On 7/21/06, Louis Proyect <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
I must say that my initial reaction to the MRZine articles was a bit on the cool side if for no other reason that I was deeply involved in defending a far more deep-going revolution in Nicaragua at the time.
Hey, better late than never! Between the two revolutions that overthrew neocolonial regimes at the same time, which one survived to modernize society?
However, in conclusion, we should never lose sight of the fact that our goals are different. I'll let the ever-eloquent Val Moghadem have the last word on that: http://iranreview.com/Iran%20Analysis/on_the_recent_elections_in_iran_.htm On the Recent Elections in Iran Val Moghadam
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The feeling for many is that as long as the Council of Guardians remains on the scene to vet candidates, the whole process is compromised, and "Islamic democracy" Iranian-style is either a pipe-dream or a highly managed form of democracy.
Yes, clerical oversight on election and legislation has got to go, but it must be admitted that "Islamic democracy" Iranian-style allows a far wider range of candidates in terms of economic agenda to run than plutocracy American-style, notwithstanding the privilege of being able to vote for the likes of HRC here.
Ahmadinejad may not be the monster that some of the (largely U.S.) press makes him out to be, but he is a religious conservative and a moralist.
I'd say that Ahmadinejad is an Islamic feminist, religious but modern: <blockquote>President Ahmadinejad hails exemplary women Tehran, July 17, IRNA Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, at a ceremony on Monday to mark the aupicious birth anniversary of the blessed daughter of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), praised exemplary women of the country. Speaking at a ceremoney organized by the Center for Women and Family Affairs, President Ahmadinejad said women in the Islamic Republic are pioneers in all sectors and are active participants in various social affairs. President Ahmadinejad stressed the role of women in breeding the next generation of exemplary Iranians. "I am sure that the Iranian nation will reach the summit of success and honor due to the efforts of scientists and assiduous women like you" he addressed the women audience, adding that they were the torchbearers of the Iranian nation in new technologies. Turning to the current crisis in the Middle East created by the Zionist regime's invasions, President Ahmadinejad said the resistance displayed by Palestinian and Lebanese youth are the fruit of the labor of their mothers. Exemplary women such as the dstinguished Quran translator Tahereh Safarzadeh, the first Iranian woman expert in the field of nuclear sciences and the first Iranian female professor of physics were given plaques of honor in the ceremony, in which the wife of Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei also participated. <http://president.ir/eng/ahmadinejad/cronicnews/1385/04/26/index-e.htm#b1></blockquote> <blockquote>Hazrat Fatima (SA) is complete model for all ages: Ahmadinejad Tehran Times Political Desk TEHRAN -– President Mahmud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday that Hazrat Fatima (SA) is the most qualified model for women and men throughout all ages. In a message to the first international conference on the Rights and Responsibilities of Women in Islamic Systems currently underway in Tehran, Ahmadinejad said that by following the model of Hazrat Fatima (SA), humankind can discover the path to perfection, beauty, friendliness, peace and justice. He called on women throughout the world to strive to obtain freedom from the bonds of liberal and capitalist systems that have imposed on them a new style of slavery. Ahmadinejad called the international conference a good opportunity for initiating a new move in the world. He expressed hoped that by approving a comprehensive charter for women's rights and rebuilding women's true identity based on religious teachings, the conference would be able to present the world with an exemplary idea of women's lofty and spiritual position in social and political developments. <http://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp?Da=7/17/2006&Cat=2&Num=004></blockquote> I look forward to examining the content of "a comprehensive charter for women's rights." -- Yoshie <http://montages.blogspot.com/> <http://mrzine.org> <http://monthlyreview.org/>
