The new voice of the Islamic Republic
That is Shirin Ebadi
May 20, 2004
iranian.com
I really hope you publish this piece, b/c I think another
take on this women is really needed, and albeit this is short
and to
the point, we Iranians need to have the other side of every issue
put forth -- as iranian.com has done, and I hope continues to
do so.
Sepas Gozaram,
Ali Ardeshir Jowza
***
Democracy takes time, as peoples, especially in the Middle East
have to go through trials and tribulations to reach that goal.
One must not expect democracy to come from abroad. These were
words of Shirin Ebadi echoed in her speech at the Comcast Center
at the
University of Maryland on the twelfth of May (2004). Strangely
enough, the last Pahlavi Shah always told the world that Iran was
not yet
ready for democracy and that it would take time to reach that
goal, he always pointed out that one must not expect it to happen
overnight.
For this, he was overthrown and called a tyrant, for Ebadi, applauses
and standing ovations all around.
Having analyzed Shirin's words/speeches/interviews (after
she won the Nobel), and heard various viewpoints of who this woman
is and what her objective and goals actually were, I had to go
for myself and listen to her words live. I had my pre-conceptions,
based on my own findings before, and I can say, at least based
on this speech; the Islamic Republic has found their new voice
piece and fact to spew their rhetoric. Like Khatami, she eloquently
and poetically has mastered the ancient Iranian art of fooling
the masses.
In this speech at Maryland University, she like a good diplomat
put forth the IRI's objectives, and goals. She outlined,
and put as the IRI loves to do, Islam on a pedestal, she blasted
the United States (and Israel) on its human rights towards Iraqi's,
Afghanistan, and Palestinians-while forgetting to mention that
her own IRI puts all these countries to shame. She placed the United
Nations on a moral high ground, arguing that this body needs more
power on issues such as human rights. Finally, she tried to say
that Iran is not a separate identity, but rather belongs to a greater
Islamic world and culture (Cyrus the Great must be turning over
on his grave as I speak).
The first section of her speech, an Iranian friend and I joked
sounded like sermons given by Iran's mullahs during Friday
Prayers (namaz-e Jomheh). Islam, its prophet, all could do no wrong.
A one sided history of Islam was beautifully put forth, while no
wrongs were pointed out. For example, she mentioned how Muhammad
cared highly for women and children, forgetting to mention what
the Quran says about women, or how this prophet of God and representative
of that great entity on earth married and copulated with a nine-year-old
girl.
If God is timeless, his prophet, no matter the time period
in history, should not act and live like a normal Bedouin in
Arabia would at that time-this of course is my opinion, take it
as you
will. In another example, she talked about how the first muezzin
caller was black, and how the prophet talked about equality of
all; then what about Islam and slavery? Hence, her first part
was merely to the trained ear, a Friday Islamic sermon at its best.
The people in the audience took to her words, because they were
lost in its poetry and eloquence. If they sat back and thought
for a moment to what she was saying, they might not have clapped
and stood up in admiration as much as they did.
The second section of her speech was IRI foreign policy at its
best. That is, to blast the United States(and Israel) on what has
happened to the Iraqi's, Afghanis, and the Palestinians,
yet fail to mention the IRI's human rights record. Aren't
the Iranian masses just as, if not more oppressed as the Palestinians
are? One moment, I will not forget, is how Ebadi blasted the United
States and its treatment of Palestinians, Afghanis and Iraqis,
and how the people of America must recognize and not allow their
government to violate the human rights of these peoples. However,
doing a great disservice to her fellow Iranians, she forgot to
mention Iranians, who suffer the most human rights abuses, and
who need American support the most to help them topple the IRI.
Giving the United Nations more power over human rights , was
another part of Ebadi's speech. This thought is exactly what the
IRI and European Union argue. Again, she failed to mention that
the United Nations is all about politics; they blast Israel for
human rights abuses, but Kofi Annan calls Iran a democracy? Annan's
statement, probably says it all on what my take on the UN and human
rights are.
Finally, and probably most disturbing to me and all Iranian nationalists
is the fact that Ebadi is trying to clump Iran as part of a bigger
Islamic World, a world of one Islamic culture. Iran and Iranians
for the past twenty-five and one can argue for probably fourteen
hundred years have been struggling to fight ever joining this 'ummah'.
All those who fought for Iran, realize that we are our own civilization,
an Iranian civilization as distinct from Islam as the Chinese civilization
is from the French. Thankfully, Iranians that think like Shirin
Ebadi on a greater Islamic civilization are few and far between.  Ebadi
to me has come to represent (as this speech solidified) everything
we do not need in Iran today. I think those at the MCI Convention
Center will agree with me that Ebadi, with her sweet words, turned
her back on all Iranians inside and out of Iran who have died,
and are in jails and under torture, today and in the past, who
have struggled for Iran, not Islam. To those ninety nine percent
who applauded and gave her half a dozen standing ovations, that's
something to think about. Is Shirin Ebadi-Mullah Ebadi??
Javeed Iran May is Mamnoon
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