‘Mideast massive protests’ a replay of 1979 Islamic revolution: Iranian conservatives

TEHRAN - Iran’s conservatives have described the massive protests in Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen, a ‘replay’ of 1979 Islamic Revolution.

“In my opinion, the Islamic Republic of Iran should see these events without exception in a positive light,” The New York Times quoted Mohammad-Javad Larijani, Secretary General of the Iranian High Council for Human Rights and one of the most outspoken figures among Iran’s traditional conservatives, as saying.

He also expressed that the “anti-Islamic” government of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, who was ousted in Tunisia, would be replaced by a “people’s government.” This would be an indication that conservative Islamic forces would play a dominant role in the country, just like the Iranian people established a quasi-theocracy after overthrowing Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi.

He also said that the United States and France are “doing everything they can to ride the wave and prevent the people from establishing the regime that they desire.”

“I am more optimistic about Egypt. There, Muslims are more active in political agitation and, God willing, they will establish the regime that they want,” Mohammad-Javad Larijani, the Parliament speaker, said.

Some Iranians even echoed the pan-Islamic rhetoric of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

“Today, as a result of the gifts of the Islamic revolution in Iran, freedom-loving Islamic peoples such as the peoples of Tunisia, Egypt and nearby Arab countries are standing up to their oppressive governments,” Ayatollah Mohammad-Taghi Mesbah-Yazdi, a leading hard-line cleric who is believed to have influence with President Ahmadinejad, said.

Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi further congratulated the people of Tunisia and Egypt, saying that they had acted “based on the principles” of Iran’s Islamic revolution. (ANI)