From: ghbr@fmg.bt.co.uk (Hossein Bagherzadeh Rafsanjani)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.iranian
Subject: Re: What is MKO position on the Islands?
Date: 5 Oct 92 11:59:50 GMT
Organization: British Telecom

In article <BvIovp.92y@news.cso.uiuc.edu> yaser@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (Ala) writes:

[dialogue with the MKO deleted]

> Iran has NEVER had a democracy.  Imagine if Iranains did not defend
> this land because there were not democracy, justice, and freedom.
> Then there would not be an IRAN.  The land of Iran is a sacred land
> and defending it is no different than performing a religious duty.

> Democracy, justice, freedom, and better living is an internal matter
> that should be settled internally.  When IRAN is confronted with the 
> enemy of IRAN (Saddam is a clear example) then

>  ALL IRANIANS SHOULD BE UNITED IN DEFENDING THE LAND.

> This is our duty as an Iranian.  Iran is alive because of the sacrifices
> of men and women who gave their lives to defend this land so that we 
> enjoy its beauty and utilize its resources.

> ANYONE WHO DOUBTS THIS SHOULD REEVALUATE HIS/HER ATTACHMENT TO IRAN
  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Here we go again...

A dictatorial regime which has no respect for humen beings and their
basic rights has used its superior power to (re-)assert a national
claim on a disputed island in the Persian Gulf, and here it generates
a proclamation in capital letters that "ALL IRANIANS SHOULD BE UNITED
IN DEFENDING THE LAND" and all the rest of it.  
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

No doubt, that these sorts of sentiments are what exactly the Iranian
regime is after.  In times of crisis (not a rarity in Iranian
politics), make an adventure in foreign policy (even though symbolic)
and then you are guaranteed ultra-nartionalistic sentiments of the
extreme forms even from those admitting lack of democracy and respect
for human rights in Iran.  Then how can one blame only the
warmongering regimes of Iraq and Iran for the massacres, devastation
and damages caused by the horrific eight-year war which ravaged the
two countries?

Now, in times of these, it is very easy to take side with ones "own"
government and treat its claim as absolute truth - and go along with
all its consequenvces.  Surely, there are enough disputed lands
between Iran and *ALL* its neighbours to supply the government in
power (whatever their colour) to make a claim of this type whenever it
suits them.  But going along with these claims (on whatever ancient or
recent historical grounds) is no more than playing into the hands of
the power-hungry warmongrers in power and giving fuels to the fires of
conflict, war and devastations as we have witnessed not in only in our
own land but also in many other parts of the world from Israel to
Yugoslavia, and from Falkland/Malvinas to Negorna Qarabagh (sp?).

It is all because we put LAND before PEOPLE.  People are being
sacrificed to keep the land - for whom?  For generals to get medals.
For those in power to claim victory and justify their rules on those
lucky to stay alive.  And for the next generations to face counter-claims
by the defeated side in the war.  To keep the cycle of wars on disputed
lands from generations to genarations going.

For some, land is so sacred that they are ready to sacrifice people
(with no limit in numbers) in order to keep the land.  But for others,
it is the reverse -- land is a mean and people are the aims.  The
world has seen enough of the wars on disputeds lands that it should no
longer tolerate it anymore.  Otherwise, the cycle of wars continues
unabated.

Of course, expressing these feelings makes one to be accused by the
ultra-nationalists on the net (government supporters or opponents
alike) of anti-Iranian sentiments.  One should not be afraid of that.
For any concerned and human-loving Iranian (a true patriot), *Iran*
should mean *Iranians*, as Iran without its people will be no more
than any other piece of land anywhere in the world.  A dictotarial
warmogering government which has no respect for its own citizen's
rights can in no way claim it is acting for the best interests of
Iranians in its internal or external policies.  Even with a democratic
government, force (and possible) war is no way of solving territorial
disputes of these kinds.  Instead, international bodies (such as the
International Court) should be used for these and other international
disputes.  They may arbiterate aginast Iran in this or that dispute,
but that is the price we should be ready to pay in exchange for peace
(a very rare commodity).  

It is a damning indictment of the Iranian government that by breaking
international laws (in the name of Iranian people) it is then forced
to accept jurisdiction of these international bodies and pay heavy
fines as has happened in the case of International Courts dealing with
Iranian-American disputes following the hostage-taking of Americans in
Iran.

Let's put people before land.  Then call ourselves true patriots.

-hossein
Newsgroups: soc.culture.iranian