Thursday
March 15, 2001
Fossilized issues
As a response to the elaborate discussion on "Shah
or president?" I can only say that I am shocked that we even spend
time and energy discussing such fossilized issues. Just because the present
government seems to be insistently directing itself as if we still live
in the era of Mohammad does not give us a right to indulge nostalgically
in what is gone and will never be recovered.
The Shah's regime was also a filthy and corrupt, although it did not
even come close to the barbarism and inhumanity of the present one.
All I can say is that living in the past seems to be a particularly
Iranian (or shall I say "Old World") issue. Similarly I must
say that I also have a problem with the West's obsession with the future,
a pattern that stems from a need to never resolve deep conflicts and just
ignore historical facts.
But, as Iranians we have a responsibility to start to pick up the wreckage
of today because 22 years after the revolution it must be clear that not
only will the monarchy never come back to Iran but I believe neither will
Islam after the eventual downfall of the present government.
Let's not forget you can not fight religion. It is, for now, an integral
part of some (majority?) of Iranians. What we must do is to forever make
politics and religion separate. Europe did this eons ago. Perhaps we can
concentrate on making a start now. Perhaps the Taliban will follow in a
100 years.
Maziar Taleshi
Links
