SHIRIN EBADI, a human rights advocate, was awarded the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize.MUHAMMAD SAHIMI is a professor of chemical engineering and materials science and the NIOC professor of petroleum engineering at the University of Southern California.tehran-Lost in the international fury over Iran's nuclear energy program and the deplorable statements by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad regarding Israel has been the fact that respect for human rights and a democratic political system are the most effective deterrent against the threat that any aspiring nuclear power, including Iran, may pose to the world.When the United States and its allies encouraged the Shah in the 1970s to start Iran's nuclear energy program at a time when it had no economic justification, they helped create the Frankenstein that ultimately became Iran's nuclear program. If, instead, they had pressed the Shah to undertake political reforms, respect human rights and release Iran's political prisoners, history could have been very different.
The Iranian revolution -the political realization of the "Great Refusal" of Western modernization -was a direct consequence a half century later of the forced secularization of the Ottoman Caliphate by Kemal Ataturk. With the superstructure of the Muslim ummah dismantled and replaced by the Turkish nation state, insurgent religious movements, from the (Sunni) Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt to the Shiite imams of Qum and Najaf, moved into the vacuum to reclaim Islam from the shadow of Western dominance. Now, history is turning again. Iran has been seized by violent turmoil as it seeks to reconcile democracy and religious rule. Secular Turkey is governed by an Islamist-rooted party. As they struggle to regain their balance, the global economic meltdown threatens a convergence against globalization that joins the Islamist resistance with populist backlashes elsewhere. Two legendary intelligence agents, a Hezbollah leader, an Iranian dissident philosopher and Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel Laureate, examine this historical turn. The Great Refusal On Monday, June 15, more than 1 million people marched in the streets of Tehran. SUMMER 2009 On Monday, June 15, more than 1 million people marched in the streets of Tehran to support Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi-two defeated presidential candidates-and to object to the results of the election. Their destination was Azadi Square (Freedom Square) which, at the time of the Islamic Revolution 30 years ago, had been the gathering spot for revolutionaries. Mir Hossein Moussavi climbed on top of a minibus and spoke to the people through a loudspeaker. He told them to continue their objections but refrain from aggressive behavior, in order not to give security forces an excuse to resort to violence. Peaceful demonstrations ended, and while people were slowly dispersing to go home, suddenly, from the rooftop of a building belonging to Basij (the volunteer people's militia), shots were fired on the people. Another group started firing from another direction. Based on reports, seven were killed and around 30 wounded and hospitalized. Basij operates under the guidance and supervision of the Revolutionary Guards of the Islamic Republic. It was created after the revolution, and its sole duty is to maintain and safeguard the government. Although volunteers, Basij members enjoy many privileges. They do not wear military uniforms but have the right to carry weapons and police communication equipment. People's dissatisfaction with the results does not concern the present elections alone: Many objections were made four years ago when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was first elected president. At the time, Mehdi Karroubi and Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, two senior and powerful figures of the Islamic Republic, were Ahmadinejad's opponents. Ahmadinejad's most important position until then had been mayor of Tehran. He was, however, supported by Basij and Ayatollah Khamenei, the Islamic Republic's leader for life. Karroubi submitted several complaints to the Guardian Council,...
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