Iranian “election” aftermath

Walid Phares writes at the International Analyst Network that Iran’s elections aren’t elections, but actually a means to delay democracy. We will break down that article tomorrow.

Now I am not advocating nation building or any kind of intervention on our behalf, but I do support the right of people to determine their own fate and a live in a civil society — neither of which are possessed by the good people of Iran (or the Islamic Republic of Iran as Obama and Ayatollah Khamenei prefer to call it).

Current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won with a record 25 million votes, or 63% of the ballots cast. Two defeated candidates have filed complaints, saying that the vote was rigged. In fact, some of the results were announced before the ballot boxes had been opened. Iranians upset with the election have taken to the streets of Teheran where the capitol city is experiencing what the Times of London calls the “most violent unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.”

The violent upsurge took place on the day tens of thousands of reformists defied a ban to protest against last week’s hotly disputed presidential election result to gather in central Tehran and hear an address by Mr Mousavi.

The Times also reports that Khomeini said on Saturday that the results were not only fair, but a  “divine intervention.” Today, however the uprising seems to have changed Khomeini’s mind as he is now backing an election inquiry. Wonder what Allah thinks about the inquiry into his supposed intervention?

Iran’s Guardians Council will rule on the election within ten days. Unfortunately, the Guardians are all appointed by the Ayatollah – who supports Ahmadinejad. Prior to the election, the council’s chairman expressed his support for Ahmadinejad. It is highly unlikely that they will find any wrongdoing in the election. This is the Iranian equivalent to having the DNC look into the Al Franken election debacle and declare the winner.

The Times continues:

Several hundred reformists have been arrested, including the brother of former reformist president Mohammad Khatami, prompting scuffles between relatives and police outside Tehran’s revolutionary court.

Baton-wielding police and militia have battled to drive back elusive flash mobs of demonstrators. Reformist newspapers have been barred from publishing, and the internet and mobile phone networks have been intermittently blocked.

Dozens more protesters were arrested overnight, as police and militia stormed the campus at Tehran’s biggest university after about 3,000 students began a dormitory demonstration, chanting “Death to the dictator”.

In adddition, Al Jazeera reports:

Some said a religious armed group had attacked their dormitory.

“They hit our friends and took away at least 100 students. We have no news about their whereabouts,” said another student.

University officials denied the reported incident, but Iran’s ISNA news agency later reported that MPs had called for an investigation into the attack.

Things are going from bad to worse for the demonstrators. Today it has been reported that one protester was killed and many more injured when the Basij – a paramilitary force commanded by the IRGC, and ultimately the Ayatollah – opened fire on the protesters. Al Jazeera reports that until that point, the protest was peaceful. As it turns out, most of the foreign journalists that have been covering the election will be leaving today – the gloves will likely come off and when they do, there won’t be anyone around to cover what happens.

According to Al Jazeera, protesters allied with Ahmadinejad “chanted slogans against the ‘plots of Iran’s Western enemies.'” Go figure – every single time that Middle East despots don’t get their way, the U.S. and Israel are the reason why. Surely Obama will head to Tehran to apologize.

The Germans and French have denounced the Iranians, but no word from our president. Strange that Obama will apologize for everything under the sun to Muslims – whether the U.S. has anything to do with it or not – but he will not be the least bit critical of the “religion of peace.”