Jahanshah Rashidian

Dear JR.

Thank you! How true, every word of it. oceanis

Re: Anonym7

Islam, just like any other religion is interpreted by it's followers the way they understand or want to apply to their life. Extremesin is the realization of the harsh side of Islam as Sufism is the realization of the peacful side of Islam. Since Islam is considered to be a complete idealogy, people take certain aspects of the idea and loose the balance. As you mentioned, it is unfortunately true with any school of thought, even the communism, liberalism and so on....

peace;

Better Start in Life...

Gender equality is critical to the development and peace of every nation, and there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women...When women thrive, all of society benefits, and succeeding generations are given a "Better start" in life.

Kindest Regards,Mona ;)

Anonymous7

Thank you very much for your kind words.

Let me bring up the following issue:

Why is it that first-generation poor immigrants to Western nations are always good, decent, hard-working, law-abiding people, but their children, the second generation and beyond, may not necessarily be that way, and may riot, commit crimes, etc.? This is as true about, for example, the Latin immigrants to the US, particularly in southern California where I live, as is about muslim immigrants in Western Europe.

The reason, in my opinion, is clear. The second generation feels alienated from the society. It is never given a fair chance. Here, in southern California, Latinoes live mostly in gettos with bad schools, no good jobs and, in tough economic times like now, uneder attack. African-Americans, for example,  do not like Latinoes, whereas a lot of them are not willing to take the jobs that Latinoes do, but they still make the Latin people the scapegoats for their problems.

 Heck, I feel discrimination, and I am highly educated and contribute to the society by my teaching and research in a major research university.

Consider, Germany, for example. It did not allow for decades the children of Turkish guest workers that had been allowed to work there since 1960s, to be citizens of Germany, even though they had been born and grown up in Germany. Citizenship was based on "blood," and Turkish children did not have it. Only about a decade ago, things started to change slowly.

Consider France. The same situation.

There is no such thing as laziness genes, or things of that sort. People are the product of their society. so, if the society does not provide for them a decent life, or at least a decent chance to succeed, what can one expect? So, in my opinion, Western societies need to take a good look at themselves too. They cannot blame all of their racial and social tensions on their poor immigrants. 

Mammad

Very well-written and

Very well-written and frightening examination of hejab which is a misogynistic manifestion of sexually frustrated/insecure men to herd their cats(women)LOL!

However, misogyny is not exclusive to Islam or Islamic culture; it is found in many forms in other cultures, especially in the orient; The sick practice of Chinese footbinding practice. For thousands of years footbinding was the act of wrapping a three- to five-year old girl's feet with binding so as to bend the toes under, break the bones and force the back of the foot together. Its purpose was to produce a tiny foot. Tiny feet were deemed to be acrousing for Chinese men. Both hejab and footbinding are designed to keep women in bondage because men inherntly feel insecure and powerless when dealing with the opposite sex.

RE: J. Rashidian on persian history

You say:
"what was the idea of Halaj, Razi, Avenncina..., all initially from reliious milieus. "

I can't believe how ignorant you are on what these great people stand for, unless you really want to fish in muddy waters.

It was just last week with another wishful thinker (or better wishful imaginer) saying that Hafez had lost his faith on Islam towards the end of his life.

Grow up and be fair, or you risk making jackass our of yourself!

Azarin, nane joon, So is for

Azarin, nane joon, So is for JR. He is the leader of a feminist group looking for emancipation of women.
Jallal-khalegh!!!!!!!!!

Although I think JR has some psychopathical issue with Islam, but my stance is that Allah created us (both man and women)free and so should we be in practicing our vitality on Earth as long as we do not hinder others freedom. So, Hejab is a personal thing and must not be dictated by government. However, as you know we ARE limitted by social norms anyway. If you do not agree, try going out nude in NYC.

I uderstand JR ... (to mammad)

Dear mammad, although politically I don't have much in common with Rashidian, I understand him to some extent when it comes to his feelings about Islam. Talking to a number of friends in Europe my understanding is that Islamic extremism (reactionary wahabi type) is a serious issue there.
Needless to say that Iranian Muslims traditionally have been much different and much more tolerant than those guys, fortunately to prove that I don't have to go too far ... your are one of the best examples of that.
Although I am not a Muslim I have found you one of the most tolerant (if not the most tolerant) and knowledgeable people who post here.

Dear Mr Rashidian !!

Thanks for the well written article.

1- I hope you would have pointed better reference than late Mr Dashti's book( & you always have good ones ),since there is no academic value for it.

