Core supporters of Ahmadinejad have been making efforts to introduce Latin socialists and their ideas to the Iranian people, not just celebrating state visits, bilateral MOUs, ALBA, etc. That is, they are going beyond diplomatic necessities.
That doesn't mean that Islamic leftists of Iran have or will become Marxists or Latin socialists have or will convert to Islam. Nor should it.
Between Chavez (who is neither atheist nor Marxist) and Ahmadinejad, God doesn't stand as a barrier, but Muslim and Marxist revolutionaries have differences, so they have to discuss them, and, without seeking to impose one side's ideology upon the other, explore common grounds and work out a united front against the empire strategically. That won't be easy as the IPS report of the "Che Like Chamran" conference featuring Aleida Guevara shows (though I take it with a grain of salt, for Iranian writers who write for IPS generally are liberals, not fond of either Cuban socialism or Islamic populism to begin with), but nothing worth doing will be easy.
'There might be different cultures and different
standpoints, but at the same time there are also
common aspects which should be strengthened,'
said Aleida Guevera, who just like Iranian women
wore a long coat and scarf to hide her hair and
body contour to conform to Islamic dress codes.
She gave as an example the sanctions imposed
by the United States on Cuba for the last 45 years,
and recent threats by Washington to expand
sanctions against Iran through the United Nations
Security Council over Tehran's refusal to suspend
uranium enrichment.
'Although we (Cubans) are not as rich as Iran and
have no oil, we nevertheless resisted for over four
decades. I have learned that the Iranian nation is
resistant, too, and that is a very important common
point between our two nations,' she said. (Farshid
Motahari, "Guevera Kids in Tehran: 'Che Would
Have Supported Iran'," 23 September 2007,
Deutsche Presse-Agentur <http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/features/article_1358753.php/Guevera_kids_in_Tehran_Che_would_have_supported_Iran>)
But what I would really love to see is Persian translations of Build It Now and other books and articles by Michael A. Lebowitz. Ideas like his can help Iran's working people go beyond self-seeking struggles to capture more oil rents for their particular sectors and, instead, advance, from below, a coherent criticism of neoliberal capitalism. Really, they ought to invite Lebowitz to give lectures to students, workers, and farmers in Iran. That's better than having Habermas, Negri, Agamben, etc. (who have all been to Iran to speak), and, who knows, it can happen. Really, why not, considering that Iranian newspapers and other media run and cite pieces from MR and MRZine among other Western leftist sources (e.g., <http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=25375§ionid=3510304>; <http://www.iran-daily.com/1385/2550/html/dotcoms.htm#s141123>; <http://www.aftab.ir/articles/economy_marketing_business/economic_sciense/c2c1161769303_harry_magdoff_p1.php>; <http://www.aftab.ir/articles/economy_marketing_business/economic_sciense/c2c1183824250p4.php>)?
(Seriously, is there any other school of historical materialism more compatible with the ideas of common Muslim Iranians than the Monthly Review tradition?) Besides, Lebowitz is not a dogmatic atheist who categorically looks down upon Islam and Muslims, so he'll be just perfect for Iran.
Iran's Islamic leftists moreover ought to closely study China's transformation as a negative example that Iran must avoid. This is especially important, since Iran's technocratic neo-conservatives clearly see China as one model they would like to emulate, and the Leader Ali Khamenei himself has moved into that direction. ("Market Leninism with Islamic Characteristics" would be a disaster!) That being the case, they ought to look into translating China and Socialism: Market Reforms and Class Struggle by Martin Hart-Landsberg and Paul Burkett into Persian.
BTW, to my knowledge, the only country other than the USA that has put Malcolm X on its postage stamps is Iran: <http://www.iranstamp.com/pics/nf2089.jpg>. And I see a Malcolm X poster at the conference that featured Che's children in Iran: <http://www.photoblog.com/zohrepix/2007/09/27/>. They should elevate this into people-to-people connections, inviting Muslim and other Black intellectuals and activists to visit Iran.
** Here are other recent sightings of El Che in Iran, followed by his sightings in Syria.
<http://mehrnews.com/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=562186> Tehran: 17:50 , 2007/10/01
IAF to raise funds for cameraman Karami
TEHRAN, Oct. 1 (MNA) -- "Che Guevara" and "Farewell Ernesto" by Puyan Shahrokhi are to be screened at the Iranian Artist Forum's Beethoven Hall on October 7 and 8 in order to raise funds for Mostafa Karami who recently met with an accident.
Iranian assistant cameraman Karami was electrocuted during a shooting project in a northern city of Iran a few months ago.
Shahrokhi aims to give comfort and support to Karami by the screening of his films. Although he realizes that the proceeds of the film screenings will not amount to much financially, he wishes to give Karami a spiritual gift.
