Brave student defies the Supreme Leader of Iran

Brave student defies the Supreme Leader of Iran

www.iranian.com

A brave Iranian student has openly criticised the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a formal annual meeting held between the leader and various intellectuals and academic figures on Wednesday.

In this meeting which is usually a place for students from across Iran to praise the leader and to show him their devotion, a mathematics student from Sharif University of Technology and a winner of the International Mathematics Olympiad courageously rose from amongst those present and requested to speak to the leader.

The student then directly addressed the lead

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
farsi.khamenei.ir
www.speroforum.com
iraneazad1388.wordpress.com
azarmehr.blogspot.com

I couldn't find it on breaking news, sorry if it's a repost.
What impressed me was his braveness, but also the applauses coming from the audience: I don't recall anything similar alike ever occouring in Iran.
I've also read some concerning comment,

Sharif University students that their classmate, Mahmoud Vahidnia, was taken away on Thursday night by Revolutionary Guard agents for questioning. His family were told he would only be detained for an hour but have still not heard from him; they have been told by other students that he is fine but cannot talk. It is also claimed that the family has been warned not to speak about the case.

But according to the originary source of this last news, he finally returned home after 24 hours of interrogation.

www.iranian.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Internos,great post - that certainly is a brave young man.
I notced it didn't take long for the state propaganda machine to take the images off the air.

The student then directly addressed the leader criticising him and the Islamic Republic for twenty minutes. His comments were followed by occasional applause and cheers from those present.Iranian state-run TV which was broadcasting live images of the meeting was forced to stop airing the programme for some time.

www.iranian.com...

Don't now if you've seen these pictures before but they show a completely different Iran in the days before the religious cultists took over - look at how free,liberal and happy everyone looks:
www.pagef30.com...

Cheers.

I don't know that I would call him a brave young man.
Suicidal yes...
You do know a lot of those election protesters ended up with death sentences....

Yes there are times when you have to speak your mind but I hope the cost was worth the price...

These are not men who take kindly to being criticised... they don't make you quietly disappear either.. they drag you out and shoot you in a big public display... warning to the other's...

I'd rather slip away to fight another day then stand my ground and do the whole martyr gig

These people hate being criticised?

How quickly we forget.

"Don't taze me Bro!"

Look it up, then get sanctimonious.

Talk about hypocrisy and double standards

reply to post by budski


Look being tasered because the mayor took issue with your comments is hardly on par with a public hanging... Only here can you express your outrage at civil liberties violations... do that in some other countries (Iran comes to mind) and they do much more than violate your rights

Originally posted by DaddyBare
reply to post by budski

 

Look being tasered because the mayor took issue with your comments is hardly on par with a public hanging... Only here can you express your outrage at civil liberties violations... do that in some other countries (Iran comes to mind) and they do much more than violate your rights

Don't give me that rubbish - and for a start it wasn't the mayor.

The US is supposed to be the land of the free and the example of democracy and free speech that the rest of the world looks up to.

But you get tasered for asking a couple of awkward questions of a leading political figure.

See, first he asked the questions, then they turned the mic off, then they dragged him off like they were the Stasi, then they tasered him.

Free speech my backside - it's not the first nor the last time this happened.

The words "pot" and "kettle" spring to mind.

Look at your own country before criticising others - and for the record, I criticise my own country plenty.

reply to post by budski


Is that some kind of anti-US sentiment? What makes you think US citizens agreed with the tazing of the Florida college student? We have about as much to say with what law enforcement does as do those in the UK... As a US citizens, any kind of infringement on civil liberties in any country is against my beliefs. Why are you trying to single out the US?

[edit on 31-10-2009 by janon]

Originally posted by janon
reply to post by budski

 

Is that some kind of anti-US sentiment? What makes you think US citizens agreed with the tazing of the Florida college student? We have about as much to say with what law enforcement does as do those in the UK... As a US citizens, any kind of infringement on civil liberties in any country is against my beliefs. Why are you trying to single out the US?

[edit on 31-10-2009 by janon]

Because people seem to forget that governments in more or less every country do exactly the same to one extent or another - but somehow when Iran does it, it's worse.
And this is because the MSM are "educating" people to hate Iran in a war of propaganda because that's the next place on the agenda to attack.

All the lies and bull that is spewed by the MSM is believed, but at the same time people conveniently forget what's going on in their own back yard.

And hey, if you want to take that example as anti US sentiment, you go right ahead, because that's what you will do anyway.

reply to post by budski


I feel like you are somewhat deflecting the situation. In my humble opinion, it also does a disservice to this young man mentioned in the article. Essentially, you toss him and his effort aside because pointing the finger at someone else is more important to you.

For the record, the tazing incident you refer to was a travesty of justice, IMO. Also what happened to this Iranian man. What happened with the Iranian man seems more severe but the U.S. tazing incident was also an injustice.

No hard feelings- it just disappoints me and it feels like people who point the other finger and bring up another incident instead of dealing with the current situation are saying what happened to this Iranian doesn't deserve our attention because there are bad guys elsewhere, too.

reply to post by AshleyD


I feel this is something that needs to be said, because it is another example of the propaganda campaign against the regime in Iran.

Now whatever the good or bad of their system of government, who are we to judge?

