Good Bye Montazeri; You'll Be Missed

Grand Aytollah Hossein Ali Montazeri died at home in his sleep yesterday in Qom. According to IRNA, ISNA and ILNA, he died of natural causes at the age of 87. However, the circumstances of his death – especially the timing and his last statement – make it almost impossible to rule out the possibility that he was in effect murdered by the Iranian regime. One would hope that in a perfect world his death would be investigated fully by an independent international commission. But sadly, that is not so. But what a great man.

Before there was a Karrroubi or a Mousavi to voice opposition against Iran’s brutal theocratic regime, and even before there was Mohammad Khatami, there was always Montazeri. For the past twenty years, the old man had stood behind his calls for moderation both in the Iranian government and Islam in general. I am surprised how some media sources continue to just call him a cleric. Montazeri was not just a cleric. He had been a political opponent of the Iranian regime since he was sidelined by then Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini in favor of Khamenei in 1989.

What is very important is that he was sidelined for seeking almost the same sort of reforms that Mousavi and Karroubi are preaching. While Mousavi and Karroubi might have endeared themselves to the media – and rightly so -, Montazeri had been the lone voice of opposition against the regime even when Mousavi and Karroubi were part of the regime. He might not have been as vocal before the Green Movement sprang out, but his mere presence was enough to make the Iranian regime uncomfortable.

But he wasn’t always the kind old man. He was a vocal supporter of Khomeini before 1989. He supported the Islamic Revolution, helped draft the constitution and was prominent enough to be Khomeini’s designated heir. The terror that is the Islamic Republic was in part due to Montazeri’s active role in its establishment. That cannot be denied.

However, the mass killing of political opponents by Khomeini in the 80s disillusioned him with the goals of a revolution that was supposed to be there to make people’s lives easier not bloodier. I guess his eyes were opened when the blood of Iranians blurred the rosy image of a utopia ruled by bearded old men who have shown to have nothing but contempt for the rights of their fellow human beings.

The real question in my opinion at this point, though, is not about Montazeri. He is dead, but he has found his peace. The question is what his death will bring for the millions of Iranians who are struggling to break the shackles of oppression and tyranny.

To be perfectly, honest, I don’t know. It was a shocking event that altered every scenario that I had accounted for. To me, personally, his death is a great loss first and foremost for not just the Iranian people, but for the entire world that is suffering front the effects of extremist Islam and is need of moderate voices.

For the protesters, this is probably a mixed blessing. It will rile them up against the regime in the short-term, however, in the long-term; the old wise man who stood behind the youth for so long will not be there. His presence that was a thorn in the side of the regime will be missed. Gone is the one man who could have delegitimized Khamenei with a stroke of his pen.

But the struggle for freedom, human rights and justice will continue. If we’ve learned anything in the past six months it is that the Iranian people’s desire for change will not die with the death of an individual – no matter how important that individual may be. For this is not a struggle initiated for individuals, but for a collective that has had enough with lies. They know the power of truth and they’ve stood behind it for half a year now.

Ashura falls on the 7^th day of Montazeri’s death. His loss coupled with the mourning for Imam Hossein is sure to energize the masses. I was afraid and still am that the government is planning on a massive crackdown on protesters. But I believe in the Iranian people’s will to alter the course of their history. That belief tells me that somehow no matter how massive the crackdown may be, the struggle will go on.

Good bye, Montazeri. I wanted to cry for you. But I did not. I won’t cry because you have found your redemption. I will celebrate that.