In a letter published by the Guardian (UK), Mr. Makhmalbaf writes that he was given the responsibility, by Mir Hossein Mousavi, to tell the world what is happening in Iran.
They have asked me to tell how Mousavi’s headquarters was wrecked by plainclothes police officers. To tell how the commanders of the revolutionary guard ordered him to stay silent. To urge people to take to the streets because Mousavi could not do so directly.
The people in the streets don’t want a recount of last week’s vote. They want it annulled. This is a crucial moment in our history. Since the 1979 revolution Iran has had 80% dictatorship and 20% democracy. We have dictatorship because one person is in charge, the supreme leader – first Khomeini, now Khamenei. He controls the army and the clergy, the justice system and the media, as well as our oil money.
Mr. Makhmalbaf lays out the case for annulling the elections and why they must be annulled. He also goes on to speak about the person of Mousavi: who he was and what he is now.
Before the revolution, Mousavi was a religious intellectual and an artist, who supported radical change but did not support the mullahs. After the revolution, when all religious intellectuals and even leftists backed Khomeini, he served as prime minister for eight years. The economy was stable, and he did not order the killings of opponents, or become corrupt.
In order to neuralise his power, the position of prime minister was eliminated from the constitution and he was pushed out of politics. So Mousavi returned to the world of artists because in a country where there are no real political parties, artists can act as a party. The artists supported Khatami and now they support Mousavi.
Previously, he was revolutionary, because everyone inside the system was a revolutionary. But now he’s a reformer. Now he knows Gandhi – before he knew only Che Guevara. If we gain power through aggression we would have to keep it through aggression. That is why we’re having a green revolution, defined by peace and democracy.
From all I’ve read about Mousavi, he appears to be a person with whom the world can deal…and he will bring stability and prosperity to Iran. Let’s all hope that he continues to speak to the people of Iran, to give them courage in their fight against the mullahs for their freedom, and let’s all hope Rafsanjani manages to win enough supporters on the Council of Experts to block or remove Khamenei.
