Nathan Gonzalez

                   Message from Mir Hossein Mousavi

(June 20, 2009 / 30 Khordad, 1388)

In the name of God, the compassionate and merciful.

"God commands that you restore to people what they have entrusted to you and that when you judge among people, you do so justly." (Qur'an 4: 58)

To the wise and noble people of Iran:

These days and nights have become a turning point in the history of our nation. People are asking themselves and many of them are asking me what they should do and which direction to follow. I see it as my responsibility to share with you my beliefs so that we do not neglect our historical mission nor lay down the burden of responsibility that the fate of generations and future ages has placed upon our shoulders.

Thirty years ago a revolution in the name of Islam triumphed in our country. It was a revolution carried out for the sake of human dignity, justice, and truth. During that period, and especially during the lifetime of our enlightened leader, we expended great amounts of capital in life, fortune, and honor in order to strengthen that blessed edifice; and we reaped the fruits of our labor. A light we had never before experienced suffused our society. Our people attained a new life where even the greatest tribulations seemed sweet to them. The dignity and freedom thus achieved were the foretaste of a better life. I am certain that no one who experienced those days can be satisfied with anything less.

Have we now lost the virtue that brings us to that spiritually uplifting space? I entered the race to say that we have not. It is not too late. That spiritual space is not beyond reach. I came to show that we can live both spiritually and in the present; to repeat our leaders [Khomeinis] warning against letting our beliefs fossilize; to say that flouting the law leads to tyranny; that concern for human dignity does not weaken the foundation of the state but rather strengthens it; and that we are not doomed to suffer backwardness, poverty, corruption, and injustice. I came to summon people to the Islamic revolution that was, and to the Islamic republic as it should be. My invitation was not eloquent, but the original message of the revolution that shone through my faltering presentation moved even young people, who did not witness those days and who felt distant from that great legacy, recreating images we had seen only during the revolution and the war against Iraq. The peoples self-renewing movement chose the color green as its symbol. I admit that in this regard, I followed them. A generation accused of distancing itself from religious slogans rediscovered Allahu akbar for itself and placed its trust in Help from God and a speedy victory, O Hossein, and in the name of Khomeini, proving that whenever a blessed plant bears fruit, all its fruits are the same. Only their nature could have taught them these slogans. How unjust are those whose petty interests led them to call the miracle of the Islamic revolution a creation of outsiders and a velvet revolution? As you know, in our attempt to restore our national life and achieve the ideals rooted in the hearts of young and old alike, we have been confronted with lies and deception. Everything we expected to occur as a consequence of illegality indeed occurred, and in the most blatant and immediate way possible.

The great interest in the recent election is to be credited primarily to our efforts to instill hope and trust in people so that the current crisis of management and widespread social discontent would not undermine the revolution and the regime. If peoples good faith and trust are not reciprocated by an honoring of their votes, and if people cannot protect their rights by civil and peaceful means, then the road ahead becomes a dangerous one, for which the responsibility lies with those who cannot tolerate peaceful behavior.

If the massive extent of vote-rigging, which has put the torch to peoples hopes, is itself evidence for fairness, then the republican element of the system is stripped away, proving that Islam and republicanism are incompatible. Such a result would satisfy two groups. First are those who from the beginning of the revolution challenged the Imam and, on the basis of their understanding of Islamic government as the dictatorship of the just, wanted to carry people to Heaven by force. Second are those who, claiming to defend the peoples rights, assumed that Islam could not produce a republican system. Brilliantly, the Imam counteracted the fatal attraction of this dualism. I entered the race so that, following the path he blazed, I might neutralize the efforts of those sorcerors who have once again assumed positions of prominence.

Now the authorities, by certifying the results of the election, have taken responsibility for it. By barring further investigation, they have foreclosed an annulment as well as any amendment of the results. In more than 170 electoral districts, the number of votes counted exceeds the number of eligible voters. Even so, we have been asked to pursue our complaints only via the Guardian Council. Yet this Council, in its actions before, during, and after the election has proven that it is not neutral, even though impartiality is the basic condition of any such intervention.

I strongly believe that the demand to annul and repeat the election is a self-evident right. It should be pursued by a nationally trusted body without being judged in advance of the facts, or without suggesting that the possibility of bloodshed should deter people from marching and demonstrating. Instead of responding to legitimate questions about attacks on persons and property, and incitement by plainclothes officers, the security council of the country blames these tragedies on others.

Looking at the current scene, I see an attempt not only to impose an unwanted government on people, but also to impose a new kind of political life on the country. As your comrade, and one who has seen the beauty of your green wave, I will never let my actions lead others to endanger themselves. At the same time, it is my deeply held conviction that the election was void and that the rights of the people must be upheld. Although my abilities are limited, I believe that your motivation and creativity can still bring about the realization of your legitimate rights through new civil channels. Rest assured that I will remain at your side. My brotherly advice, especially to young people, is not to let liars and deceivers take your place as defenders of the Islamic system, or let outsiders take from you the legacy of the Islamic revolution passed on to you through the honest blood of your forefathers. With reliance on God and hope in the future and trust in your own abilities, continue your social movement on the basis of the freedoms spelled out in the Constitution, and shun violence. As we embark on this path, we are not against the Basij; the Basij are our brothers. We are not against the Sepah; the Sepah are the defenders of the revolution and of our system. We are not against the army; the army is the protector of our borders. We are not against our sacred regime and its legal structures. These legal structures safeguard our independence, freedom, and Islamic republic. We are against deviations and deceptions, which we are trying to correct by going back to the founding principles of the Islamic revolution. We advise the regime that in order to restore order in the streets to grant the right to peaceful assembly according to Article 27 of the Constitution and indeed to encourage such gatherings; and to direct the Iranian media to avoid slander and one-sided commentary. Let peoples voices be heard and moderated through logic and reasonable debate in the media before those voices turn into shouts. Let newspapers analyze and report the news truthfully and, in a word, create a space for people to express their agreements and disagreements. Let us allow those who would like to say Allahu akbar do so without interpreting it as opposition to us. Clearly, doing all of this would remove the need for police in the streets and would spare us sights that break the heart of any patriotic revolutionary.

Your brother and comrade

Mir Hossein Musavi