Jahanshah Rashidian

Amir Nasiri: Exactly, in

Amir Nasiri: Exactly, in fact, Democractic government means 'governining by discussion and reason' as John stuart Mill explained in his essays
and books, (1807-1873).

"Of the Liberty of Thoughts and Discussions":

//www.bartleby.com/130/2.html

John Stuart Mill on Representative government:
//www.constitution.org/jsm/rep_gov.htm

Welcome Back Rashidian Jaan ! ;0)

Good to see you Back JR.

Keep up the good work with your enlightening articles !

best,

DK

Dear Kaveh, Jamshid, samsm, Amir, Ebi, Mazhari

با تشکر از همراهی شما بگذار با رجوع به رساله خمينی يک سئوال بی جواب را دوباره مطرح کنم : خمينی در توضيح المسائل ميگويد

"اصول دين بايد از روى دليل باشد، ولى در احكام غير ضرورى دين بايد يا مجتهد باشد كه بتواند احكام را از روى دليل به دست آورد،يا از مجتهد تقليد كند، يعنى به دستور او رفتار نمايد،"

در اين مقدمه، نويسنده بند را به اب ميدهد و تضادی که از ادعای نبوت تا به امروز مطرح است زير سبيلی رد ميکند. سئوال "دليل" حکميت اسلام است که در برخی گريز های روشنفکران اسلامی نيز امروزه بروز ميکند و لذا خمينی هم به فهم و سبک خود بناچار بيان ميکند. تضاد بين "دليل" و اعتقاد است، بين دليلی برای اثبات نبوت و اثبات "محمد رسول الهه" .

اما در اين برهه انچه از نظر سياسی برای اينده ايران مقدور و مقرون است تمرکز بر حذف جرثومه ج.ا. است حتی با حمايت ايرانيانی که خود را مسلمان ميدانند ولی خواستار سکولاريسم و دومکراسيند.

جناب خشايار

Another interesting and

Another interesting and thought provoking article. Mr. Rashidian has made some effort to explain, and demonstrate, using modern psychology, the effects of Islamic conversions in Iran. In retrospect, Islam has been brutally straight forward about its intentions. The name itself is indicative of its nature: Islam="TO SUBMIT". One should not confuse the meaning of SUBMISSION with modern civility. SUBMISSION, in antiquity (and today's Iran) means accept, or DIE. But, in many cases submission simply meant death of the nonbelievers. The Islamic death cry of: "bear witness that there is no god, but the GOD,…bear witness that Mohammad is god's messenger…" is, and has been, the Islamic murder cry for centuries. All (and I mean all) Muslims invoke these words at the time of death and murder which is among some of the deepest insights into the murderous nature of Islam and their followers.

There is no need to employ modern western science and psychology to prove the social decimation and terror imposed by Islamic rule. There is ample evidence in their holy book and behavior of the centuries.

There has been a great deal of discussions, literature and arguments over the nature of the Islamic conversions in Iran and I am quite in agreement with Mr. Rashidian over the sickness of "Taslim Paziri". There is also the absence of substantial historical facts, which is understandably absent in view of extremely brutal periods of Islamic rule from mid 7th century A.D. to the time of Turkic Safavids (15th century A.D.) and their aftermath (Shia Islam). All in all, there is another conversion that has been absent from most discussions. To this day, there has not been enough courage in Iranian culture to acknowledge, discuss, let alone confront this issue. That is the genetic/ethnic conversion during and after invasion 7th century and all other Islamic invasions from that point on. Once a sufficient number of these Islamists were settled in Iran, then there would be no question about the "Bimari-eh Taslim Paziri". Iran was changed for forever.

Dear Killjoy

I am certain of having occasionally expressed my humble opinion on a future state in Iran. Although, the piece does not tackle this question, but let me breifly speak up:

As a marxist student in a Mitterand's France, I dreamt of a soicalist republic for Iran. Today, I see that France and every other thing can change within a generation or less-- also, according to Hegel's and Marx's dialectic laws-- and demoracy wants that any ideology be reduced and limited to pragmatic means of orientations.

Even Marx and Engels could evolve:
Engels pointed out in an itrodution to Marx's  "The Class Strugle in France" his ideas that stood for the universal suffrage for the German working class. This is literally a rejection of Dictator of Proletariat which by the way was highlighted by our Marxist Leninists who mostly ended up with bowing to Khomeini's dictatorship!

