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Iranians teaching lesson on freedom By Michael C. Guilmette Jr. Originally published on June 25, 2009, in the Connersville News-Examiner. Neda Agha Soltan does not care about the strife presently taking place in Iran.
But Neda Agha Soltan does not care about that. Also for the last two weeks, U.S. President Barack Obama has held the growing Iranian crisis at arm’s length, first praising the Iranian people on the eve of Iran’s June 12 presidential election but then holding back criticism of the regime that put it’s anti-American, anti-Israeli, nuclear weapon seeking president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad back in power. Neda Agha Soltan does not care about that. Also during these past pair of weeks, we have been regaled with tales of how the United States is the architect of the current situation in Iran, first by deposing the government in 1956 and then by supporting the Shah up until the 1979 revolution. Again, Neda Agha Soltan does not care about that. As late as Wednesday of this week, we heard accounts of clashes between protesters and Iran’s armed security police, even near the country’s parliament. Among the ranks of the protesters are everyday citizens, including many women — women who are still considered second-class citizens in the Islamic Republic. As a result of these confrontations, 28 people have been confirmed dead and more than 100 are rumored to have perished. Neda Agha Soltan does not care about that. She may have at one time, but she does not now. She’s dead. Neda Agha Soltan was one those killed during the street clashes — killed because she dared to step out and demand her voice be heard. Soltan was a 27-year-old music student in Iran who died after a bullet ripped through her chest — a bullet likely fired by Iran’s security forces bent on crushing what very well could be a growing rebellion. Images of Soltan bleeding to death on a Tehran street were captured by cell phones and then circled the world in less than 48 hours, putting a human face to the tragic toll of tyranny and repression that has been the story in Iran for so long. Soltan’s picture showing her smiling face has accompanied the picture of her death, revealing her as beautiful, apparently happy 20-something who looks like someone any of us could have run into on the streets of the United States. But Soltan lived in Iran — a nation with a government that brazenly steals the people’s election and then kills them for speaking out against it. Kind of puts the 2000 U.S. presidential election into context, don’t you think? But today is 2009, and history is not the issue at the moment. The present in Iran is the issue, and at the heart of the issue is that the Iranian people want their voice — they want to be the ones running their country, not a theocratic dictatorship. President Obama has thus far chosen not to recognize the growing humanitarian crisis — and opportunity for freedom — the Iranian rebellion represents. “The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged” by the violence in Iran, Obama told the Associated Press, giving the appearance of official condemnation of the treatment of Iran’s citizens, but chose not to take it further. “The United States respects the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and is not at all interfering in Iran’s affairs,” the president said. His supporters have predictably backed him, calling his approach both cautious and wise. In a June 21 editorial in the Durango Herald in Durango, Colo., Obama’s critics were chastised for calling for a stronger hand in regards to Iran. “[The critics] are pushing an extension of the neo-conservative thinking behind the invasion of Iraq. They see an opportunity for ‘regime change’ that could lead to a democratic Middle East.” The crisis in Iran does offer an opportunity for a “regime change” in Iran, one that could benefit its people if the U.S. would stand with the protesters. “Americans too easily mistake patience for passivity and action for accomplishment. But Obama is right to play this low-key. Greater U.S. involvement would likely do more harm than good,” the editorial said. Frankly, I don’t how much more harm can be done, since people are already dying on Iran’s streets. In his second inaugural address in 2005, President George W. Bush clearly outlined this nation’s policy for supporting the oppressed around the world. “So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world,” Bush said. His later remarks in the speech were even more poignant. “All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.” The people of Iran are standing for their liberty, and President Obama needs to recognize that fact. Otherwise, his inaction will be perceived by the rest of the world as a withdrawal from that policy of freedom — a mantle we have held since our founding. If we do not act in defense of the Iranian people, Neda Agha Soltan will be joined by other martyrs who no longer can care about their freedom. • Guilmette is managing editor of the News-Examiner. He may be contacted at mguilmette@newsexaminer.com. |
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Copyright © 2009, Michael C. Guilmette Jr. |
For nearly two weeks, Iran’s citizens have been openly challenging the government in Tehran, demanding that an honest election be held — a demand that has not only gone unheard by the handpicked leadership, but has been met with threats of bloodshed.
