On June 12, 13, 14, and 15, 2010, in honor of the one year anniversary of
the people's uprising, thousands of Iranians once again filled the streets
of Iran and the university campuses shouting "Death to Dictator" and "Death
to Khamenei." Iranians in exile followed suit by holding demonstrations in
support of their fellow countrymen at the embassies of the Islamic Republic
across the globe.
According to the opposition, on June 12th, at least 900 demonstrators were
arrested in Tehran alone. At least one-third of those arrested were women.
Tehran University students are urging the public to gather on June 20th marking
the one-year anniversary of Neda Aghasoltan's death, the first martyr of the
Just over a year ago, on June 13, 2009, the streets of Iran erupted with tens of
thousands of protestors across the nation following a so-called presidential
election that had been staged by the Islamic Republic. However they are
conducted, the Islamic Republic elections are by definition fraudulent because
presidential candidates can only be male Shiite Muslims approved by the regime's
Since June 13, 2009, the world has witnessed a sustained national uprising. The
clever and brave Iranian men and women strategically selected special holidays
and events to pour into the streets shouting "Death to Dictator" and "Down with
the Islamic Republic." What started out as an uproar over a blatant presidential
election fraud quickly turned into a movement against the system in its
entirety. Thirty years of an Islamofascist Constitution and theocratic tyranny
was going to be exposed. Not only was this rapid nationalist development amazing
in of itself, but the lack of leadership directing the movement made it a
phenomenon! These events, however, were not unusual for Iran.
Despite witnessing a precursor to a national revolution, what started on June
13, 2009, was not to mark the beginning of the Iranian struggle for democracy
and human civil rights. This struggle has actually been a work-in-progress
spanning across a century for a country that has fought for 14 centuries to save
its culture, language, and heritage.
The first Iranian awakening and movement against tyranny started with the 1891
Tobacco Concession to the British. According to Qajar historian Sepehr,
instigated by the powerful mullahs, the then incompetent Qajar rulers of Iran
(1794-1925) had lost Iranian territorial and economic rights to the Russians and
Europeans. During these wars, the mullahs refused a Russian peace offering
claiming they had to fight the infidels. In 1813, Iran lost Caucasian provinces
to Russia; in 1857, Herat province to Afghanistan and Merv to Russia; and in
1872, Russia took half of Sistan. Further, illiteracy and anarchy had left
Iranians and their government completely clueless to Western industrialization.
The Iranian struggle with destructive mullahcracy predates the creation of the
In 1891, amidst this utter ignorance, the Qajar rulers gave the British a
tobacco concession that would rock Iran's internal affairs. The massive public
outrage reached the local clerics, who issued fatwas against use of tobacco.
Iranians, dependent on their clerics for a sense of direction at the time,
stopped buying tobacco and the industry came to a screeching halt. The
government had no choice but to cancel the concession after paying a hefty fine
to the British.
By 1900, Iranian travelers learned of Europe's great advancements and
constitutional movements. In 1906, with the help of nationalists and educated
visionaries, a country that was stuck in the Dark Ages rose from the ashes and
brought forth an unprecedented movement - the Constitutional Revolution.
Unfortunately, these movements were weak against a historical backdrop that
blocked the separation of church and state. The 1906 Constitution specifically
noted the policymakers could pursue advancements so long as they did not go
against Islamic laws. Soon the enlightened Iranians, who championed the
movement, were blocked from fully implementing their visions and the new
Constitution. The illiterate majority were naturally kept in the dark from new
ideas and realities of religious propaganda and history. By August 1907, the UK
and Russia had literally split Iran between them.
Against this background, Reza Shah Pahlavi founded a new dynasty in 1925. He
began to plow his way through public ignorance and backwardness to force Iran
into the 20th century. In the mean time, communist Russia was spreading Marxism
across the fragile nation and misinformed population. Iran's leftist group, the
Tudeh Party, was created in 1941. Both the clerics and the Tudeh were against a
secular, capitalistic regime. Their alliance and efforts to undermine Iran's
progress would remain relentless for decades. It was the birth of
During WWII, Iran declared its neutrality. But the people's desire for progress
and a king's vision for modernization came to an abrupt halt with the
unjustified and surprise Anglo-Russo invasion of August 1941 which forced the
abdication of Reza Shah the Great. With the loss of Reza Shah, the Iranian
people were hurled into chaos.
