Obama are you with us?

On the one hand, it is often best if the United States, Russia, England, France, the Greeks, the Arabs, the Mongolians, and all other outside forces stay out of Iranian politics. I have maintained that fairly consistently over the years. But I started thinking about things today after watching this video:

Today in the streets of Tehran, on the anniversary of the taking of the American Embassy in Tehran (now 30 years ago) the Green Wave chanted on the streets “Obama! Obama! You are with them or you are with us.”

Might Obama, now that he is a Nobel Peace Laureate, be seen more than just the President of the United States, but a symbol for the aspirations of all the oppressed? Might it be that the President is in a unique position to do something more than voice gentle opinions?

I honestly don’t know, but would love to hear what you all think out there on the interwebs.

Jon Stewart, Mensch

It continues to amaze me that Jon Stewart, a comedian, has much more journalistic courage than just about ANYONE in broadcast media (save for Sister Amy Goodman)

Just last night, he hosted Dr. Mustafa Barghouti a member of the peaceful Palestinian opposition (and according to many, a non-corrupt leader) and Anna Baltzer a Jewish-American peace activist.

The Daily Show has posted an extended interview with both on their website. You can watch both here on Qizilbash. Be sure not to miss Part 1 where a guy from the audience starts yelling at Barghouti.

You can watch part two after the jump.

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صباح الخير سعید ‎בוקר טוב עומר

In the old days of the show, Said and Omer could play together. But now, it seems the puppets have been divided like the countless Saids and Omers in real life.

There is much to say, but the video that came along with this article in the NYTimes has completely depressed me. I wish to avoid sounding like the late Michael Jackson, but the idea of these children living through an armed and unjust conflict is just painful.

Read the article here and watch the pathos inducing video right here.

(the editor sends his pre-apologies for Hebrew spelling mistakes)

Bystanders stand up for Muslim woman wearing Hijab in Texas Store

I still think ABC would be doing the country a better service if it simply were to do more reporting on the Middle East in a commercial free news hour everyday (I can only dream on). But I do have to compliment them on this interesting social experiment that they filmed.

In the exercise, they hired two actors, one male playing a shop owner, and one female playing the hejabi in distress. The actor playing the shop-keep tells the Muslim woman that he will not serve her since she is “not-American” and a “terrorist.” The reaction of the other customers is varied, and eye-opening.

While not scientific, it is a must see. Thanks to Pouya for bring this to my attention.

Senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards Killed in Suicide Bombing - What it all Means

While some quarters of the Americans foreign policy apparatchik (and a sizable number of Iranian-Americans) will send out three cheers for the big news of the day, that is, the killing of several senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders (read about it here and here) the news should be the cause of great concern for other Iran observers.

The bombing, which killed a deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Noor Ali Shooshtari, was claimed by a Sunni seperatist group with links to Pakistan working out of the eastern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchistan called Jundallah (The Soldiers of God). Despite these claims, several of Iran’s ruling elite have proclaimed the act to be the work of American and British clandestine services.

Determining the true culprit, whether it be Sunni separatists or Western powers, will take some time. However, the Iranian government is not without reason in laying blaim on the US and Britain. It was only last year that ace investigative reporter Seymour Hersh wrote in The New Yorker magazine that the Bush Administration had begun pouring funds into covert activities aimed at destabilizing the Iranian regime. As Hersh wrote, “The covert activities involve support of the minority Ahwazi Arab and Baluchi groups and other dissident organizations.”

In recent months, questions have emerged as to whether or not the Obama Administration had put an end to the Bush era program in Iran. No clear answers have emerged.

Alas, relations between nations are the same as human to human relations, violence begets violence. If the United States and Britain do nothing to assure the Iranians that they had no part in today’s terrorist acts we may see an escalation in violence spurred on by the Iranian Guards in a number of places including, Iraq, Afghanistan, or even Israel. News that does not portend well for those wishing for peace and stability in the region.

Moreover, the news of the terrorist attacks is terrible timing for Mir Hossein Mousavi and the countless youth of the Green Wave made famous last June in their street opposition to the ruling parties aligned with President Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Khamenei. The regime could use today’s attacks as an excuse for the continued mass jailing of dissident reformers claiming them to be “un-Iranian,” actions similar to what was done to the (so-called) American left in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail and fists, as President Obama likes to say, will be unclenched. Time will tell.