Source: Kaleme
Date: Friday, January 1, 2010

In the name of God, the Compassionate, and the Merciful,

السلام علیک یا ابا عبدالله. انی سلم لمن سالمکم و حرب لمن حاربکم و ولی لمن والاکم و عدو لمن عاداکم فیالیتنی کنت معکم فافوزا فوزا عظیما

Greetings to Hossein, the third Imam, Indeed I am a friend to those who befriend you and an fighter to those who fight you. I am companion to those who accompany you, and an enemy to those who choose to be your enemy. I wish I were with you in which case my success would be a glorious victory.

I was constantly told that if my friends and I stop writing statements, people would not march the streets; they would stop their protest, and fall back from their demands and peace and calm would return to the country. As a companion of people’s massive green movement, I was in disagreement with this idea. I thought conditions would not return to normal until we put the necessary reforms into action, the very reforms that are extractable from the constitution.

For the rituals of Imam Hossein, despite numerous requests, neither Hojatoleslams Karoubi and Khatami, nor I nor any of my friends announced a statement. Nevertheless, pious people marched the streets and showed great social and civil networks that were formed during and after the election through people themselves does not wait for statements and announcements. People walked the streets despite lacking a newspaper that would accompany and encourage them, or a just and impartial national broadcasting channel. Yet again, the all nations and the whole world was witness to mourners of Imam Hossein who walked the streets on this and talked the name of Hossein holy day. They marched non-violently without any radical slogans down the roads and squares of their own choosing. But yet again people were provoked. This time around people faced an unspeakable violence that included running persons over, they came under open fire from the plainclothes forces whose identity is now known to everyone, and whose leaders’ faces come to clearer and clearer light everyday. This was a tragedy that would echo for years in our politics.

Witnessing heartbreaking clips from Ashoura rituals shows that slogans and movements radicalize when innocent people are thrown off bridges, are gunned down, are ran over, and assassinated. What is interesting is that some clips show that beneath the masks and gadgetry of security and Basij forces, people see their own brothers and in that critical conditions try hard to stop harm coming to them when they are captured by people. If State TV had the smallest bit of just blood in their vein, they would show at least broadcast some of these scenes to calm the environment and bring people together. Alas! What happened after Ashoura, namely extensive detainments and other government actions, revealed that responsible officials just repeat the same mistakes in larger numbers and in a broader range. They think using politics of fear is the only solution.
Suppose you silenced the society through detainments, violence, threats, and silencing the newspapers and media, what would you do to changes the nation’s judgment towards the establishment? What would you do to solve the loss of legitimacy of the system? What would you do to change the surprised and reproaching views of the people all around the world to the brutalities of [our] government towards its own people? What would you do to deal with economic problems of the country and financial issues that people face in their daily lives that are deepening everyday due to a persistent incompetence of the government? With support of what competency, unity and effective foreign policy do you take our country out of the shadow of the current sanctions, and greed of [other nations for our resources?]

These people [currently responsible] think that by chasing away intellectuals, capable thinkers, university students and other activists from the political arena they can return things to the way they were before the elections. However, those who have studied history and are familiar with the complexities of societies know very well that such frameworks of thinking are illusive and unreal and are just about sheltering [the society] with shallow and deceitful approaches [to our problems.]

I say this clearly and with utmost certainty, orders of execution, murderer and imprisonment of Mousavi and Karoubi and the like would not resolve our problems. Speeches last Wednesday at the revolution square and prior to that at the Friday prayers by the speakers assigned by the establishment related any conclusions of acts of terrorism directly to the movement, and would make the deadlock in the current crisis impossible to resolve. Pathetically berating a large group in our society, calling them dirt and dust, and considering it religiously tolerable to spill the blood of mourners of Hossein, are tragedies that are caused by a certain people within the State TV. What kind of speech from the government tribune would call people to fight one another, naming a group as party of God, and another group as party of the Devil? [These speakers] repeatedly declare that people pay attentions, this is war! Aren’t these words an invitation to war and civil riots? Are there religious scholars and sources of immolations who can tell [us] how to react to these persons?

As a small member of this great society, what I welcome is any attacks on Islam and our dear nation. Talks [of orders to execution or murders] remind me of words of the great Imam [Khomeini]: “Kill us, we would only grow stronger.” I do not have any fear to be amongst the martyrs that people have contributed for their religious and patriotic right and demands after the elections. My blood is no different than theirs.
I say with the utmost shrewdness, there would no solution to exit the crisis and solve problems until existence of severe crisis is not recognized in the country. Refrains from admitting the crisis would justify continual of repressive solutions. Admitting to [our] critical condition can realize a solution that is not based on repression but on national reconciliation. [They make] accusations like irreligiousness, companionship with oppressive foreign powers and relations with ill repute individuals and notorious groups like the MKO. Assuming that such accusations could physically remove a number of public servants of society and Islam is the same turning a blind eye to nature of our nation wide problems in our country. I talk about these as someone with the best interests [of the Islamic republic] at heart. The MKOs are dead [to people] because of their atrocities and treacheries. Do not revive them to win political points and induce hatred.

Before I state my own solutions to exit the current crisis, I feel a necessity burden to emphasize on Islamic and national identity of the green movement, its opposition to foreigner’s rule on the country, and its loyalty to our constitution. We are the followers of Imam Hossein. We are devotees of the path that was led by that oppressed Imam. We are the followers of he [Imam Ali, first Imam of Shiite] who could not tolerate taking something invaluable from a person of one minority in the vast land of Islamic nation of the day. We believe in a compassionate reading of Islam that views people as in the same religious, or companions in the creation; a reading that believes in the innate dignity of humanity, and does not tolerate that criminal be kept in prison with a food different than the food of the victims outside, or that be tortured while imprisoned.

