It has become an extraordinary day, at the end of what has been an extraordinary election campaign.
As soon as polls opened in Iran, it became clear that the enthusiasm of the last few days has been translated into what is likely to be a huge turnout.
There were queues snaking round the block from many polling stations.
The crowds gathered outside, in segregated lines of men and women. Even as they waited to vote, they continued the spontaneous debate that has been sweeping Iran in the last week.
At one polling station I visited, some voters came up to me, nervous that the government might be trying to rig the election.
They were worried that a bus being used as a mobile polling station was not as well monitored as the main polling centre.
Other voters say the system under which a reference number has to be written by the candidates' name on the ballot paper is confusing.
Good humour
Much of the mobile phone text message system seems not to be working, a system the opposition had been hoping to use to send back reports from their monitors at polling stations and election counts.
The opposition has complained to the government.
Rumours are sweeping Tehran that some satellite TV stations may have been blocked.
But for the most part election day has continued the good humour of recent days.
One supporter of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a woman in the long black religious chador, made a point of shaking hands with another woman wearing the green colours of the opposition contender, Mir-Hossein Mousavi.
Many of the polling stations are in mosques or other religious buildings.
At the Hosseiniyat Ershad in north Tehran, the number of women, particularly young women, queuing to vote is most striking.
The young voters who have been turning out in force for Mr Mousavi say they want more personal freedom, more opportunities and better relations with the West.
Extended voting
Supporters of Mr Ahmadinejad have praised him for pushing forward the nuclear programme, and say he has earned more respect for Iran internationally.
By mid-morning, the interior ministry announced that already five million people had voted. Voting was extended by two hours, and may be extended longer.
Such a high turnout will make Iranians more confident of the outcome.
They will remember the election in 1997, in which President Khatami defeated a candidate heavily favoured by the establishment.
His victory was so overwhelming it soon became clear that it could not be overturned, even if there had been those trying to do so.
Results are expected to begin coming in during the night. Almost every Iranian you meet is eager for any idea about what is going to happen.
And as for the onewho fears standing in front of His Lord and restrainsthe soul from impure evil desires and lusts, verily, Paradise will be his abode [79:40-41]
Ahmadinejad will prove himself to be a true Muslim and step down?
Ahmadinejad will not step down and prove himself to not be a true Muslim?
BTW, I'm not sure that I agree with your assertion that a true Muslim would step down. But since you are the one who proposed it, I'm curious how you might apply that standard to Ahmadinejad?
The issue is that there are people who support President Ahmadinejad and do not want him to step down.
Erm... nobody thinks that at all. It's 'Fisk', BTW.
maybe you dont, but many others do. so yes ERMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM many do, including silly atheist secular iranians living abroad, and the others who still call themselves zorostrians, oh sorry, they dont call themselves iranians, but 'persians'.
fisk frisk my brain automatically thinks and says frisk when i say his name.
Yes but it does not justify some of the violent actions they have taken. Well it certianly does not help to address the issue.
I do not condone violence I detest it. However when people are oppressed and cenosred for so long they just eventual explode and do irrational things. The government cut off access to Facebook and in the past has shut down newspapers and magazines that were critical of it. I think this election is just the symptom of a much bigger problem. I have met a few Iranians in my life most were collegues of my late uncle and they were good decent people who loved their nation, but could not live under the current government.
The issue is that there are people who support President Ahmadinejad and do not want him to step down.
Oh, I'm sure of that as well. I don't expect Ahmadinejad to step down unless it is ruled that he lost the election, and I don't expect that to happen either. But muhaba made the statement that "A true muslim would give up the presidencial post simply to stop violence even if he has the right to become ruler." I'm just curious to see if really means it and is willing to apply his own unique standard for determining a "true muslim" to Ahmadinejad with the same gusto he suggested it for Mousavi?
NOTE TO WESTERNERS, PLZZZZZZZZZZ UNDERSTAND THIS: demonstrations are NOT against the ISLAMIC REGIME, they are against AHMEDINIJAD. demonstrations are NOT calling for an end to the Islamic regime to be replaced by a secular western style government.
