I know you want to know, so here we go: a very abridged, to the point, guide of who is who in Iran surrounding the 2009 Presidential controversy.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: The Leader of Leaders aka the “Supreme Leader”
Ayatollah Khomeini is the Supreme leader of the land of Iran. He is the country’s most powerful figure. Responsible for confirming the election of the nation’s president, he also in charge of appointing the head of the judiciary, and half of the members of the Guardian Council (there are 12 in total, he appoints six.) He is in charge of appointing the commanders of each of the Iranian armed forces, as well as, prayer leaders and the head of the radio and television networks. He is the founder of the Islamic republic and previous president of Iran (1981-1989).
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: President and was incumbent in election
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been Iran’s president since 2005. It is believed, according to the BBC and other sources, that he is backed by Ayatollah Khomeini. He is active in the Islamic Revolution and he became the first non-cleric to be elected as the president of Iran since 1981. He does not favor development or reform, is anti-Western and is a supporter of Tehran’s nuclear program. According to the BBC, most of his support comes from poorer and more religious sects in Iran. Mostly, these followers exist outside of the city of Tehran.
Mir Hossein Mousavi
He is the former prime minister of Iran and takes a more moderate stance on issues. His wife, Zahra Rahnavard, is the former chancellor of Alzahra University and was a political advisor to a former Iranian president, Mohammed Khatami. One of his backers is Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani who is a former president of Iran, and currently heads two of Iran’s most powerful bodies: the Expediency Council and the Assembly of Experts.
The Reformist Movement
This movement is a political one led by a number of political parties that have joined together supporting Mohammed Khatami, and his plan to introduce more freedoms into the nation, including democracy. Currently their key figures are Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mohsen Mirdamadi, Hadi Khamenei, Mohsen Aminzadeh, and Mostafa Tajzadeh.
The Clerics
These people rule Iranian society. They are the only ones elected to the Assembly of Experts (which can theoretically take over for the Ayatollah), and they appoint the Supreme Leader (Ayatollah.) They are the dominate factor in the judiciary which is based on Sharia. Sharia is Islamic law – Saudi Arabia is governed similarly.
The Revolutionary Guard (The Army)
The Iranian army is made up of the Revolutionary Guard and the regular forces. The guard is the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) initially set up after the revolution in order to defend their Islamic system. They are the majority of the political, military and economic forces in Iran and are closely tied to the Ayatollah. Ahmadinejad is a former member. They control about one-third of Iran’s economy.
The Basji: the Auxiliary Force
The Revolutionary Guard controls the Basju Resistance Force. The BSR is an Islamic volunteer militia that is made up of men and women. Consistently they have about 90,000 members but if called, they can rally approximately one million. Sometimes referred to as the Mobilization of the Oppressed, the Basji are the people called to the streets at times of unrest.
Are you on Twitter? Facebook? MySpace? Are you seeing Green? Best explained by Jason Pollock:
“I’m wearing #Green for the #IranElection & a #FreeIran. MORE INFO HERE: http://cli.gs/GSGP0t Pls Share!
” via @Jason_Pollock
Here is mine via Twitter:
Sources: BBC, Time Magazine, Foreign Policy, NewsTin and Newsweek.
For more information about the situation with external links included please see:
How Twitter Shamed CNN with #IranElection and #CNNFail and
The Twitter Effect: Watching #IranElection .
–
Sasha Muradali runs the ‘Little Pink Book’ . She holds a B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Florida and an M.A. in International Administration from the University of Miami. She loves Twitter and all things social media, so you should find her @SashaHalima.
Copyright © 2009 Sasha H. Muradali. All Rights Reserved.
