There has been a lot of buzz online during the past several days regarding a Facebook page called "Israel-Loves-Iran". Currently, after about 2-weeks since its creation, the community has about 50,000 followers (which could be considered a lukewarm following at best compared to other viral internet sensations). The page claims that it is dedicated to bringing the "people" of the two countries closer together and spreading love and peace.
Soon after the above-mentioned page was created, a page entitled “Iran-Loves-Israel” was reciprocally initiated with a current following of approximately 12,000 people. By going through the list of its members, one can see many of those who have joined the page, are not even Iranians. Nonetheless, even if we assume that all the members of the page are Iranian citizens, this is not a significant number and does not even account for 1 percent of Iranian Facebook users.
Reading through the various articles written by western analysts, one can see anxious attempts at justifying this mediocre number and making it appear as if it is significant. They argue that since not many Iranians have access to Facebook, and that they are afraid that intelligence agencies within Iran might cause them trouble if they join such a group, hence the numbers are this low. The weakness of this logic is no more obvious when looking at the (approximate) 240,000 of Iranians who have joined the Facebook page dedicated to the Iranian opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi who is currently under house arrest and whose actions have been widely seen as sparks for the riots of Tehran after the 2009 elections.
So why is this rather insignificant movement over-exaggerated and talked about repeatedly on the mass media? Why don’t Iranians love Israel anyways?
The answer to the question is quite simple: the majority of Iranians do not love Israeli-Apartheid; the majority of Iranians do not love an illegal occupation of Palestine; and quite certainly, the majority of Iranians do not love their citizens (including scientists) being assassinated by the Mossad. Of course the above statements are quite clear – not only true for Iranians, but true for the overwhelming majority of all the citizens of various countries in the Middle East.
One might argue that the initiator of the Israel-Loves-Iran page has explicitly indicated that the messages of love and peace sent back and forth are for the Iranian and Israeli “people”, and that they have nothing to do with the governments of the two countries. However, since Israel claims to be a democracy, the atrocities carried out by the Israeli government throughout its the decades, are in fact atrocities carried out by the lawful representatives of the Israeli people. To say that the oppression and crimes carried out by the Israeli government do not represent the will of the majority of its people only means one thing: that Israel is not a democracy and is in fact some sort of (military) dictatorship.
Why are conventional western news outlets -largely supported by Israeli lobbyists- trying day and night to promote the page, and desperately trying to drag Iranians into reciprocating this type of “Israel-Loves-Iran” message?
In fact, by dragging Iranians into reciprocating this kind of message, and over exaggerating the minimal love of a minute amount of Iranians for Israel, a lot can be gained by the occupying Zionist regime.
First and foremost, the public opinion of the global audience can be manipulated as to think that Iranian citizens –unlike the Iranian government- feel no displeasure towards Israel. This can in turn be used as a wedge to distance the Iranian people from their government in the minds of the world. Thus, further animosity towards the Iranian government by western powers would be more justifiable for the global audience.
Secondly, by spreading such messages, Israel is desperately trying to find empathy in the region. After their beloved dictator of Egypt, Mubarak, was toppled, the Israelis see their ever-dwindling status in the Middle East decline by the day. Citizens all across the region simply resent the occupying regime. By filling the media with messages of love from their arch nemesis, Iran, they are attempting to build a positive image for themselves: after all, if even the Iranians can love us, why can’t the others?
Last but not least, believe it or not, being friends with Israel is considered a shame in the Middle East. Ever since sixty-something years ago when Palestine was outright invaded and the country of Israel was fabricated out of thin air on its ruins, it has been the same. Israel knows very well that Iran’s outspoken resentment towards Israeli Apartheid has brought Iran great honor among the populations of the Middle East. By trying to portray Iranians as Israel-loving people, this can be an attempt to discredit and defame the citizens of Iran and strip them from their admired Apartheid-fighting status.
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ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are posting another side. However, there are some holes in this argument.
ReplyDeleteFirst, Mir Hossein Mousavi has less than 240,000 likes, and although a higher percentage of them are Iranian than non-Iranian, this was an exaggeration in your article. Such an exaggeration suggests to me that you are approaching this issue with your mind already made up: a mind closed, not open.