The time is rife for disilluision and fially accepting a parliamentry democracy as the best model, including for future Iran. The form of state -- republic or monarchy -- will democratically be decided by people --under UN supervisers in voting areas and vote-counting stations -- I will vote for a republic while Mr. Darius Kadivar can democratically vote for a monarchy. in our case, I and DK have to respect each other and initially focus on the removal of plague of the IRI. The rest belongs to the people of Iran. 

After all, this is your job, as the elected Inner Minister of our friend, Masoud's suggested cabinet in exile, to organise such clean elections!

Best wish for your job

JR

Don't attack just share your view

IT is interesting how IRI supporters right away when they disagree with a blog or the author of the blog resort to personal attack. And the first thing they attack is the person in question his education and mental status.

I don't know Mr. Rashidian but by reading his blog, which by the way is well written he has made an argument. Now if someone disagrees with his writing, he/she can make the counter argument without resorting into personal attacks.

IRI supporters are plenty on this site but remember this is not Iran. In Iran with a club you beat us on the head or slap us on the face or torture or execute us.

But here is USA, no my friends learn to counter argue without personal insults.

And by the way the tables will turn around.

Not All Is Real

This is the entire NPR report on Italy and women's role in the society. Check the part about "Only 2 percent of top management positions are held by women — that's even behind Kuwait — and only 17 percent of the members of parliament are women — less than in Rwanda and Burundi."

Not to make any point, but not to throw away any thing that we have for an illusion that is not.

//www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?story...

Americans and northern Europeans visiting Italy often comment on the sheer quantity of exposed female flesh in advertising and on TV shows.

That exposure is inversely proportional to the presence of women in the labor force, in management and in politics.

Feminists place a lot of the blame for the commercial use of the female body at the door of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

A recent popular TV show was a contest for two showgirl slots on a top satirical program. More than 5,000 women applied, and the prime requisites were perfect bodies and the ability to dance on tabletops.

Both on public television and on networks owned by Berlusconi, who also is a media tycoon, scantily dressed women can been seen — but rarely heard — on all types of programs, from quizzes to political talk shows.

Showgirl As Role Model

Opinion polls indicate that the showgirl is the No. 1 role model for young Italian women, including 21-year-old student Livia Colarietti.

"If I were a little thinner, I would have joined the contest to become a showgirl," Colarietti says. "I enjoy those shows. I really like to watch them."

One very successful showgirl is Mara Carfagna, who left an uncertain singing career for politics. Berlusconi chose her for the slot of minister of equal opportunity — and both denied media reports that they were having an affair.

Satirist Sabina Guzzanti has publicly scorned the former topless calendar girl.

"I took strong position because it is absolutely a scandal," Guzzanti says. "Here we have more a pinup exactly than a showgirl, someone showing her body, and she became minister of equal opportunities."

Veteran feminist Grazia Francescato concedes that Carfagna is winning with her ways.

"We have gone from equal opportunities to equal opportunism," Francescato says. "You try to be very appealing to the other sex, especially to very powerful men. "I am very, very disappointed by women."

Feminists were powerful in the 1970s, winning universal health care and legalization of divorce and abortion, but then there was a backlash.

Sexism In Italy

Today, Italy has the lowest percentage of working women in Europe. Only 2 percent of top management positions are held by women — that's even behind Kuwait — and only 17 percent of the members of parliament are women — less than in Rwanda and Burundi.

Television has become women's prime showcase.

"To sell your body for a calendar, for a career, is not considered now so bad for many young women," says social scientist Elisa Manna, who has studied this issue's impact on Italian society. "This kind of attitude is connected to television, because they have this kind of model in every hour of the day."

With remote in hand, a viewer can zap from game shows with giggling girls in bikinis to prime-time anchorwomen with plunging necklines. All of this sexiness on television began with the birth of Berlusconi's networks in the 1980s.

The 72-year-old prime minister speaks openly about sex. He recently bragged, "I sleep for three hours, and still have enough energy to make love for another three.''

Female Solidarity Out Of Fashion

The Berlusconi TV model is widely seen as having shaped Italy's contemporary society, and journalist Lilli Gruber says feminism and solidarity among women are out of fashion.

A former TV anchorwoman who resigned from public television in protest over Berlusconi's control of the media, Gruber says most women appear unwilling or unable to assert themselves and too weak to fight.

"To fight back against growing sexism, growing violence against women and domestic violence especially, fight back all these politicians who don't move an inch in order to allow women to be in charge and take on responsibilities," Gruber says.

She points out, however, that the majority of Italians now studying in universities are women — a generation that she believes won't be passive and might even succeed in breaking down Italy's old-boy network.

