By Ahmed Al-Jarallah, Editor-in-Chief,

January 7, 2010

PRIOR to the discovery of modern information and telecommunication gadgets, authoritarian regimes had the power to do whatever they wanted to their people. However, the whole world has suddenly turned into a small room where there are no secrets due to the emergence of the most advanced telecommunication and information systems, making it difficult for adults to influence the mindset of children.  We can compare such a scenario with the current situation in Iran, where the regime has refused to take responsibility for the internal crisis.  This regime has been blaming other countries for the prevalence of violence on Iran’s streets, while neglecting the rising unemployment rate which now stands at 25.9 percent.  It also recorded the highest number of drug addicts in the world – four million in 2005.

Similarly, the ‘Mullah’ – Persian for a Muslim man educated in Islamic theology and sacred law – regime in Iran spends millions of dollars to sponsor violent Arab and non-Arab groups and ‘purchase’ the loyalty of other countries by financing the implementation of certain projects.  The nation’s wealth has been entrusted to this regime, but it has opted to utilize public funds for personal gains. The ‘Mullah’ regime blamed the US, Britain, France and Germany for the outburst of violence on the streets in Tehran and other Iranian cities immediately after the announcement of the presidential election results due to vote-rigging claims.  The Iranian spiritual leader has repeatedly tried to douse the tension but Mir Hossein Mousavi, one of the contenders, has continued to make calls for re-election.  Mousavi clarified he is against corrupt individuals in the country, not the Islamic system.  He also alleged that a corrupt minority wants to lead 70 million citizens towards the unknown.

Despite being the fourth oil-richest nation around the world, Iran still imports gasoline because the ‘Mullah’ revolution has negatively affected its wealth.  It has failed to build any refinery to cover the needs of the local market. The authoritarian regime has rejected calls to amend its leadership style, which is often compared to that of Adolf Hitler who misled Germans and people in other parts of the world. This regime is also similar to that of Saddam Hussein who oppressed the Iraqis for several years.  The Revolutionary Guard and Al-Bassej militia have killed and arrested a number of demonstrators who took to the Iranian streets to call for re-election.  Authorities on Sunday arrested Faiza Rafsanjani, daughter of Experts Council Chairman Ali Hashimi Rafsanjani, to put pressure on her father to strictly enforce the directives of Ali Al-Khamenei.

The current Iranian regime has continued to blame other countries for the internal crisis.  Is this the right step to end the crisis?  Is it an effective way to convince the public that life is better and the crisis is over?  Will the regime finally understand that providing financial support to Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and other groups in Iraq is not an effective solution to its problems?  People in Iran and other countries around the world have now realized the incompetence of this regime, which has been trying to conceal facts on the streets in Tehran.  The whole world has witnessed this regime’s harsh treatment of its own people.  It was also surprising to read recent reports about the regime conducting military exercises on the Arabian Gulf.  Is this an attempt to instigate conflicts in the region to divert the international community’s attention from the internal crisis? Is the regime trying to deceive itself or the entire world?  Apparently, the regime is oblivious to the fact that the whole world knows when the spiritual leader is asleep or awake through modern technology.