Stirring Fury

It has become more and more apparent that the crisis in Iran has less to do with the contested election between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi than a showdown that had been long time coming. It pits a "conservative" zealot against a "moderate" billionaire, they being Khamenei, and Rafsanjani, two of the Islamic Revolution's most powerful clerics.

Which of the two set the pot to a boil is an open question. But as the saying goes-- be careful what you ask for. The Iranian people have awakened to the fact that while the ruling mullahs may have been chosen by God they are neither supreme nor infallible.

Mousavi, after a timid beginning, has seized the moment to ride the tiger ... or tame it?: "The people expect from their officials honesty and decency as many of our problems are because of lies ... The Islamic revolution should be the way it was and the way it should be. If the people's trust is not matched by protecting their votes, or if they are not able to defend their rights in a civil peaceful reaction, there will be dangerous ways ahead."

Dangerous indeed, but for whom? Robert Fisk offers some intriguing insights: In Tehran, there must have been five or six thousand Iranians wearing black, many of them carrying this toxic document in their hands, although they were far fewer than Monday's million-strong march and scarcely a fifth of their number reached Azadi Square from the centre of Tehran. Their enthusiasm to maintain their protest – led yesterday by a cavalry of a hundred or more motorbike riders – was cruelly treated by the organisers, who clearly had little idea whether they were supposed to direct them to a central venue or all the way out to Azadi. At times, they stood in the heat for more than a quarter of an hour while organisers argued about the route. This was no way to overthrow a government. What was significant, however, was that once more the security authorities chose not to confront the Mousavi demonstrators.

With any luck the poor will rally with the students and Mousavi's tentative gambit will clear the path for an authentic reformer. I suspect one candidate is the billionaire's "radical" daughter.

From Times of India: Faezeh Hashemi, renowned women's rights activist, former parliament deputy, head of women sports and daughter of Iran's former president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani has been arrested.

Make no mistake, this struggle is a fight, long overdue, for the rights of Iranian women. Amandla!