Yes we can- are ma mitonim
Posted on by May 18, 2010 by banafshe.zabeti
Reflections about the outcome of the presidential election in Iran 2009
Barack Obama’s victory after the presidential election 2008 came to symbolize change and the word “change” echoed all around the world like a soft whisper.
“Yes we can”. The citizens of the United States had enough and needed change, all they had to do was to register their votes and go to the election halls. The citizens of Iran also wanted change. On the 12th of June 2009, they went to the election halls to vote. Maybe the beautiful words “yes we can” echoed in their minds and hearts, “are ma mitonim” in Persian. But no, in the Iranian case, it was not enough to go to the election halls. The regime had something else on their agenda, and it certainly was not “change”. The People of Iran were once again cheated by the Iranian regime, this time it seemed to be election fraud. 30 years silence turned into rage and shout which echoed on the streets of Tehran and all around the world in just one night. We also can, the Iranian people thought. We had enough. Maybe the trees whispered to the citizens of Iran “courage, yes you can too”. Because courage is not to be taken for granted in a theocracy. Courage is a virtue in Iran. Still, the people found courage, and day by day they became more courageous. At the same time the desperation and frustration grew. Shortly other Iranians became hopeful. Within 24 hours, all our friends had changed their Facebook status to positive words about change in Iran. Yet, I could not help to feel powerless.
Suddenly a power struggle began between my brain and heart. My heart screamed “hope hope hope” whereas my mind tried to shout “impossible” and “no we cannot.
When the manifestations against the outcome of the election in Iran continued, my heart won and we all continued hoping. We demand human rights in Iran.
Banafshe Zabeti
Freelance journalist
The following days the violence against the protestors escalated. A young girl called Neda was shot on an Open Street in Tehran, even though she was not even an active protestor. This young girl gave fire to the demonstrators and the people who hoped and are still hoping for an Iran without murder or terror. At the same time the face of this unknown girl transformed into the soul and face of the struggle. She went from being Neda, a young girl, to Neda, the victim of the regime’s unrestricted violence, just like Ernesto Guevara, the doctor who became Che Guevara the revolutionary after his death. Even though similar violence acts was produced in Iran, the people kept fighting and showing their disappointment and rage in Iran and abroad. The number of people showing support and solidarity for the Iranian grew day by day. When Obama and some western countries choose to stay neutral to the outcome of the Iranian election, they gave power to the common human being who fought for freedom. In the end, everyone was hoping and is still hoping for a change of the Iranian system, something that the mullahs reject and do not allow. Now that the demonstrations are decreasing, we shall all hope, hope that despite the ugly presidential election of Iran, we all took one step forward, even if the step is still small.
Keivan Hamidian
BA in International
