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Monday
May102010

Iraq: The Politicians, The Clerics, and a Coalition? (Alaaldin)

While EA has been occupied with the post-election tensions and manoeuvres in Britain and Iran, Iraq's own political intrigue trundles on.  There seemed to be some prospect of clearing up the muddle last week with reports of an alliance between two largely Shia blocs, the State of Law list headed by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and the Iraqi National Alliance including Moqtada al-Sadr and the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq. That would shut out Iraqqiya, the Shia-Sunni list headed by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, which narrowly won the most Parliamentary seats in the 7 March elections.

Still, it was unclear whether al-Maliki would remain as Prime Minister or give way to another politician such as former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari. And speculation continues over the role of Iraq's clerics in contributing to a grand arrangement.

Ranj Alaaldin writes for The Guardian of London:

Last week, Iraq's most powerful Shia-dominated blocs, the State of Law coalition, led by Nouri al-Maliki of the Islamic Dawa party, and the Iraqi National Alliance (dominated by the Sadrist-Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq) joined forces for the purposes of forming the country's next government.



The move leaves them just four seats short of an overall majority, meaning they are almost certainly going to take the reins of power, and at the expense of the leading Sunni bloc of the former Iraqi premier, Ayad Allawi, the marginal winner of Iraq's elections last March. Many will bemoan the move and call it a Shia sectarian manoeuvre that sidelines the Sunnis, but it was the most likely scenario all along. As predicted, Allawi's Iraqi National Movement (INM) will have been considered by the Shia parties (and indeed also by the Kurds) as too tainted by its ultra-nationalist – some would say Ba'athist – elements.

The Kurds have astutely played the waiting game, letting their Arab counterparts rip each other apart in the south and waiting to see which winning horse to back. That horse, right now, is the new Shia coalition just formed. However, this does not necessarily mean the end of the game.

If Iraq's new government is going to have some degree of legitimacy then it needs Kurdish as well as Sunni representation. The next step for the Shia coalition right now is to encourage leading personalities within Allawi's bloc (perhaps Allawi himself) to play some notable role in the new government and offer them major positions like the presidency (largely ceremonial) and speaker of the parliament, or control of one of the main ministries. The Kurds will also be pushing for such positions, knowing that there can be no government without their inclusion.

Even assuming these entities are eventually incorporated, there may still be uncertainty ahead, given the conflicting ideological and political agendas of the various groups within the new Shia coalition. Leading coalition entities –-- Dawa, ISCI and the Sadrists –-- accept this themselves: they have signed up to a pact that gives the clerical establishment the final say over any disputes between them.

The system would work in a similar way to the "collective responsibility" of cabinet ministers in Britain: the highest-ranking clerical authority would make a decision and others would follow. Disagreements would not, therefore, be made public. Thus, the leading authority in this instance would be Grand Ayatollah Sistani who takes advice from a close and select group, including his son and other senior religious figures, such as Ayatollah Mohammad Saeed al-Hakim.

Giving the clerics the final say will come as a shock to many. Since the invasion of 2003, Iraq has had a bloody seven years just to achieve the respectable standard of democracy it now has. The move to refer political matters to the clerics will thus be deemed regression and perhaps an insult to the Iraqi electorate.

However, it is easy to get carried away. The fact of the matter is that most major decisions in the political arena are made with some degree of approval from the religious establishment in Najaf. Sistani is regularly consulted by the country's array of political players and can, in fact, make a positive contribution – it was because of his intervention, for example, that Iraq adopted the open-list system for the elections, much to the dismay of the country's politicians but welcomed by its people.

Little will, therefore, change as a result of this agreement, made between parties rather than between party and clerics. The clergy may well choose to publicly denounce the agreement, lest they face challenges similar to those faced by counterparts across the border in Iran.

It is interesting that Dawa has signed up to it, since it has recently pushed a secularist agenda (the INA, on the other hand, made it clear in their electoral programme that they will adhere to the clerical establishment). Publicly, Dawa may therefore downplay the significance of the agreement and it clearly does not feel threatened by the possibility that the INA may hold greater sway in the south because of its more sectarian composition and since the ISCI and its leadership enjoy a special and blood relationship with Hakim.

