What IF
Iraq turns out like Iran?
Topic: Iran
That is the doom and gloom scenario, that is propagated in some circles.

My question is well what if that happens, what does it really mean?

It is not like the Mainstream Media covers much of the action in Iran these days.

For real information, you have to go to the Free Iran networks.

Sometimes the websites are down. I don't see much play on internal Iranian events in the major blogsphere so I think I will be mirroring some bits and pieces here. When I can access the sites.

Dozens injured or arrested in Iran-Bahrain soccer riots

SMCCDI (Information Service)
Jun 9, 2005

Dozens have been injured or arrested following the riots which rocked main Iranian cities, yesterday night, at the issue of Iran's win over Bahrain for the qualification of the 2006 World Cup soccer games.

The celebration gatherings turned, right after the end of the game, into massive shows of popular defiance and rejection of all symbols of the Islamic regime. The National exasperation is to the point that male demonstrators had in most occasions to create security belts around maverick females who persisted to stay and 'fight for freedom'.

Several demonstrators, including many females, have been injured due to the use of acid or knives while many other have been wounded by heavy clubs or chains. Many have been hospitalized due to the brutality used by Islamic regime's plainclothes men and members of the paramilitary Bassij force.

Some female demonstrators who had pulled off their veils or were dancing and chanting were beaten and injured. In Guisha, Shahrak e Gharb, Gohardasht and Tajrish areas of Tehran several women were seen bleeding from faces or arms. Same kind of brutality have been reported from several provincial cities.

Earlier and before the start of the game, several female protesters were seriously injured as Islamist militiamen attacked them in the parking areas of Tehran's Azadi ('Freedom') stadium. The demonstrators supported by tens of males were carrying placards condemning the official systematic Gender Apartheid policy and the ban of Iranian women from soccer games.

The anger of the group was raised as a 'selected' group of female were allowed in the stadium in order to help the regime showing a better and 'more' human face to some naive reporters who are in a delusional quest of seeing 'reforms' taking place in Iran. Iranians anger has also been increased as some of these reporters are more focused on the planned show offered by a group of hired young girls, including some well-known prostitutes who are promoting Hashemi Rafsanjani, than the real fight of Iranian women and men for ending tyranny and demagoguery.

It's to note that many Iranian women are intending to protest against the existing discrimination by gathering on Sunday June 12th in front of Tehran University. Ms. Bush's speech, in Amman, in favor of women of Middle east has energized many Iranian women and they believe that as the American Executive, President Bush, has stated: "America will stand by Iranian People when they will rise for freedom".

Finally and as expected, special sections of the security force's elite brigades started in cities, such as, Esfahan, Hamedan, Shiraz, Tabriz, Mahabad, Keramshah, Mashad, Sanandaj, Rasht, Mian-do-Ab, Abadan, Yazd, Kerman, Ghazvin and Oroomiah (former Rezai-e) their massive crackdown after midnight by attacking those maverick demonstrators who persisted to stay and denounce the Islamist dictatorship.

The repression forces were awaiting the diminution of the crowd and a more fluid traffic in order to start their usual work.

But in many cities angry demonstrators retaliated to the brutal attacks with pieces of stones, clubs, martial art and incendiary devices.

In the Greater Tehran's areas of Madar, Hafthose, Rey, Saadat Abad, Guisha, Sadeghie, Vali-e Asr, Eslamshahr, Tajrish and Azadi heavy damages were inflicted to public materials and buildings. Windows of tens of buses and offices or commercial entities affiliated to the Islamic regime were smashed by demonstrators. Some of the Capital's avenues, such as, Azadi or Enghelab were covered with pieces of broken glace.

Most of regime's propaganda devices, such as, its sham electoral propaganda were brought down or set on fire. Several militiamen were also injured in those clashes and several patrol vehicles or Militia's motorbikes were damaged or torched, such as, in Eslamshahr which is a poor suburb of Tehran.

Slogans calling for the overthrow of the Islamic regime and even execution of clerics were shouted, such as, "Toop, Tank, Feshfeshe, Akhoond bayad koshte she" (Guns, Tanks, Cleric must be killed). Other slogans, such as, "na roossari, natoosari" (no veil, no submission), "edalat, barabari" (justice, equality), "marg bar estebdad" (down with dictatorship), "marg bar taleban , tche kabol, tche tehran" (down with taleban, in Kabol and in Tehran, "Iran, Iran, Azadi!" (Iran, Iran, Freedom), "Marg bar Estebdad" (Down with dictatorship), "Akbar koosee, Iran Chili nemishe" (Akbar the Shark -meaning Hashemi Rafsanjani- Iran won't become another Chili), "Toop, Tank Feshfeshe, Bassiji bayad koshte she" (Guns, tanks, firearms, Bassijis -paramilitary force- should be killed) were shouted by many demonstrators.

A demagogue Islamist leadership had first tried to take the lead in order to calm the Iranians by offering celebration ceremonies but once again, Iranians turned them against it.

Four sound bombs exploded, earlier in the evening, rocking the religious City of Ghom. Several residents were injured by the sound waves created by such devices placed around the mausoleum of Fatemeh who's a symbol for shias. It's believed that these devices were installed by circles affiliated to the Islamic regime itself in order to undermine the nature of the unprecedented popular celebrations and demonstrations taking place in this ultra conservative city.

Such fabricated excuses are usually used by the regime in order to justify crackdown.

Already the explosion, few years, ago, of a bomb near Reza's shrine in Mashad is known to have been the work of the regime's intelligence but several opponents were executed for such masterminded crime.