I was just talking to a relative who has just returned from my home town of Abadan. I asked about all the familiar places. His response was that a lot has changed in Abadan even from a few years ago. A lot of people have converted the homes in the affluent areas of Braim and Bovardeh to car repair shops and stores, changing the once neat rows of homes to a mishmash of residential and commercial areas. “What about zoning laws” I asked. He started laughing. I didn’t follow up.
We then spoke of a family member who also works in Abadan for a large construction company. He said that the person was depressed because he had not been paid for the past 4 months, and had to borrow money to pay for household expenses. He said that the family member was afraid to approach the boss about the unpaid wages because a few people who had done so had been fired. “What about labor laws”I asked. He started laughing again. I got the message this time too.
It seems like the only laws that are enforced in Iran are political and religious laws. God forbid if a few strands of a woman’s hair are showing. God forbid you protest about your vote. God forbid if you write something remotely critical of the government. In those instances, watch out. They will drag you out of whatever cave you’re hiding in and will beat you, jail you and even shoot you on the streets. For everything else, the prevailing law in Iran is the law of the jungle. You can do whatever you want with whomever you want. And ifit happens by some miracle that you are caught, you just bribe someone and get out of whatever mess you have made for others…and that’s why Iran is a nation of no laws…
