Inside Iran, The Real Problem - How it is Going to Be Solved
After the June 12 presidential
elections in Iran, confirmation of reelection of President Ahmedinejad by the
Supreme Leader Khamenei and his rejection by the opposition groups buy instagram followers canada and
demonstrations by thousands on the streets of Tehran and other major cities,
the Media have been spending hours per day presenting their observations and
the analysis of the situation by many who are considered expert on the subject.
But it does not present how the clerics so confidently exert power in
suppressing the people and freedom and why the reformers and an overwhelming
majority of Iranians are having so much difficulty in advancing buy instagram followers canada their goal of
democratization.
In 1998, While a Fulbright
Scholar serving in Kazakhstan, attempting to help the newly established
government in reforming its higher education, legal and economic systems, to my
surprise, I was invited by the Iranian Government to visit Iran for
consultation and exchange of ideas. I was received in the Mehrabad Airport and
transferred to the prestigious foreign ministry's guest house and housed in a
three bedroom apartment with my wife and son. It was late at night, we were
left alone to rest. But I couldn't rest, questioning myself that despite of
thousands of top rank Iranian scholars abroad, why I was selected.
The next morning, I found out
that I was arranged a tight schedule of meetings with score of governmental
authorities and participation in several round-table discussions with top
officials, extending for several days. However, I did not find the reason for
my invitation until the first four-hour round table discussion I had with 16
top officials apparently from different departments.
The main reasons were as
follows: I was born and raised as a Muslim. Before escaping to the United
States, in 1953, to avoid persecution, I had served in the Iranian government
for 14 years, under Reza Shah, Mohammad Reza Shah and Prime Minister Dr. Mohammad
Mossadegh, mostly in military judicial positions. Thus I was considered an
anti-monarchist, familiar with Iranian governmental and legal system.; I had a
law degree from the University of Tehran Law school, thus I was thought to be
familiar with the Iranian and Islamic law; I had three law degrees from the
United States (J.D., LL.M., S.J.D.)thus quite familiar with the American
jurisprudence, international law, and comparative law, which were my specialty
areas under each degree.
I had a Ph.D. in political
science specialized in American system and political theory, and had academic
teaching experience in all these areas in the United States for over 30 years.
Finally, I had published two books about my theory of technological democracy
with a critical analysis of the American democratic system, and I had published
another book about application of my theory to a developig country like Iraq
with three diversified Islamic ethnic groups.
A good part of the first
round-table conference was spend in explaining my theory of democracy during
which many questions were asked about the possibility of applying it to the
Islamic Republic. At the end the director of the conference summed up the idea
as follows: Our present system is not coherent, its different components do not
fit properly together. The idea is whether I could formulate a theory of an
Islamic Republic within the framework of my theory separate from theocracy. I
responded that this is a very complex question to answer. You are asking me a
bout a whole new political theory and I need time for proper answer.
How much time do you need? I
was asked. At least three or four weeks, I responded. We agree with three weeks
the director said. This would be also a good opportunity for me, I responded, I
have many relatives in different parts of Iran which I have not seen for over
40 years. This will give me opportunity to visit them all if possible.
Of course I desired very much
to see my relatives after some 40 years of separation, but my main purpose was
to buy time in order to have some opportunity to study the present conditions
and find out what people thought about the whole situation. My findings in four
different major cities, by interviewing people from different levels of society
particularly the younger generation which forms the majority of the population,
were quite enlightening.. In order to get unbiased results, I used my relatives
and their friends which included people from many different walks of life
including a substantial number of university faculty and students.
A great majority of Iranians
including the younger generation, desire to have a certain kind of open Islamic
republic with freedom of speech , press and assembly. They don't desire the
Western style of capitalism but an equalitarian society where the wealth is
equitably distributed among people, with full employment even if it may require
lesser hours of work per week, free education up to the college level, free
health care and old age benefits. They think with the intellectual, scientific and
economic resources the country have, these aims are achievable. The Question is
how to get there.
The main road-block is not
primarily the clerics but the constitution written by them which governs the
country. The government is divided into three independent branches of
executive, legislative and judicial. The former two being elective and the
latter appointive by the approval of the Imam. The center of the problem is the
Imam himself, presently Ayatollah Khamenei.
The Iranian Constitution,
written and pushed through ratification by Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of
the Islamic Republic, grants the Imam the following powers among others:
determining national policies and supervising all branches of the government;
commander-in-chief of the regular armed forces and the Revolutionary Guard
establishment; initiating and allowing referenda, declaring war and national
armament, appointing and dismissing the cleric members of the Council of
Guardians which has veto power over all legislation passed by the parliament
also power to select political candidates for all elective offices;
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