Kamangir (Archer)

Going Beyond Ahmadinejad

Kamangir | April 5, 2006 | Category Iran

When Ahmadinejad took over the power many observers inside and outside Iran thought, see how the most extreme political fraction will call the shots. For a short while, it was exactly Ahmadinejad who was doing the least acceptable things to do; like offending the market and insulting other nations. However, very soon other groups claimed the peak of political insanity. For example, when members of Basij attacked Denmark embassy, it was clear that Ahmadinejad is not upset with the events. Though, nobody did that for his sake. And now, more people are asserting that Ahmadinejad is not the frontier of Islamism in Iran, any more (see).
When Iran proposed to talk with the US regarding the mutual concerns in Iraq, many saw that as a sign of the two enemies trying to make a common ground, something very soon denounced by the both parties. At the time, Iranian officials announced that the talks, which will in no means be negotiation, would be about Iraq and nothing else. To silence those sounds in Iran which were seriously opposed to contacting the US, the supreme leader used some deliberately selected sentences to show that the state of the war between the countries has not changed; “yet showing our opinions to the Americans may be beneficial” (my translation, not exact).
From the early days of the revolution when the leader mentions something it is the final word. Actually, Khomeini once used this very serious function to justifquittingng the battle with Iraq. For an administration with the official slogan that “the way to Qods [the Palestinian mosque which is claimed by Muslims and Jews] passes through Karbala [a holy city in Iraq]” (Persian: راه قدس از کربلا Ù…ÛŒ گذرد) it was not simple at all to say, let’s ignore defeating Saddam and the global Imperialism behind him. That’s why the event was described by Khomeini himself as “drinking the poison” (Persian: نوشیدن جام زهر) when he announced to the nation that the war is over. Many people saw Khameneii’s move to negotiate with the US as a similar “poisonous” gambling. And as it happens whenever you bet, there are people more serious than Ahmadinejad and Khomeini who do not accept any relationship with the US. “Some university students who seek for the justice” is the name of the group which sent an open letter to Ahmadinejad expressing “It wasn’t what you promised, bother Ahmadinejad!” (see). To my understanding, it means “you are not the frontier any more!” which does not sound good at all.