June 19, 2009
By Andrea McMahan
TEHRAN - It is a dismal day here in Tehran. The opposition is struggling to keep itself together after being dealt a heavy blow yesterday. In a speech given at Tehran University, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, said in no unclear terms that any further election protests are unacceptable by the government, and those persons choosing to participate in the protests would be breaking the law and face grave consequences. In addition, he stated that the elections were devoid of any cheating and that he unequivocally backed former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the winner. This was a striking change in tone from earlier in the week, when the Ayatollah said that the government was looking into allegations of election fraud and had appointed a Guardian Council made up of the country’s clerical establishment to investigate disputed ballots. The Council was set to offer an answer on the election within ten days.
But instead they have now issued a warning to the people of Iran: if you do not accept the election outcome or any of our terms, you will be punished. They have said they will not tolerate dissent and will use the government’s power- presumably military force- to squelch further debate. Obviously the Opposition has a very difficult decision to make. They either continue to rally in the streets and face violent consequences—even possible death-- from the government’s Revolutionary Guard and Basiji, or they go under ground and risk losing the critical momentum that has helped propel their cause.
It is not confirmed where the Opposition’s presidential candidate, Mir Hussein Moussavi, is right now. Some say he is detained under house arrest while others claim he is moving surreptisously around the city. He continues to maintain a facebook page, offering details on upcoming protests and heightening rhetoric around the dissident’s cause. His supporters have found creative ways to access these updates since Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites have been blocked across the country, mainly by tapping into friends and family abroad who can relay his message. However, most agree that it is only a matter of time before Mir Moussavi is arrested by the government, after which supporters have said there will almost certainly be even greater upheaval.
Either way, the outcome is bleak for the Opposition’s future. At a small gathering in Northern Iran yesterday, I was able to talk to several of the Opposition’s supporters and get a sense as to where they go from here. Many of them said they were feeling depressed, that the day’s speech had left them hurt but not entirely broken. They agreed it was not enough to deter them from marching in the protests Saturday and described how they would continue to ‘protest in silence’ by carrying signs that read “Where is your 63 percent?” rather than shouting slogans. They emphasized that theirs is a peaceful movement and acknowledged that it would almost certainly be met with violence in the hands of the regime. One Iranian woman, an art gallery owner, explained to me why she was willing to risk her life to march. “We have to do this,” she said. “If we don’t get out there and protest they [the government] will think it’s okay and they have to be stopped. We cannot live like this.”
...read more
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Happy Birthday Vanessa!
As the Iranian communications death grip tightens and I am unable to use Skype to call my little sister, I must use this space to wish her the happiest of birthdays. Happy Birthday, Vanessa...I love you very much!! - Justin
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Iran in Pictures
By Andrea and Justin McMahan
June 18, 2009
ESFAHAN, Iran - Looking out the window of the Abbasi hotel in central Esfahan, all appears normal. Iranians seem more concerned with the fate of the national football team (six players wear green wristbands to show their support for the opposition) than with their struggle for free and fair elections. If tonight is to bring more protests, there is no sign of it yet.
In a few days, we will leave Iran. As we near the end of our time here, it seemed appropriate to share a few pictures. It is too risky now to photograph the protests, but we have been able to shoot some sites as well as the people who live in this country in turmoil. Turn on sound to listen.
June 18, 2009
ESFAHAN, Iran - Looking out the window of the Abbasi hotel in central Esfahan, all appears normal. Iranians seem more concerned with the fate of the national football team (six players wear green wristbands to show their support for the opposition) than with their struggle for free and fair elections. If tonight is to bring more protests, there is no sign of it yet.
In a few days, we will leave Iran. As we near the end of our time here, it seemed appropriate to share a few pictures. It is too risky now to photograph the protests, but we have been able to shoot some sites as well as the people who live in this country in turmoil. Turn on sound to listen.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
An Esfahan Encounter
By Andrea and Justin McMahan
June 17, 2009
ESFAHAN, Iran - This morning, we climbed the Fire Temple for a better view of this city in which Iranians take so much pride. At the top, a man (pictured, right) asked where we were fro
m, and was delighted to hear that we are from the States. Turns out he is a dual citizen who lives most of the time in Portland, Oregon, where he works as an engineer at Intel. Like us, he was touring the sites with his two nephews (also pictured). Without prompting, he spoke passionately about his love for America and his belief in the value of Iranians and Americans getting to know each other better. He is pleased that two of his Iranian family members are marrying Americans, but concerned about the ability of the American guests to keep up on the dance floor.
