Tuesday
Jun222010
Iran: To Lead or to Follow? 4 Cartoons on Mousavi and the Greens
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 at 6:40
There was a commotion last week over the first of these cartoons, drawn by Nikahang Kowsar, showing Mir Hossein Mousavi putting out "Statement #300". The reformist site Rooz had posted it but, after pro-regime media picked up on the cartoon as a sign of tension and decline in the opposition, withdrew Kowsar's caricature from its website.
Yet this has not been the only cartoon raising the political question --- tactical and strategic --- of Mousavi's place in the opposition and the Green Movement. We post three others which point to the important and ongoing discussion not only of "leadership" and activism but also of the Green Movement's relationship to groups pressing for political, legal, and civil rights in Iran.
Yet this has not been the only cartoon raising the political question --- tactical and strategic --- of Mousavi's place in the opposition and the Green Movement. We post three others which point to the important and ongoing discussion not only of "leadership" and activism but also of the Green Movement's relationship to groups pressing for political, legal, and civil rights in Iran.
Reader Comments (13)
The second one is too funny !
Scott,
Tut tut... Now this is what I call "sedition" against the Greens ;-)
Arshama
Abbas Milani on Mousavi's last statement: Iran's Democratic Manifesto
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704198004575310753382427596.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEFTTopOpinion" rel="nofollow">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527487...
Hmm...
Ange,
What does the second cartoon say?
The poor guy is beating up by security forces; Moussavi says to Karroubi :
""perhaps we should ask KH "permission" to condemn what they are doing "" !
(as when they ask permission to demonstrate and their answer is always negatif; but the meaning of the cartoon is that Mousavi and Karroubi are so powerless that they need to ask a permission to condemn this savagery ! )
I think this best exemplifies the Green leaders placing their faith in the revolution while their "followers" are taking a different path even challenging the idea of the revolution itself. Will be interesting to see how it plays out but I do like the fact many Green leaders have noted this saying this reconciliation must be for the entire 30 years not just the election.
I saw the first one several days ago and immediately had to laugh when I saw the translation.
These Cartoons are pretty creative but misleading at the same time!!!!
Mousavi and Karoubi have been pretty brave so far to forgo their relaxed lives to stand up against a ruthless regime that will stop at nothing to solidify its powers.
They have broken barriers and we should all be thankful to them...not question their shortcomings from the comfort of our homes thousands of miles away!!!!
They face a lot of pressure at home and we should comend their bravery so far
...and for everything we need a permission; there is a huge freedom in our country as you see !!!!!!!!!!!
Fansy33, you are right and nobody has said the opposite of your statement !! but in democratic countries, it's only for laugh and our dream is to be able to live in this kind of conditions in the future !
Fansy33,
Fully agree with Ange. These cartoons are a proof to the pluralism and critical faculty of the Green movement, in which no one is sacrosanct, especially not their nominal leaders.
US-based http://Iranian.com" rel="nofollow">Iranian.com has a wonderful slogan: "Nothing is sacred" http://iranian.com/" rel="nofollow">http://iranian.com/
Let us become accustomed to criticism in our society, which will save us from the predominant atmosphere of fear, ignorance and superstition.
Arshama
Fansy33ms,
I am definitely thankful but not for bravery of Mousavi and Karroubi as you advise. I am thankful for the blessing that Islamic Republic cheated and Mousavi and Karroubi did not get elected. These guys are two useless old Islamic Republic guards.
As for bravery, Majid Tavakoli, the student activist in Evin prison, has shown more courage and leadership than Mousavi and Karroubi combined.
How has Mousavi or Karroubi sacrificed his easy life? They are not in jail or being tortured or denied medical treatment in solitary confinement in jail, have they? These guys are loaded and set for the rest of their lives. Young and old, men and women in Iran took bullets, batons, torture, rape, and died and with that they raised the profile of these two guys on the world stage making them immune to the brutality of Islamic Republic. Mousavi’s or Karroubi’s life has not been turned upside down; it is the lives of women whose husbands, their sole bread- winner, have been either murdered or executed or are in prison and have small children to feed; it is the lives of parents whose children were murdered by Islamic Republic thugs.
You can fancy Mousavi and Karroubi as you wish because that is your right but please do not ask others to do the same. I want to see Mousavi and Karroubi investigated and prosecuted for what they had done when they had a seat at the table of Islamic Republic. I want Khomeini and Khamenei both be exposed for their crimes. There are no innocent, no brave, and no honest person in the fabric of Islamic Republic and that is my belief. You and others have the right to disagree with me. We will have to settle our disagreement at the ballot box if we are fortunate to even get there before we die.
Art and Artists are the best truth tellers throughout history of mankind.
I though the first cartoon was a jewel. It summed up Mousavi precisely; a do nothing leader- a leader who respond to enemy’s missile by his pen!
Mousavi seems to the reincarnation of Shah Sultan Hossein Safavei whose response to Mahmood Afghan and his rebel army that had surrounded the capital (Isfahan at that time) not allowing food and water into the capital for months was to launch a 40-day prayer ritual. Shah Sultan Hossein believed that with prayer Afghan rebels who wanted to capture and kill him would go away so he continued his prayer ritual as citizens starved to death. Finally when Mahmoud Afghan stormed into the capital and the palace, Shah Sultan Hossein took his crown and put on the head of Mahmoud Afghan and said it was God’s will for me to be the king until now and it is God’s will for you to be the king from this day forward.
Yeah, we have had these kinds of bozos in our history before. http://books.google.com/books?id=RhHENa0o6zMC&pg=PA213&lpg=PA213&dq=shah+sultan+safavieh&source=bl&ots=3wAyPWkffx&sig=qI8zhjPkmD9Hum6iNLjkcd-7i98&hl=en&ei=uNQhTNf3O6nqnQewjL1z&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=shah%2520sultan%2520safavieh&f=false" rel="nofollow">http://books.google.com/books?id=RhHENa0o6zMC&p...