Also, his page has been broadcast for much longer than 3 weeks.
Hi.
DeleteI think you're being too nit-picky. Here's a link to the facebook page I was talking about: http://www.facebook.com/mousavi
It is currently at 239,875. It might have lost some members in the past couple of weeks. Nonetheless, I will change the number in the article to "approximately" 240,000 so that you won't have anything to complain about.
The point about the number of Mir Hossein Mousavi's likes on Facebook is not the duration under which they were gained, the point is that this many number of Iranian people have liked his page, therefore, the argument about Iranians not having access to Facebook or being afraid of security forces causing them problems if they voice their opinions is simply not true.
Thanks
i love you
ReplyDeletePlease go on their facebook page and see that click underneat the LIKE button , and you'll this information.so the majority of people on that page are from TEHRAN, IRAN. I'm Iranian , and I don't want war with Israel. I also don't want the Islamic Regime anymore. down with Islamic Regime, zendeh bad IRAN.
ReplyDeleteTehran, Iran
Most Popular City
25-34 years old
Most Popular Age Group
There are certainly a number of people in Iran who do not love Israel, but do not make the mistake of letting them represent the high amount of people who do. Given today’s context and the oppression that Iranians are faced with, it is impossible to know what side people are on.
ReplyDeleteThe lives of Iranians in Iran are particularly complex and their rights or eagerness to show support for Israel is not a topic that can be covered in a few paragraphs. We are talking about the same country where a 17 year old recently received 100 lashes for drinking water during Ramadan.
You have scraped the surface on some factors of why Iranians are not joining the “Iran Loves Israel” page without going into detail.
You cannot compare the number of likes on Facebook for Mousavi with how many people have joined a site that is intended for Iranians to show support for Israel. Certainly, neither of these activities is seen in a good light with the Iranian government.
However – the fact that Mousavi is still alive and is simply put under house arrest shows how little threat the government feels about him as Iran is infamous for executing its citizens when it comes to politics (and many, many other things).
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Ahmadinejad has openly stated that Israel must be wiped off the map, and recently, that the existence of the country is an insult to humanity. He has no kinder words to say about Zionists.
In a country that governs through fear and has no sympathy for its own people, what do you expect the fate will be for Iranians who are showing support for something the government is aggressively and openly trying to destroy?
Were you aware that all passports in Iran come with a statement on the inside of the front cover that says “The holder of this passport is not entitled to travel to Occupied Palestine?” This of course does not depict the views of Iranians towards Israel, but instead it reflects the government’s control on its citizens.
To show support for Israel in Iran can mean putting your life, and the lives of those you love in danger. As you mentioned, Iran has intelligence agencies who do monitor what their citizens are writing and doing online. The people living in Iran are not free like you or I, to express their opinions. Even as an Iranian living outside of Iran, you still have to be careful of what you are writing, supporting or doing online. There have been cases of the government torturing or killing relatives of those who speak out against the Regime.
If you haven’t already, I encourage you to take a look at the Sharia law that governs Iran. These laws are still in place today and are not taken lightly. You can see how Iranians are constantly living in fear and why they may be reluctant to publicly show support for Israel even if they did wish to.
Although the majority of the citizens are not religious and have no attachment specifically to Islam, Iranians are forced to pretend that they do. Even people of the Baha’i faith write that they are Muslim when applying for University (Along with many other restrictions, Baha’is are not allowed to get an education in Iran). Therefore Iranians on a daily basis are pretending to be religious or that they are against Israel etc., in order to be able to keep their jobs, get accepted to University, provide for their families or to simply stay alive.
So Iran would be dishonored by showing love, respect and generosity to Israel? Doing the right thing when everyone applauds is not my idea of honor. Approval perhaps--even credibility can be gained in this way but not honor and certainly not self-respect. Doing the right thing when it's hard to find a friend to back you up--that is truly honorable.
ReplyDeleteSo Iran would be dishonored by showing love, respect and generosity to Israel? Doing the right thing when everyone applauds is not my idea of honor. Approval perhaps--even credibility can be gained in this way but not honor and certainly not self-respect. Doing the right thing when it's hard to find a friend to back you up--that is truly honorable.
ReplyDelete