Came across this news from npr.org interesting perspective
on the region and reaction. enjoy the article......
by
Peter Kenyon
June 25, 2009 · Around the Arab world,
reactions to the Iranian election have ranged from street
demonstrations to Internet protests. But Arab leaders, many of whom
are wary of the regime of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
have either remained silent or embraced his re-election as
legitimate.
The gap between the public and their leaders in the tightly
controlled, economically powerful Persian Gulf states has rarely
been this clear. In the wake of the Iranian vote, as government
repression of street demonstrations turned violent, the United Arab
Emirates' foreign minister spoke out, as did his counterpart in
Bahrain.
Both echoed the regime in Tehran, railing against what they
called "foreign interference" in Iranian affairs. The Emirati
minister added that no country wants to be exposed to
instability.
Ordinary Arabs Show Support For Reformers
At the street level, meanwhile, the reaction was much more
supportive of the demonstrators seeking a new election. In Dubai,
where property prices are generally the first topic of
conversation, demonstrators — many of them Iranian expatriates —
took to the streets outside mosques and the Iranian Consulate in a
rare display of sustained public protest.
When the demonstrations showed no signs of evaporating after
several days, the police were called in to break them up. Even so,
on a recent night, hundreds of people showed up for a silent
candlelight vigil featuring a memorial to a
young Iranian woman
whose apparent shooting death in Tehran had been captured on
video.
Cautious Reaction Of Arab Leaders Not
Surprising
Abbas, an Iranian businessman who asked that his last name not
be used for fear of retribution against family members in Iran,
says the attacks on civilians in the streets dismayed him. He has
no doubt that the election should be annulled and redone. But he
also admits that he is not surprised by the cautious reactions
among Arab leaders.
"I think the rulers of the countries around us are wise to keep
quiet until they know what happens, because it is either Mr.
Ahmadinejad or the reformists who [will] come to power. They are
right in being silent until this is known," he says.
In several Arab countries, the state-run or pro-government press
has buried stories about the unrest in Iran, preferring to lead
with articles about swine flu or the latest wrinkle in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On the Internet, activists engaged in
lengthy debates over whether the Iranian protesters were the
descendants of the 1979 revolution or pretenders in designer
jeans.
In Cairo, Mahmoud Salem, who blogs under the name "Sandmonkey,"
says some officials seem worried that political unrest could spread
to Egypt, but he thinks the Egyptian leadership would love to see
the Iranian regime fall.
"Our government is loving this. Our government hopes Iran falls
down. Because no Iran, no Hezbollah and no Hamas. Hamas has to toe
the line. Egypt is back in the driving seat in the region," he
says.
He claps his hands together as if to say, "That's it, problem
solved."
But of course it's not that simple, he adds, noting that one of
the biggest beneficiaries of regime change in Iran would be Israel,
and that's an outcome that would satisfy no Arab leader.
Opportunity May Be Slipping Away
In the United Arab Emirates, Iranian expatriates such as Abbas
scan the Internet for the latest theories on how Iran's supreme
leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, might be forced from power. Some
are excited by a report on the Al Arabiya channel that former
Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani might convene the Assembly of
Experts, a clerical governing body, for a vote to replace Khamenei
with a committee of ayatollahs, some of whom might favor redoing
the elections.
But Abbas worries that time is not on the reformers' side.
"I think this is the only possibility, the only chance Iranians
have to create some change. If they fail to do it this time, they
might really have to shelve it for a long time," he says.