2- I hope I am wrong,but the real Samson & Delilah,as far as I know is not a fable;specially an Indian one ( they might have adopted it in their literature,like what we did we Kalileh & Demneh),but it is a historical fact & they were from two different Symetic/Abrahamic tribes,who always fought each other after this incident & still do !!!.

best wishes

P.S.

I remember vividly the interview dear Irandokht mentioned & also when he was campagning afainst late Dr Madani ;since he(Dr Madani) used to wear necktie;in an interview he was asked about it & his answer was " necktie is the symbol of Cross for Christians,& since we are Moslem,we shouldnot wear it!!what a hypocrite!! you can find his pictures wearing necktie when he was studying in France.

Reza100

I remember him on TV, speaking to a group of students, mostly answering questions, and one girl asked about hejab and he explained what the scientific reasons behind hejab were, including the women's hair emmitting some rays.

I remember I was younger than all those students there and watching his explanation I felt sorry for our country where the educated youth were nodding their heads in agreement with Bani Sadr. Go ahead and deny it, others have and he's definitely ashamed of the fact that some people still remember what he said.

IRANdokht

Mr. JR

There is no question that there have been discriminations against women in Iran, and that many of the Islamic teachings can be interpreted to be discriminatory. But,

(1) If you really believe in democracy and personal freedom, why don't you advocate freedom of hejab? Since you always present yourself as a secular, then you must also believe that religion is a private aspect of a person's life. Therefore, it should be up to women whether they want to wear the hejab or not. I hope that you are not under the illusion that if hejab is not enforced in Iran or any other Islamic state, you will see every woman taking her hejab off, because that would be nonsense.

(2) How much Islamic studies have you had? I do not mean superficial readings of some anti-Islamic literature. Ali Dashti, for example, was famous for his virulently anti-Islamic views. So, you referring to him is telling. I simply have not seen any indication that you actually have deep knowledge of Islamic teachings. Of course, I could be wrong, but it seems to me that your criticism of Islam, which is prevalent in your writings, is mostly based on instinct and feelings, rather than sholarly research and studies.

(3) Hejab is not one of the primary teachings of Islam, even if some reactionaries claim it to be. It is part of Islam's secondary teachings and, as such, is subject to reinterpretation, depending on the need of the time.

(4) You seem to be obssessed with Islam. Islam is not the source of all evils in the world. Christian nations, and christian leaders like Bus, are creating much more troubles.

(5) Making a comparison between Nazism and Islam is truly insulting to people like me.

(6) Since you live in a Christian state, Germany, have you tried to see what the Old and New Tastements say about women? I have read them, and a lot of their teachings are totally reactionar. Worse, they are actually practiced in the US by the born-again Christians, southern Baptists, etc. 

Mammad

women-only park

It turns out that Simin Dāneshvar is a more powerful writer than her husband, Jalal Al’e Anmad.  That proves to me that women are smarter than men.  But intelligent and equal civil rights are two different issues.  We should not discriminate against men because they are not as smart as women.  Equal civil rights for all members of Iranian society.

But, that’s not why I’m here.  Please read my satire about the absurdity of the newest solution to gender issues in Islamic Republic of Iran, called “Green liberation, Women-only parks in Tehran”

You just proved my point JR

In your last Blog, I had a hard time convincing some that you actually are against my religion. Not any more!

I am also greatly against Hijab for women. I think women deserve better treatment and comfortable but also decent clothing. (same for men too, comfortable but decent)

Making lies and non-sense about our Prophet Mohammad and at the same time say what most women want to hear is really below any decent human being. You talk about a subject (Zan Setizi) that is not only done through some Islamic cultures, but also other non-islamic cultures. But because as AnonymousXYZ indicated, you make it an Islamic 'problem'. You sweeten the pie by indicating women's oppression so that some women come to your support. I don't blame the women, I blame you!

I personnaly believe that you are more against Islam than you are against IRI.

Azarin / Abarmard / Tahirih

Thanks for your nice words.

. 

Ali Dashti was a great scholar and did Islamic theology. He just came to the doubtful premises of the prophedhood, what was the idea of Halaj, Razi, Avenncina..., all initially from reliious milieus.

PS: Bani Sadr's rhetoric both in French and Persian was not very different from Khomeini's phraseology. I remember this great(!) interview which was a joke for many Iranians in France.

Regarding his French mediocre level, he could not be a graduated (Docteur) from France.

Dear Irandokht

Long hair in general, especially Woman's hair, has long been considered a source of vitality, distractive and magic powers . Long before, Banisadr's famous confirmation -- "the female hair radiates something which acts on the male brain" -- the idea was inspired from mythological, misogynistic and old fables. See Samson ( a man) and treacherous Delilah, a half religious, half mythic Indian fable. Samson's long hair kept all source of strenght, therefore it was cut by seductive Dalilah ( a woman) then his powerless body was captured and put in the dongeon....