Our chance encounter was yet another example of a people who hold moderate positions, have nothing against Israel and resent their President, Mr Ahmadinejad, whose bellicose rhetoric, they say, is hardly representative of their views. Granted, a dual citizen is more likely than your average Iranian to support the opposition, but we have struggled to pinpoint the source of the supposed support for the current President. Some say it comes from the villages and rural areas, but yesterday we drove through much of the country on our way from Shiraz to Esfahan, and we can attest...there ain't no villages. The vast stretch of land in the center of the country is desert, with a smattering of wheat farmers and goat herders, hardly the rural masses that the government says came out in droves to vote for Mr Ahmadinejad.
Former PM and opposition leader Mousavi has decreed that tomorrow (Thursday) will be a day of mourning in honor of the protesters who were shot and killed in Tehran. That mourning will morph into protests is likely.
We are still unable to access facebook, twitter, BBC and many other media sites. Text messaging has not yet been turned on, though our local mobile phone (+98 937 96 39 523) is now, mercifully, working.
Today, the government issued a warning to anyone photographing protests. This will make it difficult for even Iranian citizens, well known for documenting the protests, from capturing the images that you have seen during the past five days. The government also said they will be cracking down on website and blogs. Fortunately, ours is just a touring blog. ...read more
June 17, 2009
ESFAHAN, Iran - This morning, we climbed the Fire Temple for a better view of this city in which Iranians take so much pride. At the top, a man (pictured, right) asked where we were fro
m, and was delighted to hear that we are from the States. Turns out he is a dual citizen who lives most of the time in Portland, Oregon, where he works as an engineer at Intel. Like us, he was touring the sites with his two nephews (also pictured). Without prompting, he spoke passionately about his love for America and his belief in the value of Iranians and Americans getting to know each other better. He is pleased that two of his Iranian family members are marrying Americans, but concerned about the ability of the American guests to keep up on the dance floor.
Our chance encounter was yet another example of a people who hold moderate positions, have nothing against Israel and resent their President, Mr Ahmadinejad, whose bellicose rhetoric, they say, is hardly representative of their views. Granted, a dual citizen is more likely than your average Iranian to support the opposition, but we have struggled to pinpoint the source of the supposed support for the current President. Some say it comes from the villages and rural areas, but yesterday we drove through much of the country on our way from Shiraz to Esfahan, and we can attest...there ain't no villages. The vast stretch of land in the center of the country is desert, with a smattering of wheat farmers and goat herders, hardly the rural masses that the government says came out in droves to vote for Mr Ahmadinejad.Former PM and opposition leader Mousavi has decreed that tomorrow (Thursday) will be a day of mourning in honor of the protesters who were shot and killed in Tehran. That mourning will morph into protests is likely.
We are still unable to access facebook, twitter, BBC and many other media sites. Text messaging has not yet been turned on, though our local mobile phone (+98 937 96 39 523) is now, mercifully, working.
Today, the government issued a warning to anyone photographing protests. This will make it difficult for even Iranian citizens, well known for documenting the protests, from capturing the images that you have seen during the past five days. The government also said they will be cracking down on website and blogs. Fortunately, ours is just a touring blog. ...read more
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Reflections on Iran's Youth
By Andrea McMahan
SHIRAZ, IRAN - First I want to acknowledge the outpouring of support and concern many of you have expressed in the last couple of days. Please rest assured that we are ok and out of harm’s way. We are really enjoying our time in Iran, meeting new people and watching a country wade through one of the most politically pivotal events in more than 30 years.
The whole experience has been somewhat surreal but has also served as a valuable wake up call to me. You can never appreciate your unwavering American freedoms until you experience an election in a developing world. I can recall so many times when I’ve shied away from a local election in my town because I was simply too busy or not interested. But the ability to vote and the knowledge that my vote would be counted equally and fairly never registered any doubt in my mind. Ever. And here I am watching a national presidential election unfold before my eyes, where millions of people have gone to the polls to cast their own sacred vote only to find it may never have made its ways out of the ballot box. The anger and betrayal one might feel is unbearable. It is hard not to feel a tremendous sympathy for this country, but more than that a kind of approbation for those mad-as-hell Iranians who flock to the streets night after night carrying their green bandanas and demanding justice.
