Mousavi's 16th Statement: The Commemoration of Azar 16th

Mousavi's 16th Statement: The Commemoration of Azar 16th
Source: Kaleme.com
Date: Saturday, December 6th 2009


In the name of God, the Compassionate and the Merciful

I congratulate the coming anniversary of Eid Ghadeer to the Muslim nation of Iran. I pray the Great God to help us get our nation and all the Muslims around the world closer to the ideals of the person [Imam Ali] who the Ghadeer occasion belongs to. In this time of celebration, the Shiite wishes wellbeing and prosperity for one another and ask each other for gifts that would help them accomplish such wishes. They wish for a fine destiny for our nation and country especially in these crisis stricken times. It is expected from us to commit to the same action. It was still our duty to fulfill the wish [of putting our nation onto a path to a find destiny] even if this expectation did not exist. What we can do in this regards is to maintain loyalty in looking for the good [of our nation even when it is not accepted as is] and persistence in thinking for the future [of our nation even when it is not called as such.] Dangers ahead are too serious to let us or others think of our own interests, and the realities we face are too severe to disappear through ignorance. With the help of the ambiance of elegance that the Eid has provided in addition to the anniversary of 16th of Azar (December 7) as the day of University Students, no topic would be better to talk about other than a solution to our current crisis; a solution that is not necessarily bitter to swallow if we put away our prejudgments.

University Student day is ahead of us. In our modern history student movement has always been the flag-bearers and has acted as the reason and purpose for people’s movement. During the bitter days following the coup, and in some of the darkest times in the history of our nation when all hope seemed to be lost, what happened in the 16th of Azar of 1332 (December 7th of 1953) was a clear sign that the spirit of people and their historical demands were still alive. Those ‘three drops of blood’ and ‘three godly Azar’ that created a basis for the University Student day are after half a century later still a vivid and enlightening reminder in the memory of people because they signified the existence of greater reality in the lives of people. In the years and generations that followed, these signs were maintained through the student movements and as it does today. For countless reasons, the society does not reveal its inclinations to those who only see the appearance. Great transformations are often accused to happen suddenly such that they refuse the political players the opportunity to adjust. Of course, basically no transformation has been realized suddenly, it is only their manifestation and rise that takes a sudden form. In such conditions, signs that tell of the unknown abyss of society are truly invaluable.

The student movement in our modern history has always contained reports of formation of deep political and social currents in our society. If the officials have had reacted to this role [of university students] tactfully in the past and now, we would have had a smooth path toward development and advancement. Instead, they violently break these invaluable artifacts. They would rather pacify themselves that silencing a couple of loud and young individuals would solve the problem as if removing the question would remove the problem from its origins. This is story that we have heard over and over. It is the very same story of ignorance towards realities, and interpretation of news from social conditions to the taste of a group in power. No era of power has ever ended without at least a few signs of such stories. “(Saying): “These are but a small band,” as these days they [referring to Ahmadinejad directly] say they are anything but dirt and dust. “And they enrage us.” “And we are all at the state of readiness [to fight them.]” “So God threw them away from the gardens where springs originated.” “and from their treasures, and desired positions.”

It is very sad and bitter to see the same mistakes repeated despite all the similar lessons in the recent past in and even further: those who insist on saying that people are calm again and it’s only the university students now; and that among the universities, it is only those universities in Tehran that are not calm, and among those only Mother Universities are in turmoil. They think that in these Mother Universities there are a couple of organizing centers run by several young members and that if they were to be expelled from the campus, or threatened to deny continuing their education, they would quite down and that would be the end of story. Fine! But these students were threatened, and they were expelled, why is the story still dragging on? It is because the student movement is a proof of realities greater than itself. Alas, I wish they would appreciate this. I wish they would learn from the insight such a movement is providing to the transformations in the distant and far future so that they would adjust accordingly, especially in times like this when university students are not a minority group but constitute one of the most expansive and active social layers in our society. Right now, there is one university student out of every 20 Iranians. If those responsible in power had paid attention to the university students’ role as a proof and sign to our future, today we would not be in such a critical condition.

Of course, this story has two sides to it. University movements are only as strong and as rooted as the relation of their message to real inclinations within the society because the power of social movements [or the student movement for that matter] is tied to the necessities which create and sustain them. When our generation was participating in the student movement, it clearly saw how effective is its connections to the society and how essential it is to sustain its strength. During that time there were many inclinations among the students. If the student Islamic committees were the strongest it was because they were representing a greater number of social realties.

Many of the activist students of today will be the leaders of tomorrow. This is an additional reason why they should not stop serving as the symbol of our social realities. Their vitality and strength depends on this. The secret to the success of politicians is the same thing. They will be able to serve their country or at least remain powerful only until they are willing to understand the needs and inclinations of their society, and even become the symbol and proof of such needs and inclinations. This thought that someone can rule over people despite their inclinations is nothing but an illusion. Even when a government manages to survive by relying on repressive forces it is in fact only relying on society’s inclinations to remain indifferent towards oppression, although such an indifference will never last forever.

Our society is experiencing the greatest transformations these days. Who is to deny this truth after the incidents seen during the recent months? What is the exact nature of such a transformation? This is the greatest question for us and for our opponents. If they know what great and prosper phenomenon is heading our way, they too will put away their helmets and batons and start seeking for means to look after this delicate plant that has just risen out of our land.

Among many beauties of the days before election, the most beautiful phenomenon was the gathering of people with different tastes. They did not put aside their differences and diversities. Rather, they recognized their differences to become successful in their gathering. No one found it necessary to lose their own identity and become a different person in order to contribute in this integration. There was a joy in that integrating which was accepted by our nature. The green human chain that surrounded our cities was not a worthless show. We were not supposed to ignore each other’s fate after passing that bridge and our spirits didn’t want to scatter after experiencing that integration. Undoubtedly such a thing is a sign of rising growth and dignity in the life of a nation.

The dignity of a nation is not based on being rich or powerful. They are only small parts of its effects. The dignity of a nation is based on the greatness of its spirit. Dignity is seen when we can have apparently incompatible proceedings together. A small house is a place only for “me”, but in a big house there is also space for others. An employer which has a small spirit thinks that he can only reach prosperity by alienating labor’s rights, while a great employer knows that benefiting others, is the only way of gaining profit. The difference of a small employee and a great employee is also the same. Based on thousands of reasons, the only way of benefiting is to benefit others, but those who are small [in personality and spirit] do not have enough capacity to be patience with others. It is also the difference of a religious person who is great and a religious person who is not. A great religious man is Imam Sadeq (6th Imam of Shiite) who sat in the House of God and had conversation with an atheist. The truth of the House of God is his heart that has capacity for everyone, and respects everybody’s right, the right of living, the right of hearing, the right of choosing, and the right to make mistakes and to be great. Yes, being great. Otherwise, what a great person has to do with someone who is not? They see an irreligious person in a place where he can face the beauties of religion. If he could not find any truth,he would not ignore the possibility of understanding it by others. Or they can be small and reject whatever they have not heard before. They can be small and refuse whatever they can not understand. They can be small and call others’ ideas baseless without listening to them carefully.

Our nation is now showing the signs of its greatness; this is the wonderful change our nation was in search of. Of course the important thing is the greatness itself and not its signs. I repeat its signs to believe once again that it comes like spring and changes our lives. To believe in its auspiciousness and not to be scared of changes it will bring. This is the growth that our Revolution was founded on. Some times passed, and we neglected it, but our God did not neglect it. He developed the seed which was planted 30 years ago by many hopes, until now when its sprouts are ahead of us.

The greatness symbols of a nation are qualities that are expected from a brave human being. A man who has no ideal is a man worth nothing. However, who can be an idealist while not losing the touch of reality? A brave human being and a great nation.

If people are still demanding the full execution of the Constitution as their main slogan despite of all those bitter scenes they have seen in the last months, is not because their other demands can not be met. It was only and only the realistic sense of people and their wisdom that did not allow a volatile and radical reaction to the horrendous behavior of the rulers.

In another example, imagine the quality of bravery. The courage that a brave person (like a father who is defending his young daughter) shows is not with an uproar. It is not without a foresight and it is not necessitated with accepting an unreasonable price. However, [this courage] is more fearsome and more effective than the strength of others. Haven’t you seen this level of courage in the brevity that people demonstrated?


In another instance, adaptability of a brave person is not translated into giving in. It only means that (s)he has many problem solving options. In the last six months any window [of opportunity] that people opened was closed. However, they have created new solutions without leaning towards confrontations and without compromising on their ideals.

As another example, look at the patience and firmness in the movement of people.

They live their demands in such patience that it looks like they have lived them for a hundred years; A patience that exhausted their opponents; a patience that resembles growth.

As another example, a brave human being is some one who has self-confidence i.e. he is aware of the values that exist within him. We have not been like this for a long time. We had to keep our heads down. The self-confidence of our nation was taken away in two centuries of subordination, until the Revolution repaired this fallen barricade. However, did we reach this goal immediately and cleared the historical damages from our souls?

So why were we surprised when our artists were praised throughout the world?