Bani Sadr confirmed in a TV interview short after the revolution the question of "if women's hair has a bad effect on "non-mahram" men. I read first this statement in a publication of Fedayeens, not "Monarchists". 

In some areas with relics of the misogynistic traditions, when a woman committed a sexual "sin". To humiliating the woman, one of the honour punishments is cutting her hair.

Thank you Mr Rashidian.

for paying attention to status of women. as you know my stand on Islam and religion in general is different from yours,but we both agree that the time for "hejab" has passed and it is acting as a hindrance to freedom of women. It also, is an insult to men for not being able to control their sexual urges!

 It is so refreshing to see men like you caring about women's emancipation.

with most respect for you ,

Tahirih

Irandokht

I would bet my life that neither you, nor Jahanshah Rashidian remembers that speech either, or have even heard its tapes or read its scripts. But I don't blame you for disseminating these wrong anecdotes: Historiography is at such a poor state among Iranian academics that this kind of rumors could easily be circulated among people for generations. Of course, one would expect someone who writes articles in a busy forum like this to, at least, take the responsibility to check his sources, but again, I guess some people don't like research.

But regarding that statement attributed to Bani Sadr, I don't know if its lack of good memory, selective recollection or simply bad intention that cause some people to misinform others, but the truth is that Bani Sadr never said that.

There are tons of other false claims and misinformation like this one circulating among Iranians (to the shame of people of your generation). Here are few examples: "Soroush has closed down universities during the cultural Revolution", "Khomeini has said Eghtesaad maaleh kharast", "Timsar Rahimi slapped Dr. Yazdi during his trial", "Western countries decided to topple the Shah at the Guadeloupe conference" etc. I would bet that no one, not a single soul, among those who make those claims can back it up with documents and proves. Unfortunately, people who repeat these things do it so confidently that you could bet they were there when they happened. You just did this implicitly too, by implying that I am too young to remember, you somehow tried to say to us that YOU KNOW BETTER BECAUSE YOU WERE THERE. But were you, really?

But here's a challenge. Just for the sake of intellectual honesty. I invite you to read the following passage and tell me if what the author of these lines claims matches what YOU remember of that speech at Tehran University. If not, you owe me, Bani Sadr, and everyone else you have misinformed about Bani Sadr's alleged statement a sincere apology:

از جمله اتهامات خيلی شايعی که عليه بنی صدر مطرح می شود، موضوع تشعشع موی سر زنان است. (۶) شايعه اين اتهام از سوی سلطنت طلب ها آغاز شد و با وجود دهها بار پاسخ بنی صدر و با وجود مدارک متقن و مکتوب در آن ايام، جريان سلطنت طلب هرگز و هرگز حاضر نشد اعتنايی به پاسخ بنی صدر داشته باشد. و لذا بدون اعتنا به واقعيت تنها شايعه خود را تکرار می کردند. شگفتی تنها دروغ سازی های سلطنت طلبان نيست، اينجاست که عده بسياری اين دروغ را به موجب بيش از حد تکرار شدن، چنان می گويند که گويی خود شنيده و ديده اند !اما کسی نيست که به اصل ماجرا مراجعه کند و ببيند حقيقت از چه قرار بوده است. خوشبختانه اين موضوع کاملا سند دار است زيرا ضبط تلويزيونی هم شده است. بنابر اسناد بنی صدر در اولين حضور خود در تلويزيون در جمع عده ای از کارکنان صدا و سيما سخنانی در باره سانسور و نقش زور در تعيين روابط انسانی ايراد نمود. متن کامل اين سخنرانی ها به همراه پرسش ها و پاسخ ها، در همان سال ۵۹ در يک کتاب کوچک با عنوان «خانواده در اسلام، نقش حجاب و سيستم های اطلاعاتی» (۷) منتشر شده است. واقعيت اين است که در ميان پرسش کنندگان يکی (خانم) از حضار پرسشی مبنی بر اين ادعا مطرح می کند که «من با چند نفر از پسرهای دانشجو در مورد پوشيدن موی سر زن بحث می کردم و آن را به عنوان حجاب قبول نداشتم...هر کدام از اينها دليلی را بر پوشيدن موی سر می آوردند و يکی از آنها دليلی پيش کشيد که می گفت : ثابت شده است که موی زن اشعه ای توليد می کند که روی مرد اثر می گذارد به طوريکه اين باعث می شود که مرد از حالت عادی خارج شود. حالا از شما می خواهم بگوئيد که اين نظريه تا چه اندازه درست است؟» (ص ۹۹ کتاب). پاسخ بنی صدر به گفته های اين شخص جالب است. او بدون اينکه بخواهد بحث خود را در دام واکنشی اين بحث ها قرار دهد، بر اصل تاثير مرد و زن بر يکديکر سخن می گويد و اتفاقا از اين گونه تاثيرات دفاع هم می کند. بنی صدر در ادامه پاسخ به بحث هميشگی خود باز می گردد، که آيا اين تاثيرات بر اصل قدرت صورت می گيرد و يا بر اصل آزادی؟ از همين جا ملاحظه می‌کنيم که موضوع اشعه موی زن، موضوع پرسش از بنی صدر است، نه پاسخ او. اما به نظر می‌رسد در جريان يک تحريف آگاهانه موضوع پرسش از بنی صدر به پاسخ بنی صدر تبديل می‌شود. در پرسش ديگر همان فرد و يا فرد ديگر از او سوال می کند، که «نظر شما به عنون يک روشنفکر مسلمان در باره حجاب زن چيست»؟ اين پرسش نشان می هد که از نظر پرسشگر هنوز نظر بنی صدر درباره پوشش موی سر روشن نشده است، چه رسد به اينکه او حکم به تشعشع موی سر زن داده باشد.

