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Jewish World Review Nov. 13, 2002 / 8 Kislev, 5763
Michael Ledeen
And so, once again the University of Tehran - at several different campuses - was the scene of violent
demonstrations, leading one of the country's leading elected representatives (Ahmad Pour Nejati, the head of
the parliament's cultural committee) to say that the country is headed for an uncertain future, without so much
as a parachute.
The demonstrations began on Saturday at 6:35 in the afternoon in Tehran. The pretext for the gathering was
given by hundreds of cases of food poisoning, and the public revelation that students were being fed
low-quality meat. Within an hour the security forces closed all streets leading to the university, and the
students began singing the old Iranian national anthem - banned by the mullahs. At 9 o'clock, ten bus loads
of security forces arrived on the scene, and the thugs tried to force the students back into the university
buildings, but they were driven back, as the students chanted "Hashemi (Rafsanjani), Pinochet, Iran will not
be a Chile," along with "(failed reformist president) Khatami, resign!" and "referendum, referendum."
When the security forces were driven back, the students lit bonfires with wood and tires, at which point the
security forces fired gas grenades at the crowds. The fighting went on until 1:30 in the morning. Thirty-seven
students were arrested.
The demonstrations resumed on Sunday, with nearly 2,000 students chanting against Rafsanjani and again
demanding a referendum. Later in the day the body of one of their leaders - Ruhollah Ghoujani - was
found under a bridge, with visible signs of terrible vengeance on it. He had been murdered by the goon squad
from the Intelligence Ministry. The Faculty of Trade and Commerce was also shut down, as was the
Fatemiah University in Qom, that was supposed to have been a model for the next generation of Iranian
higher education. Yet another bad sign for the mullahcracy, as is the call for yet another demonstration on
Tuesday, this one in the mosque at Tehran University. In yet another development, scores of women have
demonstrated in Tabriz against the oppressive actions of the Basij, the regime's prize bullies.
Meanwhile, some of the braver members of parliament have decided to vote with their feet as well as their
mouths. When university professor Hashem Aghajari was sentenced to death last week, it provoked
considerable public condemnation, and on Sunday two MPs resigned in protest. Both were from the western
regions, and one, Hossein Loqmanian, had first-hand experience with Islamic Justice, Iranian style, having
himself earned the honor of becoming the first member of parliament to be thrown into prison since the 1979
revolution. Loqmanian represents Hamedan, which is where the court passed its outrageous sentence on
Aghajari, condemning him for blasphemy even though some of the country's leading religious authorities had
said the charges were baseless. And even the Parliament Speaker, Mehdi Karroubi, denounced the sentence
and demanded it be reversed.
Both the regime and its opponents are rapidly reaching a point of no return, and the odds certainly favor the
people. The mullahs are hopelessly outnumbered, and the forces of freedom in Iran are getting braver all the
time. Late last week a commander from the Revolutionary Guards announced he would not order his men to
fire on student demonstrators, and was immediately replaced, but this sort of thing can be contagious, as
General Jaruselski and Slobodan Milosovic found to their doom. The mullahs are constantly firing and hiring
new thugs to protect them against the wrath of the people, and the question is whether or not there is a
sufficient supply of killers to forestall the end of this hated regime.
This is yet another test of the courage and coherence of American leaders. President Bush has been
outstanding in endorsing the calls for freedom in Iran, as has Defense Secretary Rumsfeld. It would be nice if
Secretary of State Powell added his own eloquence to the chorus, especially because many Iranians fear that
the State Department is still trying to cut a deal with the mullahs.
I have long argued that it would be better to liberate Iran before Iraq, and events may soon give us that
opportunity. Let's hope our national-security team recognizes how wonderful an opportunity it is, and
therefore gives the Iranian freedom fighters the assistance they so richly deserve.
Faster, please. Opportunity is knocking at our door.
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11/05/02: End of the Road: Iran's Mohammed Khatami, on his way out
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