13 May 2002 (IPS) Seyyed Mahmood Hashemi Araqi (Shahroodi)*: "The Palestinian intifada is one of the results of our revolution (IRNA, 17 April)

The Basij of the Science and Industry University: "We, the basiji students of the Industry and Science University, while announcing our readiness to participate at the Palestinians armed jihad against the Zionist occupiers by registering in the "Kheybar and Marchers towards Qods"* brigades, declare that we have made ourselves ready for martyrdom for the safeguard and protection of the saint Islam and the liberation of the holly Qods, and are waiting impatiently the call to fulfil our long awaited hopes. (ISNA 15 April)

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Who is supposed to answer the dream of the basiji students of the Science and Industry University? Which one of the leaders of the Islamic Republic has to declare the order of jihad and attacking the Zionist occupiers?

Advisers of Hojjatoleslam seyyed Ali Khameneh'i, a conservative cleric, have, ever since he was appointed as the leader of the Islamic Republic in August 1989, tried their best to picture him as a man of authority and firmness.

In numerous editorials, "Keyhan", the newspaper that is close to the leader of the Islamic Republic, more than often refers to seyyed Ali Khameneh'i as "Ali of the time", the "Commander of Kheybar" etc. Proud of the authority and strength of his idol, Hoseyn Shari’atmadari*, the leader-appointed editor of that newspaper brands the sword of Ali to the people of the world.

Now let’s review the fact sheet of the victories of the "Powerful Ali of the Time":

Parvaneh Foroohar* and her sick husband Dariush are slaughtered by the aides and supporters of the leader; Mohammad Mokhtari, who was going to buy some subsided sugar and tea for his family from a nearby shop and Mohammad Ja’far Pooyandeh, weighing not more than 47 kilograms, are also assassinated. The leader of the Islamic Republic, refuses with all his powers to send a condolence to the families of the victims and during a meeting of the heads of the three powers, orders the Speaker of the Majles to obstruct any investigation into the murders;

Fatemeh Haqiqatjoo, the young member of the Majles, is summoned to the court after protesting to the beating and illtreatment of Fariba Davoodi-Mohajer;*

Tahmineh Milani, the famous Iranian female film director is imprisoned by the leader-appointed Prosecutor on absolutely unknown reasons;

Narges Mohammadi who went to the Islamic revolution court to defend her jailed husband is sent to prison;

Firoozeh Saber is also sent to jail because she protested to the one year imprisonment of her brother in a solitary cell;

A group of thugs, in Ansar Hezbollah’s formation that proud themselves as the "admirers of the Ali of all times" attack a group made of the wives of elderly Nationalist-religious detainees, dragging for 2 metres Mrs. Parvin Bakhtiar Nezhad on the pavement and offer others their clubs and whips...

From the study of what we said, one can conclude that only ageing women have been the witnesses of the imperious and unyielding powers of the Ali of all times. In fact, the dimensions of the power and authority of the leader are so diversified that many other Iranian citizens have also benefited from his generosity, including old people of over 70 and war disabled of more than 50 per cent.

Valiant armed soldiers of the great leader attacked the 87 years-old seyyed Ahmad Sadr Hajj Seyyed Javadi* and takes him to jail;

The old Dr. Mohammad Maleki, who is under medical control, Mohammad Reza Tavassoli, Reza Ra’is Toosi and…some 20 people who continue living with the help of different pills and medicines, are sent to the Revolutionary Guards prison number 59 by the Judiciary power that is attached to the mighty leader of the Islamic Republic;

In the Amir Kabir University, the leader of the Islamic revolution thunders triumphantly: "We don’t have legal opponents to the Islamic Republic. The Islamic regime would henceforth deal harshly with dissidents". While the great leader speaks with authority and determination against dissidents, in fact, he is aiming at a bunch of disenchanted old men and women, some of them, like Ezzatollah Sahhabi*, have twice suffered heart attacks;

Sa’id Montazeri, the war-veteran disabled at more than 70 per cent and who has lost one eye and one foot in the war, Hasanali Nooriha, Reza Ahmadi, Mahmood Kheyrollahi and…despite bodies mutilated by bullets and shrapnel, are held in prisons attached to the office of the leader and tortured in solitary cells. Admirers of the Islamic regime who are on the leader’s payroll raids the house of the innocent, 90 years-old marja’* with cries of "If the Leader orders me to jihad", ransacks his offices, aims at his life when voice comes from Tehran, saying that the great leader has ordered halt, do not enter the house, but raid and burn and loot the hoseynieh and the library and make a sit in;

After having taken two small pieces of ball meats and few spoons of yogourt accompanied by a piece of bread, students prepare themselves to defend a voice that had been silenced on orders from the leader. Admirers of the leader and elite forces of vali faqih attack the bedrooms of students who have no other arms to defend themselves but worn school bags and files, with their usual cries of "we are not from Koofeh* to let Hoseyn* alone", offering an astonished world another example of seyyed Ali’s power and leadership;

After having breakfast and smoking a quarter of mesqal* of a pure shireh*, seyyed Ali’s most faithful companion for the last 35 years, the great leader appears among his admirers in the capital’s great mossalla. Thundering slogans such as of "love only that of Ali, no other leader but Ali" increases the effects of the opium on him who, in the mantle of a great commander, orders the closure of 50 newspapers he denounces as "basis of the enemy", denying two millions of readers of their newspapers, dozens of journalists are sent behind bars, tortured, humiliated etc.