As if we did not even suspect ingenious form an Iranian. Or as if we were so pessimistic, that if we had the slightest praiseworthy feature in ourselves we were looking through the conspiracy theories. Does a brave human being react like this if he is praised? Or is he aware of his qualities such that neither applauds make him overwhelmed with joy nor deviate him from his path. In the last few months the nation of Iran was praised tremendously. Now compare our people’s reaction to these applauds to their previous reactions so that you believe that the essence of our society is experiencing their symbols of greatness. .

It is mentioned in our 20-year Perspective Document that Iran must be the most powerful country of the region in the year 1404 [2025 in Georgian Calendar]. Are we supposed to tell the truth about our greatness to the world and the region or are we supposed to lie in that year? Are we just supposed to wear the big clothes to look great while we have not grown and prospered? Are we just supposed to inaugurate uncompleted civil projects in the level of the countries in the region? Are we supposed to consider our lost cause [diplomatic] travels as victories with the help of the media? Are we expected to put ourselves in the middle of continued controversies and contempt others so that we can claim greatness? Or are we supposed to be really powerful?

I ask this question because I believe that a country is only great when it has a great nation.

Our wish came true and our great nation matured to a well deserved degree, only by relying on itself. However, the problem is that this great nation will not keep quiet if its votes are taken away. A great nation does not tolerate degraded elections with fixed results. When a nation becomes great, its [public] servants can no longer tell the people what to eat, where to go, who to elect, and whom or what to trust. This great nation expects the guardian council to convince them of the legitimacy of the elections. They don’t accept from the council to claim only one thing [that everything is fine] and to annul all the observations and documented facts.

They ask us to forget about the election results as if the problem is only the elections. How are we supposed to explain that it is not so? The problem of our people is not who the head of the government is or who is not. The problem is that this some are blustering their ego to the face pride of great nation. What makes people angry is that their greatness is denied explicitly.

Don’t you want to be the government and for us not to? The way is to pay attention to the reality: people have no fraternity agreement with anybody. They choose the one who has more respect for their greatness. Paying attention to this fact will solve the election problem too, but if neglected be aware that the problem is not going to be limited to just the election results.

[Dear] brothers of ours! If you are not getting anywhere with your enormous efforts and cumbersome costs, perhaps you have mistaken the battlefield. You fight people on the streets, but you are constantly losing your dignity in people’s minds. If you are not going to tolerate the celebration of Azar 16th in the universities, what you are going to do with Azar 17th, and Azar 18th? How do you capture the minds of those who saw with their own eyes your fear and your useless battles in the universities ? Even if you silenced all the students, what are you going to do with the realities of the society?

These are the words we say with good intentions, but they would not listen. If they listened, we would have been very close to victory. The victory that I speak of is not that of any specific party; it is the expansion of the nation’s maturity; the victory that makes the people, individually and in groups, greater, to the point that even the warder will be ashamed.

Recently I have heard that Basij in one of the universities has given the opportunity of speaking up to the opposition. That is a good start. I have also heard that they gave each other green scarves as gifts for Eid Ghadeer . From our point of view this is the greatest gift. It wasn’t we who chose green. It was green that chose us. Is it possible for green to choose our brothers too? We think it is possible, because the good-hearted is one who doesn’t look at the deceiver’s deception. The way to becoming green is not closed to any one.

Mir-Hossein Mousavi
15/09/1388
[06/12/2009]

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Mousavi's 15th Statement: 30th Anniversary of the Formation of the Basij

Mousavi's 15th Statement: 30th Anniversary of the Formation of the Basij
Source: Kaleme.com
Date: Tuesday, November 25, 2009


In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

5th of Azar (November 26) is the anniversary of creation of ‘Basij of the Oppressed’ by Imam Khomeini. This anniversary is an opportunity to have a second look at this influential institution in the history of the Islamic revolution: What was the Basij? What is it now? and what should it be? What force created the Basij, and gave it a name and recognition? What made it a hero of all the different tastes and inclinations [of different classes] in a period of the modern history of this land? That glorious history and great success known as Basij was not achieved through extensive budgets, and expensive weapons. It was not excellent institutionalized organization techniques that made the Basij as glorious as a tale of magnificent proportions. It was not military power that formed Basij. Instead, it was deep and pure intentions that created this high tower and nurtured role models whose names are remembered as if they were loyal friends of the prophet.

In addition, in the history of the revolution, Basij is the symbol and centerpiece of courage and persistence of our nation. 30 years ago, Imam created ‘Basij of the Oppressed’ to stand against probable military assault of superpowers. This act was the most influential step taken to prevent any such attacks. In the past three three decades, powers great and small carried the most destructive of weapons. The only thing that stopped them from assaulting our soil or made them regret their assault was that they had seen the courage of the people who were not afraid of the strength of the powerful. They had seen people who did not stop at anything to defend their rights and ideals. Basij was a window through which this aspect of our nation was displayed.

Basij was a manifestation of the union of [social] layers and different appetites among our people. When our caring father [Imam Khomeini] was planting this tree, he said: “A country that has 20 million youth, must have 20 million Basij members.” How could have this been achieved if Basij belonged to only one mode of thinking, one group or one class? What he meant by the 20 million army was the color and capacity that could represent if not all, at least a big majority of the colors that exist in our society; something like the flags of prince of martyrs, [third Imam of Shiite] that is yearly raised everywhere throughout our country, and all of our social layers even some of the religious minorities gather around it.

If Basij has turned into one of our nation’s greatest achievements it was because of attention to such secrets. Otherwise, a name [Basij] can not by itself achieve such almost artistic relics of greatness: The art of changing normal people to an army who relies on God, the art of resisting and winning [the war] empty handed and the art of becoming the source and axis for the union and for the pride of a nation.

Today too, it’s the same story. It is not orders of labels and symbols, words and appearances, neither is it types of discourse and accents nor sentences or magic that creates such schools [Basij or purposeful togetherness] of love, and great humans. All the Basijis, whether known or nameless, who are the pride of faith and land, did not become heroes because of their words. They were tested. Of course, there is not one person in this world who is not tested with choosing right from wrong.

“Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, ‘We believe, and that they will not be tested?
[Quran: Spider-2]

“We did test those before them, and Allah will certainly know those who are true from those who are false”
[Quran: Spider-3]

The time has reached for the inheritors of Bagheris and Bakeris. A new generation who are called Basijis and are in the middle of the darkest suspicions and upheaval. Is this new generation similar to those who have fought along The Commander of Faithful in the Battle of Camel? Or such similarities are pointless and those who make such similarities want Basij to be an oppressive machine to hit, capture, hurt and even kill the human beings whom their only sin is asking for justice? Who knows the answer to such questions? What is the real identity of the institution which is currently called “Basij of the Oppressed”? Is this an erratic institution that closes its eyes and breaks the arms and legs of its brothers and sisters when they are ordered to do so? Or is it an institution with the deepest insight that can distinguish the right way from wrong way in the darkest nights of upheaval. The night of upheaval is like a days for those who have doubts in their answers to these questions.

“Whenever you are faced with Fitna (Upheavals) like parts of a dark night, Quran is yours [to get refuge and find your way]”. Hear the response of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to all these doubts that when upheavals gets into you like parts of a dark night you have to look through Quran! Quran is an intercessor that its intercession is always accepted, and if it becomes a witness against anyone its testimony is accepted. A book that will lead to paradise anyone who considers it as a leader and will drive to hell anyone who goes against it. A book that guides to the best of ways. Quran is a book that clearly and explicitly orders us to be with the truthful.

“O you who believe, fear Allah and be with the truthful”

However, if the truthful were known, the night of upheaval would have ended. On the other hand it is clear that the truthful never lies. Those who lie in their most important political campaign are certainly not truthful. God-conciseness is not their companion and faith is not compatible with them. Haven’t you hear any lies in the past months?


“O you who believe, fear Allah and be with the truthful”

What was the Basij, what will be, and what is to be done?

The Basji that the Imam wanted would not stand against the nation, but would stand behind them and with them. [He envisioned] A Basji whose actions would go beyond political factions and its broad shoulders would protect all, a Basij that would enjoy the friendship of the people, a Basij that would be seeking people’s friendship and unity. A Basij that would overlook the differences of opinion and protect the life and liberty of the masses, that would see them all as brothers or one in creation. A Basji that would protect the privacy of people. Imam did not want the Basij as a tool of authority, but a place for people to project their own power, a place that would allow them to have a part in their own future. It was supposed to be that the actions and behavior of the Basij would be an example to the people, not to have the power of the Basij crush the people. The Basij was not supposed to be on the government payroll and was not supposed to receive bonuses for arresting people for participating in demonstrations. It is a sad day if the Basij becomes just another political party. This is not what the Imam wanted for the Basjiis. The Basji was not supposed to be an instrument to take away people’s freedom in their votes.

My Basjii brothers! What were the faults or flaws in Imam [Khomeini]’s aspirations for Basij that you have abandoned them? Why should you ruin the image created based on the efforts of those before you? You are from the people and with the people. Why do the concepts that our people favour based on their nature, cause such hatred among our Basiji friends? What is bad about freedom? Why talking about freedom causes so much disgust in the heart of some our Basiji friends as if freedom is a unforgivable sin? We know that many of our cities’ major crossroads are called freedom. Don’t we say that subjects like human rights, women rights, minorities rights, and as such are exploited by great powers to hypocritically associate themselves with these concepts and demonstrate a good face?

