Trending Topics
|
Source: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2009/12/the-start-of-an-iranian-intifada.html
The Start of an Iranian Intifada
(PBS) Meir Javedanfar - An Iranian-style intifada seems to be in the making. The protests now seem to carry the potential to turn into a full-scale civil disobedience campaign. If developments continue in their current form, they can result in significant changes to the structure of Supreme Leader Khamenei's regime, or more drastically, lead to its total demise. His decision to allow the Basij to mount an attack on mourners at Ayatollah Montazeri's funeral was one factor leading to the spread of opposition in rural areas, faster and more efficiently than any campaign the reformist camp could have orchestrated. Khamenei's full-scale assaults against mosques and religious members of the community are creating the nucleus of an ideology that is legitimizing opposition, not just in cities, but throughout Iran.