Monday, June 29, 2009

Ahmadinejad and Neda's Death: There's Going to be an 'Investigation'

I don't approve of the way the ayatollahs have been running Iran for the last three decades, but I think they're making the best of a bad - for them - situation, with the death of Neda Agha Soltan.

Instead of denying that she ever existed, or that she was dead, they're 'hunting for her killer.' Not in so many words, of course:
"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday called the death of Neda Agha-Soltan 'suspicious' and urged the country's authorities to identify those responsible for it, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported Monday...."

"...But Iran has been pushing back against eyewitness reports that she was shot by pro-government Basij militiamen perched on a rooftop near a demonstration.

"Ahmadinejad told the head of Iran's judiciary, Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi, to probe the incident and make the results of his investigations public, Fars reported Monday, nine days after Agha-Soltan was killed.

" 'The massive propaganda of the foreign media, as well as other evidence, proves the interference of the enemies of the Iranian nation who want to take political advantage and darken the pure face of the Islamic republic, he said in a letter to Shahroudi, according to the news agency...." (CNN)
The "massive propaganda of the foreign media" helped, I'm sure. But that video being viewed and spread around the world didn't help, either, from the ayatollahs' point of view.

As for darkening "the pure face of the Islamic Republic," I'd say the ayatollahs and their enforcers have been doing a fine job of that, themselves: although that probably wasn't what they had in mind.

'Usual Suspect Syndrome' Ahead?

I used (and possibly coined) the phrase "usual suspect syndrome" on the eve of President Obama's inauguration celebrations. 'Usual suspect syndrome' is having "... a collection of 'usual suspects' - people or organizations that are The Bad Guys. Any connection with them, no matter how slight or irrelevant, makes a person or organization one The Bad Guys, too." (January 19, 2009)

What sort of person or organization is on the 'usual suspects' list depends on the list-maker's preferred perception of reality. Organizations and groups of people often include Hamas, the CIA, foreigners, or right-wing extremists.

Judging from what Iran's state press is doing I think it's clear that, if they ever considered it, the ayatollahs have given up on making Neda a non-person who never existed: of denying her existence and/or her death.

With that video loose on the Internet, and the people who knew Neda being known themselves - along with their recollections of Neda Agha Soltan - simple denial wouldn't work. Making Neda's family, friends, and acquaintances disappear would have made the matter worse: they're known, and their disappearances would have been noted.

The ayatollahs have not given evidence that they're stupid. Demagogues using a particularly violent brand of Islam to instill hatred of their enemies, yes. Stupid, no.

I think it's quite possible that at least one person who says he's from a group that the ayatollahs don't like will confess. And, probably say that some combination of the great Satan America, Israel, and Britain made him do it.

And, after a trial, will be quickly executed. Which is probably better than the alternative he was offered.

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Blogroll

Note! Although I believe that these websites and blogs are useful resources for understanding the War on Terror, I do not necessarily agree with their opinions. 1 1 Given a recent misunderstanding of the phrase "useful resources," a clarification: I do not limit my reading to resources which support my views, or even to those which appear to be accurate. Reading opinions contrary to what I believed has been very useful at times: sometimes verifying my previous assumptions, sometimes encouraging me to change them.

Even resources which, in my opinion, are simply inaccurate are sometimes useful: these can give valuable insights into why some people or groups believe what they do.

In short, It is my opinion that some of the resources in this blogroll are neither accurate, nor unbiased. I do, however, believe that they are useful in understanding the War on Terror, the many versions of Islam, terrorism, and related topics.