by Ramin Mazaheri for The Saker Blog (cross-posted with PressTV)
There are many pieces of nonsense about Iran which are fervently believed in the West but which have zero credibility inside Iran. “Millionaire Mullahs” is a concept which has captivated the Western imagination, even though it has no basis in reality.
The idea of “Millionaire Mullahs” was conceived in 2003 by the uber-capitalist magazine Forbes. What’s worse, it was created by their longtime Russia editor… Russia during the age of Yeltsin, when neoliberal capitalism was shamelessly gutting all the nations of the former Soviet Union and transferring the longtime assets of the people/state to Western high finance.
The idea “sounds right” to Western ears for three likely reasons: they are often ardently secular and suspicious of all religious authority, they assume all Muslim religious authorities are as rabidly capitalist as the Roman Catholic Church has often been, and also because they know nothing about the revolutionary (unique) and inherently anti-capitalist post-1979 changes to the Iranian economy.
Let’s stop with the nonsense: being a mullah in Iran usually places one in the lower middle class. Iranian Shia clergy do not have extravagant lifestyles, and they have certainly chosen the wrong calling if that was their aim. Furthermore, the Iranian press – which casts an open and intensely critical eye on the government, contrary to Western perceptions – would absolutely have a field day were there any mullahs living the lavish lives of millionaires. The entire idea is absurd and – rather crucially – unproven.
The subject has come up again, due to the incredibly foolish sanctions by the US against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Khamenei, like his predecessor in the Leader post, Ruhollah Khomeini, and his family are known by all Iranians for living simple lifestyles and for possessing absolutely common levels of personal wealth. How does all of Iran know this? Well, doesn’t everyone in the US know the general financial background of Trump?
But first, a bit of background for non-Iranians: Khamenei is from clerical families on both sides of his parents. They were not rich clerics, but lower-middle class, like the majority of Iranian clergy. The 1979 Revolution was decidedly class-based – it was called “the revolution of the barefooted” – and this extended to the clerical class as well, so it should not be surprising that someone from Khamenei’s class background rose so high.
Because clerics are humans, they have a right to have varied personal interests: ex-Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani was rather an Iranian Islamic Revolution anomaly – a revolutionary cleric from a rich background (pistachio farmers) – and he had a personal interest in the affairs of business. It is common knowledge that Khamenei has never evinced this interest, and nor have his several brothers, who are also clerics – the family’s interests are clearly religion and politics.
Furthermore, simply check out his speeches on YouTube (and perhaps while you still can do so, as PressTV was banned from YouTube in April): Khamenei is always discussing the example of his namesake, Imam Ali, the personification of personal austerity in Islam. “Shia” means “partisan of Ali”, so non-Muslims should be able to easily imagine that if Khamenei was constantly exhorting everyone to follow “Pope” Ali’s worthy example, yet not following it himself… this would be cause for immediate and widespread comment among the highly-educated, very politically-involved Iranian general public.
So even the whiff of a mere rumour of personal embezzlement would be a major risk to Khamenei’s job status! Part 2 will fully quote and explain the begrudging exoneration of Khamenei by one of his biggest adversaries – Western mainstream media – that there is “no evidence” that Khamenei has used Iran’s wealth to enrich himself. And, of course, there is no logical reason why he would thus tolerate theft and fraud among his fellow lower-ranking clergy who also work as civil servants.
Khomeini’s and Khamenei’s precedents of clearly living in a manner which rejects worldly riches will certainly help produce this same type of Leader in the future, but whoever is the Supreme Leader at any time in the Islamic Republic of Iran will likely be forced to live lives of transparent piety and to display moral, spiritual and fiscal rectitude – that, combined with self-sacrificing patriotism, is the very essence of the job. The Supreme Leader post is not that of a technocrat, as Western leaders are now often merely supposed to be – he is essentially called to act as the “soul of the nation”, and, I would also add, “of the government”.
Such values are anathema to Western secularism, which is a governmental philosophy that was certainly available in 1979 for Iranians to select. However, even atheistic secularists must concede that Western-style secularism was democratically rejected by Iranians, and this fact cannot be ignored, no matter how disagreeable non-Iranians may find this fact.
To put it plainly: Does the West really think that Iranians don’t have a good sense of Khamenei’s personal morality? He has been living in the public eye longer than French President Emmanuel Macron has been alive, and the French all know about Macron’s privileged upbringing, marriage to a chocolate heiress who was his high school teacher, and Rothschild banker-paid lifestyle. An entire nation simply cannot be kept in the dark about the true personal nature of its leaders; people are not stupid, anywhere, and and the Iranian press is far from being either non-existent or totally subservient to power.
You can take the average Iranian’s word for it: if Khamenei was living lavishly – or, living like every single Western CEO does, and with absolutely zero Western media condemnation, sadly) – all of Iran would know it, and there would be serious repercussions.
This all explains why Iranians view the recent US sanctions on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as absurd and based on both propaganda and ignorance. The sanctions put the The New York Times in a quandary – they had to choose between their iron-law Iranophobia and their equally unobjective anti-Trump editorial policy. Their jeering-but-accurate headline, “Iran Greets Latest U.S. Sanctions With Mockery”, reflects that the anti-Trumpers drowned out the Irano-/Islamophobes… on that day in their newsroom.
Beyond Khamenei, I can very briefly explain how and why the West can persist with their “Millionaire Mullah” mythology:
There are many economic principles that guide the Iranian economy which have no basis in the West – they are, after all, “revolutionary”. Many are based on principles of Islamic charity and of Islamic finance; many are also based on anti-capitalist principles which were obviously drawn from 20th century socialism. There are almost too many to list, but in Part 2 of this 3-part article I will pick a few key ones which specifically relate to clergy, and which – when added with Iranophobia – create such widespread and ignorant propaganda.
Part Two
Beyond Khamenei, I can very briefly explain how and why the West can persist with their “Millionaire Mullah” mythology:
There are many economic principles that guide the Iranian economy which have no basis in the West – they are, after all, “revolutionary”. Many are based on principles of Islamic charity and of Islamic finance; many are also based on anti-capitalist principles which were obviously drawn from 20th century socialism. There are almost too many to list, but in Part 2 of this 3-part article I will pick a few key ones which specifically relate to clergy, and which – when added with Iranophobia – create such widespread and ignorant propaganda.
One of the five pillars of Islam is to give to charity (zakat), but one of the five additional pillars of Shia theology is that businessmen must give 20% of their profits to charity (khums). Thus, it should be clear why some say that Iran has an “alms-based economy”. That’s an exaggeration, because there are state taxes as well, but this money goes directly to religious authorities and has gone there for over 1,000 years.
For example, Khamenei was raised in a family (lower middle class clerics on both sides of his parents) which would have never received this money directly – they would have been the recipients of this charity from much higher-ranking clergy.
Khamenei, through hard work, sacrifice and other virtues, is now a “Marja’” (top religious authority). He now heads various religious foundations which receive – and redistribute downwards – this zakat and khums money.
Of course, he heads these foundations, but this money cannot (and is not) be used by him to by a Ferrari for his favourite nephew, for example. The Iranian press would die of happiness at the sales prospects caused by such a sensational, unheard-of event! These are “religious foundations” not “The Clinton Foundation”: These foundations serve the poor – they do not trade high-level political access & favours in return for funding a jet-set lifestyle. Of course, most Western media cynically assume that everyone – even a Marja’, and even a Marja’ as publicly present as Khamenei – secretly operates on shameless Western capitalist principles….
Let’s clarify two key issues: zakat and khums are individual choices – they are not compelled to go to Khamenei. Iranians can send their charity to a Marja’ in Iraq if they like, and many do. Secondly, drastically changing this historic process of zakat and khums would certainly constitute a major revolution in Iran – however, for many it would constitute a rather “un-Islamic Revolution”, and there is no doubt that the democratic majority wanted an “Islamic Revolution”.
Therefore, Islamic charity is a reality of modern economics and finance in Iran. It is not something which non-Muslims can easily comprehend, perhaps, but the failure to do so will help fuel nonsense like “Millionaire Mullahs”. Unlike neoliberalism in the West, these financial principles have the virtue of being democratically-supported, and I can easily argue that they have the additional virtue of far more efficiently increasing economic equality than neoliberalism does.
Khamenei, as the Supreme Leader, is also often listed as the head of companies simply out of respect by the company’s founders. It is often purely honorary. Khamenei is not, for example, giving ideas on product improvement or production strategies to such companies (now the rare ex-president Rafsanjani – rare because he was an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary cleric from a rich, business-oriented background might have gotten involved, but Khamenei has evinced no such interest) and he is absolutely not in any control of the company’s assets. He is there in name only as a sign of respect for him, Islam, Iran, etc. Of course, this is distorted/misunderstood by Western pro-capitalist papers.
The Iranian Islamic Revolution also did something which no doubt enrages Western imperialist-capitalists, and about which they have no desire to spread honest information: the revolution took a huge chunk of the factories and industries owned by the shah and his tiny coterie and gave them to charity.
These are called the bonyads, and they are an estimated 15-20% of the entire Iranian economy. A staggeringly revolutionary concept, no?
The bonyads are thus different from the Islamic charity I have described, and the Islamic foundations which administer that charity, because the bonyads were expressly charged with getting involved in economic production.
The bonyads are not designed for capitalist profit, but are co-operatives which exist to create low-cost goods and jobs for Iranians. This planned” inefficiency” – in attaining maximum profit, but not in social cohesion and equality – is falsely branded as “corruption” by raging Western capitalists, sadly.
Khamenei heads some bonyads, and this gives him economic influence, of course… because the popular, democratic, openly-debated decision to award a significant chunk of the Iranian economy to the administration of religious authorities was a popular, democratic, openly-debated decision of the Iranian people. Oppose decisions arrived at in this manner, and you oppose democracy for Iran.
Bonyads are not specifically proscribed in The Koran, unlike zakat and the ubiquitous concepts of charity and anti-usury (high interest/compound interest), but if one tries to overturn them… well, all I can say is – prepare for a serious fight. If you think the millions of bonyad workers and recipients of bonyad lower-cost goods want all that to be replaced by (mostly-Western) stockholders… good luck with your efforts.
