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NEWS & LETTERS, Janurary-February 2010
Iran: Ashura revolt shakes regime
The uprising of Iranian people on Dec. 27, 2009, caught everyone by surprise both in its depth and breadth, including the opposition leaders. It was truly spontaneous and self-directed. Unlike previous street protests, no one, that is, no organization or leader called for it. It displayed remarkable creativity of the masses in the way it foiled all security preparations of the riot police who were pre-staged throughout the intersections in central Tehran as well as other major cities. The powers that be simply did not anticipate such unprecedented turnout. More importantly, just like all other repressive regimes, they overestimated their own prowess in holding the monopoly of force, and did not, could not, foresee a situation where an unarmed but awakened and determined citizenry would overrun their fortified positions and take matters into their own hands.
Let's recap. The persistent mass movement has for nearly seven long months marched patiently, even silently at times, to express its irrepressible desire for freedom. It has successfully demonstrated to the entire world that without its consent, Iran is ungovernable. It has even appealed to the rank-and-file members of the paramilitary Basij force to join them. Yet it has suffered death, jail, torture and rape. Months and months of unimaginable repression had the effect only of turning the civil intifada of the population as a whole into an explosive power ready to strike back at any moment. Finally the masses erupted on Ashura (a religious holiday commemorating a martyr), making full use of its symbolism as a day to conquer fear and stand up to a tyrannical power.
Not only the youth and women, who are always at the forefront, but also the working poor joined in. Thus, once the Basij opened fire and shot directly into the crowd, killing dozens and wounding many more, a hand-to-hand combat ensued. Make no mistake. This was a precursor of an all-out civil war! People set up barricades, used bare hands, rocks and stones to battle the mighty power of a fully armed riot police. They set police and Basij headquarters ablaze, tore down giant pictures of the Supreme Leader, as the personification of their oppression. They overran the Basij in many locations, and yet their true humanity was on full display when they captured members of the Basij, protected them from harm, disarmed them and stripped them of their riot gear, and then let them go. Many a Basiji joined the crowd, refused to fire, and even expressed regret at having attacked their "brethren."
But let's harbor no illusion about the breakdown of this repressive institution. It was only after hours of street battle, only after massive reinforcement from nearby towns that the security forces were able to regain control of the streets. Even then, sporadic battles continued into the night. Clearly the Iranian people have stated their case: We will not retreat, and we will not rest until we are free! Without a doubt, with the events of Ashura, the fight for freedom reached a turning point. No longer are we demanding "Where is my vote?" Gone are the days when the movement aimed at mere removal of Ahmadinejad or called for a recount or a new election. It is now aimed at the entirety of the theocratic system at whose head sits Khamenei as the Supreme Leader.
What is new as well is that the self-mobilization of the masses challenged revolutionary theory. The thinkers and theoreticians who possessed much vital energy in their deliberations and public discourse, seem to have become quiet for now.
Those on the Left who have raised their voice, unfortunately, have made the narrow ground of violence/non-violence their guiding principle, as if that defines what is a full-blown revolution. On the other hand, when Mousavi did finally come out with a statement, while not retreating from his original demands, he did not articulate any new ideas based on the new objective-subjective stage reached by the liberation movement.
Instead, while challenging the reprehensible actions of the government, and denouncing their open declaration of war, he attempted to de-escalate the situation. After bravely declaring his readiness to embrace death and rightly stating that this movement is not "about me," he then failed to take responsibility for the direction of the movement.
What this new moment demands is to face the stark reality that, once again, practice has far outpaced theory and to take responsibility to articulate a theory of liberation that embraces from within the totality of the people's aspirations; one that helps the continuity of the fight for freedom also the day after this inhuman, class-ridden, sexist, exploitative system is overthrown.
--Raha
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