Who Really Won the Iranian Election?

June 18, 2009: Earlier this week Iran held its tenth presidential election, and officials announced incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the unanimous winner. There was only a slight problem to this announcement. According to a rather distressed general public, Ahmadinejad could not have won the election, given that most were in favor of Mir-Hossein Mousavi. Unlike Ahmadinejad, Mousavi advocated a diplomatic approach to foreign affairs and more freedoms to the general population, both economically and socially. I’ll let the news reporters debate what this setback means for the country.  My mind began to wander towards two Iranian friends of mine, who are anything but the stereotypical conservative who seemed to dominate the 1980s culture in Iran.

The friends I am thinking of are actually sisters who came to America with their dad when they were in high school. The younger one is tall, with long hair, and a face and personality that attracted at least one new boyfriend a month. The older one is short, with cropped hair and a sharp mind. She is now married to an American, but when she first came here she was carrying on a long distance relationship with a boyfriend in Iran. Both girls love to party, dance, wear attractive clothes, and hang out at all hours. You might be surprised to find out that they had been enjoying their social lifestyle long before coming to America. In fact, they told me, many young Iranians do.

Distraught with the recent election results, they are doing what they can in America to voice their opinion against it. I recently got a facebook message from them showing a link to a site that denounces Ahmadinejad as the president and encourages world leaders to not recognize him as such. If the election could stir such passion among the Iranian Americans here, is it any wonder that the country has experienced some of the largest riots in its recent history?

While dictatorship might still hold onto Iran for several years, maybe decades, to come, I really do see a change in the heart of Iran. I see a new generation of people who are tired of being told what they can’t do, and will vote for someone who offers them the beginning of freedom.  And when their chosen leader does not get the presidency he deserves, they are willing to voice their despair so that the world can hear them.

UPDATE: July 30: A few days ago I came across this insightful commentary on CNN.com. A really good read for those of you who are interested in the Green Movement (you know, the other Green Movement) and how it may affect the rest of the Middle East.