So why should those who are the main and noble owners of such values and ideals , distance themselves from them? Do they want their school of thought to look detestable? Why do you ban these concepts and consider them as criteria for being non-religious? Religious is like a favorite flower bestowed upon people. Its teachings are moderate and in agreement with people ‘s nature. Lest! Don’t turn it in to a torn bush, that everyone who touches it gets harmed, like what our youth experiences [nowadays] in the streets.

Thirty years ago Basij came to existence just like a flower and a blast of light. If one desires return to that luminous original era, does that mean he has turned his back on the [Islamic] Revolution and intends to turn over the system? Isn’t it a call to justice if one requests to return to the original version of Islamic revolution? if one demands the pure Islam of Mohammad, the one that Imam [Khomeini] was its mouthpiece and referral; if one expresses distaste toward superstitious and superficiality, which is sold to people in the name of religion; if one follows all the articles of the constitution; if one asks for the loyalty to the vows made based on belief and humanity? Is it legitimate to smack such people in the streets, to torture them in the jails, to sentence them to long terms in prison? Do Islam and Koran teachings allow killing of the people who peacefully ask their rulers to be just?

“And they kill the people who asked them to be just. So warn them of a severe punishment.”

What was [the essence of] Basij before ? , and what will it turn into if it continues on the road laid for it? The force that once represented the courage of our nation is now used to terrorize Iranians? It is evident that the newest and the latest strategy adopted by the authoritarian minority is to create fear in people. They wear terrifying apparel and gather in military formations in the city streets to frighten their countrymen? They terrorize people because they themselves are terrified? Or they convict the sons of this revolution to 7 , 10 and 15 years in prison to console themselves? And they don’t realize how they are jeopardizing the national security with these short-sighted behaviors?

It is sufficient for great powers to see [our] people frightened to harass our nation. To see our people’s courage undermined and their strength and their endurance uncertain to believe their dreams of the last 30 years [against our nation] are coming true. Look at our two neighboring countries that are occupied by foreign forces. In both countries they attempted to terrify people and people were terrified. On the surface the [great] powers stepped into these countries with the promise to set them free. But they did not hide their greed in [seeing] horrified faces of people when they established places like Abu Ghraib. They told people of these two countries with outmost clarity that you are the people who were scared of Saddam and Taliban , now it is justified to be more scared of our terrorizing weaponry. Even the radical terrorists still savagely kill these people hoping they can rule them based on their fear as the bloodthirsty [dictators] did before them . The victims of the brutalities of Saddam and Taliban are still paying for their lack of courage. But our nation owes its security and peace to courage and strength shown in the last thirty years.

Now some people in the country want to take this [social] capital away from us. [Our] people are either not frightened by their shows , which they are not and they will take away this last weapon away from them, or they will be scared. In that case will [only]these war toys [weapons] keep this country intact?

In our contemporary history Basij was not just a name , it was a conduct that we will always need. [This is true] to the extent that if those responsible for Basij forget their duties and assignments we need to carry them out ourselves. It is a necessity, even more important than the goals of our movement , that forces us not to let anyone show greed in our fear.

And we should know, there is no color beyond black. [Creating] fear is their last effort. Your opponents made a mistake and used what they had as the last resort against your peaceful strength. The true solutions to their [quandaries] are yourselves. The day you ask your opponents: “are the colorful flags you carry in the support of implementing the full constitution?” and they answered yes, welcome them. That day we will all be green.

Mir Hossein Mousavi

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Mousavi's 14th Statement

Mousavi's 14th Statement
Source: Kalemeh
Date: Saturday, October 31, 2009


In the Name of God the Compassionate, the Merciful,

In our modern history, the thirteenth of Aban [4th of November] is reminiscent of three events. The first was when Imam Khomeini was exiled, and the movement went into a thirteen year recession. After being able to silence the movement by sending the Imam into exile, the Shah’s regime marveled at why such a thing was not done sooner. There was one uprising and one Imam, and when he was far from it, there was nothing left of its spirit. Was the Imam truly alone in the movement he had begun? Never. It is never such that one person can create change in society. He had many followers, but they were not like the friends that would surround him years later, when he said: “our leader is that 13 year old child …”

The second thirteenth of Aban is the day of thirteen year old leaders. Students who had gathered at the University of Tehran for a protest and faced a most violent death. It was the regime’s experience with the events of the 40s [the 1960s] that caused such a bloody reaction. They [the regime] thought that if they act as determined as before, they will once again achieve the same incredible results. But that is while the base of society had changed. The monarchist establishment was no loner facing one Imam. This time, people had surrounded the Imam who may not have known him as well as their fathers did, or who had not heard his speeches, but who had as much spirit and strength in their hearts as the Imam himself. Unlike their fathers, they did not need to be repressed or to see as much evil to join this movement

Much has been said about the third thirteenth of Aban. It is unlikely that anything of that event has remained unsaid. Including the fact that in that event, the Imam followed the Muslim students. On the surface, the students called themselves the followers of the Imam, but in reality, it was the Imam who followed what they did. None of the leaders and commanders of the revolution had a role in shaping what came to be that day. Even the students themselves thought that everything would be over in a few days and they will return home. But the Imam followed the events and called it a revolution greater than the first revolution. Only anImam who has experienced the bitter taste of thirteen years of exile knows that a society which has lived under rigid and severe rule does not have spirit and does not have a healthy existence. He preferred to let people lead because he knew simply passing one historic milestone is not enough in the prosperity of a nation. The nation must have such knowledge and insight to be able to tell right from wrong in every day and age, and to be able to walk the right path. Today, our people are the leaders and this is the great wish that the Imam had for them. He invited us to those thing which promise life.

And now, the thirteenth of Aban, this greenest day of the year is approaching. Today, is it conceivable that the flame of the people’s movement may be extinguished, if a fellow countrymen is kept silent? If such a thing happens, we will lose the fruit of 45 years of our history and our struggle. And if it doesn’t happen, this will show the roots of our revolutionary spirit. It is reliance on these roots that have made us green, roots that if we leave neglected, we will have turned to those very things that our opponents wish. It is thus absolutely necessary that we carefully approach any such extreme efforts.


Our movement will not benefit from leaving Islam to the hands of worshipers of superstition, leaving the revolution to the incompetent and the devious, neglecting the fruits of 100 years of struggle and replacing that heritage with misconstrued and twisted images, and alienating ourselves from that heritage. If some foreign governments insist on such tendencies, that may be because they have personal gains in such an effort. If need be, they will sit at the negotiation tables while turning their backs on the current movement of the Iranians, and they will be content with the little freedom and political progress that exists in neighboring countries, and we can not reprimand them for such actions. It is we ourselves who must be reprimanded if we do not tell wisely the interests of our own country.

These days, people are all asking of victory. When will we achieve it? How will we get there faster? And what will add to its perfection? Our entire existence is prayer and inquisition, and we are filled with the lords words who has said that he will grant us some of whatever we may wish [from the Koran: And he granted some of whatever you asked for.] The mere fact that a demand has been created in society means that no one will be able to get in its way and governments can only attempt to influence factors like time, scale and the shape of its realization.

Can we too influence these factors? Yes. [from the Koran] people will only reap rewards to the extent to which they use their intelligence and insight. In the past few months, our people have been blessed with the rewards of their own wisdom.

Our green path is a path of rationality and shows that we are persistent in standing up for our demands. If we were to be extremists, be certain that there would have been nothing left of us. ٍExtreme enthusiasm leads to unenthusiasm. If you need an example of this, look no further than the foreign policy of this government. The same time when they were busy infusing our international relations with propaganda, and refused to utilize moderation and intelligence, it was obvious that they would soon bargain the interests of our people with nothing. Sixteen years ago, neither the media nor statesmen considered developing nuclear fuel for Tehran’s program very important news. Today, it appears that a large proportion of the product of Iran’s nuclear program, which went on to see this much chaos and was to bring a number of sanctions for the people, must be handed to another country, in hopes that they will be kind enough to offer us some fuel later on. Is this a victory? It is an obvious deception when they call this “the greatest of victories”[Ahmadinejad’s speech].

The statesmen neither solved the problems of the world [which Ahmadinejad had claimed he would] or stressed the rights of their own people but rather, were willing to forgo those rights all together. They showed that in surrendering too they are extremists. Even if with the help of friends, losing the achievements of Iran’s nuclear program will be thwarted, we have not seen the last of this extremism and their actions will pave the way for more sanctions and isolation for Iran.


What we can learn from this is to avoid extremism ourselves. Sooner or later – and, with the help of God, sooner – those who stand against the people will leave. On that day, will only a ruined country remain for the nation? What we must be worried about today is the interests of our country and except for its rightful owners, no one else will be occupied with this. Building tomorrow must begin today. We must be so prepared that if tomorrow suddenly presents itself, we will not be taken by surprise. Each of us must feel the great responsibility that rests on our shoulders.