NOTE TO WESTERNERS, PLZZZZZZZZZZ UNDERSTAND THIS: demonstrations are NOT against the ISLAMIC REGIME, they are against AHMEDINIJAD. demonstrations are NOT calling for an end to the Islamic regime to be replaced by a secular western style government.
Salaam
Yeah i agree - just understand this Mousavi or Ahmedinijhad dont realy chnage things whats so ever - the supreme leader is still the leader. Also both men have zero say on the nuclear issue - thats all supreme leaders control - although the prevoius supreme leader Khomnie was against a nuclear bomb calling it the work of the devil.
Do you think the pious don't sin?
They merely:
Veiled themselves and didn't flaunt it
Sought forgiveness and didn't persist
Took ownership of it and don't justify it
And acted with excellence after they had erred - Ibn al-Qayyim
lol this article is complete rubbish and i just wrote an entire paragraph a few posts up.
and to mr trumble, here you goooooooooooooo.
Is everything that is published in the Western media rubbish to you? What ever the outcome of this sitaution maybe all we can do is watch wait and pray, but really this condemnation of the West and Westerners is really wearing thin.
Is everything that is published in the Western media rubbish to you? What ever the outcome of this sitaution maybe all we can do is watch wait and pray, but really this condemnation of the West and Westerners is really wearing thin.
Salaam
Yeah she has a point as a lot of muslims are also westerners
Do you think the pious don't sin?
They merely:
Veiled themselves and didn't flaunt it
Sought forgiveness and didn't persist
Took ownership of it and don't justify it
And acted with excellence after they had erred - Ibn al-Qayyim
NOTE TO WESTERNERS, PLZZZZZZZZZZ UNDERSTAND THIS: demonstrations are NOT against the ISLAMIC REGIME, they are against AHMEDINIJAD. demonstrations are NOT calling for an end to the Islamic regime to be replaced by a secular western style government.
Everybody knows this.
Where are you getting all this stuff about "what Westerners think"?
Yeah she has a point as a lot of muslims are also westerners
One of the Muslim ladies that I correspond with is an American born convert/revert to Islam. We both love America and she loves her faith and I love mine. Alot of Muslims are Westerners, some born into the faith, others embrace it as adults An Arab or Eastern born Muslim is not superior to those who are born in the West.
Personally I dont think that it would have been possible to make a voting cheat on such big scale. Ahmadinejad must have won in reality.
It seems a good number of Iranians would disagree. It seems now they are using Twitter now to get out to the world what is really happening inside as it seems text messaging and other media outlets have been shut down. This whole thing stinks worse than a dead fish.
It seems a good number of Iranians would disagree. It seems now they are using Twitter now to get out to the world what is really happening inside as it seems text messaging and other media outlets have been shut down. This whole thing stinks worse than a dead fish.
I wwould be the last person to be called as Iran expert, but from what I know, Iran's majority people are conservative, not rich and living in rural areas. And they seem to support Ahmadinejad, meanwhile his opponent got votes of students, pro western intelectuals and upper middle class, which is a minority.
This country is dying because of a lack of men, not a lack of programs.
One of the Muslim ladies that I correspond with is an American born convert/revert to Islam. We both love America and she loves her faith and I love mine. Alot of Muslims are Westerners, some born into the faith, others embrace it as adults An Arab or Eastern born Muslim is not superior to those who are born in the West.
True - alot of muslims were born in the "western world" - i'm sure most of muslims on this forum were born in the "west" too
peace
Do you think the pious don't sin?
They merely:
Veiled themselves and didn't flaunt it
Sought forgiveness and didn't persist
Took ownership of it and don't justify it
And acted with excellence after they had erred - Ibn al-Qayyim
It seems a good number of Iranians would disagree. It seems now they are using Twitter now to get out to the world what is really happening inside as it seems text messaging and other media outlets have been shut down. This whole thing stinks worse than a dead fish.
Facebook,Twitter,Youtube,etc have been blocked.Text messaging has been disabled.BBC radio and television are being jammed and lots of other problems.
And bear in mind that no one's protesting against the regime.And yet see how people are shot at and beaten up,especially the students in dormitory!.
