He further emphasized: "the dozen or so matronly monarchists, some of them mothers of demonstrating students, are becoming a familiar sight at Tehran’s hot-spots".

On Friday 22 November, during the large Tehran gathering in commemoration of the murder of Dariush Forouhar a nationalist politician stabbed to death at his home along with his wife Parvaneh Eskandari in 1998 by rogue intelligence ministry agents, again the voice of monarchists could be heard, calling for Reza Pahlavi, son of the late Shah of Iran who was deposed by Islamic revolutionaries in 1979.

In the northeastern city of Mashhad, where 60 people were arrested at an anti regime rally, thousands of leaflets were distributed in support of Reza Pahlavi and restoration of constitutional Monarchy in Iran.

Despite the Ayatollahs’ trivialization, the charisma and powerful magnetism of monarchism once again is attracting the masses in a country where monarchical tradition dates back as far as 500 BC and until 1979 had the oldest system of monarchy in the world.

During the recent demonstrations, which began on 9 November, pro-democracy forces and students of major universities have been constantly demanding that the regime should put an end to its arbitrary rule, and to free political prisoners. At the same time, two of main slogans were the centerpiece of the students’ demands: "Referendum" and "Today only Unity", both of which were initiated by Reza Pahlavi.

Reza Pahlavi is neither like his grandfather Reza Shah the Great nor his father Mohammad Reza Shah Pahalavi.

Unlike the opposition groups outside Iran, university students inside Iran are actually demonstrating that unity to a certain degree and above all, they are insisting on Pahlavi’s call for non-violent movement against the theocratic regime. His message is gradually gathering momentum.

In her latest (24 November 2002) report from Tehran, Farnaz Fassihi, an Iranian staff of the American daily "Star-Ledger", wrote "... This time they [Students] want to be more rational than emotional. They compare their struggle to those in South Africa and Yugoslavia, and even the civil rights movement of the Rev. Martin Luther King in the United States".

"We want these demonstrations to remain peaceful and contained with focused goals. It is not in our interest to let things get out of control, because a lot is at stake. The authorities are waiting for one wrong move from us and we will all be behind bars", Ms Fassihi quoted a prominent student leader who went to jail last summer for insulting the clergy and who asked not to be named.

It is apparent that in future, unity amongst the different active segment of the society will take shape and non-violent movement and civil disorder would spread to industrial sectors and most important of all to the oil industry, which could paralyse the government.

However, lack of an alternative political organisation able to physically takeover the power from the current rulers and act as an interim government creates a big problem. Without such an organisation outside or inside Iran, the so-called silent majority would not commit itself to a decisive turn out against the Mullahs.

It is an apparent reality that Iranian politicians who advocate the return of Monarchy have not been able to organise a united front. In fact during the last 24 years, none of the four million Iranian Diasporas in four continents have been able to establish such an organisation except for Iraq based Mojaheedin Khalgh Organisation that have no political ground inside Iran.

Return to monarchical tradition is not limited only to Iranians.

In Western Europe, nations with monarchical tradition are among the most democratic countries in the world. In Asia Japan represents the same democracy under which its nation has achieved enormous economical and industrial success.

Editor’s note: Mr. Nader Sadighi is a freelance Journalist and broadcaster based in USA. He contributed this analysis to Iran Press Service.

Mr. Sadighi can be contacted via his e-mail: nadersadighi@cs.com