Very obvious, but of course not perfect, parallels can be made elsewhere: the lower class supporters of Chavismo’s collectivos have won an unprecedented number of votes (and street battles) to preserve similar anti-neoliberal economic concepts and structures. Iran is not nearly as susceptible to Washington’s meddling, in large part because such gains have been consolidating democratic support for the government for a generation longer than in Venezuela. Cuba adopted similar (though not Islamic-influenced) concepts a generation earlier than Iran did. China is a generation up on Cuba, and aren’t they doing rather well? China doesn’t have bonyads, of course, but Beijing and Tehran have such a strong and long-term alliance because they obviously have much in common… once translations are made.
So, between zakat, khums, the bonyads, generalized Iranophobia and a desire to denigrate any economic thought which is not far-right neoliberal capitalism… this is how we have arrived at Western nonsense like “Millionaire Mullahs”, and the propaganda is unrelenting.
Like, for example, the 2013 Reuters report on Setad, a bonyad headed by the Supreme Leader post, which was absurdly titled, “Khamenei controls massive financial empire built on property seizures”.
Part 3 will examine this report, which is still being cited today despite its obvious bias, misrepresentations and clear goal of spreading Iranophobic and Islamophobic propaganda.
Part Three
Part 1 of this article discussed why the recent US sanctions on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei provoked laughter in Iran and derision even from Iranophobic Western mainstream media.
Part 2 proved that – between zakat, khums, the bonyads, generalized Iranophobia and a desire to denigrate any economic thought which is not far-right neoliberal capitalism – it is easily understandable how we have arrived at Western nonsense like “Millionaire Mullahs”.
Part 3 will show (NOTE: these three links go to the PressTV versions) how this propaganda is unrelenting.
Like the 2013 Reuters report on Setad, a bonyad headed by the Supreme Leader post, “Khamenei controls massive financial empire built on property seizures”.
Uhhh… yes, confiscating the ill-gotten property of the king and his 1% was undoubtedly the democratic choice of Iran. Iran is a rare country to have done that, but it was not the first. Economically right-wing Reuters, of course, opposes every such occasion where this has happened.
Reuters’ report spends just ten miserly words to describe for their readers both bonyads and khums, which is certainly not enough to give a sympathetic, much less objective, rendering of these rather vital parts of the Iranian economy. Reuters makes apparent its total disinterest in admitting Setad’s universally-known, multi-billion charitable functions with the brief and dismissive: “It’s unclear how much of its revenue goes to philanthropy.” It’s a report which openly airs the grievances of lawyers based in Beverly Hills, California, because talking about the economically-redistributive concepts at work in the Iranian economy are expressly against Reuters’ editorial policy.
As Reuters admitted, with a brief sentence that indicates their maximum disappointment: “Reuters found no evidence that Khamenei is tapping Setad to enrich himself.” Exactly. All Iran already knew that. Reuters’ buried a sentence which has been a headline in Iran.
Beyond the role of Islamic charity, the usury-banning role of Islamic finance, and the unique (revolutionary) economic principles installed after 1979, the widest-view statement I can give about the Iranian economy is this: because it is (Islamic) socialist-inspired when it comes to handling the economy, the Iranian state controls the Iranian economy even more completely than today’s “hosting tourists is ok” Cuba. Both nations control their economies in a patriotic way, though Iran has, thankfully, far more oil wealth; both nations reject foreign control (neoliberal/globalist capitalism); and both nations have been incredibly successful at improving the lives of their average citizen despite decades of murderous sanctions by the US and Europe.
The revolutionary Iranian economy is thus most succinctly described (this is “daily journalism”, after all) as “Iranian Islamic Socialism” because it is exactly that, and in exactly that order of importance: first come the patriotic needs of Iran, then adherence to the principles of Islam as much as possible, and then the clear rejection of capitalism-imperialism and neoliberalism/globalism. Importantly – at least to those who believe Iranians have a democratic right to choose their own path – Forbes, Reuters and Washington are resolutely dead-set against the success of all of these principles, and their actions and stances show that they view tolerance, accommodation and limited cooperation as impossible.
But this – the enormously anti-neoliberal aspects and the enormously successful redistributive aspects of the Iranian economy – is something the West can never admit because… they might be copied! Indeed, when Washington talks about Iran’s “destabilising behaviors”, there is nothing more destabilising to US and Israeli hegemony in the Muslim world than the very example of Iranian democratic success.
What works usually is copied, but Iranian economic solutions do not “work” for the aristocratic readers of Forbes. Therefore, “Millionaire mullahs” has been the Western editorial line, and they are sticking to it.
It should be clear: it is a well-known reality is that Khamenei does not personally have much to sanction at all; the Iranian economy is so unique (revolutionary) that it is easily distorted and rarely attempted to be understood; the guiding economic concepts democratically installed after the Iranian Islamic Revolution will always be the subject of massive Western propaganda efforts.
Therefore, pity Trump and his New York City slumlord/Pentagon gun-runner advisors – by foolishly sanctioning Khamenei all they did was insult him, and insult his tens of millions of often-ardent supporters, and show their total ignorance of how the Iranian economy actually works!
How did they get so misled? Simple: they read too much Western propaganda, which since 1979 has had an editorial line of “100% fake news, 24/7” when it comes to Iran. Such an editorial line is designed by their 1%-owners to push Trump, and others, to wrongly assume that Iran is some sort of dystopian, totalitarian regime where the top leader owns everything and can liquidate anything at any time for their personal profit.
Such a system only exists in comic books… and in the Arab monarchies. And are sanctions on these Arab despots arriving next? LOL, not likely. Forbes and the neoliberal-loving, English-Canadian Reuters are likely in the middle of preparing their latest puff-piece on yet another Arab monarch-dictator.
It is ironic that the only type of millionaires these rabidly capitalist media seem to have a problem with are of the Iranian clerical variety, a variety which Forbes was the first to ever claim even existed. But the phenomenon they allege does not exist, and Khamenei is often held up as a standard of good and moral leadership in many nations for very justified reasons.
What is certain is that Washington’s ignorance of and opposition to the nature of the Iranian economy will cost them dearly – sanctions on Khamenei will be totally ineffective in reaching their totally unjust aims. Such sanctions are amusing… but that is actually a sad commentary: the decades of murderous sanctions on Iran, Cuba, Korea and others shouldn’t be funny at all.
(Ramin Mazaheri is the chief correspondent in Paris for PressTV and has lived in France since 2009. He has been a daily newspaper reporter in the US, and has reported from Iran, Cuba, Egypt, Tunisia, South Korea and elsewhere. He is the author of “I’ll Ruin Everything You Are: Ending Western Propaganda on Red China”.)
Mr. Mazaheri, I am sure you will enjoy this. The below is an excerpt from a speech by Aliakbar Raefipour, that I am translating into .srt to be used as subtitle for the speech. Although it is not finished, it clearly tells the truth about both the lifestyle of Imam Khomeini and as such Imam Khamenei, as you have written in your article, and the ideals of the revolution!
I am telling you, the wheels of this revolution have been turning on the shoulder of the poor. These are not my words. I have selected some of Imam Khomeini´s speeches for you. Imam Khomeini: “Only those will stay with us till the end, who have tasted the pain of poverty, helplessness and social injustice. The poor and the believers without means are the true force sustaining and turning the wheels of revolutions. We must do our best to safeguard the principal of helping the oppressed with all means. We will fight to last drop of our blood in order to bring about justice for the oppressed in the world.” The quote is from his collected works volume 23, pages 86-87. He himself created “Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation”. Imam was very harsh towards the rich. He talked harshly against them. Let me speak candidly and if there is time, I will read from it for you. Imam says, that it is almost inconceivable for a rich person to be one of us. If there is one, it is an exception. We are not saying, that all rich people are bad people. No! But the arena of worldly riches affects their soul, because material riches pull and attract (people). Have you seen, how trying constantly to follow the newest fashion in everything creates havoc in one´s life? It destroys a person! It can even happen for a poor person to fall into “newest fashion” trap, trying with the little he has to dissemble others. This is alarming! “ ….. It was but for the barefoot, the slum dwellers, and poor university students…,” He says, that even amongst the university students, those without riches joined us, not the rich ones.” …..And people on the streets and the bazar rose up together and revolted in the name of God, started a movement and guided us towards this freedom. And those big barriers, that no one thought would be broken, broke and brought us to where we became ministers …..” Some gentlemen should listen! “…. Will Become ministers, becoming presidents, became lawyers and have all of this (power and opportunity). It is all because of the people. Everything we have is because of the people, a muslim people achieving this while shouting Allah Akbar (God is great)…..” If you notice, every time Imam mentions the people, he immediately mentions God! It means, God has a special place and that Imam has a special monotheistic view of the matter. He keeps reminding us about God, and not to forget God. He is asking, that If you have become the president, who has given you the job?! If you have become an ambassador, who has given you that job? If you have become a minister, who gave you that job? How did Imam himself live? A hundred times these same gentlemen said to Imam, that it is not good for our image and reputation (to live like this), when foreign dignitaries come to visit him. They wanted him to replace the furniture. But he said, it is the way it is. He had a sofa, that he sat on! Some of the greatest representatives of the world came and he sat them there. Mr. Velayati says, that when he was the foreign minister, Eduard Sjevardnadse the former foreign minister of USSR, who later became the president of Georgia after the fall of USSR, came to visit Imam Khomeini. Imam had sent a message to Gorbatjov, and Sjevardnadse had come to give him Gorbatjov´s response. Before Sjevardnadse was brought in, they had told TheImam that the meeting is scheduled for, let’s say, 9 pm. But Velayati had brought him to visit The Imam a bit early at 8:30 pm. Imam was at the time taking a walk and listening to the radio. They tell him, that Sjevardnadse has come early. Imam asks, why he has done that, when the meeting is scheduled for later. They tell him, that they have brought him in early, but Imam responds, that they have made a mistake bringing him early. He says, that he is busy and has his own schedule to follow. He sends them back. They go away. But 10 minutes later they send in Rafsanjani thinking, he may be able to do something about the situation. Nobody was able to change Imam´s mind. He insisted on 9pm. The video of Imam entering the meeting is available. He has a towel in his hand and his pants are a few inches short. He comes in and sits down asking Sjevardnadse to deliver his message. The paper in Sjevardnadse´s hand is shaking, while he is talking. This was the foreign minister of the Soviet Union, which controlled half the world. Still his hands were shaking. He himself said during interviews, he did later:”I have had meetings with the president of USA, visited countries all over the world and held meetings. But I was not affected by the meetings at all……..” How can a meeting with a person living in a simple house, make the symbol of the eastern block shake like that? It is because the soul of a man like Imam Khomeini is occupied with worship of God. Our faith says fear God, and God will put fear of you onto others. These are the reality of our nation. I have mentioned, how the americans interpreted this in my speech “Infiltration”. There I read their document for you. It talks about “Khomeini rules”! The American document calls upon them to concentrate their efforts in order to destroy the principals, Imam Khomeini advocates for. The rules set by Khomeini must be targeted. What is one of their targets? Nothing of importance! You must not remember the poor man´s house in Jamaran (where he lived), when you hear his name! What must you associate him with? The unusual mausoleum, they have built for him! I consider the mausoleum a negation of the truth. Let them tell you, what they want. I swear to you before God, that I say this according to his own way of thinking. I swear to you before God, that if Imam could come back from the grave and saw this (mausoleum), you can imagine what he would do to them! You know, that for the past few years The leader brings with him the mats from his place and spreads them under his feet, when he visits the mausoleum on 4. of June (anniversary of the death of Imam Khomeini)! Of course this brings with it a message. I began to mention some aspects of The Leaders private life for the first time in the Jahanara TV program. Some people were insulted by it and asked: why are talking about it. I asked, why shouldn´t I? Do you know, why they say, don´t tell? Because when you talk about it, it becomes a mode (for others to follow)! And tomorrow people will ask Mr. Principalist, Mr. Revolutionary, Mr. Reformist, Mr. Responsible: “why do you live like this, when your Leader lives like that!” It makes their job complicated! You know (like), when someone wants to do something but can´t risk losing face in front of others, like when they want to ….. want to…, and then they blame it on all the others! Have you seen this? Someone says for example: “Sirs, it is a good idea, if WE get up and go drink some water.” But in truth he alone is thirsty. He knows, that if he alone gets up, he will stick out in the crowd. So he tells everybody to do it! And if a person doesn´t do it, he says to him: Don’t be a drag and spoil the good times for the rest. Everybody is going, you should come too.” Because even a single individual not going represents the choice of “it was possible not to go”, (represents the choice of) “it was possible not to be corrupt”. These are the reality of in society. Accordingly these gentlemen don´t believe it is possible for a person (our Leader) to eat the same food for 3 days (on a row). It is because they themselves walk from restaurant to restaurant sending the bills to the people day and night! And they are not careful while, they are being the examples for the society, when they have responsibility. “People imitate their rulers in their lives” (a religious quote by Imam Ali the first Shia Imam). “Those responsible” means everybody and not just those with authority. I am also responsible. Somewhere they criticized me and asked: why do you …..! They were my acquaintances asking: why have you spoken about your private life and your economic situation on the podium? I replied, it is because, I want to tell the people: “I am one of you!” It warms people’s hearts.