There was no cheating alright:blind:
Is everything that is published in the Western media rubbish to you? What ever the outcome of this sitaution maybe all we can do is watch wait and pray, but really this condemnation of the West and Westerners is really wearing thin.
yes it is, because the western media isnt even reporting honestly. yes iranians are demonstrating, but not against the islamic republic, or the islamic regime, they are specifically demonstrating against ahmedinjad. its like if someone in the US demonstrates against bush, it doesnt mean their demonstrating against the foundation and system of their government, just the leader. but western newspapers have an agenda and want to twist whats actually going on.
and if you dont like the condemnation then keep your nose out of iranian affairs, i am an iranian, and i am telling you and your newspapers to do that, you dont like that? too bad, its not your country, and you dont know anything about the people or whats going on. i am sick to my stomach of seeing westerners making their stupid little comments and articles about issues they dont even understand, and issues they are intentionally twisting for their agendas.
how about you go to iran and join one of the demonstrations and enjoy listening to them chanting many Islamic slogans, then come back and post your stupid articles talking about how these ppl want an end to the Islamic system and a pure secularized western version.
yes it is, because the western media isnt even reporting honestly. yes iranians are demonstrating, but not against the islamic republic, or the islamic regime, they are specifically demonstrating against ahmedinjad. its like if someone in the US demonstrates against bush, it doesnt mean their demonstrating against the foundation and system of their government, just the leader. but western newspapers have an agenda and want to twist whats actually going on.
and if you dont like the condemnation then keep your nose out of iranian affairs, i am an iranian, and i am telling you and your newspapers to do that, you dont like that? too bad, its not your country, and you dont know anything about the people or whats going on. i am sick to my stomach of seeing westerners making their stupid little comments and articles about issues they dont even understand, and issues they are intentionally twisting for their agendas.
how about you go to iran and join one of the demonstrations and enjoy listening to them chanting many Islamic slogans, then come back and post your stupid articles talking about how these ppl want an end to the Islamic system and a pure secularized western version.
lol this article is complete rubbish and i just wrote an entire paragraph a few posts up.
and to mr trumble, here you goooooooooooooo.
Did you actually read the article, or just the headline? For instance, if this article is complete rubbish, then you are suggesting that the following statement made in it is rubbish: "...the likelihood that Iran's clergy-ruled system will undergo a radical change remains dim."
I don't see a significant difference between the article's coments and yours:
quoted from the article you declare complete rubbish:
Many Iranians feel strong kinship with the revolution, its heirs and the system they created, and are reluctant to do anything that would trigger bloody upheaval again. Ahmadinejad has broad support among the poor and pious, who also venerate the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Yet Ahmadinejad's hard-line jousts with the West, his mishandling of the economy and, in particular, what many view as a blatant theft of the election, seem to be turning off growing segments of the middle class.
format_quote Originally Posted by The_Prince
NOTE TO WESTERNERS, PLZZZZZZZZZZ UNDERSTAND THIS: demonstrations are NOT against the ISLAMIC REGIME, they are against AHMEDINIJAD. demonstrations are NOT calling for an end to the Islamic regime to be replaced by a secular western style government.
Yet somehow you think that statements such as
There's no way to know if Mousavi will challenge, or would even want to challenge, the Islamic system itself.
and
Mousavi has made no direct threat to the Islamic system.
are complete rubbish.
What rubbish your critique itself is. You don't even take the time to actually read or listen to that which comes out of the west, you just attach the label "west" to it and equate that with rubbish. Such is as biased of a way of viewing the world as anything you might accuse the west itself of doing.
The reality is that the west does know this is not an attempt to replace an Islamic regime by some scular western style government. You can see that in the reports of western media and bloggers if you'll only look past the headlines and actually pay attention:
The Mousavi marches have been peaceful and have not in any way challenged Islam. In fact, they have, if anything, called for upholding the values of the Constitution.
Western onlookers weary of Ahmadinejad's antagonizing would be wise not to expect a sea change in Iranian policy. Though he has stressed the need to engage with the U.S., Mousavi has indicated he would not budge on Iran's right to pursue nuclear power.
The unrest that has rocked Tehran and other cities since results were declared on Saturday is the sharpest expression of discontent against the Islamic Republic's leadership for years.
Note that these reports recognize that this is about who the leadership of Iran is and that is all. It is not suggesting that Mousavi favors the policies that the west might like to see any more than Ahmadinejad does. We are not so naive.
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