Iraq is still a long way away from becoming a theocracy and its multi-ethnic and multi-sectarian diversity ensure that it is unlikely to turn into one. Uncertain, still, is the politics. The new Shia alliance may not hold together as it squabbles over who within it should become prime minister and how to establish a representative and inclusive government.
Monday
May102010

Iran Background Video: Protest in Kurdistan Over Political Prisoners (July 2008)

Putting context to Sunday's execution  of five Kurds, a demonstration in Sanandaj from July 2008 over detentions, including the imprisonment of teacher Farzad Kamangar, who was hung on Sunday:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg1BveBXaYc&NR=1[/youtube]

Iran: Farzad Kamangar’s Last Letter “Is It Possible to Teach and Be Silent?”
The Latest from Iran (9 May): 5 Iranian Kurds Executed

Sunday
May092010

Middle East Inside Line: Israel-Palestine Indirect Talks; Syrian-Turkey Meeting

The Indirect Talks Begin: Following a session of several hours, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on Saturday approved indirect talks with Israel. At the end of the meeting, Yasser Abed Rabbo, a member of the PLO committee, said: "As far as we are concerned, the start of the indirect negotiations can be announced today. The negotiations will take one form: shuttling between President Abu Mazen and the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu."

Washington welcomed Ramallah's decision. "It is an important and welcome step," US State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said.

Middle East Inside Line: Mitchell’s Talks in Palestine; Israel’s Official Perception of Peace


In contrast, Hamas's Gaza leadership denounced the PLO decision as a “stab in the back of our people” and said the organisation does not represent Palestinians.


On Sunday, following a meeting between the leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and US Mideast envoy George Mitchell, top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said that he hoped Israel would give the process a chance, rather than setting facts on the ground that will complicate the talks.

The indirect talks are scheduled to last at least four months.

The Turkey-Syria-Israel Triangle: On Saturday, Syrian President Bashar Assad was in Turkey to sign two cooperation deals with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, covering joint communications projects and border crossings. This is Assad's second visit to Turkey since last August.

In a joint press conference with Turkish counter Abdullah Gul, Assad said that Israel's hostile and uncompromising policy vis-à-vis the Palestinians undermines the Middle East peace process and added:
I do not think conditions are ripe for successful (Turkish) mediation, because Israel doesn't appear to be ready for peace. If there is even a one percent chance of war breaking out, we are working to prevent it.

Gul continued:
Syria has said it is ready to resume talks where they were left off. However, we have not heard from the Israeli side. It is up to them.

The Middle East peace process is the biggest problem in the world and the world should make a settlement of the conflict a number one priority. The region cannot take another war anymore.

What happened in Gaza two years ago was the last straw. No one in the world can condone or turn a blind eye on the repetition of such a thing anymore.

During a state visit to Moscow marking the 65th anniversary celebrations of the Allied victory over the Nazis, Israeli President Shimon Peres told Russian President Medvedev, who leaves Monday for a two-day state visit to Damascus, that he should “send him [Syrian President Basher Assad] a clear message: Israel is not interested in border escalation or a war, this is the last thing we want. We extend our hand in peace to Syria, but there must be one basic condition, Assad must stop his support for terror and stop trafficking weapons and missiles to Hezbollah.”
Sunday
May092010

The Latest from Iran (9 May): 5 Iranian Kurds Executed

1830 GMT: The Execution Protests. There have been demonstrations this afternoon in front of the Iranian Embassies in France and Britain, with reports of 25 protesters arrested in Paris. This footage is from the rally in London.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPC8wFvkEX8[/youtube]

1610 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. A court of appeal has upheld a sentence of 4 years and 11 months for student activist Abdollah Momeni.

