page 8
daily nebraskan
friday, december 1, 1978
Iranians disagree about shah, but favor democracy
By Alice Hrnicek
"It's a tough situation. Tough, tough," concluded an
anonymous Iranian graduate student about the anti
shah demonstrations in Iran.
Four Iranian students at UNL have reached similar
conclusions although not all agree about what
should happen to improve matters.
According to a report from the Washington Post Ser
vice, President Carter expressed dissatisfaction with the
"political intelligence" in Iran and has initiated contacts
with internal forces opposing the shah.
Abbass Mohaddess, a senior in civil engineering said,
"I think the shah is going down and down and down. For
what he has done to the people, he should go."
A graduate student in chemistry, Kahan Garmasgani,
believes the shah should resign.
"He's tried everything and couldn't get the people
to listen Jo him," Garmasgani said. "The situation is not
getting any better. Everything is terrible. Few are happy.
Inflation is high and expectations are low."
Not all Iranians support this view. One of the shah's
supporters, an anonymous undergraduate student, thinks
the shah "still has enough power to stay in power. His
military is very strong.
"We need a ruler like him," he said.
He said he doesn't agree with the fact that the shah
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controls everything.
Another graduate student, who wishes to remain
anonymous, said he would like to see the ruler stay under
certain conditions.
"I believe he will if he gives the poeple more freedom
and changes his policy.
"He can be a good leader if he wants to," he said. "But
I don't think the Americans will let him. As far as knowl
edge goes, he's the best-if he's away from the United
States government."
Mohaddess questions why the U.S. government and
President Carter support the shah.
"Doesn't he hear what is happening? The shah is
killing and torturing hundreds of people every day."
He would like to see Carter remove his military ad
visers and CIA agents who are supporting SAVAK, the
Iranian secret police.
"For our people it would be good enough if he (Carter)
would stop support."
All four students favor a more democratic government
in the country.
According to the undergraduate, the shah presently
chooses his cabinet "not because of policies of the people,
but because of his policies. He selects people who will
work for him and not for the country."
The graduate student prefers to see "a government
which is elected by the people, which respects Persian
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values and is independent. But 1 really don't want it to be
Communist."
Instead, he proposes that some ideas should be derived
from communism and some from capitalism since Iran
serves as a buffer zone.
"We should be somewhere in between," he said.
Mohaddess stated that the governmental change should
go a step further.
"The military government now doesn't work," he said.
"It should be replaced with a democratic government
without the shah."
The way this can happen, Garmasgani said, is by a take
over by the modern nationalists.
"I don't think the people can take any more dictator
ship," he said. "In order for Iran to get self-determination
and be a free country with freedom of speech, I would
like to see the nationalists come into power."
Reports by the American press that the Moslems,
which comprise almost 95 percent of the population, are
led by conservative forces are "large misunderstandings,"
said the graduate student. He explained that what the
Islamic religion was against was what violated its
commandments.
"Persecution is going high, along with prostitution,
alcohol consumption and bribery," he said. "I am not in
favor of Moslems but they are right that this is going too
far."
As far as the undergraduate is concerned, it would be
"impossible to go back to the old ways. Some of the laws
are not good for-now, but were for 2,000 years ago."
Mohaddess charged that the U.S. press is defending the
shah is doing is moderninzing and the Moslems are conser
vatives. This claim is further attested to by Garmasgani. "The
Moslems want democracy," he reported. "A good
monarchy would be democratic."
Exon to face reporters
Nebraska Governor and U.S. Senator-elect J. James
Exon will be questioned by newsmen on Dateline Nebra
ska, airing Thursday, December 7, at 9:30 pjn. on all
stations of the Nebraska Educational Television Network.
Exon, who has served two terms as governor since un
seating incumbent Governor Norbert Tiemann in 1970,
was recently elected to the U.S. Senate by winning 68
percent of the vote.
Exon will be questioned by newsmen panelists Dick
Herman, Lincoln Journal; Frank Partsch, Omaha World
Herald; and Don Walton, Lincoln Star. Joel Fowler, senior
producer of public affairs for University of Nebraska Tele
vision, will moderate the program.
Dateline Nebraska is produced by the University of
Nebraska Television public affairs unit and is directed by
Mary Kosnopfl. The series is funded, in part, by Nebra
skans for Public Television, Inc.
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