Yesterday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered a speech at Amir Kabir Technical University in Tehran. His address was interrupted when students staged a demonstration, chanting �Death to the dictator!� in the crowded hall where the speech was held. The president responded calmly by replying, “We have resisted dictatorship for many years � from before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Nobody can bring back a dictatorship even in the name of freedom.”

One protester in the crowd held a poster that read, “Fascist president, the Polytechnic is not a place for you.” The group of students then began to set a picture of Ahmadinejad on fire. Another student set off a firecracker, possibly to mimic gunfire. Ahmadinejad supporters in the audience chanted in response, to drown out the demonstrators. After silence was restored, the president continued his speech. No arrests were made.

Liberal and secular university professors have been gradually forced out by the Iranian government. Last year, dozens of liberal professors were sent into retirement, though many have still managed to remain. Numerous pro-reform newspapers have been shut down since Ahmadinejad’s election. Last week, hundreds of students at the University of Tehran staged a similar demonstration to demand more freedoms.

Though this story is being touted by the American right-wing as evidence that Ahmadinejad is hated by his own people, I’ve posted it to bring up another point.

In dictatorships, the people are kept silent and dissent is stifled by authoritarian control. Certain types of control sometimes occur in America more often than in places like Iran. In the US, there are not many independent newspapers to shut down, but the government does keep anti-Bush protesters far enough from the president so that he never sees them. Bush’s people fill his audience with pro-Bush fanatics so that he never has to face the humility of a protesting crowd. In fact, protesters are often relocated to �free speech zones�, fined, threatened, or even jailed for their dissent. Surely, this was not the case in Tehran. Protesters there called for Ahmadinejad�s death! In the United States, threatening the president�s life is a felony. If these Iranian students were to protest against King George in the same manner they would�ve been jailed (or tortured in Gitmo without trial).

It should be no surprise to anyone that the Iranian people lack certain fundamental rights to free speech. I do not pretend to hold Iran up as a model nation. However, it is important to understand how we relate to the current struggle within their country, and accept partial responsibility. Ever since the US launched its military campaign against the non-threatening nation of Iraq, the Iranian government has grown increasingly conservative. Being labeled part of the �axis of evil� has increased the power of hard-liners within the government, and quelled the efforts of reformists who were previously making headway for social change.

As with any country faced with the foreign threat of destabilization, Iran�s nationalism and fanaticism have increased. Common sense tells us that continued US military pressure will only drive Iran further to the right, further threatening the rights of its citizens. Unfortunately, Bush has continuously refused to consider the alternative option � talking with Iran to bring about positive change. Even though President Ahmadinejad has personally requested an audience with President Bush, the bigger dictator still favors sanctions and war over the possibility of peace - not only for Iranians but the region over which Iran has influence. Thanks to us, Iraq is now one of those impressionable countries.

source