It’s Happened Before

Though Ahmadinejad is loud and the Iranian leader most seen by the west the real power is vested in religious leaders, specifically The Supreme Leader of Iran: Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

On Twitter CNN’s Jack Cafferty wonders, “Can protesters ever prevail in a country like Iran?” The simple answer is yes. I am sure because it’s happened before.

From Wikipedia: The overthrow of the Shah came as a surprise to almost all observers. The first militant anti-Shah demonstrations of a few hundred started in October 1977, after the death of Khomeini’s son Mostafa. A year later strikes were paralyzing the country, and in early December a “total of 6 to 9 million” — more than 10% of the country — marched against the Shah throughout Iran.

iran protesters.jpgI remember a 60 Minutes piece at the time on Ayatollah Khomeini. He was in exile in Paris. His message moved through Iran via audio cassette tapes. Today communications are faster and more effective.

I am no Iran expert, but it’s dangerous to think the current protesters want anything more than to remove Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Even they think he’s nuts. Though Ahmadinejad is loud and the Iranian leader most seen by the west the real power is vested in religious leaders, specifically The Supreme Leader of Iran: Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The current Iranian opposition, the folks who probably had the election stolen from them, support this Islamic government. That’s important to note.

What is happening in Iran is simultaneously interesting and scary. We have to be careful not to think it’s something it really isn’t.