It's also an interesting excercise in spin - when it happened in Florida it was a "disruptive" student, when it happens in Iran he's a "brave young man"

I admire the man for standing up for his beliefs and having the courage to speak out - but let's face it, this is another western hit pice on Iran to build up support against that country.

The double standard of the MSM is stunning in its scope and hypocrisy, and for me that is as much a part of the story as the bravery of the man in question - if indeed it happened as reported, but that's another conversation entirely.

reply to post by janon


Thank you for that... I didn't think I was being all high and mighty with my comment...
Simply pointing out that historically the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei doesn't have a stellar record in peaceful negotiations with dissenters... my comment in now way placed the US above Iran. I just pointed out the danger of such a move...

I am very well aware there are places where comments made, such as we do here on ATS will earn you a visit by jack booted thugs who have little regard for rights and justice... that's not a US thing that's an all people fundamental human right to expect the freedom to express your thoughts and hopes for a better life...

I resent budski's attempt to turn this story into an anti US forum... stay on topic at least...

reply to post by DaddyBare


It's not a question of being high and mighty, or being anti US - it's a question of having a measured view and looking at what happens in your own back yard before condemning others for their behaviour.

For the biblical amongst us "let he who is without sin cast the first stone"

It seems an awfull lot of people who profess to be christians have forgotten that particular tenet of their faith.

reply to post by budski

it's a question of having a measured view and looking at what happens in your own back yard before condemning others for their behaviour.

I think ATS does that a-plenty. Just run a search for 'taser' and I guarantee you the American posters speak out against such incidents. Or other incidents where our rights are infringed and we're treated like we live in a police state.

For the biblical amongst us "let he who is without sin cast the first stone"

'A wise man judges [read: weighs, contemplates] all things.' - I Corinthians 2.

This is just a discussion here pointing out that what was done to this Iranian man was wrong. We're also commanded to point out corruption in other passages.

'Judge not' was not a roundabout way to keep us silent on matters of abuse towards our fellow man. It was in order to make sure we're not hypocritical when we do so. So as long as we point out the error in our own back yard and others, it's fine and dandy.

reply to post by AshleyD


I agree, up to a point.

The same people (not just here, but in the press, RL etc ) who are the first to cite Iraniam "barbarity" or abuse of human rights are the very same people who defend the same KIND of thing when it's done by their own country.

What I'm saying is that the MSM and the people who take it as gospel, can't have it both ways - it's either the same no matter where it happens, or we keep our mouths shut for fear of being seen as hypocrites.
Not that that ever bothers MSM.

reply to post by budski


I don't recall condemning anyone..
Going back over my original post... the one you lashed out at...
I simply said "I" do not possess that young mans courage to stand up and speak out.... Knowing what the outcome might be and fear for mine and my families safety "I" would sit down and shut up....

While the struggle for freedom is a battle well worth fighting for "I" would never dare do as he did... quietly out of the limelight sure I'd do what "I" could... I think it better to be alive and cautious then a dead hero...

No how was that an attack on Iran...

reply to post by DaddyBare


I suggest you read back - my first post was not addressed to you or anyone else.

It was only after you replied to it that I replied to you.

reply to post by budski


Did you even give anyone a chance to bash the Iranian government before you started spouting this drivel and attacking people for simply posting their opinions? This isn't a thread about the United States and whether or not that UF student should've been tased for his disruption. It's a thread about a student in Iran who stood up to the Mullahs because there are a lot of people in that country, mainly the young, who have issues with their leadership - and how BRAVE it was considering the fact that dissenters have been scarfed up in the middle of the night by the Revolutionary Guard, sometimes to be seen again, sometimes not.

Above all, despite the fact that it really irks me when people go so blatantly off-topic as to ridicule others for reasons having NOTHING to do with the OP, if you honestly are going to equate being tased for disruptive behavior with public hangings for peaceful protests, your moral relativism IMO borders on repugnant.

This is ATS, we can criticize any government any way we want - you want to bash the U.S., fine, start a thread. Otherwise stay on topic and stop trying to derail it because you think the U.S. government is pure evil and the Iranian government are the good guys. Wasn't the topic of the thread so take it elsewhere.

Sorry guys, it's just really starting to make me mad when a decent thread gets started with an interesting OP, only to have some self-righteous relativist start condescending to people simply for having an opinion because someone's government did something somewhere, at some point in time that wasn't very nice.


[edit on 31-10-2009 by Legion2112]

reply to post by Legion2112



This has as much to do with spin and the way it makes people perceive Iran as it does with this mans actions.

When it happens in Iran it's "barabarity" according to the MSM, but if someone should stand up and resist in a westen country the same MSM labels them an agitator or troublemaker or some other such nonsense.

It's about the double standards and hypocrisy of the MSM and its followers as much as anything else.

The guys has actually been freed now, unharmed, so where's the story about the big, bad mullahs and the brutality of the regime?

Nice post INT.

Unfortunately, it is highly likely that he will be in prisoned or killed for his display of truth.

I also found it VERY interesting the reaction of the other student's.

Perhaps they are getting sick of their religious dictators.

More power to them, but I fear for them and their families.

BTW, stick to informing us at ATS and ignore those who embrace ignorance.