Freedom bowing to Freedom

The people of Iran sing from their rooftops at night.

During the day, I have heard, they march millions in silence, the tapping of footsteps passing by. They smile despite the murder of their brothers and sisters who walked alongside them yesterday. They smile because now they walk together; now they walk empowered; now they walk with hope in their hearts.

I have been caught in the cyber-webs for days now, like my uncle Willie Brown with his metal detector in a junkyard, I go searching for anything that can tell me anything about anything that is happening in Iran today... and there is so much to sift through. I look for the faces of my cousins, my aunts, my uncles in the crowds. With fear in my heart I search every page for anything that can get me closer.

It is 9:30pm; I have been at it since morning. Despite the clamp-down on internet and cellphone connections so much gets through, a testament to international solidarities... all those invisible faces behind screens doing what they can to set up connections to Iran so that these voices can be heard.

In one Twitter feed I read comment on one of these silent marches:

A man holds his mobile phone up to me: footage of a man with his head blown off last Monday. A man, 28, whispers: "The government will use more violence, but some of us have to make the sacrifice." Another whisper: "Where are you from?" When I say the United States, he says: "Please give our regards to freedom."

He does not say: teach us freedom. He does not say: take us to freedom. He is freedom bowing to freedom.

There is much here to be inspired by. For better or for worse and for so long the U.S. has stood for something so much larger than itself. It has been the light that those freedom-fighters the world over have turned to in the darkest of nights. It has been the inspiration that hope drinks from when rivers run dry.

...and despite the rhetoric and policies of years past that helped to lead Iran into the mess it lives today, the people do not forget. They remind us of what we stand for. They whisper stories into the night of heroes before them, send messages in bottles that float the cyber-seas, reach out to the world... all so that we'll awake one morning and remember our dreams. They are a mirror of the possible. They are freedom bowing to freedom.

The U.S. has done the remarkable in electing an African-American to the Presidency; this is the scent of August Lilies in bloom; a testament to the will of a people and a struggle to rise and rise again; a moment where all the words we have used might actually mean something should we give them the force of our hearts. Here in the United States, let us salute the Iranian people for their bravery and spirit. Let us bow to our knees and thank them for the example they have set.

Yes, it is hard to know what to do. On one hand, President Obama's gesture of non-intervention is a bold move in support of the Iranian people and a statement of confidence in the movement and ability of the Islamic Republic to respond responsibly. On the other hand, if U.S. silence helps to embolden the Islamic Republic in ways that lead to further violent crackdowns on protesters, then we will have failed our Iranian brothers and sisters. I do believe a stronger statement of condemnation for the murder of protesters and the restrictions on free speech and communication with the outside world should be made by our president and I am heartened by the House vote today, 405-1, to condemn Tehran's crackdown on demonstrators and the government's interference with Internet and cell phone communications. However I am saddened by the opportunism of those who choose to take such an incredible moment of inspiration to further political agendas, in the name of Iranian freedom, that serve to do nothing but further muddy the waters.

I have heard that on Wednesday President Obama asked Twitter to delay its planned site upgrade so that Tehran's service would not be interrupted and the people on the ground can continue to voice their concerns and perspectives. This from a President elected through networks of citizen volunteers moblizing across the country through an unprecedented use of social networking technology. This is not insignificant in a country, the U.S., where 6 major corporations own our major media outlets. Nor is it insignificant in a country, The Islamic Republic, where freedoms of expression are closely monitored and surveilled. In both cases what we bear witness to is a people fighting back. Alternative media and newscasts on the web, Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are all examples of this dream that will not die.

We should be careful about what positions we take and who we support. There is a crack in the Islamic power structure and internal politics are at play right now that opportunists in Iran proper will try to capitalize on. We should follow the lead of the Iranian people, listen to their demands and do the best we can to show our support graciously and in a true spirit of comraderie, one that is not about power games and political maneuvering but instead taps into that place in our hearts desperate for that thing we call freedom. We should condemn the attacks on protesters and their imprisonment. There have been calls for UN monitoring in Iran from human rights workers on the ground and this is an idea I support with great caution as the UN is so easily seen by many countries, and the Islamic Republic in particular, as a U.S. puppet. I would be much more in support of a gesture from the U.S. of making a commitment to address Human Rights concerns of its own. This not only appeals to the spirit of integrity and honor that is so important to the Iranian people, but it is also a gesture of leadership by example -something that the U.S. has stood for in the past and that the Iranian people today are proving is a powerful force that continues to inspire. Let us now be inspired by them.

As I write this, a new day begins in Iran. I have finally heard from my cousin, who informs me they are awaiting today's Guardian Council meeting. I have been warned that today, Saturday, will likely be the bloodiest day yet. Let us keep them in our thoughts and in our hearts. Let us be freedom bowing to freedom.

See below for a summary of objections to the last week's election as well as Shirin Ebadi's statement of demands (she is an Iranian Nobel Peace Prize human rights defender).

Objections:

1. At most voting locations, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi's representatives were not allowed to be present.
2. It is claimed that many of the ballot boxes have been tampered with.
3. It is asserted that nearly 40 million paper ballots were counted in just an impossible few hours.
4. Ahmadinejad obtained 14 million votes in the previous elections. This time, however, they made the unprecedented announcement that he had 24 million votes. Mehdi Karroubi announced that his votes were less than the number of his election headquarters' members and the members of the "Etemad Melli" party, which he heads. When millions of people in Tehran and other cities came out on the streets to protest the elections results, it was clear that Ahmadinejad's 24 million votes could not have been accurate.
5. Mir Hussein Mousavi did poorly in his home district in demographics he was expected to do well in.
6. Other candidates had the right to contest the elections results, and no one should have been congratulated until their objections had been heard and definitive results been determined. This premature act of congratulating angered the Iranian population.

Demands:

1. The unconditional release of every individual arrested and imprisoned for having objected to the results of the elections.
2. Ordering the cessation of Basij and police violence toward protestors.
3. Declaring the election void.
4. Ordering new elections under the auspices of international organizations.
5. Paying compensation to the injured and to the families of those who have been killed.