Importance of Supporting Iranian People

The mass uprising this year against the brutal regime in the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) has shown that the people living in that theocracy do not support it. Rather than yield even to some very moderate reformists, the IRI leaders fixed the elections and tried to crush the mass revolt.

Despite numerous murders, arrests, beatings, executions, and show trials, the will of the people has not been broken. While the struggle advances through different stages, the IRI regime has been discredited as an enemy of the Iranian people for all humanity to see.

I think it is particularly important for atheists, agnostics, secularists, freethinkers, skeptics, non-believers, etc., to provide support for the struggle of the Iranian people. If and when this Islamic regime is overthrown by the Iranian people, and replaced by a secular, democratic one, it will be a tremendous setback for political Islam, which has taken over so many mass movements and sent them on a dangerously negative direction.

We also must oppose the efforts of some in the U.S. and Israel who want to inflame this situation by attacking Iran. The people of Iran will not only pay the price for such an attack, but politically it will only polarize the situation along largely fundamentalist religious lines, between Islamists and pro-Israeli and pro-U.S. elements.

So I would like to open up some discussion about the importance of the struggle of the Iranian people on this forum. I would also encourage people to familiarize themselves with the work of the Iran Solidarity group, based in the UK, which has a web site with several important declarations, at http://www.iransolidarity.org.uk/.

Many of the founders of Iran Solidarity are members of the WPI, the Worker-communist Party of Iran. This is an interesting group which is trying to reestablish Marxism on a more humanistic basis, as opposed to the usual authoritarian and totalitarian basis which prevailed, and ultimately defeated Marxism, in the 20th century. Regardless of how you feel about them (and I am not a member, nor do I agree with everything they currently say), I think they can be worked with. Also, one of their leaders, Maryam Namazie, has been prominent in the British secular movement with her work against the establishment of Sharia courts in Europe, and the Council of Ex-Muslims.

So let us know what you think.

Thanks, Eddie