When people came to see Imam Ali (the first Shia Imam and the fourth Caliph), they observed him sitting on the ground. His nickname was Abu Turab (Father of the soil). He was sitting on the ground. And when they asked him why? He replied: because there are still those, that don’t own a mat (to sit on) under my rule! The poverty situation had been dire back then. Some people didn’t have anything to spread under their feet, not even a straw mat.
The revolution is carried on the shoulder of these people. And today they are the target of the enemy. Who bears the consequences of those coordinated economic plots hitting us from abroad and from inside the county? The poor class. After all the rich person´s house worth a billion is now worth 3 billion. Is it otherwise? Amidst all of this some fellow has started a campaign telling people: don’t buy gold coins and Dollars! My Dear, dear Dr…..! What business do WE have to do gold and Dollar? What money do we have to buy gold and Dollar with? Mr. Doctor gold coins and Dollar are being bought by a specific group of people, who don’t give a fly about (us) or the like of (us) or what you talk about! In the milieu where you live, where you drive your Benz, where you have your house and own your luxury villa, the picture of which has become public, you have the money to buy gold coins. But it is nice of you, that you yourself don´t buy it! My Dear, how can people afford to buy a 4 million Toman (name of the Iranian currency) gold coin? Where are they supposed to get the money from? The ones that should not buy gold are the ones, who buy 30 000 gold coins in one day! This only shows, that this fellow is not in the same situation as the rest of us. He is delirious! This fellow! Even more he hasn’t just said: don’t buy gold coins and Dollar! He says: don’t buy ANYTHING! Well as a result the merchants are going to lose everything too! As the saying goes: We have no hope of receiving any benefit from you. At least don’t harm us. Please! This new planning, these new economic initiatives are for the purpose of targeting the main social segment supporting the revolution. Imam Khomeini continues: “Another point which you all know very well. This government and this republic……” God be my witness it is as if he has spoken about the situation today! These are the words of The Imam. If it wasn’t his words, they would put 1000 labels on us (for it)! Imam continues: “People created this government and republic, but not all the people……” He is saying, that when they say it was all the people, this was not the case. Have patience and he will explain it. Imam is saying: “The barefoot and the poor, the merchants of the bazars, the middle class and the dispossessed.” It was them. He says, that even in the bazars it was the ones with average and sub average wealth, not their multimillionaires of the time. There were millionaires back then. “……These were the one´s under pressure. If somebody had done some research during people´s demonstrations on the streets against the Pahlavi regime, and during the first days of the revolution, they could have seen …..” He is telling us to go and research the revolution and the war (the 8 year war against Saddam), and (then) you can see this (phenomenon) . “….. And you see how many amongst them are form the wealthy, and how many of them are the poor….” He is asking us to do some research and find out how many rich people have given their lives during the war, and how many are from the poor, the dispossessed and from the “south” part of the cities. Even today when you visit the poor parts of a town, the alleys and the blind alleys connected to them are named after the martyrs. I am not saying, that the rich areas have not had martyrs. It has martyrs. But how does it work? Recently though their streets are named “Pink Street” (or) “Violet Street”. They chose colors as names! They name their streets after birds like “Parrot Street”, “Canary Street” (or) “Flaming Street”. Imam is talking about this disparity, asking us to please figure it out. Imam continues: “It was the poor. Therefore your government is the government of the poor….” He is saying, the government is the representatives of the poor. The poor gave them this power. Did anybody even bother to acknowledge the existence of those in power today, before the revolution? Back then people humiliated you (the ones in power now)and laughed at you, when you walked on the streets. “……… This means, that you must try to improve the lives of the poor…..” Somewhere else he says: “Our movement too succeeded through the poor. The oppressors either escaped or sat indifferently in their houses or hid in their homes. Those that want to exploit the fruits of the revolution today, where were they, when the poor were giving their blood (for this revolution)…….” The date of the speech is 16.05.1979. It is right after the victory of the revolution, that Imam is saying these things! This is extraordinary. When you look at the illuminating collected works of The Imam, it is repeated again and again. Imagine you change places with the gentlemen, who are the thieves. Like these gentlemen, you want to live differently. If you want to act like them, want to consume more, want to travel more and have their house and their lifestyle, What do you do? You try to convince people, that Imam was not the way, he was. What must you do in order to convince people, that The Imam was not like that? You must change the symbol, that represents The Imam in the eyes of the people. That is it! We don´t have (to do) anything else. Imam continues: We must try to cleanse the people of the morality of “high society”. “……. Some people desire to have a lavish lifestyle. They have the morality of the rich. If you wish for your people to persevere, and for the divine principals of Islam to become reality with in the society as desired by God, drag people away from the “high society” behavior. The very act of living in a mansion brings about that behavior.” That is why the rich can´t stay loyal. I give you as very simple example. If you travel to Jamkaran (a very important Shia mosque in Qom), go to Jamkaran on Wednesday nights. The cars are parked around the mosque. Go and see what brands the cars are. This is a good question. Go and find out how many Lexus cars you see, and how many Pride (a very cheep car manufactured in Iran) cars you find. Go and take a look! Imam is saying, that this is the nature of wealth! Yes it is possible for someone to be rich and be a supporter of the revolution. Honestly bravo to him! Bravo to such a person. Such a person is brought up so well, that he either considers his money as something dirty, which can become the source of his agony, or a blessing through helping the people, where something good can come to the people. We have had people like that. We have had people like that, and they have helped this revolution. But they are few! No! They are very few! No! They are extremely few! Imam is saying this. I am not responsible for it. “……. The day when our government moves its attention towards “Castle”……!” Imam is talking about the dangers of present time in 1983. We are in 2018 today, brothers.” ….. The day, that our government moves its attention towards “Castle”, that day is the end of the government and the people…….” He is saying it will all be over both for the government and the people. Because Imam knows, that when the authorities become accustomed to such path, people will inevitably do the same. “…. The day that our president, God forbid, no longer is attentive of a simple life, and considers life in a “Castle”, that is the day, when decline sets in for him and those, who are close to him.” The day, when members of parliament, God forbid, become accustomed to a luxurious lifestyle ………” Imam is naming those in authority. He mentions the president. He mentions members of the parliament! “…….. And exit this worthy simple life. We must consider that day the end of our nation.”
How can a minister, who has 1500 billion Toman, understand what people are saying? God knows, they can´t! As the saying goes: You can´t have the sensation of burning by just looking at the fire. You must burn in order to understand, what I am going through!
With regards
A good piece of writing, Ramin Mazaheri. This is a very concise and clearly written reference to show to friends and colleagues if the assertion of the “millionaire mullahs” arises.
It’s really a very sad thing that in the west we cannot even conceive of countries being guided and governed from moral values and altruistic vision for the welfare of the people.
Thanks for this useful overview!
Thank you Ramin for enlightening readers of the unique and significant structures that hold up the nation of Iran. The Supreme Leader as “the soul of the nation” and “of the govt”; and the redistributive systems of the Marja and bonyads that bind the nation as a whole is surely an indictment of the Christian west, where exploitation, deprivation, and annihilation are the means of control and profit for a minority 1%ters.
If the Supreme Leader live a life “of transparent piety…moral, spiritual and fiscal rectitude…combined with self-sacrificing patriotism…” that infuences and shapes the essence of political leadership and its people – then Iran indeed has a lot to teach the world.
USA, the self-proclaimed supreme leader of the world, espouses different values, principles and methodogy to “empire building” cannot hold a candle to the light of enlightened leadership in Iran, a nation that has refused to submit to the former’s tantrums and intimidation. Need more be said about where all the posturing, sanctions, and false flags are headed? – it stinks to high heavens!