Our constant demand for the constitution to be carried out is a key solution to building the future. With such an approach, we will have a light to guide us in the dark, and we will not be stepping on the struggles of generations past. Whatever remains in our hearts and desires [that is not in the constitution] we will strive for in our life because formal structures do not reflect, for the most part, the greater realities that exist in society. The greater reality is what goes on in our lives. The superficial structures can arrest the children of this revolution and imprison them like criminals and dress them up in degraded clothing, but the people can look at those images and feel pride, and create heroes out of those very images. Who is the winner in this confrontation? The superficial structure can condemn these people in show trials and the people will be the final judge in those trials. Which of these is the true ruler of society? The superficial structure can degrade these families and attempt to shame them with its abusive behavior but while these families suffer, the people will always know them to be courageous and honorable. Which of these two views will win the hearts of these families? Pay attention, up to now, we’ve only been talking about the power that exists in the view of the people, and not about power they have to actually do other things. The superficial structures can sentence these families to isolation and the people can embrace them. Truly, which of these will triumph? The superficial structures can deprive the students of dormitories for the crime of expressing their opinion and deprive them of a livelihood and the social networks can back them with their support. Which of these groups is more powerful? But this is a wrong way to frame the question because in essence, there is no confrontation between these two entities. One is, and the other isn’t. It is our life that gives meaning to any matter in the external order of society. In the past few months we have changed society not by breaking this external order but by changing its meaning. We have no need to break order when it is we who give it direction in every circumstance.

This will be our path from now on as well. When so many parts of our constitution go unnoticed, the truth is that there is no difference between good law and bad law. Even if the political structure of our country were in the best of orders, what difference does it make when our lives do not give it credibility? Does not give it meaning? Does not approve it and does not ask for it? In the same way, if this structure was backward or wrong, we could only attempt to correct it if we could first correct the meaning and we do this through the path we live in our lives.

There are so many nations who do not choose to exercise this power, who choose to leave power in the hands of the powerful. They will not lead their societies, but we will.

The thirteenth of Aban is that pledge which reminds us that among us, it is the people who are the leaders. I send my deepest wishes to the people of Iran for this day, and I ask the lord for freedom, patience and rewards that are worthy of the creators of this day, some of whom are now in prison, and the other hostages of the green movement.

Mir Hossein Mousavi

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Mousavi's 13th Statement: Violence is Not The Solution

Mousavi's 13th Statement: Violence is Not The Solution
Source: MowjCamp
Date: September 28, 2009


In the name of God, the Merciful and the Compassionate,

Without a doubt, the Quds day demonstrations remain a highlight of the events of the past few months. Promising results are expected out of what occurred during this event, which cannot be attributed to one faction or one view. Rather, [these] achievements belong to all of those who have roots in this land, even if some are not able to feel this blessing and this gift due to their own incorrect judgments.

This gift is the gift of the Imam’s [Khomeini's] foresight. He repeatedly told us to establish the right foundations such that when we are gone, they will not be able to destroy them, even if they so desire. Maybe we have not been able to truly act on this advice, but that is the path he always took. He based the pillars of the Islamic Republic on the trust of the people and created opportunities for them to come out [in public] so that no one would be able to destroy them.

Quds day is one such day. With such traditions, people cannot be deterred and forced out of the scene. Without addressing and providing justice inside, [the authorities] cannot invite people to such rallies to protest tyranny in faraway lands. To leave behind no doubts, He [the Imam] declared that this day is not only specific to Palestine, but the day of the oppressed and the day of Islam. We now realize the efforts of that caring father who made sure that people always remain present on the scenes in the millions.

Thirty years ago, our Imam asked Muslims across the world to set aside their differences and come together to rise against a common agony that pains them all. This message is so close to our circumstances today. Islam did not say that we must think alike to be united. The unity to which we are invited is the same as accepting differences, and Quds is a day when Muslims should come together while tolerating the vast differences that exist among them. That is why if this event is attached to one particular political faction, it will lose its glory year after year. It will not achieve its promised vision, and it can no longer be the day of Islam and the day of the oppressed.

The vision of this day is to bring together different colors in one scene. This year, our Quds day did not achieve this [ideal], but it strived for it. In fact, this year on Quds day I was among people who greeted me with tight fists (Mousavi was among the state-supporters in the rally) and who wished my death. On the chaotic road we were marching together, I took a good look at them and realized that I love their faces and I realized that our victory is nothing that will bring about defeat for anyone. We must all achieve prosperity, even though some will realize this prosperity later than others.

In fact, those who felt defeated by this year’s Quds, gained the most. They saw in the clearest sense that three months of unprecedented violence did not have the smallest effect on the presence of the people, and in fact, made it stronger. If not for the opportunity on Quds day, it would have been months from now when they would have been met with their own blunders in the celebrations of Bahman (the demonstrations held in celebration of the revolution in February) and they would have come face to face with the high cost of their own mistakes at a time when it would have been much too late.

Violence is not the solution. Meet all with empathy (as opposed to enmity.) Violence is like a horse that throws the rider to the ground. People have every right to feel angry about hostile security measures and unrelenting provocative propaganda, even if justifiably their righteousness does not change the consequences of their anger. The amount of fruit we harvest from our endurance depends on the amount of patience thoughtfulness that we are willing to maintain. If we move towards unreasonable extremes, it is possible to, in one day, lose the fruit of a week’s or a month’s hard work. Our people deserve better treatment from the authorities because they are alert and thoughtful. And a thoughtful person is he who can not only distinguish between good and bad, but also between good and better, or between bad and worse.

There are still better conclusions that we can arrive at, than those we arrived at on Quds day. At the same time, worse conditions are possible than the ones we are currently suffering from and are subjected to. On the road ahead of us, and in our historical context, there is no clear image of the consequences of acting against the current structure of government. As mentioned in the letters sent to the Marjas, Afghanistan and Iraq act as two big lessons on each side of our land. We should never ignore them. Of course, these lessons do not stop us from demanding our rights, because we have the patience and wisdom to change our destinies for the better without having to pay so high a price.

What can achieve the goal [of peaceful reform] is a commitment to the golden messages that we have chosen. A message that interferes with the friendship and brotherhood of our people will not help us restructure our national unity or our identity. We see the compassionate Islam as a cure for our pain. We see that what the authorities introduce as the banner of religion is a dress worn inside-out.

We demand the unconditional enactment of the constitution and the return of the Islamic Republic to its original ethical foundations. We demand the Islamic Republic, not a word more, and not a word less. To us, anarchists and people who act against the structure are those who avoid the Islamic laws, either with or without an excuse. They are also those who pull the plug on the constitution for their own personal gain.

Today’s political environment is not what Iranians wished for 30 years ago. Now, people are asking themselves: What has stopped us from achieving our ideals and has instead got us here? This is a fundamental question that we should ask of our struggle today and in future. What should we do so as not to face the same question thirty years from now?

We can only be certain [of the right answer] when we base our sociopolitical achievements on our everyday life. In the past century our people have had more than a few of such achievements. However, their achievements have been a result of a [direct] struggle. As long as the environment of struggle and endeavor lasted, these achievements were sustainable. But as soon as people were exhausted or thought they had to return to their homes the fruit of their struggle was lost. To fight [for a cause] is holy, but it is not long-lasting. What lasts is life.

This is a lesson we have learned from those of us who fought in eight years holy defense [against Saddam.] During those years two groups of people would leave for the war fronts. The first group fought during the war and then thought to themselves the time has come to live a life, to pile money and accumulate wealth or to build high-rise buildings one after another. The second group left [to war] for the more exuberant spirituality. They did not go just to make a sacrifice; they went to take part in that spiritual atmosphere.


Digesting these words may not be easy for people who have not experienced that atmosphere, but it is real. Not that they did not make sacrifices, in fact they were our most renowned heroes. But in the light of gems they gained they did not believe they were making any sacrifices. They lived the years of the war and then [after the war] started their own struggle, a peaceful struggle to protect that living experience or at least the memory of it. Without them, we could not have lasted [the war] empty-handed for eight years.

During the election campaign I was proud when a group of them honored me and formed the Isargaran[those who sacrifice for others] committee as one of the most active committees of my campaign. They said we have gathered together hoping to revive the spirituality of our days with Imam [Khomeini] and thus we believe our responsibilities are more burdensome. I doubt there is anyone in our nation who would not be proud of them. They are exactly on the common green intersection that connects us all to one another.

In following them, we should also live The Green Path of Hope, it is only in that case that the miracle they created will also awaits us. The importance of this year’s Quds day was that it revealed that the new life people have chosen is not something temporary and ephemeral. If we had all remained home [during the rally] but this message was [somehow] communicated with this clarity, we would have achieved nothing less.

Living the green path means that every day, while we are busy with our chores at home, at the workplace, in every street or alley, we repeat this message with an authoritative voice (in the same way that we continue to be Muslim, to be Iranian, to be of this age).

Soon after we spoke about strengthening social networks or living the green path, people asked: ‘How?’ The answer is: ‘Merely by being’. We don’t talk about creating a social network that doesn’t exist and strengthening it; we say that the people’s power is embedded in those social networks which exist naturally, based on innate guidance. We should recognize their importance.

This year, Quds day showed that this network is like a toddler who is growing incredibly quickly. This toddler is going to start talking in no time; it will be mature soon, and will compel everybody to admire and respect it. Our task is to nurse this blessed phenomenon by repeatedly expressing the thoughts which come to existence around it and to repeatedly reiterate their importance.

