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BEIRUT — Moham- mad knew he had to be careful in approaching his old classmate Hamed, the one from the conservative Iranian family. They come from a small city, after all, and word gets around. When they ran into each other in their home- town of Birjand last sum- mer, the pair hadn't seen each other for nine years. As they caught up on old times, the conversation turned to Iran's disputed election between Presi- dent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and chal- lenger Mir-Hossein Mousavi. "He believed Ahmadinejad's victory was not fraudulent, and that Mousavi was angry because Iranians didn't vote for him," said Mohammad, a 23-year- old engineering student in Birjand, a provincial capi- tal of 160,000 near Iran's border with Afghanistan. "He also thought that the people who protest are some gangsters and not civilized people." A clever and highly ambitious young man whose dream until seven months ago was to go abroad, get rich and have drinks by a pool in Miami, Mohammad found himself drawn into political activism after the election — and trying to recruit friends and acquaintances to join him. Defying the predic- tions of some who dis- missed it as a phenome- non limited to big cities, the "green" opposition movement appears to have spread to the heart- land, with video footage and credible reports emerging from towns in the provinces. Activists such as Mohammad are the foot soldiers, discreetly reach- ing out to people in small, tight-knit communities that don't enjoy the anonymity of Tehran. For months the media spotlight has been con- centrated on the capital: International news organi- zations remain in Tehran, and the constant hubbub in the metropolis of 12 million makes it easier for protesters to head into the streets and then make it home without being iden- tified by security forces. But in smaller cities such as Birjand, the police, intelligence offi- cers and allied militiamen have a much easier time recognizing the faces of protesters. The activists take enor- mous risks. Five large military bases guard Bir- jand, regarded as the springboard for Revolu- tionary Guard anti-drug operations along the east- ern border. Still, it also contains five universities and four colleges, making it a potential opposition stronghold. More than 60 percent of Iranians are under 30, and 70 percent of college students report- edly opposed Ahmadine- jad. Immediately after the election results were announced, angry resi- dents took to the streets of Birjand, as they did in cities across the country. Security forces charged the crowds and dragged away alleged ringleaders and a professor, Moham- mad-Reza Agha-Ebrahi- mi. "So protests were a failure at the beginning," Mohammad said. But the opposition movement didn't die, thanks largely to activists such as Mohammad, whose last name is not being published for secu- rity reasons. Mohammad and his friends step carefully. They speak with their par- ents, relatives and friends, and ask them to encour- age co-workers at their offices or at the city's tire plant, tile factory, cement plant or soft drink produc- er to at least have sympa- thy for a movement led by their sons and daughters. "We wear green, we act green," Mohammad said. "We express our beliefs in public." A computer whiz with spiky hair who earns extra cash selling fancy cell phones, he now risks get- ting kicked out of school and thrown into prison for being an activist. "If you asked me last year, I would probably say, 'My dream is to go abroad for my master's degree and try for a for- eign passport,' " he said. "But now, my only dream is our victory against the dictatorship, and to gain my own freedom." His account of what has happened over the last seven months in Birjand, corroborated by former and current residents of the city, and consistent with reports from other small cities around the country, illustrates how the opposition movement has gained a foothold nationwide. In places such as Bir- jand, universities have led the way. After the elec- tion, the Islamic associa- tions on all Birjand cam- puses began printing political statements dis- tributed by student activists to classmates, cabbies, restaurant employees and fellow passengers on buses. Stu- dents began organizing small gatherings at their universities. They pub- licly demanded freedom for the professor, Agha- Ebrahimi. He was released. The students followed the news on opposition Web sites and via BBC Persian and Voice of America, which, ironical- ly, can be picked up more easily in small cities and the countryside than in Tehran, where the govern- ment jams international satellite signals. They learned to avoid political conversations over the phone or use text messages to organize meetings for fear of the prying eyes of security forces. They have mas- tered the use of proxy servers to get access to banned Web sites as well as shield their surfing habits from surveillance technology. Still, it's an uphill bat- tle to persuade others to risk life and liberty by speaking out. "They feel that they're not seen," Mohammad said. "They're not heard, and whatever they do for justice is going to be like an unheard sound." At first, in his talks with one-time classmate Hamed, Mohammad acted as if he had no par- ticular stake in the issue of Iran's election battle. But over tea and during walks, he began voicing the points of the opposi- tion. "I talked to him about people's rights, dictator- ship and Islamic fascism," he recalled. "I set him straight about the history of the government's sins after the Islamic Revolu- tion." Then Mohammad handed Hamed a DVD filled with video footage showing violent con- frontations involving security forces and left him alone. Mohammad said most government supporters are not people who can be convinced simply by talking. "I let him do his own research," he said. "There are many other people I talked to, but I'm not sure whether they changed or not." The young people of Birjand looked forward to taking part in street protests Dec. 7, National Students Day. But as one opposition blog put it, the city was in a state of "undeclared martial law" in the hours leading up to the scheduled demonstra- tions. "In all of the streets and squares, Basijis and intelligence officers are on alert," the blog report- ed. "In most of the squares the anti-riot police are stationed and patrols can be seen in all of the side streets." The demonstrations were foiled. "Protests like Tehran's are not possible in low- populated cities, as they need a lot of people," Mohammad said. But in the crowd at one aborted protest he spotted a familiar face. It was his old chum — Hamed! Since their last encounter, Hamed had joined the movement, now active on his campus in Abadan, the southwest- ern Iranian city where he studies. "I had made him believe from the depth of his heart that these mur- derers are not at the right side," Mohammad said. "I found him as green as myself." Saturday, January 16, 2010 – Daily News – 7A $ Money $ 2 Lend Cash 4 Notes McKinley Mortgage Co. CA DRE # 01773837 Call 530-241-0977 800-909-1977 Go to: and check out our NEW digital edition of the newspaper. Itʼs a page turner! New Year... ... New way to read the Daily News RedBluffDailyNews.com Smog Check starting at $ 29 95 (most cars and pick-ups) Pass or FREE retest COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR + cert. All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened 30K, 60K, 90K SERVICES AT LOWER PRICES 527-9841 • 195 S. 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For more information, call Debbie at 567-5946 2010 SPONSORS & FANS! Diamond W Productions sincerely thanks the following sponsors for making the NBC New Year's Eve possible and affordable. Please patronize their businesses in recognition of their generous support. Diamond W Western Wear Bud Light/Foothill Distributing Table Mountain Casino US Army Rush Personnel St. Elizabeth Hospital Tri Counties Bank Holbrook's Camp Rockin" U Comfort Inn Blaze • Q97 • RBDN • CBS 12 & NBC 24 • Charter Media • Fox 20 St Elizabeth Community Hospital A member of CHW N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 www.expresspros.com In Iran, opposition appears to spread into heartland MCT photo Iranian supporters of defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi take part in a rally in Tehran, Iran, in June 2009. Tens of thousands opposition supporters defied a ban to stage a mass rally in Tehran, in protest of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's landslide election win.