The US government after putting sanctions on individuals in iran, they should now also extend these sanctions on Khamenei’s cat if he has any. Then it would be comprehensive sanctions.
A very candid and Frank comprehension. A good read for people with unbiased mind who are interested in Iran and it’s position
“To be sure, the protests are socially heterogeneous and there is much political confusion among the participants. Moreover, as would be expected, monarchists and other rightwing elements allied with imperialism are seeking to latch onto and misdirect them. But the protests, although not yet a mass movement, have been comprised principally of workers, poor people and youth. They are being fueled by deep-rooted class anger in a country where 3.2 million, or 12.7 percent, of the workforce are officially unemployed, the real unemployment rate for youth is in the order of 40 percent, and, according to a recent IRGC report, 50 percent live in poverty. Meanwhile, the World Wealth and Income Database calculates (based on 2013 data) that the top 1 percent of Iranians monopolize 16.3 percent of the country’s income, just 0.5 of a percentage point less than the entire bottom 50 percent, while the top 10 percent garner 48.5 percent.”
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/01/03/iran-j03.html
Well that is certainly a different perspective from what we usually hear from Ramin. It’d be useful to get his response.
Frankly, my position is that all human institutions are corruptible. Whether financial as in the US or religious. Usually religious elites align with the rulers, not against them, as Jesus advocated when he threw the bankers of his day out of the Temple. The religious authorities did what they usually do. The same thing happened in imperial Russia. The Church sided with the Monarchy while the people lived in poverty and illiteracy, rather than supporting the Revolution.
We’ve seen the same thing China, historically speaking, in Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist institutions vying for power. Or the obvious use of religion to be distorted to entrench the Saudi hierarchy. And in the US, both Jewish and Christian elites drive the narrative.
Of course, it is also true that sincere reformers took on authority. So the record of institutional religion, along with political and economic forces is mixed at best. Usually, over time even the best degrade.
This means to me that spiritual and religious practice is itself still in a state of evolutionary development. It is not fixed or static and should be judged as in evolutionary process itself. These statistics thrown up by the Trots serve neither as an indictment of Islamic spiritual culture nor socialism. It simply demonstrates that both socialism and spiritual culture, be it Christian or Islamic, are still in a process of evolutionary convergence. That is really what our revolutionary age is all about. We can look to a vision of continuing liberation in terms of the greater convergence of the two; spiritual culture and socialist justice. Neither should be judged as fixed static forms but seen as ongoing processes. This understanding is itself imbedded deep in the religious cultures themselves, as it is with Marxism.
Trots?
https://staffblogs.le.ac.uk/socscilibrarians/2018/01/22/the-world-wealth-income-database/
”
Launched in 2017 as a single point of access for statistics on global inequality data, this great site is managed by an international consortium of economists including Thomas Piketty. It emerged from the earlier World Top Incomes Database (WTID).
Its website states its aims as providing Distributional National Accounts (DINA), that is, to provide annual estimates of the distribution of income and wealth using concepts of income and wealth that are consistent with the macroeconomic national accounts.
The site includes interactive maps of inequality, research tools for students and journalists to create and manipulate their own data and datasets which can be downloaded.”
”
Thomas Piketty https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Piketty
”
Piketty was born on 7 May 1971, in the Parisian suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine. His parents had been involved with a Trotskyist group and the May 1968 protests in Paris, but they had moved away from this political position before Piketty was born, and a visit to the Soviet Union in 1991 was enough to make him a firm “believe[r] in capitalism, private property, the market.
“
Tedious verbiage. WSWS is Trotskyite, and you know it. Why the attempt at diversion? There are, remember, ‘Lies, damned lies and statistics’. I find WSWS a very good news site, with excellent analysis, a little diminished, at times, by Trot ideological fervour.
The World Socialist Web Site has been wrong many times in its characterization of nations and events. Ramin Mazaheri in one of his series of articles – was it on China or Iran? – took this site to task for its completely inaccurate reporting, and indeed on its slanders of him.
I’m afraid that article you’re citing, from January, 2018, is a pretty westernized piece of propaganda. Some of the comments do set the record straight.
I’ll accept Ramin Mazaheri’s reporting on Iran a thousand times more than I’d accept WSWS, even on a good day – and that article is nowhere in the vicinity of good.
It has been correct many many times also.
Anyway, forget WSWS and, if you are interested in the truth, do your own analysis with available data.
Funny though annonymous it turns out every single time, that the socalled proletariat demonstrators are paid agents of the west with their “revolution business” with their Gene Sharp and color revolutions. They even tried their old “kill a demonstrator” on us too just like Ukraine and Syria! Remember Neda! Not that there are not economic problems. A couple of years ago while visiting Mashhad I had a discussion with some people in the shrine building om Imam Reza (the eith shia Imam). There is a huge room in the building devided into corners. At one corner people discuss politics, and at another corner they discuss religion and so on. Right there I told people to go out and burn every bank in the country. I explain to them, how the banks were destroying their lives, creating inflation and were plundering the wealth of the nation. Only a few months later I saw in the news, that some people had taken to the streets in Mashhad demanding the government to compensate them for their loses, because they had lost everything to some investment company, which had promised them huge returns. They usually promise people a return of 20-25%! Not bad for a greedy bunch! God forbid if these people are asked to pay a little taxes too!
As usual the western agents and their masters will never let any crisis go to waste and put their agents in action. That is, if for nothing else, then for the likes of you to use it for propaganda purposes! Check your dates hasbara. You are at least a decades off with you analysis. We iranians though don´t expect anything different from the traitors in our country, who have sold their soul to the west in return for the promise of a green card or a few coins of green silver. The americans alone, not to mention the british, the french, the germans, the canadians…. have spent 400 000 000 dollars every single year for the last 40 years to buy themselves errand boys in our country to do their bidding. You should take a look at “All the Shah´s men”! In the book the british and the americans proudly declare, that they can buy any type of demonstrators they want! In 53 that is! Today they have created an army of sofa westernized dupes at their service thanks to hundreds of tv channels bought and paid for with cia money!
I wounder what kind of animals the anglosaxon will degenerate into, if someone did to them, what they have done to the rest of the world for the last 400 years!
It wasn’t my analysis but you agree that it’s inequality findings were fair at some stage.
Realisation of a festering problem is the beginning of understanding.
How many decades ago, exactly, do you think the analysis was correct?
Let’s see, from 1979 to 21019 gives you 4 decades to choose from.
At which point exactly did the revolution result in such appalling inequality results?
Promise of 25% – not bad, eh.
The more I hear of iran the more it sounds exactly the same as “the West”.
Now, can you explain why it got so bad and at which point it started to get better and what caused that?
You can be sure, that a lot of important revolutionaries in Iran are openly talking about a cleanup in the country. You are confusing 2008 with 2018.
It is a historical fact, that people are more generous towards each other in times of prosperity. The opposite is also true with regards to hard economic situations.
If you look at the un welfare index report from a couple of years ago, you will see, that Iran had surpassed the usa in welfare index by a good margin. Mind you, that the Islamic establishment has never had a single day of peace to realize the ideals of the revolution. The entire western world has done everything to destroy it including the USSR before the fall of Soviet Union. But still with all odds against us we have managed to achieve what has impossible if not for the revolutionary spirit of our people. 40 years ago 75% of the population was illiterate. But today almost every village has a university! We have had the greatest scientific growth in the world 10 times higher than the second nation on the list China! People own much more material goods than ever before. Every family I know has at least two cars! The list goes on and on. Still even our leader Imam Khamenei has openly declared that we have a lot of work to do in the field of social equality. Does it sound as if the problem is kept a secret? The revolution has not resulted in any equality much less appalling, as you call it. We should have done more! Every month the revenue from the oil export is transferred equally and directly into every Iranians bank account! How many nations can boast of such an initiative? Besides as Mr. Mazaheri has pointed out again and again almost all major industries are state owned in Iran. Everything we have achieved has been despite crushing and all encompassing western sanctions, western supported war and constant threat of. We could have amazed this world, if you have left us alone. We have changed the political map of the world. We are the forerunners of the anti-Zionist and anti-imperialist struggle in the world. Despite all of our shortcomings we are fighting for all the oppressed people of the world, who are being plundered by the west. We have declared our undying support for Palestinians. We have saved Iraq and Syria from the barbarian army of the west. We cut our relations with apartheid South Africa and help ANC long before anybody in the west had even heard the name Mandela! We have done all of this and have been victorious. We have dared to shoot down and capture AMERICAN planes and we have stood tall against the old despicable colonial England! Two weeks of just pressure was all it took to bring Turkey to its knees, and for Erdogan to beg the turks to give him their gold, before they went bankrupt! We have survived 40 YEARS of far worse and we are still here!
Anonymous as ever. Inequality in Iran pales besides that in the USA and Israel, and is exacerbated by the USA’s brutal economic warfare. Why did you not mention those circumstances?
I’m extremely aware of the circumstances in those hellholes.
However, the topic under consideration here is Iran.
How do you know Iranian inequality pales besides that in the US / Israel?
Perhaps you could download the free tools from WHID then analyse the data.
Present your comparative findings then we might have something useful to discuss.
Just because “The West” / US / Israel is “bad” doesn’t necessarily make other places “good”.
PS:
why do you think inequality within Iran should be exacerbated by US economic warfare on it?
If Iran is a bastion of equlity should the type of warfare you describe not cause iran (and those Iranians with most) to increasingly support those with least leading to a reduction in Iranian inequality?
Where ever you look in this world anonymous, you will find, that the western colonials being it the old fashion or the neo have only succeed thanks to their collaborators inside the targeted country. The fact of the matter is, that the revolutionaries in Iran have been sidelined in every aspect of life in Iran being it political, cultural or within the education system. It has been done incrementally, but it has been done for sure. The fact of the matter is, that our economy is being dictated and manipulated directly from the west and the entire country has been infiltrated by our enemies. I am here talking as a journalist, a researcher and a revolutionary! Truth to be told not much of any of it anymore because of health issues, but still!
The entire Islamic republic Broadcasting is under the control of antirevolutionaries. You would not believe the things they do and say to damage the country and people´s faith in the establishment. I doubt, than any CIA director and all the propaganda money in the world can do for the west, what the iranian national tv is done for them free of charge!
