For nearly a quarter of a century, Iranian President-elect Hassan Rohani served in posts in the Iranian nuclear program, and has produced a large number of books and political essays including one titled "Foucauldian Critical Dialogue Analysis." Michel Foucault is a French philosopher who studied the nature of power, the means by which it controls knowledge, and how it is used as a form of social control. I do not know Foucault nor have I read any of his works, and my limited knowledge about him comes from widely available sources. Nevertheless, I can say that Rohani's track record, whether in official posts or his body of published works, indicates that he is a centrist moderate. And yet, the neocons, the evil American warmongering cabal, the Israel lobby, and other Likudnik groups see things differently. To be sure, these people wanted another hardline candidate to win to justify their policies against Iran. But the fact that a moderate ayatollah has been elected will make their plans for a war on Iran more difficult. I choose today selections from the pro-Israeli electronic media, which habitually advocates war and murder, as much as this column's word count can accommodate: - "Meet the New Mullah: Same as the Old Mullah," was the title of a commentary by Reuel Marc Gerecht, a Likud-leaning Jewish immigrant to the United States. He began his article by describing Rohani as a small thumb in the eye of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and then went on to write that the joy in Tehran and the West for his victory would not last long, claiming that Rohani is the Supreme Leader's ally (even after he said earlier that the Iranians put their thumb in Khamenei's eye by voting for the moderate candidate). - "New President, Same Iran?" is the title of an article claiming that the Iranians have been misled, and that Ayatollah Khamenei was the one to choose Rohani for the presidency. The proof? The ‘ominous overtones' in Rohani attributing his victory to the 12th Imam al-Mahdi. - "Iran's Moderate President?" Like the previous article, the title ended with a question mark. Kathryn Jean Lopez, the author, then answers her own question and asserts that Rohani is not a moderate. To reach this conclusion, Lopez quoted the Wall Street Journal, a major financial newspaper with accurate reporting but an extremist Likudnik op-ed page. In truth, I often notice that the advocates of Israel have a tendency to quote one another, that is, engage in extremist repetition and circular references. - "He's No ‘Moderate': Iran picks a new leader to read from the same script." This article deems Rohani to be one of the pillars of the regime, citing the fact that he had joined Ayatollah Khomeini in his Paris exile, before he returned with him, and always held key positions in the Islamic Republic's institutions. The article claims that Rohani is considered a moderate only because of his ties to former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, and quotes another Likudnik to make its point as well. - "The Myth of the Moderate Mullahs," is an article that rehashes the ideas of the previous one. The article accuses the West of deceiving itself when talking about moderates in the Iranian regime, and criticizes the US administration for wanting to negotiate with the Iranians. - "The Truth about Iran's New ‘Centrist' President." This article attacks the Western media, which promoted the idea that Hassan Rohani is a moderate, that there may soon be a breakthrough in the negotiations, and that a change in Iran's position on Israel and Syria is possible. My only comment, which I am confident is right on the mark, is that Iran, the Arabs, and the Muslims all agree on one thing, namely, their hatred for Israel and its fascist government. I have run out of space, and have dozens of other similar articles, so I choose some titles that sum up their content: - "Rowhani's Win is a Victory for the Regime" - "Iranian actions speak louder than election results" - "Election of "Moderate" Helps Iran's Tyrant" - "The Iran Election Optimists" Last but not least, perhaps the most brazen article I read was the one titled, "Help Iraq Resist Iranian Influence." Indeed, the neocon gang sought to massacre one million Arabs and Muslims, and handed over Iraq to pro-Iranian Shias, and yet, it dares call for helping Iraq against Iran. Those people are the enemies of the Arabs and Muslims, and there can be no peace or settlement with them. [email protected]
