The Persian Phoenix

Today marks the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.  The whole world was prepared for massive demonstrations by Iran's Green movement.  The result of today's protests, however, were underwhelming.

What happened?

Despite what Ahmadinejad or his puppeteer Khamenei might like you to think, today's seemingly lax amount of protests were not at all the result of apathy on the part of the Iranian people.  Rather, today's events were the result of the sheer fear Iran's government has of its own people.

A CNN article chronicling the protests showed that, by around noon, reports were already circulating that Mehdi Karroubi, an opposition leader, was attacked while on his way to meet with protestors.  Similar attacks occurred around the same time, with many opposition leaders being the victims of tear gas attacks and other violence.  A witness in Iran said that he had "never seen so many Basij militia in the area."

My friend Maryam confirmed these reports.  Maryam's contact in Iran said that she felt like a prisoner in her own country and stated that "the streets were lined with tanks, Basij, and anti-riot vehicles." 

This is just one example of the great lengths Iran's leadership is willing to go to silence Iranian citizens.  The CNN report also documents loud speakers being set throughout Tehran to drown out any potential protests and to attempt to indoctrinate the masses of the supposed legitimacy and benevolence of the Government.  All this just days after two men were hanged for "waging war against God."

All this overcompensation is a key sign of something huge going on in Iran.  It is a sign of the cracks which are slowly breaking down Iran's theocracy.  The Green movement is far from dead.  Like the Persian phoenix, the protestors will once again rise from the ashes of defeat and prove their indefatigable spirits to the world.