and the need to restore the legitimate rights of the nation of Iran, continues to emphasize the inviolable principle of peaceful coexistence of all religions, beliefs and ethnicity both within Iran and throughout the region. The foreign policy of every nation must first and foremost serve the best interest of the people of that nation with respect for human dignity and the right of all other nations to self determination and sovereignty.

The recent events in our region only further reveal the authenticity and the unwavering will of the people, a reality that the authoritarian governments of the region have opted to ignore.

We look forward to the people of Syria achieving freedom as soon as possible so that democracy, equality and freedom can reign in Syria and oppression and sadness are forever removed from your honorable land.

The prayers, blessings and best wishes of the leaders and activists of the people’s Green movement of Iran and every Green Iranian citizen are with the freedom seeking nation of Syria.

The Coordination Council for the Green Path of Hope
October 6th, 2011

Source: Kaleme: http://www.kaleme.com/1390/07/14/klm-75648/

Banooye Sabz
http://banouyesabz.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/the-coordination-council-for-the-green-path-of-hope-reiterates-its-unwavering-support-for-the-freedom-seeking-syrian-nation/

The Coordination Council for The Green Path of Hope Expresses its Solidarity & Deep Sympathy Towards the Courageous Syrian Nation

The Coordination Council for The Green Path of Hope Expresses its Solidarity & Deep Sympathy Towards the Courageous Syrian Nation
By Banooye Sabz
August 6, 2011

August 5th, 2011 – In a statement addressed to the Syrian nation, the Coordination Council for the Green Path of Hope expressed their solidarity and deep sympathy towards the courageous, freedom fighting Syrian nation.

The full content of the statement as provided to Kaleme is as follows:

In the name of God the merciful,

A God fully aware of the deeds of all wrongdoers,

To our pro-freedom, democracy seeking Syrian brothers and sisters of faith,

Warm greetings from a nation whose citizens fully understand and support your historic, tireless struggle to achieve freedom; a nation that like yourself has utmost respect for its basic human rights. The Green nation of Iran is greatly saddened by what is occurring in your beloved country as of late. Our thoughts are with you during every moment of this holy month [of Ramadan] and we are certain that as long as you continue to fight for justice, God will be your companion and victory will be on your side and with all freedom seeking people across the globe.

Despite the bloodshed and violent oppression, the demonstrations and protests by the freedom fighting Syrian nation continue, as the citizens of Syria courageously pursue their democratic and civil demands. In an effort to repress the protests, more than 1500 Syrian citizens have lost their lives, upwards of 5000 have been injured and thousands have been arrested and displaced at the hands of the authoritarian government of Bashar al-Assad in Damascus.

The Syrian rulers, incognizant of the fate of the dictators in Tunisia and Egypt and many other parts of the world, and oblivious to the legitimate demands of their citizens, have chosen the same path as the likes of Muammar Gaddafi. Autocrats such as Assad and Gaddafi on the one hand provide the means and possibility for foreign intervention in the sociopolitical developments in their country and on the other hand leave behind a ravaged and destroyed nation, sacrificing all human and financial capital of their respective countries in their unquenchable thirst for power.

All freedom fighting, democratic opposition movements face a similar predicament when confronting authoritarian regimes. Over the past two years, the freedom seeking Green movement of the nation of Iran has also endured violent repression, threats and continued suppression at the hands of an authoritarian and illegitimate regime. Despite these tragic events, the totalitarian, tyrannical rulers [in Iran] refuse to learn from the mistakes and the fate of their counterparts in the region.

The Coordination Council for the Green Path of Hope while expressing its deep sympathy for the pro-freedom and democracy seeking nation of Syria, requests that the violent, authoritarian government of Syria put an end to the slaughter of its citizens and respond to their basic democratic demands.

While praising the steadfastness and perseverance of the Syrian nation in its determination to patiently and diligently pursue its demands, the Council would like to stipulate that the Green people of Iran continue to be partners in the suffering and grief of the citizens of Syria. All freedom seeking movements across the globe learn from each other and share their experiences with solidarity, tolerance and a unified front against the inhumane rulers seeking to silence the protesting voices of their citizens.