They have cleansed the university study books from anything revolutionary and have them with pro western literature. The result of which is generations of the iranian youth without any revolutionary, political or religious ballast. An antirevolutionary sofa westernized youth right inside the very living room of their homes. It is not accidental, that Netanyahu openly declares, that the Zionist don´t need to attack Iran in order to destroy the Islamic establishment. All they need to do is to broadcast a few Hollywood series like Beverly Hills into Iran. The Idea is, that after watching these American movies and series the iranian youth will take a look at their lives comparing it to the Hollywood characters. They will then ask themselves, why they don´t have a life like that!
You may think, that the iranian people know better than to believe these obvious tricks. But the truth of the matter is, that not only the iranian national tv channels are pushing the same idea, a lot of people that otherwise should know better believe it too!
I am sure a few examples will clarify the whole issue for you! A couple of years ago I have a discussion with a well educated young Iranian, who told me about his good internet friend from Canada. This Canadian fellow or bot contacted him regularly and sent him pictures of his big apartment, his new BMW and the lavish night parties, he enjoyed. Naturally the young Iranian was being influenced by this canadian and now wanted to leave the country and immigrate to the west! As he explained to me all the fun and material goods his socalled friend had and compared it to his own situation. I asked this young iranian about his friends occupation. The reply was A DISHWASHER!
To tell you the truth I became a little angry with the young man told him, that an educated person should no better to swallow all of this garbage line and sinker! I asked him to find go on the net and find out, how many hours a day a dishwasher works in average. Then I asked him to find out, what the average hourly salary of a dishwasher is in Canada. In the end asked him to find out, what a simple piece of CALE costs in that country and then tell me, whether or not a dishwasher in Canada has the money to buy a put to piss in!
On another occasion I met a person in my sister’s home. He had come to visit my brother in law and began to tell me about the economic hardship in the country. I asked him, whether or not he knew something about economy. He replied, that he was an economist working for a bank. He began to educate me about the differences between Iranian management and the glory of everything western! Funny though as chance will have it, he examples he gave were all about the country, that I have been living in for decades! Naturally I let educate me all that he wanted before telling him, that everything he thought, he knew was a lie! At one point he explained to me, that our education system is a mess. He was not satisfied with the living conditions and the almost free food given to the students in the iranian universities. Then he said: In “that country” the university professors HAVE TO PAY a student Money in order for the STUDENT to choose them as their teachers!” Then I told him, where I lived, that as an educated person his knowledge was shamefully ignorant. Then I put my hand on his shoulder and told him, that they and their banks were the source of all the misery in the country. Of course with the explanation of why and how!
This next example is form the most watched iranian tv talkshow called “Halla khorshid” meaning “And now the Sun”. The host of the show is either an unwilling dupe of the west or an outright antirevolutionary called Rashidpour. He had invited a Phd fellow in their studio to discuss the iranian education system. This monkey with a Phd from God know what garbage dump compare our education system with the Japanese system of education and explained: “We have The Ministry of Education! But the Japanese have SCHOOLS. All of the schools in japan are exactly the same. All of the teachers in Japan are completely the same. They have schools!” He even said: “In Norway a primary school teacher is paid more than a university professor!”
I kid you not. He kept repeating the same lies and garbage knowingly or deliberately during the entire show, while I was shouting at the tv, and this idiot with a Phd!
Although this phenomenon is tragic by itself, the real tragic consequences of it has for years manifested itself during the iranian elections. I am both sure and hope, that some of the readers and contributors on this site will do the necessary research to what I am about to tell you; Rouhani the president of The Islamic Republic of Iran was elected by the british Cambridge Analytica! Luckily the election of Rouhani happened before Cambridge Analytica became known in the public, and their recipe for election manipulations have therefore become public too. They used the same recipe to manipulate the iranian people into electing Rouhani. Believe me, when I tell you, that I have no doubt whatsoever, that Rouhani is a bahai, who was tasked by the british intelligence agency MI6 to infiltrate the Islamic revolution form the very beginning. He has done everything humanly possible wrong to destroy the country´s economy. Having done all the damage, he could to destroy the national production, he is now trying to mismanage and consume whatever is left of the country´s reserves.
I am sure, that what I am about to write next will shock most Iranians too: The privatization of the iranian national bank! One could almost postulate, that this is the real goal of the recent economic pressure on Iran by the west. I had been run over for the second time by a car and was unable to move. I was watching the news 20/7. Suddenly the news ticker said: “The proposal for the privatization of the national bank has been sent to the Parliament.” I immediately took my phone and called a person, whom I know follows the news. He told me, that I was mistaken, and that it was not possible. For the next 2 weeks I kept watching the news and the same ticker appeared 3 more time. I called the same person again and told him about the strategy called “problem-reaction-solution” and suggested to him, that the recent economic problems may in fact have been manufactured by someone in order to achieve this goal.
To be continued.
“The fact of the matter is, that the revolutionaries in Iran have been sidelined in every aspect of life in Iran being it political, cultural or within the education system. It has been done incrementally, but it has been done for sure.”
Agree 100% – this is the true reason for the inequality in Iran. If only you’d said this to begin with.
Iran is no longer a thorn in the side of the Global Kleptocracy but, rather, a part of it (a necessary bogeyman, in some respect playing a similar role to that of Russia).
The rapidly increasing inequality is Global but I disagree that it is only caused by “western colonials”. There are regions in “the West” (and East) as equally disenfranchised as most are in Iran.
I do love how phony ‘revolutionaries’ like you always argue against the Real Evil Empire’s few remaining opponents, but, instead of revealing your true intentions, to support the Empire, which would become plain without the disguise of ‘Anonymous’, you pretend to be concerned about inequality and even have the casuistic gall to deny that the vicious sanctions imposed on Iran have a good deal to do with poverty and inequality in that country. I do not much like theocracies, but I would support Beelzebub himself if he opposed the USA and Israel, and Iran is no Beelzebub.
Poverty & equality are two totally distinct entities but you continue to mention them in the same breath.
There is, for example, massive wealth among some in Cuba. There is massive poverty among many in Cuba.
There is no requirement for any inequality in Cuba. The result there may be that everyone was poor but most would be much better off than they are now.
The problem is not an evil empire but, rather, an insidious organsiation of practically all societies on earth. This insidious organisation of society is organised by an insidious Global class that centralise economic benefit/power to themselves without care to others.
The “evil empire” you describe strikes equally at millions/billions of the vulnerable in the US/UK/EU/Russia/China … everywhere.
It happens that this Global class have identified Canon fodder carbon rich societies (like Iran, Venezuela, Russia) for special exploitation.
Only to that extent am I glad not to have been born there.
However the exploitation of Iranian resources is not only by those without Iran. The inequality statistics exemplify the insidious class exists there the same way as it does globally.
Are you arguing for even greater sanctions in the name of equality and social solidarity? No wonder you insist on remaining Anonymous.
I can begin to detect your intentions, Anonymous. Why don’t you append a name, so that we can judge your comments over time, and get an even better idea of your agenda? Iran is almost certainly less unequal than the USA, because the USA is a brutal capitalist regime where the burgeoning underclass of ‘losers’ is treated with extreme cruelty. Just look at the barbarity inflicted on refugees on the US southern border, and contrast it with Iran’s efforts to house millions of refugees from your beloved USA and Israel’s aggression and genocide in Afghanistan. And Israel is the second most unequal state in the OECD rich boys’ club, and the inequality is far worse for the untermenschen Palestinian Israelis, and even more so for African refugees fleeing from Israeli organised state destruction in Sudan, Somalia, and malign interference in Eritrea. Even among the Jewish ubermenschen in Israel, inequality is marked and growing.
On what do you base your “almost” certainly less Iranian inequality to that in the US?
I don’t hate the USA but I do hate it’s Kleptocracy and many of the turkey’s in their turkey farm.
Until you respond, it’s not a good website to start but let’s, for now, take these national GINI coefficients as a starter for 10 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2172rank.html
At 45.0 in 2007, the US was placed 39th from worst (and that is a brutal regime)
At 42.8 in 2013, Israel was placed 48th from worst (and that is an exceptionally brutal regime)
However, iran was sandwiched between these two “despotic” states, as follows:
At 44.5 in 2006, iran was was placed 43rd from worst
the question is, what sort of despotic state permits a GINI of 44.5?
I await the source of your own claims with interest.
First of all thanks for the laugh. Who would have thought that the super monopoly capitalist usa and its criminal cia would care so much for equality! Then again anonymous you are doing what any hasbara has been doing for a long time; repeating the same tiresome points without any logic to it. The same way people like you keep using and abusing freedom and democracy as a weapon against us! Do you know, where their statistic weapon malfunctions? Take a look at Kosovo! She is more equal than the Scandinavian countries! What a surprise!
For your information inequality has always existed in the history of mankind. I am sure, that you have heard the story of Cain killing his brother for money and power. Take a look at any legend or story from the very beginning of our existence until today. It is the same story. People like Fukuyama openly declare Force as the basis for society. The entire western world is built upon social Darwinism.
Equality requires two things: ideological justification and resources. Take a look at usa. It is a monopoly capitalist system with all the resources in the world and an unlimited money supply, thanks to the Federal Reserve’s printing machine, which has helped the use plunder the wealth of the entire world! What is lacking here is the ideology needed for the justification of a system based on equality.
The entire Islamic economic system is based on one single word “Ghest”. Every other principal being it “Khoms” or “Zakat”, which are islamic taxes, are for the purpose of “Ghest”. It is based on the individuals “share” and “needs” in the society. “Ghest” is not equality, even though in a matter of principal both our Prophet Mohammad and the 4. Caliph Imam Ali paid equal amount of money to a freed slave as their high ranking commanders. This world has never seen a ruler like Imam Ali. He ruled over almost the entire known world from Africa to the border China and lived in total poverty himself. “Ghest” is what equality lacks!
The fact of the matter is, that the question of equality is misleading. Last time the world tried, we got a state monopoly instead created and sustained by the very monopoly capitalists in the west. In reality the equality index of the cia is a sham. The high index of the not existing equality in the Scandinavian countries is in fact “Welfare” based on TAXES. It is not income equality! And when it comes to welfare Iran surpasses the mighty usa and a few other candidates too.
Those that know me will tell you, that I despise the rich people from the third world. There is a psychological difference between a rich man like Ford, who paid his workers enough money for them to be able to buy the very car, they were building. And the rich bastards in third world countries sucking their countries dry, humiliating and abusing their own people. The rich in that part of the world including Iran consider themselves belonging to another breed of people, a higher kind of people. They distance themselves from their own people and look down on them. For the goal is to be accepted by the western elite.