I along with many of my current friends who are currently in prison are all strongly committed to independence of the country. We grieve when we see our Islamic market flooded with foreign products. We strongly oppose the current corruption caused by wrong policies and incompetencies [of the government.] We are saying that if institutions like the revolutionary guards participate in financial matters like the stock market they cannot be defender of country and its national resources. They would fall into corruption and bring the country down to corruption with themselves. We are saying that today benefits and rights of blue and white collar workers, the labors and the oppressed and all the other layers of this nation are drowning in big corruption. The green movement is against lying and views it as a harmful disease for this nation. That is why we view lies in politics, security affairs and economic and cultural issues as a great danger for our country.
What we want is a government and system that is honest and supportive and is based on votes of people; one that looks at variety in the votes and ideas of people as an opportunity instead of a threat. We consider invasion of privacy, violation of ideas and private spaces, closedowns of newspapers, and constrains on media as against our advanced religion of salvation and opposing to the constitution that rose from religion. It is a sin to us to put even a Rial of taxpayer’s money waste by spending it toward personal and partisan purposes. What we are saying is that the document that creates a vision for the future of Iran and has been approved by all the pillars of the establishment is now nothing but worthless paper. Let us warn you that new economic powers in the region are rising to power in double digit figures growing stronger everyday while unfortunately we are incapable of bookkeeping the annual budget, treasury reserves. We are even incapable of providing proper answers to people and accountants, auditors of government and members of the parliament for government expenditures.

We are neither Americans nor British. We have neither sent any congratulation letters to leaders of important powers [as accusations claim] nor are we hoping for their help. We know very well the mechanism of power in the international stage where every country follows is own national interest. We despise those who do not respect their own nations’ religious beliefs and traditions. Accusations of desecration to Quran, Ashoura, and images of Imam are ridiculous to us. Needless to say, if any desecration of the dignity has taken place on the day of Ashoura we do not approve it. However the worst kind of desecration is killing innocent mourners on the day of Ashoura and in the months of mourning.

However what I see as solutions to the crisis at hand is as follows. Current condition of country is similar to a massive and wild river that is muddy and wavy due to waves of recent different events. Calming this great river and clearing the water [from all the mud] is not a quick fix. It is not possible in a one or two staged solution hoping to do the job quickly and abruptly. Thinking of such solutions like the ones that suggest some confessing to their mistakes and others negotiate a deal and hope to solve the problem with some back and forth in a quick fix would never solve a problem of this magnitude and is like deviating from the real answers.

My solution involves opening up the smaller rivers and springs of clear water to this great river so that gradually the conditions of the water in the river begins to change. I believe that is still not late. Our establishment has the power to commit important task if they rely on competencies, a kind and respectful view of all the people across the nation from all social layers. Below I have enumerated some of such solutions that could act like springs of clear water and influence the country on the national level and shift the condition to allow us to escape the crisis:

1) The government should take declare that it is directly accountable to the nation, parliament and the judiciary branch. This should be done in a way that the government does not receive unusual support for its deficiencies and weaknesses. The government must be directly accountable for the troubles it has caused. Rest assured if the government is competent and just, it should be able to answers to the concerns of the people and the parliament and if it is incapable and incompetent, the parliament and the judiciary branch would react within the framework of their constitutional powers.

2) Proposing transparent and credible election regulation such that it can convince the nations in having free, fair elections, without trickery and interference. This regulation must assure people’s participation in elections despite their differences in thoughts and affiliations. This regulation must further put an end to some of officials’ interference based on their political affiliations or tastes. The first few parliaments after the revolution can be noted as models on how to perform this properly.

3) Free and exonerate the political prisoners. I am confident that this act will not be read as a weakness but will show how visionary the establishment is. We are also certain the demising political currents [who are against the establishment] are against this solution.

4) Acts such as Freedom of press and media along with release of confiscated licenses of newspapers are among the essential elements of solution process. There should be no fears from freedom of press, and in this regards experiences of other nations can be of great help. Expansion of satellite networks and their impact has clearly shown the deficiencies in older broadcasting techniques and in state TV. Wave interferences and constrains on the internet can only have a short term effect. The only solution is to have a good variety of free media that are well informed and operate within the country. Is it not the time now to switch our reliance on thinkers and creative forces within our society in a brave act to establish trust and bring our creative political, cultural and social internal forces?

5) Recognizing rights of people for legal congregations, establishing political parties and groups, and abiding by the article 27 of the constitution. Any action to promote this side of the solution – and this is something that can be performed by astuteness and cooperation of all those who have an interest in this country’s future – can replace the atmosphere of conflict between Basiji and security forces with people or conflicts of people with people within only a few months with an atmosphere of friendship and national reconciliation.

There can be more suggestion added to the above propositions. In my opinion, even a narrow channel of clear water can be beneficial. There is no necessity in executing all the above solutions simultaneously. Observing the good intentions [on the path towards implementation of such solutions] will help lighten up the horizon [of a brighter future.] My Last words are that all these suggestions can be carried out without any agreements and political contracts and negations. Instead it can be put to action from standpoint of wisdom, competence, and compassion.

-Mir Hossein Mousavi