What Farouz Farzam (most probably a pseudonym for a well-known Iranian journalist) has suggested in his/her great New York Times' op-ed last week, is exactly what's I've been trying to say in this blog.
Iranian regime's monopoly on media has prevented the much required public discourse about important issues among Iranian intellectuals, scholars, writers, and journalists. This in turn has resulted an unprecedented apathy and political indifference in all levels that only benefits the rightwing conservatives' agenda.
Today's intellectuals, if they haven't turned to smoking opium or drinking homemade liquor, devote themselves to literature, primarily Farsi, European, Russian and South American. The few who remain politically active, mostly defeated reformists, take refuge in religion and fast for a day, half-seriously dubbing it a "hunger strike" or "political fasting."
It's in this context that Internet, and blogs in particular, are so much important in Iran today: They are providing a relatively safe space for a public discourse that the regime has effectively prevented during the past couple of years by shutting down opposition parties and newspapers, and intimidating journalists, and activists.
While the smarter divisions of the regime have realized the dangers of this remaining open space and desperately trying to close it, the world seems to be ignorant about this great Achilles'' heel of the Iranian regime.
Mr. or Mrs. Farzam definitely doesn't know about some 70,000 Persian blogs that in the absence of other media are creating an ideal virtual space for a public discourse.
The latest example of how blogs are contributing to the public discourse is the protests over Persian Gulf, about which I previously wrote.