You westerners have never given us a living chance. At least give us a little time!
I leave you with a few words from which there is no escape:
Preface By Jean Paul Sartre to the “Wretched of the Earth” by one of my greatest heroes Frantz Fanon
Not so very long ago, the earth numbered two thousand million inhabitants: five hundred
million men, and one thousand five hundred million natives. The former had the Word;
the others had the use of it. Between the two there were hired kinglets, overlords, and a
bourgeoisie, sham from beginning to end, which served as go-betweens. In the colonies
the truth stood naked, but the citizens of the mother country preferred it with clothes on:
the native had to love them, something in the way mothers are loved. The European elite
undertook to manufacture a native elite. They picked out promising adolescents; they
branded them, as with a red-hot iron, with the principles of Western culture; they stuffed
their mouths full with high-sounding phrases, grand glutinous words that stuck to the
teeth. After a short stay in the mother country they were sent home, whitewashed. These
walking lies had nothing left to say to their brothers; they only echoed. From Paris, from
London, from Amsterdam we would utter the words “Parthenon! Brotherhood!” and
somewhere in Africa or Asia lips would open “…thenon! …therhood!” It was the golden
age.
It came to an end; the mouths opened by themselves; the yellow and black voices still
spoke of our humanism
-7-
but only to reproach us with our inhumanity. We listened without displeasure to these
polite statements of resentment, at first with proud amazement. What? They are able to
talk by themselves? Just look at what we have made of them! We did not doubt but that
they would accept our ideals, since they accused us of not being faithful to them. Then,
indeed, Europe could believe in her mission; she had hellenized the Asians; she had
created a new breed, the Greco-Latin Negroes. We might add, quite between ourselves,
as men of the world: “After all, let them bawl their heads off, it relieves their feelings;
dogs that bark don’t bite.”
Ah, Henry Ford – another great role model, just like Iran.
/the-ukies-come-to-paris-to-meet-with-their-bosses/#comment-637055
Quote
B.F. on April 15, 2019 · at 5:50 pm EST/EDT
Matthiew
I am afraid I cannot agree with you. Anglo-American bankers worked jointly to place into power and finance Hitler. Who invested in Germany after World War One ? Who provided the German Army with transport ? Henry Ford perhaps ? Why didn’t the US Army Air Force bomb American factories in Germany during World War Two ? Both Napoleon and Hitler were proxy fighters, financed by private bankers, whose aim was the break up and plunder of Russia. This task has now been given to NATO. It too will fail.
End Quote
Are you kidding me man! That tiny little comment! If you really want to know, read at least professor Anthony Suttons trilogy exposing all of it from Hitler to communism to the new world order bankers from Germany to the usa itself! It actually sounds to me, that this Mathiew is quoting Sutton´s books!
Have mentioned issues here, about which western intellectuals have not a clue about. Do you know how many articles a journalist can research and write about the situation in Iran by just reading my comments on this thread?
Whatever Ford did, he cared enough for his country to oppose the Jewish drive for global domination. That is something that nobody can say about our billionaires!
Let me tell you about something, that makes my blood boil; these bastard corrupt usurper animals dressed in human skin say openly in Iran, that reason for their fortune, riches and blood money is Better Genes! That is what it has come to in The Islamic Republic Of Iran! Social Darwinism in the land of the Shia!please stop using capitals – its like screaming. Mod.
There is no corruption big enough, no crime big enough and no tragedy big enough brought upon our people by these bastards, that will make me doubt my loyalty towards our leader, our people and our faith! There is going to be a blood bath in Iran killing all of these bastards. And I will be there to do my part!
Not kidding at all, man.
Matthiew’s reply included:
Quote
Matthiew on April 15, 2019 · at 7:36 pm EST/EDT
Just research German companies like Krupp and IG Farben and their mysteriously close link to American oligarchy. Possibly Ford was one of the backers. Knowing his fascist tendencies and relationship with German Nazis, I think it is quite plausible.
End Quote
You remind me of one of the US turkey’s in it’s Kleptocratic turkey farm.
What Ford, and the Reich backers did, was to ensure the rich of Europe never had an occurrence equivalent to the last day of the Romanov’s.
Sure mod.
You are wrong anonymous, it has always been the function of democracy to prevent that. There is no need to continue this dialogue. Read books instead of quoting somebodys comment.
Good luck to you.
Thank you for this rare and enlightening piece of journalism. It was back in 1993 that I came to the realization that the Western mass media, significant portions of its academia and polity cannot be trusted. Since 1993 I have not been a consumer of Western so-called mainstream mass media. I invite others to stop being the consumers of propaganda as well.
I have been boycotting Reuters and AP since 1993. I now do my own thinking. It is a little more work but definitely worth it.
ماشاالله، خیلی مردی آقای نویسنده. شیر پاک مادرت نوش جان ات. درد و بلای خودت و عزیزان ات به جان ستمگران کلان سرمایه دار بد طینت. پایدار باد مقاومت وجدان.
Translates:
God bless you, you’re a man, writer. Bon Appétit. Your own suffering and loved ones give to the cruel tyranny of tyrants. Long live your conscience.
Mod.
To the mod, please remove the previous version that you have uploaded. I have rewritten the speech in order to make it more suitable for reading. This version is far better. Thank you and i apologize for the inconvinience.
Excerpt from a speech by Aliakbar Raefipour
I am telling you, the wheels of this revolution have been turning on the shoulder of the poor. These are not my words. I have selected some of Imam Khomeini´s speeches for you. Imam Khomeini said: “Only those will remain with us till the end, who have tasted the pain of poverty, helplessness and social injustice. The poor and those believers without means are the true force sustaining and turning the wheels of revolutions. We must do our best to safeguard the principal of helping the oppressed with all means. We will fight to the last drop of our blood in order to bring forth justice for the oppressed in the world.” The quote is from his collected works volume 23, pages 86-87. He himself created “Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation” (to help the poor). The Imam was very harsh towards the rich. He talked harshly against them. Let me speak candidly and if there is time, I will read from (his speeches) for you. The Imam says, that it is almost inconceivable for a rich person to be one of us (a revolutionary). If there is, it is an exception. We are not saying, that all rich people are bad people. No! But the arena of worldly riches affects their soul, because material riches pull and fascinate (the people). Have you seen, how trying to follow the newest fashion constantly in every aspect creates havoc in one´s life? It destroys a person! It can even happen to a poor person falling into the “newest fashion” trap, trying with the little he has to dissemble others. This is alarming! “….. It was but for the barefoot, the slum dwellers, and poor university students…,” He says, that even amongst the university students those without riches joined us, not the rich ones.”…..And people on the streets and in the bazars rose up together and revolted in the name of God and started a movement, which guided us towards this freedom (that we have achieved). And those big barriers, that no one thought would be broken, broke and took us to where we became ministers …..” Some gentlemen should listen! “…. Will Become ministers, will become presidents, became lawyers and possess all of this (power and opportunity). It is all because of the people. Everything we have is because of the people; a muslim people achieves it while shouting Allah Akbar (God is great)…..” If you notice, every time The Imam mentions the people, he immediately mentions God! It means, that God has a special place (here,) and that Imam has a unique monotheistic view of the matter. He keeps reminding us about God, and not forgetting God. He is pointing out, that if you have become the president, (you have to ask yourself) who has given you this position?! And if you have become an ambassador, (you have to ask yourself): Who has given you that job? Or if you have become a minister, (you must ask yourself): Who gave you that job? How did Imam himself live? A hundred times these same gentlemen said to Imam, that it is not good for our image and reputation (for you to keep living like this), when foreign dignitaries come to visit. They wanted him to replace his furniture. But he replied, that it is, what it is. He had a sofa that he sat on! Some of the greatest representatives of the world came (to visit him)and he placed them there (on that sofa). Mr. Velayati says, that when he was the foreign minister, Eduard Sjevardnadse the former foreign minister of USSR, who later became the president of Georgia after the fall of USSR, came to visit Imam Khomeini. Imam had sent a message to Gorbatjov (some time before the meeting), and Sjevardnadse had come to give him Gorbatjov´s response. They had told The Imam in advance of the meeting with Sjevardnadse, that the meeting is scheduled for, let’s say, 9 pm. But Velayati had brought a bit early at 8:30 pm. Imam was at the time taking a walk and listening to the radio. They tell him, that Sjevardnadse has come early. Imam (in return) asks, why (Velayati) has done that, when the meeting is scheduled for later (that day). Imam says, that they have made a mistake bringing him early. He says, that he is busy and has his own schedule to follow. He sends them back. And they go away. But 10 minutes later they send in Rafsanjani thinking, that he may be able to do something about the situation. (But)nobody was able to change The Imam´s mind. He insisted on 9pm. The video of Imam entering the meeting is available. He has a towel in his hand and his pants are a few inches short (for his hight). He comes in and sits down asking Sjevardnadse to deliver his message. The paper in Sjevardnadse´s hand is shaking, while he is talking. This (man) was the foreign minister of the Soviet Union, which controlled half the world (at the time). Still his hands were shaking (during the meeting). He himself said during interviews, that he did afterwards: I have had meetings with the president of USA, have visited countries all over the world and have held meetings (with a lot of important people). But I was not affected by those meetings at all……..” How can a meeting with a person living in a simple house, make the symbol of the eastern bloc shake like that? (The answer is: Because the soul of a man like Imam Khomeini is occupied with the worship of God. Our faith says: Fear God, and God will put the fear of you onto others (your enemies). This is the reality of our nation. I have mentioned, how the americans interpreted this( situation) in my speech called “Infiltration”. There I read from their document for you. It talks about the “Khomeini rules”! The American document calls upon them to concentrate their efforts in order to destroy the principals, that Imam Khomeini advocates for. (According to them) the rules set by (Imam9 Khomeini must be targeted. What is one of their targets? Nothing of importance: You must not remember the poor man´s house in Jamaran (where he lived), when you hear his name! What must you associate him with? The unusual mausoleum, that they have built for him! I (personally) consider the mausoleum a negation of the truth (that he stood for). Lets(ask) them to tell you, what they want (to achieve)! I swear to you before God, that I say this according to his own way of thinking. I swear to you before God, that if Imam could come back from the grave and saw this (mausoleum that they have built for him), (well) you can imagine what he would do to them! You do know, that for the past few years The leader brings with him his mats from his own place and spreads them under his feet, when he visits the mausoleum on 4. of June (the anniversary of the death of Imam Khomeini)! Of course this signals a message (to the others).