"Che Guevara" consists of Shahrokhi's interviews with various artists and individuals in which they talk about the Cuban guerrilla leader. "Farewell Ernesto" spotlights Che Guevara's ideas, life and death.
<http://www.mehrnews.ir/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=549174> Tehran: 18:37 , 2007/09/09
Art news in brief
"Che Guevara, Image of a Revolutionary Man" hits Iran's bookstores
TEHRAN, Sept. 9 (MNA) -- The book "Che Guevara, Image of a Revolutionary Man" compiled by Gita Garkani is now available in Iran's bookstores.
The book comprises 400 pictures, some of which have been published for the first time. It reviews the life of Che Guevara from his childhood until his death.
Ernesto Che Guevara was an Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary and Cuban guerrilla leader.
<http://www.mehrnews.ir/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=558092> Tehran: 18:02 , 2007/09/24
Iranian poet to recite poems in commemoration of Che Guevara
TEHRAN -- The young Iranian poet Hadi Khansari is to make a speech and recite poetry during a ceremony to be held in commemoration of Ernesto Che Guevara, marking his 40th death anniversary, which will be held in the town of Sancti Spiritus in Cuba from October 9 to 23.
The participants will also pay a visit to Che Guevara's family and his companion Alberto Grando. Ernesto Che Guevara was an Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary and Cuban guerrilla leader.
Khansari has compiled the works of Iranian poets on the theme of Che Guevara in a book entitled "My Amigo Che Guevara" which was published in Iran about two years ago.
<http://anthropologistindamascus.blogspot.com/2006/10/che-guevara-in-middle-east.html> Wednesday, October 04, 2006 Che Guevara in the Middle East
The support for Hizballah here in Damascus is, not surprisingly, quite strong. Hizballah is seen as a group fighting for Arab rights against American and Israeli designs to control the region. Although there is not as much popular support for the Syrian government and the system it implements, the President himself also garners support for his foreign policy stance against what is seen as American bullying. So I wasn't at all taken aback by the prevalence of Hizballah signs, flags, posters, and graffiti that I have seen around Damascus.
I was more amused by the popularity of older revolutionary symbols that are found side-by-side Hizballah paraphernalia. Che Guevara's struggling face is seen juxtaposed with Nasrallah around the city, and his likeness can be found displayed on its own as well, hanging from a balcony, or on a young man's t-shirt.
Old City souq.
I walked into a shop in the Old City that was selling Hizballah t-shirts to ask them about the phenomenon. The shop owner and his two friends sitting inside explained to me that "Every generation has a hero. Che was from the older generation, and now this generation has found theirs." "Nasrallah?," I asked. "Mmm, yes, but even more so this guy," as he pulled out a keychain with President Chavez of Venezuela from his display case. I laughed. "Why Chavez?" He said "You know, there is a joke going around, we call him Abu Ali, because he is the most Arab of all the Arabs." What he meant is that Chavez, like Bashar and Nasrallah and Guevara, defies American requests to shape his country's policies to the benefit of the US.
A pastiche of keychains.
Another friend of mine in the Old City souq, a young shop owner of Palestinian descent, showed me the pictures in his cell phone one evening. They consisted of three types: personal photos of himself, friends, and girlfriends, Amr Diab (an Arabic pop singer from Egypt), and Che Guevara. I'd guess that out of 275 photos in his phone memory, at least 75 were of Che. I asked him why he admired the man so much. "He was a humanitarian. He was a doctor. He helped people. Not only did he fight for freedom in his own country, he helped fight for freedom from oppression, freedom from American political domination, in all the countries that surrounded him." The relationship between the symbolism of Che and the struggle of the Palestinians, along with the rest of the Middle East, in fighting for freedom from US and Israeli political and economic domination was then obvious.
Hizballah motif cake in Bab Touma, a Christian area of the Old City.
I should also note that Hizballah's popularity is certainly not limited to the Shi'i or even the Muslim areas of the city. One associate commented that Hizballah paraphernalia seems even more prevalent in Christian areas. Perhaps this is true, but the fact that Hizballah's support is not limited by sectarian identity points even more strongly to the fact that the party is seen by Arabs belonging to different religious communities as representing their shared political interests against dominating forces. Arabs like strong defiant leaders, whether they are Shi'i from Lebanon or Venezuelan. Another possibility, though, is that Christians here feel the need to display their solidarity with the majority Muslim community. I don't think, however, that this is a disingenuous display of support, even if other observers have noted that Christians in Syria are frightened by the prospect of being dominated by a Muslim government and are more happy to live under a minority regime that might protect them. Next time I pass by I'll ask the Christian shop owner if he is at all frightened by the Islamic character of Hizballah. -- Yoshie
