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[bLong Divided, Iran Unites Against Trump and Saudis in a Nationalist Fervor
Thomas Erdbrink
12-15 minutes
A billboard in a central Tehran square showing Mohsen Hojaji, an obscure 26-year-old who was killed fighting in Syria and is now being promoted as a national hero. Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times
TEHRAN The busiest square in Tehran is dominated by an enormous billboard with a drawing of a young man in the uniform of the Revolutionary Guards Corps, extending his hand to invite Iranians to follow his path. Underneath the image, teenagers line up, flashing victory signs, as they take selfies with the placard in the background.
In life, the man on the billboard, 26-year-old Mohsen Hojaji, was just as anonymous as the thousands of other Iranians who have rotated in and out of war zones in Iraq and Syria in recent years. But after having been taken prisoner, videotaped and later beheaded by the Islamic State in August, Mr. Hojaji has been transformed by Irans government into a war hero, the face of a new surge in Iranian nationalism.
After years of cynicism, sneering or simply tuning out all things political, Irans urban middle classes have been swept up in a wave of nationalist fervor.
The changing attitude, while some years in the making, can be attributed to two related factors: the election of President Trump and the growing competition with Saudi Arabia, Irans sectarian rival, for regional dominance. .............................
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Iliyah
(25,111 posts)Everything t-rump touches fade in despair, anger, hatred, disappointment, delusions, etc.
Get him out.
heaven05
(18,124 posts)Last edited Wed Nov 29, 2017, 09:38 AM - Edit history (2)
human beings have used violence, lies, deception to further the aims and destinies and dominance of any given tribe, state or nation or national leader of many types of political/military groups in Africa, Asia, Europe, in Central and South America and Mexico and finally since Plymouth Rock, ameriKKKa.
Regardless of race, the human drive for dominance over other human beings has been the hallmark of our existence on the planet since the alleged murder of one sibling, Abel, by another brother, Cain. Since then, without doubt, we have in the name of DOMINANCE over fellow human beings, killed multi millions/billions of human beings, men, women, children and totally destroyed nations in military driven wars, usually as one 'good' nation fighting the 'bad' nation.
In our modern era, nothing has changed and a major war is inevitable especially with us having a immature psychotic boy leader who wants to play with his 'toy' soldiers. Trump will be the catalyst for the destruction of what we regard as our democratic nation, possibly the civilized world. AmeriKKKans are stupid, vicious people to have supported this monster, his congress and SC. We may have given our Party's leader 3 million more votes, but didn't mean a damn thing given where we are at this precise moment in human history.
I am so sick of the human hate. The divisions are so unnecessary and destructive.