I began to talk about a few aspects of The Leaders private life for the first time in the Jahanara TV program. Some people felt insulted by it (my revelations) and asked me, why I am talking about (these matters). I responded: Why shouldn´t I? Do you know, why they say, (that I shouldn´t) tell (people about his lifestyle)? It is because, when you talk about it, it becomes a mode (for others to follow)! And tomorrow people will ask the Mr. Principalist, the Mr. Revolutionary, the Mr. Reformist (or) the Mr. Responsible: “why do you live like this (in luxury), when your Leader lives like that (in poverty)!” It makes their job complicated! You know (like), when someone wants to do something but can´t risk losing face in front of others. Like when they want to (do something wrong and immoral), blame it on others! Have you experienced (something like) this? Someone says for example: Sirs, it is a good idea, if WE get up and go (outside to) drink some water. But the truth is, that he alone is thirsty. He knows, that if he gets up (to leave), he will stick out in the crowd. So he tells everybody to do the same! And if somebody doesn´t do (what he asks), he says to him: Don’t be a drag spoiling the good times for the rest! Everybody is going, you should come too! Because even if a single individual (choses not go, it represents the choice of “it was possible not to go”. (it represents the choice of) “it was possible not to be corrupt”. These are the conditions of our society. Accordingly these gentlemen don´t believe it is possible for a person (our Leader) to eat the same food for 3 days (on a row). It is because they themselves walk from restaurant to restaurant sending the bills to the people day and night! And they don’t care, that they are (considered) examples for the (rest of the) society, when they occupy (a position of) responsibility. “People imitate their rulers in their own lives” (a religious quote by Imam Ali the first Shia Imam). “Those responsible” means everybody and not just those with authority. I am also responsible. Somewhere they criticized me and asked: why do you …..! (In fact) the ones asking were my acquaintances. They asked me, why I have spoken about my private life and my economic situation on the podium? I replied that it is because, I want to tell the people: “I am one of you!” It warms people’s hearts (to know, that I am in the same situation as them!
When people came to see Imam Ali (the first Shia Imam and the fourth Caliph), they watched him sit on the ground. He (used to) sit on the ground. (So they gave him) the nickname Abu Turab (Father of the soil). when they asked him why (he did that)? He replied: because there are still those, that don’t own a mat (to sit on while) under my rule! The poverty situation had been dire back then. Some people didn’t have anything to spread under their feet, not even a straw mat.
The revolution is carried on the shoulder of these people. And today they are the target of the enemy. Who bears the consequences of those coordinated economic plots hitting us from abroad and from inside the county? The poor classes! After all the rich person´s house worth a billion is now worth 3 billion (because of devaluation of our currency and inflation). Is it otherwise? Amidst all of this some fellow has started a campaign telling people: don’t buy gold coins and Dollars! My Dear, dear Doctor! What business do WE have to do with gold and Dollar? What money do we have to buy gold and Dollar with? Mr. Doctor gold coins and Dollar are being bought by a specific group of people, who don’t give a fly about (us) or the like of (us) or what you (yourself) talk about! In the milieu where you live, where you drive your (Mercedes) Benz, where you have your house and own your luxury villa, the picture of which (by the way) has become public, you have the money to buy gold coins. Still it is nice of you, that you yourself don´t buy (gold coins and dollars)! My Dear, how can people afford to buy a 4 million Toman (name of the Iranian currency) gold coin? Where are they supposed to get the money from? The ones that should not buy gold are the ones, who buy 30 000 gold coins in one day! This only shows, that this fellow is not in the same situation as the rest of us. He is delirious! This fellow! More than that he hasn’t just said, (that you should not) buy gold coins and Dollar! He is saying: don’t buy ANYTHING! Well as a result the merchants are going to lose everything too! As the saying goes: We have no hope of receiving any benefit from you. At least don’t harm us. Please! This new planning, these new economic initiatives are for the purpose of targeting the main social segment supporting the revolution.
Imam Khomeini continues: “Another point which you all know very well (is that) this government and this republic……” God is my witness it is as if he has spoken about the situation today! These are the words of The Imam. If it wasn’t his words, they would put 1000 labels on us (for these words)! Imam continues: “People created this government and republic, but not all the people……” He is saying, that when someone postulates, that it was all the people (who sacrificed and suffered for the revolution). It was not the case. Have patience and he will explain it (further for you). Imam is saying: “The barefoot and the poor, the merchants of the bazars, the middle class and the dispossessed.” It was these people, (who carried the burden of this revolution on their shoulders). He says, that even in the bazars it was the ones with average and sub average wealth, and not the multimillionaires (in the bazars) of the time. There were millionaires back then (not billionaires). “……These were the one´s under pressure! If somebody had done some research during people´s demonstrations on the streets against the Pahlavi regime, and during the first days of the revolution, they could have encountered (these exact segments of the population)…..” He is telling us to act and research the revolution and the war (the 8 year war against Saddam). (Then we will be able to) see this (phenomenon) . “….. And you will see how many amongst them are form the wealthy, and how many of them are the poor….” He is asking us to do some research and find out how many rich people have given their lives during the war, and how many are from the poor people, from the dispossessed and from the “south” (poor)part of the cities. Even today when you visit the poor areas of a town, the alleys and the blind alleys connected to them are named after the martyrs (of the 8 year was against Saddam). I am not saying, that the rich areas have not had martyrs. (They do) have martyrs. But how does it compute? Recently though their streets are (being) named “Pink Street” (or) “Violet Street”. They chose colors as names (too)! They name their streets after birds like “Parrot Street”, “Canary Street” (or) “Flaming Street”. Imam is talking about this disparity, and is asking us to please understand it!
Imam continues: “It was the poor (who carried the burden of this revolution on their shoulders). Therefore your government is the government of the poor….” He is saying, that the government is the representatives of the poor. The poor gave them (the government) this power. (In contrast to today) did anybody even bother to acknowledge the (very) existence of those in power today, (back then) before the revolution? Back then people humiliated you (the ones in power now) and laughed at you, when you walked on the streets. “…. This means, that you must try to improve the lives of the poor…..” Somewhere else he says: “Our movement too succeeded through the (sacrifices of the) poor. The oppressors (in the shah´s era) either escaped (to the west) or sat indifferently in their houses or hid in their homes (during the revolution). Those that want to exploit the fruits of the revolution today, where were they, when the poor were giving their blood (for this revolution)…….” The date of the speech is 16.05.1979. It is right after the victory of the revolution, that Imam is uttering these words! This is extraordinary! When you look at the illuminating collected works of The Imam, (these same issues are repeated again and again. Imagine (for a moment, that) you change places with the gentlemen, who are the thieves (in our society today). Like these gentlemen, you want to live differently. If you want to act like them, want to consume more (like them), want to travel more (like them)and have their house and their lifestyle, What do you do (in order to achieve your desired lifestyle)? You try to convince people, that Imam was not the way, he was! What must you do in order to convince people that The Imam was not like that (living a simple life)? You must change the symbol that represents The Imam in the eyes of the people. That is all! You don´t have (to do) anything else.
Imam says, that we must try to cleanse the people of the morality of “high society”. “……. Some people desire to have a lavish lifestyle. They have the morality of the rich. But If you hope for your people to persevere, and for the divine principals of Islam to become the reality with in the society as desired by God, (you must) drag people away from the “high society” behavior. The very act of living in a mansion brings about that behavior.” That is why the rich can´t stay loyal (towards the revolution). I will give you a very simple example. If you travel to Jamkaran (a very important Shia mosque in Qom), and visit there on Wednesday nights. (You can see, that) the cars are parked around the mosque. Go and see what brands the cars are. This is a good question. Go and find out how many Lexus cars you see, and how many Pride (a very cheep car manufactured in Iran) you find. Go and take a look! The Imam is saying, that this is the nature of wealth! Yes it is possible for someone to be rich and be a supporter of the revolution. Honestly (I will say) bravo to him! Bravo for such a person. That kind of a person is brought up so well, that he either considers his money as something dirty, which can become the source of his agony (in life) or (considers the money) a blessing through which something good can come to the people by helping them. We have had people like that. And they have helped this revolution. But they are few! No! They are very few! No! They are extremely few!
(It is The Imam that says this. I am not responsible for these words: “The day when our government directs its attention towards “Castle” (lavish lifestyle for those in power)……!” Imam is talking about the dangers of present day (way back) in 1983. We are in 2018 today, brothers! ”….. The day, that our government turns its attention towards “Castle”, that day is the end of the (revolutionary) government and the (justice for the) people…….” He is saying, that it will all be over both for the government and the people. Because Imam knows, that when the authorities become accustomed to such a path, people will inevitably do the same. “He continues):“The day that our president, God forbid, no longer is attentive of a simple lifestyle and contemplates life in a “Castle”, that is the day, when decline sets in for him and those, who are close to him. And the day, when members of the parliament, God forbid, become accustomed to a luxurious lifestyle ………” Imam is naming those in authority. He mentions the president. He mentions members of the parliament! “…….. And exit this earnest simple lifestyle. We must consider that day the end of our nation.”
How can a minister, who has 1500 billion Toman, understand what people (without means) are talking about? God knows, they can´t! As the saying goes: You can´t have the sensation of burning by just looking at the fire. You must burn in order to understand, what I am going through!
Funny enough MULLAH means “Master Teacher”.
Here is another of these Mullahs with their lavish lifestyles:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C9SeMx6d9E
Enjoy!
These Mullahs really know how to party with their lavish lifestyles. For your pleasure:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bRh_-CkBgE
This one paid the price with his head!
Well, one can easily see why: he had no use for political correctness… I imagine he got many to shed their fear of the oppressors before he was killed.
Thanks for these links.
My pleasure RMM,
The word for martyr in Islam is “shahid”. The word “shahed” with the same root means a witness. knowing that one can translate the word for martyr in Islam as “a guiding light” showing the rest of us the way. Every Shia in the world worth his spit know this shahids name today.
You can take it to the bank; the whorehouse of saud will fall!