Who are you to preach?

What is your level of knowledge and understanding about religion or history or even Iran besides that you were born in Iran?
A dictator is a dictator, regardless of religion and image/ideology. I wonder what grade the author has finished his education that every time I have to mention this simple point to him and he is still crawling in this useless thought.
Dude, how can you not understand the simple concept that our problems in Iran are people such as the author of this page, that is not willing to use the free sources in the library and history etc etc to advance his knowledge.
What is the difference between a backward secular and a religious one? Beard?
I can't help but think that this person is dictator in mind and soul, hence worthless in thoughts.

Interesting piece. If a day

Interesting piece.

If a day comes that Iranians can speak about these issues without fear of persecution, I doubt that Islam could last in Iran more than a century, perhaps even less time.

Islam needs violence and supression in order to survive.

Note to practicing Moslems: Don't blame me for my opinion. Blame your religious leaders for either being violent as I described, or for not having the guts to come forward and making radical changes to the interpretation of Islam.

Or perhaps, it has nothing to do with having guts. It may just be that it is impossible to interpret Islam differently, as much as it is impossible to change Koran's text.

Either way, the answer of practicing Moslems to people like myself has always been violence. And that's how Islam survived in Iran centuries ago as well as today.

من به بیماری حقیقت پذیری گرفتار شدم

//hajiagha-cartoons.blogspot.com/
من به بیماری حقیقت پذیری گرفتار شدم

Lioness

Dear Lioness,

I also did like your article.

//iranian.com/Opinion/2006/August/Stockho...

It is true.

It is human nature that we put emotion in front of rational and logical decision making. In artificial intelligence when you start talking about fuzzy logic one really start to clearly understand human behavior and emotion and their reaction in to their surrounding environment.

That is why we tend to forget quickly. It is very important to learn from the past and history should be always our religion.

Islam in Iran not the same as other

In Iran Islam is more of a religion than a tradition or a culture. We Iranian people still practice our own unique Persian culture. of course the authorities have tried vehemently to take that away from us and each time their attempts had failed.

Islam had both its positive and negative aspects on our culture, like anything else you have take the pros and cons.

However, it has taken out of context by the current regime and used against the people in order to impose on us their vindictive views and corrupt ways of dealings in the governmnet

But in contrast, the Islam practice in Arab countries is more part of their culture and life style.

Iranians are more secular compared to their Arab counterpart.

That is why that there is hope that we can separate religion and state in Iran.

The irony is that the crimes that has been carried out by the IRI regime against the Iranian people in the name of Islam has actually helped us to think more openly and become more advanced.

I think if the IRI regime hadn't ruled upon us we would have still thought and operated like the neigbouring countries.

I think IRI corrupt has had actually helped the movement and the foundation for a democracy, I know that was not their intention but that is what is taking place in modern Iran.

People are becoming more vibrant, outspoken and involved.

I still think we need to push for referendum inside Iran.

Mr Rashidian Aziz

Well written article.

sepaas

Mr Rashidian

The major point of the distress in our culture of subjugation stems from a 1400 yr old virus of dual-identity . Pan-Ommatism/Arabism(not Islam as a private religion) must be buried along with literary works of it's post-Sassanid/Qadesiyeh cultural agents  . Spain came outta 500 yrs of Arab occupation , still proudly Spanish in culture/language & psyche, yet Iran came outta occupation a fully ommatized nation worshiping Pan-Ommatist & paying hommage to Arab Icons, thanks mostly to Ommaist intelectual cultural agents such as shaikhist/kharabati writers , post-Sassanid . Once we have buried the beast , In it,s place , the future generation will build a neo-Iranic entity based on Old Iranic values of self-worth, challenge , adventurism , love for the true heritage & the country .

Great piece & well addressed .

Best Regards & keep well !

Dear Mr. Rashidian,

What's the solution?

Whether one agrees with your analysis in its entirety or only partially or whether one thoroughly disagrees with you, the question of what Iranians should do to free their country and establish a democracy, still remains unanswered.

In my opinion that is THE most urgent issue that needs attention!

Thank you

Dear FARFAR and Lioness, thank you for your comments. I will certainly post English materials developing this topic.

Exactly

The only reason that I can think of is the lack of any disruption in the presence of Islam and its teaching ever since the imposing took place.

Fantastic and timely

Fantastic and timely article. I wish you had included an English version too.

Stockholm Syndrome

Nice Article //iranian.com/Opinion/2006/August/Stockho...