Monday 29 June 2009

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"The Mugabe of Iran and a prayer for Peace"

I am an Englishman, so no doubt Ayatollah Ali Khameini would call me "Satan" and "A Snake", and in return all I see is the Mugabe of Iran, a petty old man clinging to power and willing to see innocent men, women and children be beaten, tortured and murdered in order to retain his power. Is controlling other people now his obsession?

In Torquay in 1979 I taught English as a Foreign Language and some of my students were Iranians, my age or slightly younger. I still think of them as my brothers and sisters and I remember vividly the stories they told: of their hate for the puppet dictator the Shah, of their fear of "the midnight knock" when members of Savak would come to the door and take away family members, who were never seen again. The early and mid-1970s were days of fear and repression, of brutality by the secret police. How little times change, now we are back to the days of Savak, thanks to Ali Khameini and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Yes, I remember 1979 and I remember too my students' joy when the brave Ayatollah Khomeini returned to his country and gave his people a taste of freedom, for the first time in years they could speak freely to one another again of their hopes and dreams. I remember too the admiration and respect that I felt for a spiritual leader called Hossein Ali Montazeri (حسین علی منتظری), now a Grand Ayatollah Montazeri, who was and still is a superior being who cares deeply for the welfare of his people. Unfortunately, after the passing of Ayatollah Khomeini, the wrong man came to power.

I should like to pay my respects to Grand Ayatollah Montazeri, to my students of 30 years ago Jahla and Mohsen and all the Iranians I have known, and please, people of Iran, do not forget young ندا (Neda) and the other innocents who have been murdered these last few weeks while they were peacefully marching. It is said that Neda means "voice of the people",now you will have to speak well of her and the others who have died, speak well and remember them, and do not allow their names and characters to be dragged through the dust under the label of "terrorist", as Ahmadinejad would like. Let truth and peace shine over all, and let the souls of the dead rest in peace and love.

With respect

Graham Cunnington, UK
Comment here
Well Said!

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