Iran Election Stories From Friends and Family

    Today is Qods day in Iran.  What is Qod’s day?  Yet another precious day of life wasted on hatred, and fabricated by  the hatred-experts, the Islamic Republic of Iran.

      They say it is a day to remember the injustices suffered by Palestinians, an explanation embarrassingly  rife with propaganda.  A day to commemorate the suffering of Palestinians, as well as all other people who are suffering would be okay; a day to wish hatred upon Israelis or Americans (many of whom also suffer) is not.  

     Let me re-iterate this:  I am Iranian, and I REJECT Ahmadinejad’s anti-Israel and anti-US blabber.  I don’t deny that a lot of bad things have happened at the hands of Israel or the US, or may continue to happen.  But last time I checked, Iran had enough of its own problems, own injustices, and blood on its own hands to handle.  How about a day to commemorate the treatment of religious minorities, e.g. Zoroastrians, Bahai people, by the IRI? 

    Ahmadinejad is trying to deflect attention from himself, from his inability to rule, from his recent massacre of his own people, onto another country’s problems.  Arabic countries just seem to lap up his propaganda.  Great, now that he has Arabic support, where does that leave him with his own people?  See protest footage below.

Dear MSNBC,

Thank you for your complete and important reporting on the situation in Iran today.  There is one point of clarification, a seemingly small, but pivotal point.  You note that “Iranians” are carrying signs against Israel and the United States.  You also note “counter protesters” to Ahmadinejad who you call Mousavi supporters.  It is important to note that these people are also “counter protesters” to the people carrying the signs with swastikas and the people burning the US flag.

What is happening in Iran today is about more than the June 12, 2009 presidential election results.  Rather than labeling the people in the streets as “Mousavi supporters,” I would see them as people who reject Ahmadinejad’s rhetoric.  For example, Iranians do not wish death or hatred upon Israel or the United States, although Ahmadinejad and his publicity machine have created this perception.

 

Iranians are reaching out to the world the best way we know how, by wearing green, by holding up our hands in the universal sign of peace, by giving our lives and livelihoods.  In our culture green is the color of new life, of hope, of peace.  Mousavi is riding on this wave, not leading it.  Please, recognize this!  We are standing up to reject the hatred, and paying for it with our lives.

If my voice is not enough to confirm that the protest is more than a duel over who is president, please read the twitter feed, or please email me to help you contact people at the protests.

With respect, 

XXXXXX

www.iranelectionstories.org

This letter is in regards to:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32912677/ns/news-picture_stories/

and was sent to multimedia@msnbc.com on 9/18/2009