The dust revolution – how Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's jibe backfired

[steven johnson]

Ahmadinejad may be hoist by his own petard. He's too clever for his own good.

"The nation's huge river would not leave any opportunity for the expression of dirt and dust," said Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a rather elliptical reference to the surging protests on the streets of Tehran.

But, just as street protests the world over seize upon a poignant image to convey their message, so Ahmadinejad's contemptuous phrase "dirt and dust" has entered folklore and provided a focus for the rage of the protesters.

So far it has inspired pithy slogans, blog headlines, posters and a litany of insults throwing the president's words back in his face. "Dirt and dust is you, it is you who are the enemy of Iran," one chant goes. Another frequently-heard slogan has been: "We are not dirt and dust, we are Iran's nation."
The phrase (khas o khashak in Farsi) has become a badge of pride.

In a potentially ominous sign for Ahmadinejad, even senior fundamentalists appear to have been alienated by the "dirt and dust" putdown.




The dust revolution – how Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's jibe backfired

[tabatha]

1. Good article.

Decent journalism.