1. In Friday sermon, Rafsanjani criticizes Iran’s crackdown: Tens of thousands of Iranians attended Friday prayers at Tehran University and the audience roared with shouts of “freedom!†as leading cleric Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani obliquely criticized the government for its crackdown on protesters. Outside, a small group of pro-democracy protesters were beaten by police and the Basiji militia that have come to act as the primary muscle on Tehran’s streets for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his ally, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – who many Iranians believe unfairly won last month’s presidential election. The Associated Press reported that 15 protesters were arrested.
2. Rafsanjani Defies Khamenei at Friday Sermon: “By calling for an open debate about the election result, Mr Rafsanjani was almost openly challenging the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Four weeks ago, from the same pulpit, Mr Khamenei called for an end to discussion about an election result which he declared had been blessed by God. Former President Rafsanjani played his trump card, by referring to his friendship with the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khomeini. He quoted Ayatollah Khomeini in ways that appeared to support the opposition’s right to demonstrate. Mr Rafsanjani even called for protesters who have been arrested to be released from prison.”
3. Rafsanjani: Iran in crisis: Alireza Ronaghi, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Tehran, said: “Rafsanjani said we must preserve the Islamic nature of our government and without the people’s votes and trust, the government cannot be Islamic. “And that’s the argument that Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi [another defeated presidential candidate] have been putting forth.
4. Professor Juan Cole on Rafsanjani’s Sermon: “Ghanbar Naderi points out that Rafsanjani has a long history of flip-flopping between the hard line and reformist camps. I would argue that this is because he is a pragmatic conservative, and his sermon today shows that he has concluded that shoe-horning Ahmadinejad into a second term by stealing the election is above all just not a practical course of action even for conservatives. He is playing a role similar to that of prominent American conservatives who defected to Obama in fall of 2008, because they just did not believe McCain-Palin were a practical alternative. Precisely because Rafsanjani is not a hard-edged ideologue, his clear ambivalence about the regime’s actions is all the more striking as an indication of the shaky situation in Iran.”
5. Aljazeera English’s video report on Rafsanjani’s sermon: See the video here.
6. Footage from the protest and clashes outside Friday prayers: See the video here.
7. More on the Internal Power Struggle: Khamenei and the IRGC vs Rafsanjani: “June 12th was a coup d’état by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against Hashemi Rafsanjani and his family oligarchy. The Iranian economy has been the private turf of a handful of economic and political mafias since the revolution. Hashemi Rafsanjani and his extended family were among the first groups benefiting from Iran’s crony capitalism. Using his political influence as President of Iran, and Speaker of the Parliament, Rafsanjani created a vast family dynasty. Initiating the liberalization of the economy after the war with Iraq, Rafsanjani ushered an ambitious privatization program, allowing members of his family, and other insiders, to take possession of state property at far bellow market prices. The family made a fortune when Rafsanjani opened the oil industry to private Iranian contractors. By the end of the 1990s, the economic power of the family was unparalleled in Iran’s private sector. In recent years, however, the family dynasty has been facing fierce competition, particularly from IRGC. Since the 1990s, IRGC slowly transformed itself from a sheer military force, to a complex military, political, and economic oligarchy in control of main arteries of the Iranian economy. It is now a large holding company with multi-billion dollar, legal and illegal, contracts in oil, water, electricity, transport, foreign trade, and other economic sectors.”
Why doesn’t Rafsanjani bring up the issue of a “color revolution”? These demonstrations have all the signs of being a NED-led and inspired clandestine upheaval.
The elections were fair. These fifi-joons, BMW-owners, and rap-extolers just don’t want Ahmadinejad in power; the only man to stand up to the Zio-Conspiracy and its Holocau$t. Knowing Iranians, I wonder how many of them just don’t want Ahmadinejad in power because it makes Iran “look bad”; i.e., “Aberooye mah raft jeloye donyaa (ya-nee Joohood-ha)!”
IFA
I find it a joke, Rafsanjani as accumulated more power through undemocratic means then anyone else. Everytime he loses an election he gets more powerfull. Rafsanjani and the refomists such as Khatami, cannot comprehend that thier are still a majority of Iranians that belive in the ideals of the revolution and its goals, both domestic and global. Ahmedinijad truly beleives in them, you can see it when he talks. Rafsanjani critizes the Guardian council for not restoring people trust? when it was the opposition themselves taht refused to provide a formal appeal and provide any evidence. HE just upset they didnt side with him, he thinks he is the father of Iran’s political system. Khamenie remined neautral during the entire campaign, in fact Rafs openely asked him to rebuke the president after the debate, basically trying to get him to take sides in the elections. He didnt, and after the elections he just said it not rigged. The results is the experssion of the will of the nation. And you notice when they announced a partial recount, the new line was the fix was in months ahead. Why run in an election then? if you know it was fixed ahead of time.
IFA is a full blown racist and antisemitic. IFA, seriously Iranians don’t need you or your opinion. I even doubt you could be Persian. You are just pure hatred.
on my blog i wrote about racist republicans and the black people like michael steele who encourage them. IFA came and said “don’t make fun of white people. they are such an easy target. they let you into this country, didn’t they?”
This is classical Uncle Tom behavior, minus the Christian sensibilities. This country was built thanks to the labor from slave trade and immigrant waves. The white man is nothing on his own. Historically, they were so weak insecure in their own ways that they had to conquer and exploit others to define their own freedom and intellect.
Arash pretending to be Ali. Arash, again, your ENglish is horribe, we recognize you every time. Now go make things up about the 1973 war.
“The white man is nothing on his own. Historically, they were so weak insecure in their own ways that they had to conquer and exploit others to define their own freedom and intellect.”
Now that isnt racist or general.
i wasn’t clear. i am talking about the white power identity that ifa is obsessed with. white people did plenty to support abolitionist and civil rights movements. I’m focusing on his ideology which uses the exploitation of non whites to establish itself as free, democratic, and generally superior.
Arash, the crackpot, supports the insane Zionit state. Look at this:
“”The Pope and the cardinals of the Vatican help organize tours of Auschwitz for Hezbollah members to teach them how to wipe out Jews, according to a booklet being distributed to Israel Defense Forces soldiers. Officials encouraging the booklet’s distribution include senior officers, such as Lt. Col. Tamir Shalom, the commander of the Nahshon Battalion of the Kfir Brigade.””
Remember, Arash believes this stuff.
Yo smiley, what is this creapy obsession with this Arash dude. I am from UCLA and I have recently came to this country. It sounds like you got something about people who are very new to this country. Could that be true?
http://fpr.blogfa.com/post-154.aspx
Wow, sorry about that Ali. You just came to this country, yet Arash has been here most of his life and your English is as good, if not better than his. Now THAT is saying something.
I do not care for Arash or how well he speaks English, I think it’s very stupid to make fun of someone who does not speak English very well. It is quit a struggle and we don’t need people like you judge others who are not born or raised here. Your actions are childish and imature. I hope you know that.