Then They Came for Me_ A Family's Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival - Maziar Bahari [156]
2005–09: AHMADINEJAD’S PRESIDENCY
Blessed by the rising price of oil, Ahmadinejad runs the country as if it’s a charity. During his monthly trips around Iran, he distributes the oil money as he sees fit. The failures of the United States and its allies in the two ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq allow Ahmadinejad to adopt more combative international policies. Supported by Khamenei, Ahmadinejad rapidly develops Iran’s nuclear program and increases Iran’s help to such regional proxies as Hezbollah, in Lebanon, and Hamas, in Gaza.
During Ahmadinejad’s tenure, the suppression of internal dissent continues, activists and students are jailed, newspapers are shut down, and hard-liners are put in charge of cultural organizations. Ahmadinejad assigns retired Revolutionary Guards to key positions, and many lucrative industrial contracts are given to the Guards’ engineering companies. The Khamenei-Guards-Ahmadinejad alliance tightens its grip on all aspects of life in Iran. Most reformist officials are either dismissed, retired, or demoted to junior positions. Khamenei’s power becomes near absolute. Even though many people close to him object to Ahmadinejad’s erratic policies, Khamenei repeatedly expresses his satisfaction with the government and privately forbids other hard-liners from running against Ahmadinejad.
In order to return to power, prominent reformists decide to agree on a single candidate to defeat Ahmadinejad. In February 2009, Mohammad Khatami announces his intention to run for president again. Khamenei sends Khatami a private message to step down; Khatami is also threatened privately and publicly. A month later, on March 16, 2009, he steps down in favor of former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, who has been away from politics for two decades.
Many young Iranians do not remember Mousavi, and it takes him two months to introduce his programs to the public. Karroubi announces his candidacy around the same time, but because of his impulsive behavior and lack of sophistication, many people do not take him seriously. Mousavi, the main reformist candidate, promises to repair the damage done to the country during the four years of Ahmadinejad’s rule. He declares that he wants Iran to be a friend to the rest of the world, and pledges more freedom of expression and respect for human rights. Millions of educated young Iranians campaign for Mousavi all around the country. A secret poll by the Ministry of Intelligence, conducted in major cities around the country three weeks before the election, shows that Mousavi is well ahead of Ahmadinejad.
Glossary of Terms
Ashura: The anniversary of the martyrdom of Hossein, the third imam of Shias and son of Ali, in a battle against the Sunni caliph in A.D. 680. Ashura means the tenth day of the month; Hossein’s battle against Yazid took place on the tenth day of the month of Moharram. Like Catholicism, Shiism is a religion of icons and rituals. Ceremonies held on Ashura and on the previous day, Tasu’a, including self-flagellation and passion plays, symbolize the oppressive conditions Shias have endured throughout history and the necessity to fight for justice. Many Ashuras throughout Iran’s history have provided Iranians with an opportunity to demonstrate against the atrocities of the regime.
ayatollah: A high-ranking Shia cleric. “Grand ayatollah” refers to the highest-ranking Shia clerics, who can interpret religious teachings for their followers.
Basij: Short for Niruyeh Moghavemat Basij (the Resistance Mobilization Force). The Basij was established at the beginning of the revolution to allow pro-government volunteers to dedicate part of their time to protecting the revolution. Each government office, educational institution, and neighborhood mosque has