We live in times of crises. This is true for those of us whose lives primarily involve politics and its ups and downs rather than the struggle between normative values of good and bad. The news of a hunger strike by a political prisoner was a heartbreaking event, as was the news of his death, all coming as hearts were still filled with sadness over the passing of Sahabi and his daughter Haleh, and as we missed the many friends and dear ones whose bodies were handed over to their families on the condition that they would be buried immediately. All of these require a patience and power that is not present easily and which engages an inner struggle.

But amid this heavy atmosphere and inner struggle, there are also good news that transgress prison walls and layers of earth.

The good news is that after two years of hardship and pressure on the Green Movement, the Iranian government officially confirmed yesterday (June 12) through the thousands of military men that it brought into the streets that the protest movement is strong and alive. Yesterday’s police presence in streets across Iran testified to the life and reality of the Green Movement in a much stronger way than the turnout of millions of protestors or hundreds of marches.

What brighter evidence do those who repeatedly ask “Where is the Green Movement” need? Yesterday, once more, every person saw the Green Movement in the saddened but large heart of the capital of Iran and across the country’s landscape, and witnessed how the armed uniformed men and plainclothes agents had come to confront the movement from all directions. This was the clearest accomplishment of yesterday’s events for everyone, regardless of whether they oppose or agree with the protest call.

Another good message that emerged from this event was that despite the insistence of violence mongers, whether the rulers or the ruled, whether among the opposition or the public, the Green Movement of Iran demonstrated that it rejects violence in any situation and strives to open the greenest and freest doors to the public. Through this the movement also demonstrated that it defines people and the public not by the yardstick of whether they support the Green Movement or those who have come to believe in the need for reforms, but by human rights standards that declare that all human beings have the right to vote and whose vote must be accepted and considered regardless of whether it for or against.

It is in this context that the criticism of those who say that the Green Movement must move faster and be more categorical especially because other similar movements in the region have already attained some success even though they were launched later than Iran’s. But this is a wrong analogy. The Green Movement is not a street protest. It is the result of profound historic experiences. It pursues not just a change in the political structure of the country but in the political and social thought and value system of society.

Unlike the protest movements in the neighboring countries, Iran’s Green Movement does not wish to attain power in the absence of constructive democratic institutions in the country because it doubts the democratic future in those countries following the fall of their rulers. It has already experienced that in its contemporary history.

 

Iran’s Green Movement is the mature movement of the region. Iranian freedom seekers thirty two years ago went through the storm that is sweeping the neighboring countries these days. They experienced the paths and puddles of that dream and today are aware that the foundations of freedom and justice cannot be built on anything other than the elevated collective awareness of people.

They have learned that to build such a solid fundamental base, they must impact the deepest layers of social awareness, and that no bold action is the solution on this path. The only way to advance is to move slowly and steadily on this solid base which would also strengthen the foundation to survive any storm.

Yes, yesterday was a good day for both the regime and the people as each threw everything it has into the streets. Hopefully this will result in an agreement between them. This street confrontation is not good or sustainable either for the for the regime nor for the Green Movement which cannot and does not want to shut off ordinary life every now and then.

We look forward to the day when the events of June 12 (rigged elections of 2009), among other days, will be recognized as instructive historic events. But this does not necessarily happen through regime change because all governments need to be in synch with the realities of the day to survive, and we must get there together. It was the realities of the day that brought forth the positive and valuable change in the structure of the regimes in favor of democracy in countries such as Uruguay, Chile, Argentine and even Spain with its long and bitter history of dictatorship.