Praying for the Iranian people

Even though I was still way too young to vote in 1979, like many Americans my perceptions of Iran are still colored by what happened then.

The takeover of the American embassy, the daily hostage drama on the nightly news (on analog TV, no less), and the release coinciding with Ronald Regan’s inauguration are impossible to forget.

So, too, should be the events of this weekend where by any objective accounts, strongman Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the ruling Islamic elite cooked the books on national election results.

Bloody street protests in Tehran and the crackdown on the media only underscores the likelihood that claims of Ahmadinejad winning over 60 percent of the vote, or winning at all, are bogus.

Vice President Biden tread carefully on Meet the Press, casting a shadow of doubt on the results but not going too far amid President Obama’s persistent efforts to appeal to Muslims outside the political elite and attempting to engage the Iranians about their nuclear ambitions.

The suppression of protests echoes of Tiananmen Square, particularly with its anniversary just past and China’s information blockade. A photo slideshow from the British newspaper The Guardian shows some eerie resemblance.

Keeping the Iranian people in prayers at this moment in history is important. The influence and threat Iran poses to the Middle East and the world is well-known. Now in a graphic display is the evidence that many – if not most – of its people acknowledge its leadership is dictatorial. That is worthy of support.

 

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