And here is the biography of Mullah Bahjat. This one spent his life in Adelson casinos!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRjT_ylVPFY
He was truely a beloved Mullah by all1
What about the rebillionaire rebes?
1. Rabbi Pinchas Abuhatzeira – NIS 1,300,000,000
2. Rabbi David Abuhatzeira – NIS 750,000,000
3. Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Alter – NIS 350,000,000
4. Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeaḥ – NIS 180,000,000
5. Rabbi Nir Ben Artzi – NIS 100,000,000
6. Rabbi Yaakov Ifargin – NIS 75,000,000
7. Rabbi Yeshayahu Pinto – NIS 75,000,000
8. Rabbi Baruch Abuhatzeira – NIS 50,000,000
9. Rabbi Reuven Elbaz – NIS 40,000,000
10. Rabbi Yoram Abargil – NIS 35,000,000
https://www.timesofisrael.com/forbes-ranks-israels-richest-rabbis/
(1$ ~= NIS 3.5)
Thanks for the background information Ramin, because this kind of information can only be provided by an Iranian.
I often listen to the speeches of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, because his commentary is incisive and his words are always well chosen and precise.
You learn from listening to his wise council.
I can remember when the JCPOA was being negotiated and he was always voicing his reservation about the whole thing and he kept on reminding the Iranian negotiaters to thread carefully, because experience has taught Iranians to be wary of the US and its machinations
In the end however, he reluctantly gave the deal his blessing, but he pointed out that to do so required “heroic flexibility” – to use his precise term.
Also, Whenever he gives a speech, you can tell by looking at members of the audience that he is loved and respected, and you can see the genuine high regard that Iranians have for him.
Khamenei, from all objective assesment is an judicious, upright and principled man.
The US Treasury Department is becoming a big joke, known more for its obsession with sanctions, that for negotiating deals beneficial to Americans.
It must be pointed out however, that US Treasury Department – has in recent times become the habitation of operatives hand-picked by Israel, who are tasked with waging war on Israel’s behalf via sanctions and asset seizures’ against countries and individuals, perceived to be enemies of Israel
By targetting Khameini however, the Department totally overreached itself and only succeeded in revealing it perfidious nature.
May God bless Khameini with many more years, so that Iran can continue to benefit from his wise leadership.
Selah
Ramin, I want to thank you for this thoroughly article to shed more light upon how the nation of Iran functions in reality. As you are located in France, you may experience too what kind of rubbish is written and said about Iran here, it’s poisonous and idiot. Just today I heard that British Minister Hunt had said that ‘Iran must come out of the dark’. What kind of Game of Thrones-speak is that? And that man may take decisions.
Please keep us informed, it’s highly appreciated.
Cheers, Rob
“Iranian Islamic Socialism” I expect the imprisoned trade unionists would beg to differ. Sadly it is too late to ask the many thousands who have already been executed, including minors, under a theocratic dictatorship where those convicted adultery, alcohol consumption, blasphemy, burglary, homosexuality, pornography and prostitution, along with, of course, political dissidence, as well as many other ‘crimes’, can pay the ultimate price. We must not forget the state sanctioned use of juveniles as troops during the mass slaughter that was the Iran-Iraq war or oppression of women. Whether minted mullas exist or not is moot when corruption is chronic and class division painfully evident. The 99% did not vote for this!
Spoken like a true zio ambassador of the west. You sound like a rapist shouting RAPE! Spare us your pretentious humanism. So you decry the blood of young boys, who litterally faked their names and ages to be able to join a war, which was initiated by the west in order to destroy the revolution in its infancy! Are you talking about 13-14 year old boys like MY LITTLE BROTHER, who faked his name and birthday to go to war and defend our country? Even when he was injured with shrapnel, even when he was injured with bullets, and even when he was gassed thanks to GERMAN CHEMICAL WEAPONS of Saddam, he kept going back and fought for our country, our people and our revolution! Are you talking about these young boys, who defeated Saddam and his masters in Washington, Paris and London?
The funny thing is though, that you monsters constantly bring up your degenerate human rights. It seems as if you are blind to the fact, that if torture, murder, genocide and plunder is the measure nobody can compare to your astronomical crimes including the ones that are ongoing! On the other hand you try to skillfully criminalize the desire of any nation to defend itself against your covert and overt aggressions. I have news for you. Our system of government is not called “The Islamic Republic of Lawlessness” or “The Islamic Republic of chaos”. Our country has every right to defend our nations even if it means imprisoning western agents dressed as union workers! Is there any better place to hide and at the same time enjoy open western protection in the name of human right than hiding in plain sight as human right activists, environmental activists and journalists! Nowhere else can they do the damage they do against our people!
You hasbara are always late! The newest trend is not union work, but women’s rights! They know, that by law it is forbidden for women to entre public places without headscarf. So what do they do to help the hasbara and the Zionist propaganda machinery against our people? One of them removes her scarf, while the rest call the police in order to film “the brutality of our police” asking her to please wear her scurf! They even attack the police to get a reaction for the glory of monsters and criminals like AMNESTI and HUMAN RIGHTS!
And when it comes to your socalled massacres, last time everybody checked it was the bastard sons and daughters of the west, who have assassinated 17 000 Iranians for their patriotism and faith!
You hasbara need some new materials. And work and no play…….!
At least you have the honour to not hide behind an ‘Anonymous’, I grant you that.
You know, it’s not that hard to drag a people, a nation, a culture through the mud. If it will bring us anywhere is another question.
We could discuss the record imprisonment of reporters in Turkey. We could discuss the Apartheid laws in Israel. We could discuss the absolute record in death penalties in China. We could discuss the insane amount of inmates in the USA (some 2%), used for cheap labour (the former DA in California Kamala Harris once declined an amnesty while she was making too good money on them, yes, that Kamala Harris).
The first I thought when reading your post was that you describe Saudi Arabia. Yes, Saudi Arabia uses Sudanese juveniles in their genocidal Yemen war. I’m sure you protest that too?
I’m awaiting the parliamentary elections in this enlightened ‘Game of Thrones’ state.
Cheers, Rob
Well Rob thank you for your truly classic hasbara reply. I almost feel sorry for the hasbara. This internet thing is destroying western propaganda by the Minute.
There is a movie called “Thank You for Smoking”. Any man, woman or child with interest in political discourse must watch it. It is educational!
There is a scene, where the lobbyist father tries to teach his son, how to win an argument. The son says something like ”it is wrong to smoke”. The father answers something like “the freedom of choice is important … The constitutions guaranties the right to ……..!
If it sounds familiar, it is because it is!
So you begin with a little sympathy followed by a little bit of guilty by association with a touch of implicit freedom of speech and finish with a bit of indignation and human rights! Not bad but not good enough either. Do better and I promise you a proper reply.
With regards
“You are wrong anonymous, it has always been the function of democracy to prevent that.”
Whatever “that” is… man, if democracy really mattered “the people” would never be permitted to vote.
“There is no need to continue this dialogue”
Welcome to the (not so) Socialist Islamic Republic of Iran where the millionaires know best but the billionaires know better (so long as they are just like Henry Ford).
Anonymous I am really not your enemy. If you as an individual truly become able to see the world as it really is, it will be a victory for all of us. We are a minority.
I can honestly tell you, that you know more, that billions of people in this world. I will tell you a secret to knowledge too, which nobody talks about: Luck! I hope, that you will be lucky and find answers to your questions in life. It takes luck to have to books falling into ones laps to the questions, one seeks answers to! Let the information take you, wherever it may. Read books, that you disagree with. I am a muslim and read antimuslim books! I have had to study sociology, history, economy, philosophy and even military strategy. I was studying economy and kept thinking, that I have to study military strategy to understand economy! I spent my life studying just to lose my memory! It is all gone and according to medical experts, I am not going to get my memory back. It is what it is. I still keep reading book after book, and if I am lucky, a little of the content sticks to my memory. Usually a few days later I have forgotten, that I have ever read the book! The funny thing is, that I remember the first time I visited a library. I began crying, because I felt sad knowing that I would never have time to read all the books there.
There was a time, when I thought I knew it all. And I did! I knew the same worthless garbage, that you find in every university, which is the last place one can find the truth. Imagine the shock to my system, when I found out, that everything I knew was a lie. I had to literally fight myself for years before accepting the truth.
The ones ruling over us don’t hide intentions and goals. They even boast about it. They always have! If you want to know the truth about democracy from the horse’s mouth Edward Bernays. Read political books about real conspiracies. Read a hundred books or articles about a subject. , that you disagree with. The real information comes in fragments!
When you truly know, it will only bring you sadness.
I hope, you will do better than the rest of us.
Good luck.
Good luck to you too Minute by Minute.
I don’t need any more books to tell me that the World has always been the same way and, unfortunately, always will be.
We have (nearly) always been ruled by psychopaths (i.e. by those without empathy).
The $billionaires (and technocratic class) want power and “things” (enabled by money) and don’t care the effect that centralisation of wealth-power has on others (Henry Ford is no different in this respect to the 3rd World banana republic guy you previously referred to).
I don’t know if the Islamic Republic was really different when it was first constituted but it is now very little different to anywhere else – the parasite class are in charge there just as they are everywhere.
I serioiusly mean no offence here – please keep reading those religious books. You may finally realise that Islam is no different to the faith of, say, the Ancient Egyptians i.e. a fantasy. Consider yourself a mad Evangelical Christian Zionist from Texas if, just by luck, you had been born there and you will get the idea.
Why or how we are here I don’t know but it won’t be explained by individual belief in God, Allah or Zeus.
I am, definitely, not your enemy – just as you imagine I am misguided, I think the same of you too.
Peace.
Anonymous, I don’t think, that you are misguided. But I do believe, that you don’t have all the pieces to this puzzle. There is a moment in every man’s life, when he decides, what is what is not in life. The rest of his life he tries to convince himself about the validity of his choice. Trust me, when I tell you, that you are at the beginning of this road, not the end of it. I know, because I have been, where you are now.
In this life I have face demons and I have literally looked then in eye. I have been fighting them for decades now. I have seen Jesus and I will gladly give my life to see him again. I would die the luckiest man on earth, if I just could see him one more time. And I am a muslim by choice. Every ideology being it religious or atheistic must hook you line and sinker. It is the way it is. It can be because of a person, a story or an event bringing you there, but bringing you there it will. Personally I was reading lenin´s speeches before high school. So I am not muslim by culture.
I hope, you get there.
With regards