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi took his father's place only because of popularity.
The Allies were planning to bring back the Qajars. But at the age of 22, the
Shah was a king without power trying to keep Iran intact while fighting black
market. The British maintained their control of Iran's oil industry. During this
time, many enlightened Iranians such as Ahmad Kasravi wrote vigorously about the
country's demise and the need for the people to take responsibility for their
nation. Public bitterness and dissatisfaction continued to spread.
By 1951, Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh was leading the oil nationalization
movement. Moderation was shoved aside and the movement took momentum without a
real plan. The people were invigorated. Their dreams for a progressive, modern
Iran was once again on the move. Unfortunately, Mossadegh, who had also been
supported by the Tudeh, found himself in a bad situation. In 1951, there were
110 communist military officers, but one year after Mossadegh's rise to power,
there were 640. The Tudeh was out of control, and Mossadegh thought he could
sell Iran's oil without Western support. Iran had no marketing and no tankers.
Iran was on its way to another economic disaster.
After Mossadegh's removal from office in 1953, Iran once again embarked on its
journey to modernization, sovereignty, and self-sufficiency. But the Tudeh
members and the Islamists were still hard at work. "Anti-Shahism" became
fashionable. The Shah's regime was imperfect, and the country to some extent
faced censorship and a weak political arena. But many of these intellectuals did
not offer a better option nor use their education and abilities to help advance
Iran. In 1973, the Shah declared Iran's new oil policy regarding control and
Iran was a rising star. It was becoming a power in the region - policing the
Persian Gulf and balancing the volatile politics of the region. Its Civil rights
achievements and rapid industrialization in a relatively short period of time
were unbelievable! But in 1979, the leftists, Islamists, and misguided foreign
policymakers joined hands in supporting a movement against the Shah's regime.
Ayatollah Khomeini, an unknown radical cleric in exile, emerged as a leader of a
revolution claiming he would take the Iranian people to the next level. All
major political groups supported Khomeini including foreign powers. Instead, the
Islamofascists took control of the revolution, and the people of Iran found
themselves as hostages in their own country. This time their endeavors and
dreams did not just hit a dead end, but rather a complete reversal of fortune.
Khomeini and the Islamic Republic pushed the Iranian people back to the Qajar
Since 1979, Iranians have struggled with the unwanted mullahcracy. Millions of
Iranians have fled the country. Tens of thousands of nationalists have been
tortured and murdered. Until June 2009, the regime, a master at Cold War
tactics, used Western mainstream media and educational institutions to secure
apologists across the globe. Thanks to these "journalists, professors, and
experts," the world actually believed there were good and bad mullahs within the
But the civil unrest since June 13, 2009 changed all that. Technology has been
the people's savior as videos flooded the internet with footages of unimaginable
violence and attacks against civilians at the hands of the regime in Tehran. All
the while the Free World continues to be directly and indirectly threatened by
the mullahcracy in Tehran from their nuclear weapons ambitions to meddling in
the affairs of neighboring states to training and funding terrorism across the
globe. The June 13, 2009 public awakening has made the regime in Tehran very
nervous on the eve of its one year anniversary. During the past year, Iranians
suffered horribly as they watched their loved ones get arrested, beaten, and
killed at the hands of the thugs hired by the regime to crush the people's will.
But the people also know this time they do not simply face a road block to
progress, but rather a national catastrophe.
Iranian men and women have struggled for over a century to achieve progress and
enlightenment. Despite multiple, hostile setbacks and attacks on their civil and
natural liberties, Iranians have not given up their dream for a secular,
democratic nation. The illegitimate regime in Tehran knows its days are
numbered. It is internally and externally isolated. The Iranian people will win.
And their victory will be witnessed and transmitted across the globe.
Sheda Vasseghi is on the Board of Azadegan Foundation and is a regular
contributor to WorldTribune.com on Iran’s Affairs.