Change in Views

Iranian blogger, Mehdrad Sheibani, Rooz Online:

“Views must change.” This “must” belongs to Alireza Avayi who is to replace Abbasali Alizadeh the head of Tehran’s Justice Department, as if resistance is the agenda of the Islamic Republic. The new director has not yet prepared the programs for this change because his appointment comes only two days after “they talked to him” about the new job offer. But he has said something that smells of a change from Mortezavi’s judiciary. He heralds changes in officials who are not in line with the new views, adding that “at the moment, there is no need to change individuals at the judiciary.”

Hossein Saffar Herandi, unlike Alizadeh’s successor, has already announced his comprehensive program, and of course this is with a new view. He has said “We have now entered a period of a new view towards cultural issues. In this view, the emphasis is on cultural and religious and national values.” “This new view must apply to the culture of cinema, theater, music etc”, he has added. The former editor of the ultra conservative Kayhan newspaper is bold. “We shall operate in this framework and do not care what some may call it”, he has warned. The groundwork for this “new view” has already been prepared. The news coming out of the Ministry of Islamic Guidance is the translation of Boof-e Koor (Sadegh Hedayat’s “Blind Owl”) has been banned and the design for the cover of the “Sag-e Velgard (again Hedayat’s “Stray Dog”) has been rejected. Ms Fatemeh Rahbar, the chairman of the mass media committee of the Parliament confirms the “fundamental changes” that are forthcoming in the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. READ MORE

Commander Ghalibaf, the new mayor of Tehran too talks of changes. “Today if injustice and poverty exist in layers of our society and people are unhappy with us, our problem is not America, but our own”, he has stated, departing from the long tradition of official blame on the US for everything bad that happens in the country. He has added that there is nothing wrong if former security individuals work in the government bureaucracy and public offices.

Akbar Elmi, a member of the seventh Parliament’s minority too states that “Those who until yesterday knew nothing of the country nuclear issues have suddenly become experts on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear case.”

Mohsen Ejeyi, who is the new Minister of Intelligence, heralds the same news. “Torture will end”, he categorically declares. Mohammad Khatami, former president of the country announces his resignation at the age of 62 and after 28 years and ten days of service so that, in the words of Mohammad Abtahi “unlike others he does not cling to the seats of power.”

In the realm of human rights the day is a good one. Here too views seem to be changing! There is still no news of Akbar Ganji, the prominent reformist journalist whose imprisonment was elevated to international status after his long duration and hunger strike, but his defense attorney says that he has requested a change in the status of his client from the judiciary. In a related news, the Islamic Society of Alame University has requested a suspension of Ali Afshari’s sentence.

“Dr Hosseinallah Karam” shall give a talk at Azad University at the invitation of Fatemiyun philosophy belonging to the leader, and the subject is change in views with the aim of discussing the two principles of “simple life” and “justice” for the purpose of preparing the return of the final Prophet. This is precisely what president Ahmadinejad has said should be the task of the government. “The Islamic Administration that is now operating in the form of the Islamic Republic has no other duty than prepare the groundwork for the return of the Prophet,” he has said.

So everything seems to be in order in the Islamic Republic, if one only listens to its authorities and officials. In this light, Saeed Mortezavi even brags [sic] that “other countries must work for years to get to our level.”

There seem to be just two issues in the way of all of this and both related to sports. Jomhurie Eslami newspaper, spokesmedia for the hardliners, calls for a official sanctions against Ali Daee for participating in singer Googoosh’s music concert. So it appears that the warm reception that the conservative press gave to the accusations of an opposition group that Googoosh and Daee were agents of the Islamic Republic was not without cause.

Mansur Barzegar, the Iranian gold and former world record medallist in wresting, also warns of a looming danger. “Iran’s wrestling has reached the zero level. Do not destroy the wrestler. You have committed treason,” he declares with an accusatory tone. He points to the results of Iran’s wrestling team in the world competitions in Budapest, Hungary, where Iran scored only one bronze medal, and reminds his audience that at the world competitions, Iran had brought seven gold medals in the past.