[Mb-civic] Civilized indifference

Thu Aug 18 09:54:14 PDT 2005

Civilized indifference
Akbar Ganji could have been in Istanbul and receive more public sympathy

Augut 18, 2005
iranian.com

Mr. Akbar Ganji's hunger strike has left a deep wound in the Iranian 
psyche inside and outside of the country. We certainly have read a lot 
of articles about the values that Mr. Ganji stands for and how he has 
sacrificed everything so far in the name of freedom of expression. But 
that freedom is not among the articles of the Islamic Constitution that 
is being used in Iran.

We have to take the view from the balcony -- why has the Iranian regime 
been so callous and hardheaded about this issue and why the corrupt 
regime is not afraid or concerned about the echo of Mr. Ganji's cause 
all around the world? Let's set aside all the other reasons and focus on 
the most important one.

The Islamic Regime is in fact supporting and promoting Ganji's hunger 
strike for one important fact -- to prove to the Iranians inside the 
country and most importantly to show to the thousands of Iranians abroad 
that "you have no voice and power." The British have proved to us 
repeatedly that we can only mourn our heroes and we never get a chance 
to raise them to the pedestal of leadership, because first they get 
assassinated and most importantly we prefer shedding tears for a 
disaster than the elation of success. This is the doctrine of the 
Iranian version of Islam.