Likewise, when we are talking about living the green path, we don’t mean something complicated, innovative, or new. Rather, it is pointing to something that is currently being experienced. It is also pointing to the fact that our people’s movement nowadays, unlike in the past, is the beginning of a certain type of life. There is great pleasure in being smart and lively; in homophony and communication; in closing an eye to others’ faults, which makes life bountiful.

In addition, there is a power in the awareness of our nation that saves our nation from bearing many miseries. Our people are not afraid to pay the cost to revive their rights because ‘a place in heaven is earned with a price, not based on a desire.’ At the same time, if we want the results of our social movement to last, we better use a mixture of bravery and wisdom.

Now because of the wrong and adventurous foreign policy of a government that people have to bear, the country is on the verge of crises that will hurt the poor the most. If we had a confrontational approach, maybe in our simple minds we would have thought that this is a point for our green movement, but when we want to live through our green path, this [approach] cannot be our approach.

This is our country and these are our lives. It is we who should be concerned about and sensitive to these problems. Based on official reports of this very same government reports, economists announced that tens of billions of dollars of this country’s foreign income has disappeared. Meanwhile, [Judicial] institutions that ought to respond to these absent figures – which can even equip several armies – are ignorant and trapped in political games.

Which of these [institutions] can we expect to attend to the grief they have inflicted on the people? If we do not react to the things that disrupt life in our beloved country, nobody will. Our economists are alone in their objections because they fear the same fate as those who protested the shameful conduct that took place during confinements in detention centers. There was a time when missing twenty thousand dollars in the treasury was enough for a government [of this country] to fall. Now, warning cries for the loss of such a high figure are not even grounds for the slightest reaction.

Recently, a group of Iranian professors abroad provided their analysis and interpretation of the Green Path of Hope. They confirmed that the goals of this movement will indeed protect the interests of the nation. As a result, they have suggested that while sending our gratitude to other nations for their support in the last few months, we should ask them not to impose any sanctions against Iran. I liked their idea and I support it. Sanctions would not actually act against the government – rather, they would only inflict grave distress against a people who have experienced enough disaster in their own melancholic statesmen. We are opposed to any types of sanctions against our nation. This is what living the Green Path means.

However, this is just an example. No one has informed those who have offered this suggestion about the necessity of living the Green Path. Whether the rest of us are aware of this necessity or not, we are all naturally guided towards it. As a result, it is not necessary to indoctrinate each other with these values. It is enough just to be aware of them and to attend them.

Life goes on, and individuals are [living] in the interim. Any crowd or community that bases its very existence on one individual will be disappointed – at least when that individual is lost. [History shows] that whenever people have afforded unnecessary advantages to their ordinary companions, they have inevitably relinquished their intellectual opinions. Moreover, this has allowed the opportunists to become increasingly avaricious.

People who want to be independent and experience a congenial life should prevent the very first steps that lead them to failure. My birthday is not the 7th of Mehr (September 28th), it is the day that I got to know you. Even if I was born the 7th of Mehr, it would not have been appropriate for your movement to deteriorate with personalities. I hope you see that these words stem from my sincere concern and not from false modesty.

Your Brother,
Mir Hossein Mousavi

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Mousavi's Letter to Grand Ayatollah Montazeri and the Subsequent Response

Mousavi's Letter to Grand Ayatollah Montazeri and the Subsequent Response
Source: Grand Ayatollah Montazeri's website
Tuesday, September 22, 2009


Letter of Mr. Mir Hossein Mousavi:

In the Name of God, the Merciful and the Compassionate,

To the honorable Marja, the Grand Ayatollah Montazeri,

Greetings,

I released the attached statement in response to the events of the past few months. We have always felt a need to work with the honorable marjas and devoted clerics, and this encouraged me to send a copy to you in order to ask for your guidance.


The first goal of this statement is [to disseminate the message] that if people feel anger and discontent, they should not direct the negative feelings that fill their hearts toward religion. This reminder is the responsibility of all of those who have been deeply influenced by Islam – especially the clerical elite. They must not allow different social groups (especially the youth, who compose the majority of our population) to be fooled by the shallow, mistaken and selective interpretations of our religion and to distance themselves from Islam based on sudden surges of emotion.

State media persistently attempts to portray us as the source behind the recent unrest. All this, while the behavior of officials (not only in the election, but in years before) has created a mountain of straw that was set ablaze by the recent blunders. The wind of arrogance that was blown through this mountain created bigger and bigger fires each and every day. I personally take the side of a people whose rights have been trampled with illegal, unIslamic and unjustified actions. By referring to undisputed documents, I am certain that without a doubt, there has been systematic fraud in the recent election. At the same time, it would not have been difficult to stay silent for another 20 years if I didn’t feel an imminent threat to the system in the people’s wave of anger.

However, if one [leader] keeps silent and yields, the people will not renounce their movement similar to what they have never done so in the past. Instead, after a brief period of confusion, the movement would start anew. Their movement would start again, this time blind, with none of the devotees of the establishment to rely upon. Then, maybe others who have their eyes set upon our nation would step in to take advantage of this movement with their own intentions and to feed their own greed.

Another goal of this statement, along with my other statements and activities, is to keep the people’s movement within the framework of the establishment so that it doesn’t sink into the dangerous path of bringing down the whole structure. If this danger is turned into reality, it could easily make another Afghanistan or Iraq out of Iran. We cannot forget our duty to prevent such dangers from spiraling, just to make some ignorant people happy. Similarly, we cannot invite people to keep calm if we are unable to prove to them that we stand and speak for their well-deserved rights on their behalf.

In his treatise titled Olfat, the late Mullah Mohsen Feyz Kashani writes that the final goal of most sharia laws is to establish friendship and belonging in society. The result of this friendship and belonging is what modern sciences call social networks – a means to restrain ruling systems and to keep them from repeating mistakes, and a method to create a society infused with life and a platform to gently hold on to ignited emotions and talents and to keep them from descending into the hills of destruction. In this statement, a strengthening of these networks has been suggested. According to the words of Feyz, this network could be perceived as the exemplar of Islam, although those who are grossly unfair portray it as a paradigm of the CIA.

And, finally, I hope you will attend to my suggestions on solving the current crisis as outlined in this statement.

With regards,

Mir Hossein Mousavi
13 September 2009

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Response of the Grand Ayatollah Montazeri:

In the name of God, the Merciful and the Compassionate,

Dear Mr. Mir Hossein Mousavi,

May God support your success,

First, please accept my greetings. I received your letter dated 09/12/2009 and reviewed the attachments. You are a man of great character and your commitment to the ethical and religious values and goals of the revolution are obvious to all. The tremendous services of your government during the imposed war, and your constant support of the departed Imam Khomeini (may the love and mercy of God be upon him) are clear to everyone. During the recent presidential election and the subsequent confrontations and atrocities, you became the focus of numerous classes of people and gifted individuals. This was, in fact, a test imposed on you by the great God and by our vigilant people. You have indeed passed it. So far, and to the best of your capacity, you have defended the desecrated rights of those people [whose high turnout and participation in the election] was a great source of pride for our country. As such, you deserve acknowledgement and gratitude.

The initiatives you suggest in the attachment will work to activate and strengthen social networks and organizations. These ideas are prudent and rational, in context with the current conditions of the country, and in accordance with the commands of the holy Quran that tell us:

“O ye who believe! Persevere in patience and constancy; and in such perseverance strengthen each other; and fear God so that ye may prosper.”

If the authorities put aside their act of ignorance and consider [your recommendations] in an unbiased manner, put them to use and put a stop to this environment of policing and detainments, [your ideas] can offer a beneficial and effective path out of the current crisis – a crisis dominating the Islamic republic through their selfishness, pride, mismanagement and ambition. [Your recommendations] could be the stepping stone for a positive move towards reform and towards protecting the system from separation, disintegration and division.

Of course you are aware that in choosing the aforementioned solutions to defend the people’s rights and to ensure the survival of the Islamic Republic, you can expect an arduous task of reform that will be resisted through countless threats and pressures from those who have created the current crisis. Please be confident that through unity, patience and endurance, God has promised to reveal the way to guide people to victory. In addition, [according to the holy Quran in support of humans who struggle down this path God would send his] angels to pronounce messages of security, and strip the heart of all grief and fear.

Unfortunately, many politicians, political activists and journalists were detained after the election. Against Islam and the rule of law they were pressured into false and deceitful confessions, some of which were televised via national media. It is certain and evident that a person’s implication of others under such conditions is without merit and should not be recognized. Moreover, further confirmation exists in the holy stories of the prophet and the Imams that even self-directed confessions extracted under any kind of pressure or torture (including but not limited to threats, intimidation, infliction of physical pain, confinement, and so on) are without merit.

A claim of jurisprudence that denies these lessons is a false one and opinions that negate these lessons clearly deviate [from the true foundations of Islam]. The Quranic verse “self-implication of a rational person is permitted” – confirms that only if revealed without pressure or force, is a confession valid.

In addition, article 38 of the constitution reads: “Any form of torture to force confessions, or to obtain information is forbidden. A person should not be obligated to swear, confess or bear witness as any action of that sort is without worth and legal value. Any defiance of what has been mentioned in this article will be punishable by law.” Based on the general application of this article as well as its implications, any [form] of torture to collect information or to force a confession is unlawful and confessions extracted in such a manner are without legal value and merit.