1600 GMT: Khatami's Concern. Speaking to student and cultural activists, former President Mohammad Khatami maintained that the ruling class cannot resolve difficult issues through mere “slogans”. He called for the release of all political prisoners and compensation for those who have been harmed in post-election events. He also demanded the end of "the security-laden atmosphere", no more restrictions on political organization,s and steps for "appropriate elections in the future”.

Khatami warned the authorities that “ignoring the protests and making false accusations against protesters will not make them disappear”.

NEW Iran: Farzad Kamangar’s Last Letter “Is It Possible to Teach and Be Silent?
NEW Iran First-Hand: Assessing Life and Opinions in Tehran (Majd)
NEW Iran, Meet Kafka: The Web of Internet Censorship Catches All (Farokhnia)
Iran: The Green Movement and “Moral Capital” (Jahanbegloo)
The Latest from Iran (8 May): Back to the Politics


1540 GMT: The Executions. Back from an afternoon's break to find that the dominant, almost the exclusive story, is the execution of five Iranian Kurds.


*EA readers remind us about the story of teacher Farzad Kamangar's trial, with his lawyer, Khalil Bahramian, claiming, “[It lasted] no more than five minutes, with the judge issuing his sentence without any explanation and then promptly leaving the room....I have seen absolutely zero evidence presented against Kamangar. In my forty years of legal profession, I have never witnessed such a prosecution.”

*Press TV carries a story about the hangings but does not even gives the names of those executed. The article has disappeared off the website's front page; the lead story is "Iran Tests New Anti-Submarine Torpedo".

*Masih Alinejad has written a passionate opinion piece about the case.

*Speaking to Rah-e-Sabz, the brother of Kamangar said he "hoped that [his] brother’s execution is...a lie.....The family...has had no contact with Farzad since yesterday. Only today through Fars News and other news sites have we found out that they had executed Farzad."

1145 GMT: United4Iran has posted biographies of the five Iranian Kurds executed this morning.

0825 GMT: We have posted, in a separate entry, the last letter of teacher Farzad Kamangar, who was executed this morning. The last letter of Shirin Alamhouli, also put to death, is posted on Persian2English.

0745 GMT: Executions. RAHANA claims that Iranian Kurdish teacher Farzad Kamangar, human rights activist Ali Heydarian, Farhad Vakili, Shirin Alamhouli, and Mehdi Eslamian, accused in 2008 of "mohareb" (war against God), were executed this morning.

Islamic Republic News Agency is featuring the news. Iranian authorities claims that the five detainees were responsible for bombings and were members of the Kurdish separatist group PEJAK.

0710 GMT: Nuclear Signal? Mehr News Agency is claiming that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will be in Tehran in mid-May, implying that there will be a major initiative for a deal on uranium enrichment.

Lula will be in Iran for a summit of the Group of 15 (G-15) non-aligned nations, while Erdogan is coming for direct talks with Iranian officials. Mehr claims from sources that the Turkish and Brazilian leaders will present a "joint proposal" for a swap of uranium stocks.

0700 GMT: Remembering the Journalists. In a sign, however, that the coverage of Iran just won't go away, the Henri-Nannen Prize, awarded in Germany for outstanding achievements in journalism, has been given to detained Iranian reporters, editors, and bloggers. Maziar Bahari, the Iranian-Canadian journalist detained for four months after the June election, accepted the award on their behalf.

0645 GMT: We start this morning with signs of regime frustration that the opposition just won't go away. In a separate entry, we feature Hamid Farokhnia's article on Iran's censorship of the Internet, which has become so pervasive and so tangled that even "hardliner" sites are being filtered.

Then there's the reported cry of Resalat, which declares that launching "some new attractive newspapers committed to revolution" is absolutely necessary. The writers complain that the defenders of the regime have failed to compete with foreign media and more cyber-sites are needed.
Sunday
May092010

Iran: Farzad Kamangar's Last Letter "Is It Possible to Teach and Be Silent?"

This morning it is being reported that teacher Farzad Kamangar, with four other Iranian Kurds, has been executed for "crimes against the state".



