Let's pray now!

Iran Votes 2005 (an Iranian blogger):

Kayhan, the hardliner Tehran newspaper, has predicted that at least 30 million Iranians will turn out to vote on June 17. In its editorial, it has even gone so far as to thank God for "this exciting event which indicates peoples participation in demonstrating their unity with each other and the religious government" - as if that 'exciting event' had already happened !! READ MORE

But Kayhan is right, whatever happens on Friday, it is going to be very exciting and will be taken as a move by people to support the religious nature of government not as a sign of opposition to it. And the regime will thank God for it. This is exactly what happened in 1996 when millions voted against the wishes of those who assume they are in charge of people's religion but still peoples' vote counted as an approval of the Islamic regime. This is because every act of Iranians, as subjects of the Islamic regime is seen as being religious (Labayk) as long as it serves the Mullah's ends. In line with this, Ayatollah Messbah Yazdi offers a very interesting guideline as to how to determine "the best candidate":

"One should never underestimate the impact of praying and recoursing to Imams in elections. In early years of the revolution, there were people who would fast during the period of elections [...] lest an incompetent individual would get elected. I am not sure whether this practice still exists among religious and sacred [sic] individuals. However, if they would deliberately forsake this important issue, it is unfair that we, whose flesh is of the bread of the Imam Zaman (the 12th Imam) [he means that he and his followers are indebted to the Imam] do not recourse to him and [turn up at polls] wihtout praying to him in advance for the best of the world of Islam."

Thus, the regime is hoping that on Friday, 30 million Iranians will first say their prayers to the Imam, then will go to peform their religious obligation at the ballots by casting their vote for the Islamic regime. But perhaps Messbah and Kayhan and their likes must first say prayers to the Imam to help them get at least half of that number to turn up at the poll stations.