Benyamin Maniat
The water flow along the street leading to the Imam Khomeini Hussainiyeh was much stronger than in previous days. The recent snowfall in the last days of winter had blanketed the mountains with more snow, sparking hope for a summer free from water scarcity.
Ahead of me, one of the first-time voters tightened his scarf around his mouth, while others chatted about the topics covered in their classes during the past week. Despite the chilly weather and the long entry queue, the first-time voters eagerly lined up along the stream, waiting for their entrance.
Curious, I asked one of them if it was his first-time voting. He responded, "Yes, it's my first time." I then inquired about how many times he had attended a meeting with the Leader of Islamic Revolution. He replied, "It's my first time." It was intriguing—a young first-time voter and a first-time meeting attendee. It brought back memories of my first experiences participating in elections. With the Iranian flag in hand early in the morning, I cast my vote. Although my preferred candidate didn't prevail, I took pride in exercising my right and influencing the vote percentages. I was proud of voting because, as the Leader said, I felt my presence deterred Iran's enemies from "coveting the country," "thinking of trying to hurt the country," and prevent their schemes for increasing "corruption and sedition."
That first voter had come from Mashhad and was a physics student at Sharif University. Another first-time voter in the queue was chatting with his friend in Arabic. My guess was correct; he was one of our Arab compatriots from Abadan, a city in the southern part of Iran. He, too, was a metallurgical engineering student at one of the country's top universities - the University of Tehran. Their collective energy was palpable, a mix of youthful enthusiasm with a concern for influencing the country's destiny on one side, and logic and reasoning for making a precise choice on the other. They had come to hear the Leader of the Islamic Revolution's words and factor them into their equations for making a better choice.
As we entered, the youthful fervor at the Imam Khomeini Hussainiyah was even more apparent. Before the Leader's arrival, the recitation of poetry echoed through the hall. Poems with heroic themes intertwined with political messages were recited. After most verses, the cheers from the youth grew louder. One of the verses went like this:
If my vote is insignificant, then why
Does the enemy fear these crowds?
The eagerness of the crowd to see their Leader and hear his words was indescribable. In one of those moments of anticipation, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution entered. The young crowd present stood up to catch a glimpse of him. The seating arrangement almost completely changed, and I found myself moving to the side of a pillar with an inconvenient angle of view. Meanwhile, I pondered on the right to vote, a wish, deeply shared by many nations and individuals. Some have succeeded in obtaining it, while others have failed. Some have sacrificed their lives for this cause, and perhaps not just for themselves, but for generations to come who would benefit from this right. So much blood has been shed in the quest to negate tyranny and monarchy, and to transfer power to the people. Yet, many aspirations of the people were ignored due to personal decisions of those in power or for the sake of the interests of politicians and factions.
I was reviewing examples of such instances when I saw that the Leader of the Islamic Revolution also delved into a historical example in this regard: the "French Revolution"! The Leader of the Islamic Revolution often refers to significant revolutions in history, and the French Revolution is one such example. It was a revolution where the aspirations for democracy and anti-monarchism did not endure after the revolution. The political turmoil and power struggles that ensued led to numerous massacres. The Champ de Mars massacre in Paris in 1791, just two years after the French Revolution, or the Reign of Terror that persisted until 1794 (five years into the French Revolution), resulting in the execution of around 17,000 people in 16 months, are just a few examples of the situation in France in the years following the revolution.
In my view, the distinctive aspect of the Islamic Revolution of Iran centers around a specific issue. What is still true, 45 years after the revolution's victory still is that people's choice is the main criterion. Today, it aligns the first generation of the revolution with the first-time voters, celebrating the people's involvement in determining their fate for over four decades. Despite the passage of more than four decades since the beginning of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, its core principles and ideals have remained consistent, unaffected by the interests of factions, parties, politics, or personal motives. What has safeguarded "independence," "freedom," and "republicanism" for the people and become the cornerstone of unity is "Islam." This aligns with what the Leader of the Islamic Revolution highlighted in their comments about the defining characteristic of a qualified candidate in the electoral arena:
Who is the most appropriate candidate? Who is more competent? [...] Whoever is more committed to religion, to religious duties, and the religious laws. Whoever pursues the independence of the country and the country not being dependent on various world powers more, and they truly want the independence of the country. Whoever is seriously committed to combating corruption and fights corruption. Whoever is more concerned about national interests. That is, they are willing to sacrifice their personal interests for the sake of national interests.
In my opinion, this is righteousnes
Listening to these statements made it evident to me why Islam has successfully upheld the Islamic Revolution in Iran. The primary trait of a chosen representative is "Adherence to Religion." This implies that those who guide the destiny and political life of the people must align themselves with religious ethics and recognize God as the ultimate supervisor of their behavior.
Looking at contrasting examples, I realized the significance of adherence to religion. While there may be similarities among individuals in terms of being "anti-corruption," “independence seeking," and "preserving national interests," it is where divine and religious boundaries are disregarded that deviation, corruption, and degradation manifest from personal and societal levels to broader political and governing spheres. What undermined American democracy and the Western neoliberal political structure under Trump's presidency, or what tarnished Western civilization and culture in the pursuit of supporting Palestinian genocide by the Zionist regime in Gaza under Biden and other Western and European politicians nowadays, sends a signal to humanity: Which boundaries and constraints can transcend the desires of individuals and personal interests, even national or territorial greed, respecting both legitimate aspirations and human rights, and curbing endless human greed and desires?
(The above is Benyamin Maniat's personal account of his participation in Imam Khamenei's meeting with Iranian first-time voters and the honorable families of martyrs, which was held on February 28, 2024).