It is obvious that long-term imprisonment in solitary confinement – an act that places the accused under severe pressure to confess – is a clear example of torture. The confession of the accused (even if it’s self-implication) is neither valid nor recognized when it is a product of exerted pressure and torture, especially in its recent fearsome form and the horrifying consequences. In this situation, repeated confessions (even if announced many times in roundtable discussions and interviews) would be as worthless as the initial confession.

Moreover, it is written in Article 39 of the Constitution that “In accordance with the law, all affronts to the dignity and repute of persons arrested, detained, imprisoned, or banished whatever form they may take, are forbidden and liable to punishment.”

So, what has happened [to this country] now that prominent figures who have a long history of remarkable civil service are desecrated, and not only has nobody been punished, but the perpetrators have even been endorsed and encouraged? Moreover, the “confessions” have been recognized as credible?

What has complicated the problem and invalidated the “confessions” even further is that in our current judicial system, the plaintiffs [and prosecutors] acting against politically accused defendants (in opposition to the current government), are themselves among the interrogators and come from legal institutions tied to the government. Nowhere in the world would any sound reasoning place even the smallest amount of legal credibility or legitimacy on such trials and confessions because the plaintiff and the judge therein are one and the same. Clearly, this is contrary to the condition of having a jury based on Article 168 of the constitution. Unfortunately, this clause – like many others – has also been ignored.

The recent course of action taken by the government (including the staging of the latest show trials) is not only against the law and the benefit of the country, but also unlikely to help the authorities remain in power. If they had been more politically prudent and listened to the warnings of prominent politicians instead of clamping down on people and committing the recent atrocities; if they had listened to religious leaders and chosen an impartial committee accepted by both sides of the conflict, we would have never fallen into the current crisis of illegitimacy.

A government that has dissatisfied many classes of people and placed its intellectuals under duress is not one that will survive. The Shah’s regime could have remained in power if governance was possible with fear-mongering, with oppression and by filling the prisons with gifted, freedom-seeking individuals and various political activists.

By committing such atrocities, a system under the rule of Islam – a system that takes pride in being Shi’ite – generates pessimism towards Islam and proclaims the inability of Islam to bring about justice in a society not only on a global scale but also in our own nation; among our own masses and our youth. Unfortunately, decision-makers at the top have turned a blind eye to these obvious truths and are content to the eulogies from their poets, and the flattery from their fawners. I beseech the great God for your well-being and success on this treacherous path.

May the grace and mercy of God be upon you,

Hosseinali Montazeri

Holy City of Qom
22 September 2009

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Response of the Grand Ayatollah Saanei to Mir Hossein Mousavi's Letter
Source: Grand Ayatollah Saanei’s Website
Wednesday, September 23, 2009


In the name of the Great God,

Greetings to my honourable friend – the kind and faithful Mr. Mir Hossein Mousavi, long-time supporter of the departed Imam and of the nation,


I received your letter. We wish you success with your noble plans and projects. We hope that they will be met with increased social awareness – something that has always been at the fore of the missions of the great prophets, the sacrifices of the martyrs, the devotion of the pious and the prayers of those close to God. In addition, we anticipate the attainment of civil rights and the realization of justice as a cultural product of our society.

"Justice will be established by the people"

We must be mindful of the fact that one of the key goals of any plan is to strengthen the union between all abused people because the source of all happiness and hope lies in this very unity on the path of God. We must take great care so that, God forbid, this message of unity does not become a tool for the oppressors to [take advantage of and] attack the oppressed. Such a development would lead to nothing but further oppression.

Holy city of Qom
Yousef Saanei
Wednesday, September 23, 2009

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Mousavi's 12th Statement: Beware that they do not destroy your country while they continue to destroy themselves

Mousavi's 12th Statement: Beware that they do not destroy your country while they continue to destroy themselves
Source: Kalemeh
Wednesday, September 9, 2009


In the name of God the Merciful and the Compassionate,

News of detainment of our dear brothers, Dr. Seyed Alireza Beheshti and Morteza Alviri, (both responsible for the committee investigating injuries triggered by recent events), and [former] Commander Moghadam (responsible for the Devotees committee of my election campaign), have produced waves of doubt and shock in those devoted to the Islamic establishment.

They are held captive while guilty of nothing but following the path of the revolution, demanding justice for unjustly-spilled blood, and assisting the families of the innocents imprisoned after the election. Right now they are in prison, while those who committed the recent atrocities are free. Meanwhile, the officials responsible claim that they will categorically investigate the recent violence. Are they doing so by destroying the evidence of crimes committed and by imprisoning those who are pursuing the rights of the victims?

People’s honor is protected through their descendents

Reverence for a celebrated figure is preserved by respecting his descendents. Today, our people are asking those who claim to be the ‘flag-bearers’ of the Islamic Revolution: in what way are you doing this for the oppressed martyr, Ayatollah Beheshti [1]?


People of Iran!

It is obvious that your efforts to return peace to our society calmly will not be met with a sensible response. Dangerous days lie ahead. The arrest of people like Dr. Beheshti is a sign of bleak events yet to happen. The unjust will perish, but what remains is what is beneficial to people.

So, what benefit is there for people in claiming the earth [when God is the only true owner]

Remain calm and vigilant. This new chain of events – like other careless actions in recent days – will lead to nothing but the destruction of your opponents. Make sure that they do not provoke you and destroy your home and your country, while they destroy themselves.

I send my condolences for the disrespect shown to Ayatollah Beheshti: to his family, his friends and his pupils, as well as to those who admire the Revolution and Islam. And I pray to God that this injury to the hearts of our people is healed by making his family’s prestige eternal.

Mir Hossein Mousavi

[1] Father of Dr. Ali Reza Beheshti, who was martyred in 1981 when he was head of the judiciary

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Mousavi's 11th Statement: The Green Path of Hope

Mousavi's 11th Statement: The Green Path of Hope
Source: Kalemeh
Saturday, September 5th, 2009


In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

The honorable, free-spirited and vigilant people of Iran,

Nearly three months ago, when you participated in the tenth presidential election, you went to the polls with the belief that your votes would be protected against the power-hungry goals of a minority group. You had been promised this with the constant reassurance of officials and the hard work of civil institutions. But the systematic violations, fraud and the bitter events that ensued, created a great disappointment out of what should have been a triumph for our nation. With the mismanagement of the responsible officials, with the wave of propaganda propelled by state owned media, and with the attacks carried out by official and unofficial security forces on peaceful demonstrations, a problem that could have been resolved in a fair and impartial process, created ever greater fissures, uncertainty and deep, broad social divisions. The direct result of these events is nothing but a widening rift between the people and the ruling establishment.

A great number of social, political and cultural activists, the grand ayatollahs [marja] and the vigilant members of the [Qom] seminary reacted against the fabricated stories created by state media and also asked that such matters be investigated: the show trials which lack the least bit of religious or legal legitimacy, the long list of the victims, the inhumane treatment of the prisoners and the illegal detention centers. Anyone concerned for the Islamic Republic, the result of our people’s century-long struggle, and the manifestation of their efforts to achieve freedom, independence, justice and progress in the shadow of piety, is now worried.

What makes our efforts to find a solution out of this current quandary all the more necessary is the need to provide our territorial integrity, to guard our country against the voracious greed of foreign adversaries, and the need to defend the essence of the Islamic Republic. [We must commit to this] despite being fully aware that in the midst of our own state and quasi-state forces, there are individuals who know that the only way they can remain in power is by creating crises and catastrophes and keeping away from any attempt to solve the problems and quandaries in society – problems that they themselves have created. These individuals are still trying to hide and cover current crises with larger crises, and to take the level of their unwise actions to dangerous heights. To a point where after creating such levels of complexity in the affairs of the country, and without paying heed to the consequence of their actions, they are murmuring dangerous words and excuses, among them the murmurs about the great purge on free-spirited and devoted academicians.

Thus, it has become a crucial necessity to take a social approach (instead of only a political approach) to solving the current conflict. And this requires us to utilize the social capacities of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

A different approach such as this one is a belief in the plurality and diversity of beliefs existent in the great, ancient and pious family which is Iran. This is the path of the divine prophets and their predecessors, and is reminiscent of divine tradition and [in such a tradition] guidance only means showing the path and the responsibility of those who claim to be religious is to create an atmosphere appropriate for growth and blossoming of humanity towards higher aims and progress. History has shown that whenever governments have aimed to abolish or dim the plurality and diversity that exists in society, they’ve had no choice but to resort to tyranny – tyranny which exists in all guises, but in essence is the same everywhere. Such solutions do not result in a homogeneous society, but rather only create hypocrisy and dichotomy in the lives of people. To carry on such acts forever is both impossible and inappropriate, according to the teachings of the Koran.

