Mehdi Nasiri: The Grand Narrative of the Islamic Republic Has Come to an End
Mehdi Nasiri, former editor-in-chief of Kayhan newspaper, said the grand narrative of the Islamic Republic has come to an end.
Mehdi Nasiri, in an interview with “DidegarNews” on the Article 27 program, while referring to the protest movement, the pressures imposed by the regime on the people, and the death of Mahsa Amini due to the headscarf issue, said: “You launched an ill-fated guidance patrol; the movement of Mahsa’s death, the murders and subsequent massacres, the crimes you committed, but you still won’t stop.”
In response to the question “Why won’t the Islamic Republic stop,” he said: “This issue has several reasons. One of them is that the grand narrative of the Republic has ended and its work is finished. What is the grand narrative? The slogan of independence and freedom of the Islamic Republic is the same grand narrative of the Islamic Republic, but where is freedom? Nothing is free—the press, society, media, and everything else is not free. A journalist whose duty is to gather and deliver news to society has been imprisoned for months because of reporting on Mahsa Amini’s death. This is not freedom.
You reprimanded Mr. Rostayi who made the film “The Brothers of Laila.” Why? Because he insulted the sacred? He only offered criticism, which you took personally, and how ridiculously you accused this filmmaker and sent him to Qom to receive art education. This is the freedom you boast about.
The second matter is independence. Are you independent? You made all these slogans saying neither East nor West, but now you are in the lap of the Russians, the Chinese dictate to you, and in the worst way you trade oil for food with the Americans, against whom you have always chanted slogans. Is this what independence is called?
The next matter is republicanism. Do you have republicanism in your society? Is the outcome of elections a sign of republicanism? People’s votes and republicanism are meaningless in the face of the principle of absolute guardianship of the jurist. When the guardian jurist can circumvent everything, what meaning do republicanism or elections have? Elections are only for the regime’s window dressing.
The next matter is Islam. Where did you practice Islam? Where did you defend the deprived and the people? You have brought all people into poverty and misery; you have even destroyed the middle class. For 42 years, double-digit inflation has been imposed on society.”
He also, while emphasizing that the Islamic Republic’s narrative is finished, added: “The Islamic Republic has nothing to tell the people. Without a narrative, it cannot exist. The Islamic Republic has destroyed all its narratives and has nothing left. One of the narratives it created in order to preserve its minority of supporters is the issue of the headscarf, to keep them for a while; but it will not last long and perhaps will only last one or two years, after which what narrative will it create?”
Mehdi Nasiri reiterated that it is the end of the Islamic Republic because it has no narrative. When it has no achievements to preserve the people, how can it preserve the system? He concluded by stating that the end of the Islamic Republic is good news for the Iranian people. Mehdi Nasiri, while referring to the fact that we are not like North Korea, Syria, and Libya, expressed hope for a prosperous and free Iran.