Great article dear JR

I hope you had a nice vacation, too bad you spent so much time online though!  that's one thing I promise you I won't be doing in the upcoming weeks :0)

I think reza100 is too young to remember that Bani-Sadr's speech at the university...

Some don't remember, some are just in denial.

Thank you 

IRANdokht

Thanks!

Dear Jahanshah, Thank you for your great article! Excellent point! It is true that there are so many other issues with Islam, but for me (as a woman) the issue of hejab and how it has been forced upon women without any logical reason behind it (excepted the fuzzy logic of hair-rays by Banisadr) was enough reason to obsolete the whole concept of religion  :-)

Keep up the good work and thanks for your support of women’s causes,

Azarin

PS: As a personal taste I never liked Jalal Al Ahmad's voice, style and subjects, and it was even before I would learn about his political views...He is one overrated author!

PPS: As a funny note, have you ever heard this "famous" sentence from Banisadr in an interview with French TV about his Khomeini days? "J'ai dit a Emam fais pas ça, fais pas ça! Maintenant t'as fait ça, alors tu manges!"

JR's holy war on Islam

He is in the West. He has been given the green light to attack our religion. It's all over their churches from their filthy Vatican to the radical churches in the US and Europe and even in Iran!

Unlike our country Iran in which some honorable moslem religious people prevent attacks on Christians and Jews, the Western based media and churches encourage attacks on our religion Islam. As you can see some of these so called minority Iranians follow their religious leaders and do just that with great pleasure.

Good

True. Well said.

Ali Dashti's book is one of

Ali Dashti's book is one of the worst books ever written. It has no academic value, no valuable reference and no credible foundation. Just like your article here, it's a collection of stereotypes, clichés, gross generalizations and distorted information.

The difference between people like you and people like Dr. Soroush, is that people like Soroush seek to refine our culture by providing a humans-rights compatible interpretation of our religion, whereas people like you can only give credibility to the worst possible interpretation of Islam, by presenting it as REAL Islam.

The only effect you and people like Ali Dashti will ever have, is to legitimize those extremist killers or give a green light to simple minded people by telling them that "Tablians are right! Islam is all about oppressing woman and cutting off hands, So go ahead and do it!".

And for God's sake, stop propagating and circulating these false pieces of information. Dr. Banisadr has never said what you attributed to him. I think he has probably denied this statement fifteen times and has explained about it.

I really don't know what bitter people like you seek to achieve: Renounce fourteen centuries of our civilization? Dehumanize the majority of our people who are true believers? Make Iran go back to 500 B.C? Give credibility to Mesbah Yazdi and his kinds by confirming their positions as real Islam? Erase spirituality from their lives and insult their sacred figures? Blame all Iran's social and economic problems on Islam and Arabs (who attacked us 14 centuries ago)?

Concerned for you!

Everything for you has to end with Islam. What you are talking about is right where I work, in Alabama. Come and visit, when you are in town I will be more than happy to show you around.
This is not a religious issue, although stupidity within religions have given a green light to practice discrimination. Now as an intelligent man, if you are one, be objective and try to resolve or bring about this issue as a social issue rather than a religious or exclusive to Iran issue. Please stop your Nazi like and extremist mentality, it's not healthy for you.