After the events which occurred in our country in such a short time, who can deny that the condition which exists in our society today is the result of the hegemony of such wrong mentality in the macro decision making process in our country? Actualizing such a public conscience is a great achievement, and sometimes centuries in the lives of civilizations and nations must pass before they achieve it, and pay a great price to do so. However, our people were able to achieve this great deed in little time, and with [relatively] little price. Our people have now realized, with every inch of their being, that the only way for the peaceful coexistence of tastes and attitudes, social layers, tribes, religions and beliefs that live in this great land, is to acknowledge this vast diversity in lifestyles and to gather around an ancient identity which links all of us. Although those who have weak or backward interpretations of religion do not understand that this statement does not mean that Islam is not the righteous religion, or the last religion or one that paves the way to the right path, rather it means:

(Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error [Holy Koran])

We are stepping on path to enlightenment that has already rejuvenated the elderly and matured the youth. I ask for God’s help for myself and for you in our struggle and I hope that with the cooperation and companionship of all the sympathizers of the establishment and the revolution the goals of the nation will be fulfilled on every stage of this struggle.

That is why despite the regretful, bitter developments of recent days, people now have valuable, timeless convictions which are leagues more important that the election of one person. And this is what drives them to participate in the events of the aftermath of the election, and warms them to paying the ultimate price that they have paid.

In the months that ensued, great forces in our nation were set free, forces which have to be utilized to the best of our ability for the long-term prosperity of this nation. Our people know what they want. They were a witness to the portrait of their glorious will in the mirror which was recent events. They know they have the capital and ability to realize their wants and in this path, they have the encouragement and help of a mass of elites and capable individuals. Thus, we all now ask one another: what should be done? This question does not come out of helplessness and ignorance, but rather, what should be done with this great capital, with this renewed hope, and with these available resources?

Truly, what should be done? In answering this question, the first step is to know what we want so that this desire portrays the best and most of what we can want. If we err in finding an answer to this question, we have lost a great deal of this capital that has been obtained. There should be a great level of care taken in answering this question. The great force that our country has been able to gather has the ability to take the country to higher spiritual and material levels on one hand, or to plunge it deeply into a long, anarchistic decline. The results of our efforts greatly depend on our correct choice in this stage.

Contrary to what the state propaganda machines project, we are the ones that desire the return of trust and calm to society and we are the ones who abstain from any violent or extreme acts. We have very clear and reasonable demands. We want to preserve the Islamic Republic, we want to reinforce our national unity, and want to revive the ethical identity of the ruling system. A restoration of public trust is not possible without the acceptance of the right of the people to govern themselves, without obtaining their final approval of their ruling system, and without transparency in the affairs of the state. In the green movement that we have begun, we have no unusual or abrupt demands. What we want is to demand the lost rights of our nation.

Demand what rights? Firstly, the rights that the constitution has considered for the people, and our request for the full and complete execution of these rights. Indeed! There have been solutions proposed in the constitution to manage certain affairs which may one day not be the answer to the needs of the country and of the world. But the path to reforming [such quandaries] has been predicted in this same constitution. In our national covenant, the legitimacy of all the pillars of the ruling system is based on the trust and vote of the people. To a point where if you look closely, even a supervisory body like the Guardian Council is not far from the auspices of the people. Yes! In the constitution, the Guardian Council has been burdened with heavy responsibilities, such as overseeing the elections – [the Guardian Council is composed of] fallible humans who might fall into the trap of sin and wrongdoing and might be tempted by power. But in this same constitution, it clearly says that people are free to hold peaceful gatherings. If only this principle from our national covenant is enacted, be certain that no one in the ruling establishment will have the opportunity to misuse their power.

Our constitution is ripe with capacities that have not been met. Our officials sometimes act as if they are free to use the extra capacities of the constitution [to their advantage]. No! It will never be so. They are responsible for realizing these capacities, all of these capacities. The constitution is a monolithic whole, and they cannot stress or exaggerate those parts which are in line with the interests of certain people or of a certain group and to ignore or to only partly carry out those parts which stress the rights of the people. After thirty years, there are still parts to this national covenant [the constitution] that provoke the anger of officials as if the person speaking of them has spoken out against the Islamic Republic itself. Providing political and social rights, eliminating discrimination, legal immunity and equality before the law, the inseparability of the freedom, independence and the territorial integrity of the country from one another, the immunity of dignity, the life and property of people, the illegality ofinquisition, the freedom of the press, the illegality of inspecting letters and wiretapping and spying on individuals, the freedom of political parties and people, the freedom to hold peaceful gatherings, concentration of government revenues in the treasury [as opposed to having them in various governmental and non-governmental treasuries], a [clear] definition for political crime and the presence of a jury in court, the freedom of expression and the right to be heard on state radio and television and the neutrality of this enterprise, … each of these has a specific article dedicated to it in our constitution. Principles which are easily and blatantly trampled and are carried out in ways which go directly against the spirit of this national covenant. This is carried on to a point where personal preference and tastes prevent the enactment of a simple article, like the right to teach local and native languages.

The same selective approach has been taken with the visions of the Islamic revolution. We want the restoration of those forgotten objectives and this great movement began in the hopes of their realization. There were mottos used during the revolution that using now makes some people [those who are against the green movement] unhappy as if they were slogans used by anti-revolutionaries. One of such slogans is freedom; freedom of opinion, freedom of expression, freedom after expression, freedom to elect and to be elected, freedom with all its beautiful meanings that our people had in mind as one of their most important objectives, which made them call their victory after the revolution spring of freedom. This freedom has meant political freedom and the right to criticize the rulers with no fear.

More oppressed than the Islamic Revolution, the Islamic Republic or the constitution is Islam itself – the religion of which much is spoken, but little is carried out. In most cases they screen religion, they forget whatever is not in their benefit, and they call their own [personal] tastes and expediency, Islamic Text. They go as far that lying becomes an inseparable attribute of State Media and the ugliest immoralities (torturing and killing prisoners and other shameful acts which the pen hesitates to write) are considered signs of commitment to the Prophet’s [Muhammad] religion. [The prophet] who was elected to enhance moral virtues.

If there is only one mission for a religious government, it is to prepare a background to allow people to live with faith. So why is it that our society grows more distant from faith day by day? This distance is not inherited from the revolution. There were many people who fasted for the first time in the hot summer of 1358 [1979] and they enjoyed this experience. That was what we inherited from the revolution. What we inherited from the revolution was the spirituality that we experienced during the holly war [with Iraq]. From the revolution we inherited great souls and the exceptional virtue. Our revolution showed that it is capable of providing the necessities that our society longed for. Let’s for once compare what we inherited from our Imam [Khomeyni] with what we have now in Iran: an ostentatious society where fundamentalism reigns; a society affected by fraud and deceit.

Taking a selective approach toward religion and aligning to our own tastes and profits, associating it with fundamentalism and superstition, substituting money and violence in place of wisdom and genuine advice, and bringing the clerics, this thousand year old tradition, under the government’s wing is not going to have any other result [than what has already happened]. When our Imam [Khomeyni] was talking about the pure Mohammadian Islam and putting it against the archaic Islam and American Islam, he was speaking of what is going on now. This backward interpretation might be named “Islam”, but is far from the real Islam. We want a return to the pure Mohammadian Islam, this long, forgotten religion. And God has promised that He’s going to guide us to this celestial gift: “and those who make effort for us, we certainly will show them the way”.

Haven’t you seen that He [God] kept his promise in these past few months? Our Lord didn’t ruin our faith and He is not going to do that, because He unlike those who make false claims is sympathetic and kind. “And God doesn’t ruin your faith. Of course God is sympathetic and kind toward people”2.


Our people have tasted bitterness due to the events that ensued [after the election], but who can underestimate what we have gained despite this bitterness? We feel the greatness of what we have achieved in this short period of time under our skin, in our flesh. What have we done to gain those achievements? The truth is that besides having faith in God’s word, we have not acted in accordance with much progress. Look at what has happened in recent days, each event has opened the ways of God to us, one after another. Look closely! If they close those paths too, the Lord is not unable to open new ones in front of those who work towards His aims. Goals which are secure, smooth, aims which will, no doubt, directly carry us to our destination. “Why shouldn’t we trust God now that He has shown us our ways?” 3 With access to such paths, we have no need to disobey the law, to regret non-violence, to resort to destruction, or to enter any dead-ends.

And let’s look at the other side, at those who are opposed to the people [and see] how they are going astray. They throw the children of the revolution in prison to satisfy their illusions. What do they expect to achieve from this? They arrest the victim of a terrorist act and let the attacker go to enjoy his life. Did they expect to gain anything but to lose face? They left their wisdom in dead-end road as they were going downhill, and let those extremists take the reign, extremists who attack innocent students in the dorms in the middle of the night, extremists whose common vocabulary is only profanity.

Those followers of the path of God saw their hopes in God’s promises fulfilled. Have not those who went astray from the path too [referring to the recent hardliner currents] got what they were supposed to get? [We] Witness today the reservations [of those who have purposely kept quite] and the flatteries. [We] Smell the stench of greed, of avarice and of voracity of mouths of fawners. [We] Hear today how they [referring to the hardliners] are benefiting from a spokesman who abuses the holy medium of the Friday Prayer to encourage violence and takes pride in extraction of forced confessions. [We] Feel their fear, fear of loneliness, fear of the future, fear of their destinies, a fear that they hide by inducing fear in others.

