There used to be a time when lying was one helluva sin. The good ole Zoroastrian folk and their goftar-e nik.
Not anymore.
The very act of forced Hejab in the street, is a living lie. The president is elected on an election of lies. The “Israeli threat”, a lie that is 24/7 forced down people’s throat. Central Bank inflation rates, a lie. The government unemployment rates, a lie. The success of the economy, a lie. Telling the basiji patrol thug that the girl next to you is your fiancee (to avoid getting arrested), a lie. Claiming that Iran is #1 in everything from Science to philosophy, a lie. The test sheet we just turned in, a copy (taghallob), a lie. The pirated AutoCAD software that ammeh joon just brought us from Iran, a lie. The Shrek-3 DVD you bought at Sar-e Gholhak, a lie. Growing a reesh on your face, so that they wont give you any “geer” at your job, a lie. …We’ve all been there one way or the other. I did. I had to. I would for example lie, so that they would let me use the Faculty of Engineering library.
In today’s Iran, lying is so commonplace that they dont even call it lying. They call it “khaali bandi”, as if to lessen the weight of the offense. Iranian politicians call it “doroogh-e maslahati” (strategic lying). Clerics call it Taqiyeh, and actually approve lying. People literally lie their asses off left and right (to ourselves, to eachother, to our teachers), as Golshifteh so candidly explains.
Why is it like this? Why do we lie so much?
My answer is the same as Golshifteh. Only, I’ll say it a bit more clear and blunt:
We have a fucked up culture of lying, thanks to centuries of Islamic social engineering. We’ve been under so much tyranny and dictatorship in all this time, that lying now comes natural to us. The ubiquitous “yek cheezee behesh begoo deegeh…” actually means “behesh dooroogh begoo”. Simple as that. And it’s OK. Because it’s Halal.
Thank You Golshifteh for saying it out loud.
