Very few countries around the world are subject to the kind of media warfare that Iran is facing nowadays. An army of media outlets from news television networks to online publications and accounts on social media platforms are working around the clock to achieve one common goal: driving a wedge between the state and society.
A hit single by a less known panegyrist proved that these efforts were all an epic failure. The song in question, dubbed “Hello Commander” (in Persian: Salam Farmandeh), was produced by Abouzar Rouhi who rose to national, if not international, prominence for his tuneful song though he isn’t a singer in the true sense of the word.
The song features a kid who was born after 2011 and is speaking to Imam Mahdi, the last of twelve Imams in Shiite eschatology who has been living in occultation ever since 941. It also addresses the current Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, whose political position is deeply rooted in occultation-related theology.
The song masterfully blurs the lines between addressing the Hidden Imam and his “ordinary deputy” that is Ayatollah Khamenei.
Imam Mahdi went through two occultation periods. The Minor Occultation took place in 841 and lasted until 941. In this period the system of the deputy was introduced. During the Minor Occultation, Imam Mahdi had four deputies who acted as courier-like agents between the imam and the believers. A year after the death of the fourth deputy - Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad al-Samarri –, Imam Mahdi went into the Major Occultation which continues to this day. In this period the system of deputies also underwent some changes; the system of special deputies came to an end. In other words, Imam Mahdi has no special deputies in the Major Occultation. But he does have “ordinary or public” deputies who are often chosen from prominent Faqihs (jurists). Under this system, Ayatollah Khamenei serves as the “ordinary deputy” of Imam Mahdi.
“O, the love of my soul, my Imam of the time, the world is meaningless without you. O, the love of my time, when you are present, our world is in springtime. Hello commander, hello from this zealous generation that is left off. Hello commander, Seyed Ali has called his children of the 1390s [the Iranian equivalent of the 2010s],” the song reads.
It was produced a few months ago but was thrown to the center of public debates only recently when Iranian children along with their families began arranging public gatherings in their thousands to recite the melodious song.
On Thursday, Iranian children and their families flocked in large numbers to the 100k-strong Azadi Stadium of Tehran to celebrate the song and show their support for the Islamic Revolution.
And that’s been a killer, both for the proponents and opponents of the Islamic establishment of Iran. For the proponents, it was an excellent occasion to enjoy a mellifluous song that spoke volumes about their feelings toward those who are working their butts off to undermine the Islamic Republic. For opponents, the sight of a large number of people heading to the stadium and chanting slogans in support of the Islamic Republic was no less than a disaster.
The song showed how people view their country and its future. Many Iranians appreciate the breakthroughs that their country was able to achieve over the last four decades. Despite being under sanctions for a long period of time, Iran has made remarkable progress in various spheres. A case in point is the Covid vaccines Iran produced under what American officials called “the strongest sanctions in history” that were levied by the Trump administration. On Friday, Health Minister Bahram Einollahi said Iran has made preparations for the export of 4 million domestically-produced covid vaccines.
This may explain why opponents severely inveigh against the Thursday gathering. They used everything in their power to find fault with the gathering. But their efforts came to naught.
Iranian users of social media platforms highlighted this failure. Many Iranians said the gathering reflected the Iranian people’s belief that they have a wonderful country for which a bright future beckons.
“A manifestation of [the children of] the 1390s pledging allegiance to the Revolution,” tweeted Ali Bahadori Jahromi, spokesman for the government.
The ceremony came at a time when the Islamic Republic faces a multidimensional attack from an array of enemies who differ in everything except their hostility to the Islamic Republic. They are keen to exploit any minor public discontent that might happen to undermine the Islamic establishment. The recent sporadic protests over the Raisi administration’s move to cut subsidies for some basic goods were one such occasion that created some hopes among the enemies of Iran for the possibility of stoking nationwide unrest. Of course, the protests subsided and the people chose to support the government in its quest for a more equitable distribution of subsidies.
The Hello Commander gatherings indicated that the people staunchly back the government. “I promise to be loyal to this system,” tweeted Gowharshad, an Iranian Twitter user, posting a photo of an Azadi Stadium packed with families.
First published in Tehran Times