The devoted People of Iran! There is an oath on the shoulders of descendants of the Islamic Revolution that they must not stop at anything to return the Islamic Revolution to its early fundamentals. This is an oath to your friends and companions [in the establishment] that in their struggle against liars and cheaters, they must not betray the trust of the social forces created recently. At the same time, we all have the duty to maintain our courage and not be afraid to rebuke if we view an action in the betterment of our country. According to these vows, I, Mir Hossein Mousavi, would not suggest anything but the continuation of the same green path that you have followed in recent months: The Green Path of Hope. You started this path before the election, and with your determined will you are still walking on it. A path that you keep maintaining with your prayers, with your voice [‘Voice’ is translated from ‘Neda’ which is also the name of one of the symbolic martyrs in recent events] with your God is Great cries, with your rallies, big or small, with your questions, endeavors, discussions, decentralized self-developing organizations.

We used the word ‘Path’ to allude to our movement so that we would not count our achievements in the way as an end. This would allow us to always look far for a greater perfection. In addition, in this path, we look for ways that the Divine Guidance would bring along to us. We think, and we seek solutions, but we also believe that practically the only ways that work out is the way that He [the Divine] reveals to us.

On the path that God has revealed to us we have used the ‘Green’ symbol so that this may be a flag that shows our devotion to an Islam that had the kin of the prophet as its first educators – the same people who are also the kin of rationalism, kin of love and kin of enlightenment.

We chose ‘Hope’ as our asset so that we can allude to our Iranian identity. This is the same Hope that has moved this nation through the most challenging corners of history, it is the same hope that that has ensured the survival of this land during its darkest hours; [The same hope that is now] the Green Path of Hope.

A while ago, when we started using this name to declare the features of your movement, some perceived it as a new party or committee. However, this path has nothing in common with, and it’s not an alternative to the official political organizations and does not deny our needs to such organizations. Instead, it is a broad social movement to repair and create some of the most fundamental political foundations that will influence all affairs of the country and provide the essential needs of various committees and parties for proper and fruitful activism. Certainly our society requires ethical and powerful parties to realize a stable political environment; and indeed, if a time comes when the contexts of an effective and beneficial political activism is realized then maybe I and some of your colleagues too may engage our efforts in the frameworks of a more orthodox organization. The ‘Green Path of Hope’ however is not such an organization. Political Activism means that a group of like-minded people come together in a hierarchical organization. Furthermore, in a party the greatest emphasis is on compatibility of thoughts and coherency of opinions in the majority. Meanwhile, our path as a way that is supposed to lead to a renewal and strengthening of our national identity lays the emphasis on unity over minimal common interests; [Our organization is] a message-oriented one that is a collection of all the large and small civil organizations that have chosen a common goal on their path forward.

To continue and strengthen the current movement of the people, the actions we take appear like a dress that we as a tailor are sewing on its shoulders. The most elegant dresses would suit the movement only if it is cut in light of reality. The reality of the situation in our country has drastically changed from what it was before. Today, what plays the strongest role in our society is a strong and self-evolving social network that has stretched among a large group of people who are objecting to the violation of their rights. In our future decisions and solutions we must pay attention to this network’s unique features. As a response to questions like what do we do, what I suggest is the consolidation and enforcement of this social network.

The several-decade-long history of Iran that we have witnessed up close reveals to us that the collective movement of people has only become conclusive during the peak of the life, vivacity and fruitfulness of these cores [the social network.] When we talk about an active and alert society, and when we talk about a society that can effectively, willfully and creatively react to incidents and remove the possibilities of authoritarianism and irresponsibility in the constructs of power to act against its will [the society’s will], we are talking about a society that is composed of such a powerful network.

The responsibility we all have on our shoulders today, the responsibility which all groups, large and small groups, and even parties and political committees must carry is that we all must act as distinct cores to such a network.

Among the strengths of this network is the natural shape of its constituents. These units are composed of small but plural [diverse] groups of like-minded persons that know each other and trust each other because of their previous friendships, family or work relationship. It is impossible to disband these units because that would mean dissolving society. These entities have always existed but that is not sufficient to form an effective social network. Yet the first step in my proposed solution is that we Iranians, anywhere in the word we may be, should strengthen these social cores. We should build our homes facing each other. As the Koran says we should turn our homes into Qiblas [the direction that should be faced when a Muslim prays], in other words we should put our emphasis on these social cores that are foundational units of our society. We should become aware of their importance and more than ever turn our attention to them such that their concealed power is revealed to us. Turn your homes into Qiblas. If we used to meet one every two months, now we should gather twice a week. This is the real power of our social network.

Gather to do what? This is usually the first question we ask each other in this situation. We usually believe that what is important in these gatherings is the activities in which we engage. This is not a correct way to see it, but it is natural [to see it that way]. For this reason [the way people perceive it], these social cores are not productive if they are not turned into centers for effective action, like the fruits of a tree which are left to rot. Therefore they [these gatherings] should be subjects of religious, social, political, scientific, cultural, artistic, athletic, charitable and other civil activities, such that in the long run, and after the passing of these waves of emotion and chaos, they continue their history-making role as we would expect.

Family gatherings, neighbors, friends, Koran reading sessions, religious groups, cultural and literary centers, associations, parties, factions, unions, groups that attend athletic or artistic events, classmates, alumni groups, colleagues that have formed friendships, etc. Each of us is a member of a few of these societies that form a context for dialogue and communication between our social cores. The recent experiences have shown that the small media created out of these relationships can act more quickly and effectively than any other mass media only if the capacities of this network are realized through an agreement on a great vision.

We will succeed in forming effective relationships only if we voice a common ideal. [This common ideal can be] a profound and accurate slogan that is capable of catering to our needs. An important part of the capabilities that have been built into our social networks is because we have found this common ideal and vision. A golden balance is the important requirement of this ideal and vision. Such that adding to [this vision] might mean that some will not want or will not be able to join [this movement] and reducing from it will mean that certain layers [of society] will not be able to find their hopes within it. This is our biggest [social] capital and we should carefully attempt to protect and purify it.

The support of the majority would have been sufficient if we had merely participated in an election. But in an enormous social movement the majority achieves victory when it reaches consensus. And it will enjoy an unopposed legitimacy when it shows attention to the concerns and the rights of those people who might think differently from it now or in the future.

We cannot expect a society, where a considerable number of people are struggling with their basic needs to widely participate in the political process. Of course this relationship is two-sided. A society deprived of fundamental freedoms and knowledge is incapable of providing a living standard that [its constituents] deserve. And at times of legendary [oil] income [the government] not only advancing the agenda of a charity economy, but also, does not achieve anything more than conceding the market and the national economy to foreigners. It is our belief that freedom is sustainable only when it comes with equality. Equally important to restrictions for freedom of speech and freedom of assembly is the widespread existence of poverty, corruption and discrimination that darkens the prospects of reaching an ideal society based on the constitution. [This is] particularly [true] since the policies of recent years do not entail a clear remedy for this situation. The fundamental damage to the national production has made continuity of profitable economic activity only a wishful desire, and securing an appropriate occupation is the desperate concern of young population and their families.

The path of God is diverse. To oppose tyranny and dictatorship and to achieve a progressive Iran, we should not be confined to one [path] or only accompany our like-minded companions. We need a discipline in our relationships such that the abduction of our companions and the destruction of units of this social network by forces of tyranny and injustice do not damage its livelihood and dynamics. Hence, we can remain capable of distinguishing our future goals based on the collective wisdom at each stage, and march towards these goals in great leaps.

If a political faction whose delusion of power is founded on opposing the [will of] the public and their just rights has a desire to solve this crisis, the least they can do at this stage to achieve this [desire] is as follows:

We are stepping on path to enlightenment that has already rejuvenated the elderly and matured the youth. I ask for God’s help for myself and for you in our struggle and I hope that with the cooperation and companionship of all the sympathizers of the establishment and the revolution the goals of the nation will be fulfilled on every stage of this struggle.

1. Form a truth finding commission and arbitration that is acceptable to all stakeholders in the tenth presidential election and investigate the crimes and fraud that were carried out and punish all wrongdoers.
2. A revision of the election laws such that conditions are formed for fair and just elections which people can trust
3. Identify and punish the parties involved in the atrocities that occurred in the aftermath of the election against the people in all police, military and media institutions.
4. Attend to those who have suffered in the aftermath of the election, and the families of the victims. The release of all political activists and people who were arrested over the election, and put an end to their trial, redeem their dignity and put an end to the threats and harassments that they are still subject to, [harassments like] coercing them into giving up their rights and take back their complaints.
5. Enforce article 168 of the constitution to define political crime, and try the political crimes in the presence of a jury.
6. Guarantee the freedom of press, changing the biased behavior of National TV, removing restrictions imposed on political parties and groups, allowing different perspectives to be presented in the media, especially national TV. Reforming the national TV constitution such that it can be held accountable for its illegal actions.
7. Put the created capacities to action in light of a reading from the 44th article of the constitution to create private television and radio.
8. Guarantee the fundamental rights of people, the freedom to assembly and rallies by enforcing the 27th article of the constitution.
9. Legislate a ban on the interference of military officials in political affairs and prevent intervention of military forces in economic activities.

We are stepping on path to enlightenment that has already rejuvenated the elderly and matured the youth. I ask for God’s help for myself and for you in our struggle and I hope that with the cooperation and companionship of all the sympathizers of the establishment and the revolution the goals of the nation will be fulfilled on every stage of this struggle.

Mir Hossein Mousavi on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=132573722605

Khordaad 88
http://khordaad88.com/?p=409