My heart particularly breaks for the young people of Iran. Prior to the election, I had spoken with several young persons about the current state of politics and all of them were adamant in their disapproval for the current government. They said that they wanted to improve their country’s relations with the rest of their world, that they hated neither Israel nor America, and that they just wanted to live like other people their age are living in places like Europe and Dubai. And none felt this was possible under the current regime. They also talked about being stripped of everyday, practical conveniences that I enjoy unencumbered. For example, many divulged how frustrated they were with wanting to take their girlfriend on a date or travel somewhere together but couldn’t because of all of “the rules”. Others talked about wanting to visit America so badly but could never obtain a visa. Many also openly condemned their president and compared him outright to former President George W. Bush, saying that neither actually carried the support of the people and both operated on a platform of fear and deception. It is these young voices and all of their ambitions that I mourn here in Iran. So many of them came out en masse to peacefully cast a vote for their preferred candidate—and they played by the rules all the way to the ballot box. And now many of them must live with unanswered questions of whether their vote was ever tallied. I’ve heard some of them say, “If the government does not listen to the people, then I will never vote in Iran again.” I am afraid to believe them but their anger and cynicism is too real to ignore.
I hope the people of Iran—particularly the youth of this country- get the answers they deserve. Because when half of the country is ommitted from any electoral process that isn’t democracy. And that is the risk here in Iran, where more than 40 percent of the country is between the ages of 14 and 26, and where the youth will determine the fate of this nation, ultimately with or without the ballots.
...read more
SHIRAZ, IRAN - First I want to acknowledge the outpouring of support and concern many of you have expressed in the last couple of days. Please rest assured that we are ok and out of harm’s way. We are really enjoying our time in Iran, meeting new people and watching a country wade through one of the most politically pivotal events in more than 30 years.
The whole experience has been somewhat surreal but has also served as a valuable wake up call to me. You can never appreciate your unwavering American freedoms until you experience an election in a developing world. I can recall so many times when I’ve shied away from a local election in my town because I was simply too busy or not interested. But the ability to vote and the knowledge that my vote would be counted equally and fairly never registered any doubt in my mind. Ever. And here I am watching a national presidential election unfold before my eyes, where millions of people have gone to the polls to cast their own sacred vote only to find it may never have made its ways out of the ballot box. The anger and betrayal one might feel is unbearable. It is hard not to feel a tremendous sympathy for this country, but more than that a kind of approbation for those mad-as-hell Iranians who flock to the streets night after night carrying their green bandanas and demanding justice.
My heart particularly breaks for the young people of Iran. Prior to the election, I had spoken with several young persons about the current state of politics and all of them were adamant in their disapproval for the current government. They said that they wanted to improve their country’s relations with the rest of their world, that they hated neither Israel nor America, and that they just wanted to live like other people their age are living in places like Europe and Dubai. And none felt this was possible under the current regime. They also talked about being stripped of everyday, practical conveniences that I enjoy unencumbered. For example, many divulged how frustrated they were with wanting to take their girlfriend on a date or travel somewhere together but couldn’t because of all of “the rules”. Others talked about wanting to visit America so badly but could never obtain a visa. Many also openly condemned their president and compared him outright to former President George W. Bush, saying that neither actually carried the support of the people and both operated on a platform of fear and deception. It is these young voices and all of their ambitions that I mourn here in Iran. So many of them came out en masse to peacefully cast a vote for their preferred candidate—and they played by the rules all the way to the ballot box. And now many of them must live with unanswered questions of whether their vote was ever tallied. I’ve heard some of them say, “If the government does not listen to the people, then I will never vote in Iran again.” I am afraid to believe them but their anger and cynicism is too real to ignore.
I hope the people of Iran—particularly the youth of this country- get the answers they deserve. Because when half of the country is ommitted from any electoral process that isn’t democracy. And that is the risk here in Iran, where more than 40 percent of the country is between the ages of 14 and 26, and where the youth will determine the fate of this nation, ultimately with or without the ballots.
...read more
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