The Green Movement’s Slogans

There are some slogans with which I can identify and there are others that I think are either politically immature or underdeveloped, but one slogan from the recent protests at Shahid Beheshti University really fascinated me.

The protesters declared:

ما اهل کوفه نیستیم ، نیمه راه بایستیم

The translation reads something like this: We are not from Kufa, we will not go halfway (rhymes in Persian).

It’s a powerful slogan given the history behind its meaning. Kufa is located in modern-day Iraq and in 680AD the Kufans invited Hussain, the Prophet’s grandson who the Shi’i believe was the rightful successor, or Caliph, to Muhammad, to Kufa where they were supposed to pledge allegiance (بیعت) to him but en route, he was surrounded at Karbala where him and his followers chose martyrdom over submission and were massacred. The Kufans did not come to his aid in his our of need and were guilt-ridden when news of his murder reached them.

That the protesters at Shahid Beheshti University are referencing such a pivotal historical event and turning it on its head to declare that they are committed to their objectives, whatever they may be, until the end, suggests political wit and an acute sense of history.

While some slogans have captured my attention and others have failed to do so, this one in particular commands respect.