Two weeks ago, the Human Rights Activists News Agency published a parable written by Kamangar in prison. His explanation: "Eight years ago, the grandmother of one of my students, Yassin, in the village of Marab, played the tape of the story of the teacher Mamoosta Ghootabkhaneh. She told me then, 'I know that your fate, like the teacher who is the writer and recorder of this poem, is execution; but be strong comrade.' The grandmother said those words as she puffed on her cigarette and stared at the mountains."

The Latest from Iran (9 May): Not Going Away


Once upon a time, there was a mother fish who laid 10,000 eggs. Only one little black fish survived. He lives in a stream with his mother.

One day the little fish said to his mother, “I want to go away from here.” The mother asked, “Where to?” The little fish replied, “I want to go see where the stream ends.”


[Little Black Fish is the title of a short storyfor children, written in 1967 by the dissident teacher Samad Behrangi. The book was banned under the Shah’s regime. It tells the story and adventures of a little fish who defies the rules of his community to embark on a journey to discover the sea.]

Hello cellmates. Hello fellow mates of pain!

I know you well: you are the teacher, the neighbour to the stars of Khavaran [the cemetery in eastern Tehran where many political dissidents were executed during the 1980's and buried in mass unmarked graves[, the classmates of dozens whose essays were attached to their legal cases, the teacher of students whose crime was their humane thoughts. I know you well: you are colleagues of Samad and Ali Khan. You remember me too, right?

It is me, the one chained in Evin prison.

It is me, the quiet student who sits behind the broken school benches and longs to see the sea while in a remote village in Kurdistan. It is me, who like you, told the tales of Samad to his students; but in the heart of the Shahoo Mountains [in Kurdistan].

It is me who loves to take on the role of the little black fish.

It is me, your comrade on death row.

Now, the valleys and mountains are behind him and the river passes though a plain field. From the left and the right side, other rivers have joined in and the river now is filled with more water. The little fish enjoyed the abundance of water…the little fish wanted to go to the bottom of the river. He was able to swim as much as he wanted and not bump into anything.

Suddenly, he spotted a large group of fish. There were 10,000 of them, one of whom told the little black fish, “Welcome to the sea, comrade!”

My jailed colleagues! Is it possible to sit behind the same desk as Samad, look into the eyes of the children of this land, and still remain silent?

Is it possible to be a teacher and not show the path to the sea to the little fish of the country? What difference does it make if they come from Aras [a river in northwestern Iran, Azerbaijan], Karoon [a river in southwestern Iran, Khuzestan], Sirvan [a river in Kurdistan], or Sarbaz Rood [a river in the Sistan and Baluchestan region]? What difference does it make when the sea is a mutual destiny, to be united as one? The sun is our guide. Let our reward be prison, that is fine!

Is it possible to carry the heavy burden of being a teacher and be responsible for spreading the seeds of knowledge and still be silent? Is it possible to see the lumps in the throats of the students and witness their thin and malnourished faces and keep quiet?

Is it possible to be in the year of no justice and fairness and fail to teach the H for Hope and E for Equality, even if such teachings land you in Evin prison or result in your death?

I cannot imagine being a teacher in the land of Samad, Khan Ali, and Ezzati and not join the eternity of Aras [Samad Behrangi drowned in the river in 1968]. I cannot imagine witnessing the pain and poverty of the people of this land and fail to give our hearts to the river and the sea, to roar and to inundate.

I know that one day this harsh and uneven road will be paved for teachers and the suffering you endured will be a badge of honour so everyone can see that a teacher is a teacher, even if his or her path is blocked by the selection process, prison, and execution. The little black fish and not the heron bestows honour on the teacher.

The Little Fish calmly swam in the sea and thought: Facing death is not hard for me, nor is it regrettable.

Suddenly the heron swooped down and grabbed the little fish.

Grandma Fish finished her story and told her 12,000 children and grandchildren that it was time for bed. 11,999 little fish said good night and went to bed. The grandmother went to sleep as well. One little red fish was not able to sleep. That fish was deep in thought.

A teacher on death row, Evin prison