The Coordination Council for the Green Path of Hope calls upon the benevolent Iranian citizens to continue their efforts to bring attention to the political protests in the region and do everything in their power to demonstrate their solidarity with the freedom seeking, oppressed citizens of Syria, coupling perseverance with hope and patience. The Council also calls upon the ruling powers in Iran to uphold and protect the basic human and civil rights of their citizens and refrain from all inhumane, security related cooperation with the repressive Syrian regime and against the Syrian nation in its quest for freedom and democracy.

The Coordination Council for the Green Path of Hope
August 5th, 2011

Source: Kalame: http://www.kaleme.com/1390/05/14/klm-68066/

Banooye Sabz
http://banouyesabz.wordpress.com/2011/08/06/the-coordination-council-for-the-green-path-of-hope-expresses-its-solidarity-deep-sympathy-towards-the-courageous-syrian-nation/

Mousavi: While One Path is Closed, a Hundred Will Open (Full English Translation)

Mousavi: While One Path is Closed, a Hundred Will Open (Full English Translation)
Friday, October 23, 2009 at 2:03pm


Mousavi in the head office of his official newspaper (Kalemeye Sabz): While one path is closed, a hundred will open.

The Green Word newspaper (Kalemeye Sabz) obtained a permit in February of 2009, and the first issue came out May 18th, 2009. On June 22nd, judiciary officials raided the office and although they had no permit to permanently close down the newspaper, it has not been published since. There were rumors that the newspaper would resume publication. But last night, Mousavi went to the head office and spoke about why this will not be the case:

I know how hard it is on the staff of a newspaper to see their publication closed down. But retreating is not always bad and does not always mean regret. Sometimes we step back to look at other possible paths.

After analyzing the costs and the benefits, our friends decided together not to resume publication. But of course, the fact that Kalemeyeh Sabz will not be published does not mean we will stop our activities and this means that we require innovative media that will reflect the views of this movement within frameworks that are beneficial to the country.

In the absence of a media that has the country’s best interests at heart, outlets like VOA and the BBC become the primary news outlets. It is natural that such outlets will have the best interests of their own country at heart.

In the process of the elections and the aftermath, innovative methods were used to spread information and while one path was closed, a hundred opened. The important thing is that now, everyone in this movement feels the need for a media and if we can keep this feeling alive in the people, in the future we may be able to find new ways of creating one.

The suspension of Kalemeyeh Sabz can be considered temporary, because, eventually, everyone’s voice needs to be heard. The real danger comes when we shut all possible routes of disseminating information, and bring down the establishment’s capability to accept criticism and thus add to an explosive circumstance.

They can not erect a wall around the country in the world we live in today. If the environment is not opened up, we will be left behind and we will be faced with a slew of new problems. In the past, it may have been possible to run the country without any links to the outside, but now, with the spread of technology and communication, such a thing is impossible.

From the days of the constitutional revolution onwards, there’s been a gap between intellectuals and the people. Intellectuals attended to things which were far from the everyday needs and worries of people. But recent events show that this gap is becoming more narrow.

There is a problem withthe worldview of our intellectuals and politicians and that is that by emphasizing certain values, they leave many other valuable perspectives ignored. This is while in the everyday lives of our people, these values are not separated. [In the lives of our people] These value live together and they want to have them all. Iranian society is like the Greek god, Venus, who can bring together things which seem to be going in different directions. Our people can be saddened by the death of Neda Agha Soltan, the people of Gaza and others throughout the world.

In the green movement, we see this coming together of different values and all of those who have committed to this movement try to bring the best of their beliefs to the table and this is a path we must continue in the future.

Extreme slogans are because of anger. It is to our benefit to suggest slogans which are within the capacity of our country and to stay away from slogans which are rash and inconsistent with the conditions we face in the country.

We must not allow the events of the past few months to create pessimism about the revolution. It is obvious that those media outlets which are the voices of this or that power, are forced to defend the interests of their own country, even if they are broadcast in Persian. And through their outlets they will try to sow the seeds of hate towards the entire past thirty years, and they will even try to go after the efforts of our people in the great, historic holy war [Iran-Iraq war] and unfortunately, the policies of our own media is in line with the foreign media outlets and the situation that has been created for Kalemeyeh sabz today is a proof of this.

Mir Hossein Mousavi on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=164061237605