Ever since 1989, seyyed Ali Khameneh'i has only talked, without the slightest sign of real power, authority or charisma that characterised the late Grand Ayatollah Roohollah Khomeini. He only talks. Women, ageing people, journalists and war disabled are the victims of the flimsy might of Ali of all times, a man who, shivering from fear and frightened, crawls humbly in front of George Bush, begging him for pardon, but at the same time appears as a formidable oppressor and executioner to his own people: This is the real seyyed Ali Khameneh'i.

The leader of the Islamic Republic declares the defence of the innocent Palestinian people as his main slogan, self-proclaiming himself as the only leader of the world of Islam. Why then this fear and agitation?

Stop as from tomorrow the export of oil. But would he have the courage and possibility of not paying the multitude of his servants, mercenaries, courtesans, yes men, the Ansar Hezbollah and the admirer of the leader?

He considers as traitor Yaser Arafat, the man who symbolises half a century of struggle, and insists on the liberation of Palestine by the force of arms. Very good, bravo, all right. Therefore, please, come down mightily and magnanimously to the arena: accept the responsibility for the 50 tons of arms on board of "Karine A"* cargo and assure the HAMAS and the Islamic Jihad that he, as the victorious leader of the Islamic world, would, better than Saddam Husein, accepts all costs and assistance for the families of all the suicide bombers. Let him repeat Ayatollah Khomeini’s fatwa on (Salman) Rushdie*. And what about Kamal Kharrazi, the Foreign Minister? Has he ignored the clear orders of his boss concerning the necessity of liberating Qods by military means when he urged the Lebanese Hezbollah self restrain? If this is the case, then the mighty leader must immediately revoke the Minister and sent him to Evin prison to spent some times near Abdollah Noori* debating how not to obey the great leader.

Parole, parole and encore parole! Loud slogans during the Friday sermons and imploring pardon in secret in Cyprus. Imploring the United States for negotiations, even thought America does not want to talk to appointed representatives of a wreck regime defeated at the hands of its children.

And even if Tony Blair and George Bush forgives and pardons the leader for his un-kept promises, millions of Iranians fed up with the suppression of press freedom, insulting the maraje’, murdering writers, imprisoning intellectuals, attacking students, flogging young boys and girls, jailing competent managers etc. would never forgive him.

"I’m afraid, O Arab, that thou never get to the Ka’ba

For, this road thou have taken goes to Turkestan"*. ENDS RASHEDAN’S KHAMENEHI 13502

*This article was published first on 18 April 2002 in both "Iran-Emrooz" internet newspaper based in Germany and the Brussels-based internet site "Gooya";

*Iraqi-born Ayatollah Hashemi-Shahroodi Araqi is the Head of Islamic Iran’s Judiciary;

*Qods (full name: Beytol moqqaddas, or The Sacred House) is the common Arab name for Jerusalem;

*A high-ranking intelligence officer, Mr. Shari’atmadari is specialising in interrogation with intellectual and political dissidents;

*Mrs. Foroohar, her husband, the leader of the secularist Iranian People’s Party and five other intellectuals and writers were murdered savagely in November 1999 by high-ranking officers of the Intelligence Ministry on orders from some senior clerical leaders. Ayatollah Ali Khameneh'i is one of them suspected to have issued the religious orders for the assassinations;

*Mr. Haj Seyyed Javadi was Islamic Republic’s first Minister of Justice. He and some 60 other members of the Nationalist-religious groups were rounded up, arrested and detained last year in a crack-down on the popular group, on order from Mr. Khameneh'i;

*A veteran political dissident, Mr. Ezzatollah Sahhabi, the owner and Editor of "Iran Farda" weekly, spent several months in solitary confinement;

*Koofeh is the name of a city in Iraq where Hoseyn, Shi’a Muslim’s third imam, was defeated and killed with 70 of his followers by the army of Yazid, Ummayad's second Caliph;

*One mesqal is equal to more or les  s 5 grams;

*Shireh is the extract of opium;

*Mosalla is a public prayer place;

*Karine A is the name of the cargo that was seized by Israel forces in the Red Sea, carrying 50 tons of Iranian supplied arms for Palestinians opposed to peace process;

*A former Interior Minister and Advisor to the President, Hojjatoleslam Abdollah Noori was jailed two years ago for articles published in his newspaper "Khordad", considered as insulting for the leader. He refused to appeal;

*A famous verse from the great Iranian poet Sa’di.