 Hamid's blog
A world gone mad
By Hamid Boroumand
March 24, 2004
iranian.com
Emails sent to iranian.com in the
past few weeks:
Sanity
Dear editor salam,
The world needs to stop blowing-up blind and deaf
elderly cripples confined to wheelchairs, and the world needs to
stop blowing-up
commuter buses filled with civilians. Why, all of a sudden,
does it seem like the world has gone mad?
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand Stirring the pot
Dear editor salam,
If the Federal and State governments are not in
the business of legislating marriage or civil unions and choose
to turn a blind
eye to homosexual unions, will they tolerate a natural and religiously
sanctioned right to those individuals seeking to have more than
one legal wife (this may be particularly appropriate for those
who wish to legitimize an existing or potential polygamous relationship
versus having a "legal" wife and an "illegal" wife
or mistress.)
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand
PS: How is this for stirring up a pot of controversy? Professionalism
Dear editor salam,
Good leadership demands good management, and good
management demands a cadre of professional, skilled, educated and
qualified
personnel.
I think countries looking to advance in today's world should
create and generously fund, by acts of Parliament, elite
public educational
and training institutions to promote professionalism, education,
competence and skill in at least a few basic spheres: Public
Administration, Business Management Administration, Law and
Justice Administration,
Public and National Security Administration, Science Engineering
and Technology Administration, Health Services Administration,
and International Relations Administration among others.
If
I am not mistaken, France- which has a system of governanace
based on
strong central government control- has created a series of
highly rated public Haute Ecoles (Higher Institutions) through
which
most of its cadre of public servants are culled, and which
have created
a foundation for professionalism and skill through-out its
public bureaucracy. Maybe France should be a model to emulate.
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand Chi az jooneh shoma mikham?
Dear editor salam,
In response to "feelers" being sent asking "chi
az jooneh ma mikhay", and at the risk of sounding like a broken
record: First: I don't hate Iran and I do love Islam, but
I do viscerally dislike mollas and akhoonds and their "pa-dos".
Second:
My simple public demand is the recognition that Iranians don't
need "qayems" and are "shayesteh" of
conducting their affairs in a democratic and consultative manner
without the interference of imposed and unelected entities and
personalities. I also expect the honest implementation of this
vision.
Third: My simple private demand is one of justice:
(1)
elements within the current regime treacherously conspired to murder
my relative, Dr. Abdolrahman Boroumand, after indicating
a desire to resolve their differences
peacefully. Those responsible for this "najvanmardegy" need to be identified
and brought to justice.
(2) after the Revolution of 1979, the honor and work
and toil of over five generations of my family were impugned, destroyed
and seized
subject to the ruling of a criminal
individual placed in a position of authority. This injustice needs to be reversed,
and damages need to be compensated for.
(3) I expect a full public apology for
the unjustified treatment accorded my family over the course
of the past 25 years.
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand
Payame Noroozi va Payame Qur'ani
Dear editor salam, On the eve of the Persian New Year, a beautiful
tradition in our culture as old as Time itself and worthy of much
of the attention
and happiness and joy and celebration attached to it (particularly
the opportunity to catch up with family and friends), and after
having extended wishes of well-being to all of our compatriots,
let us all start this Norooz and all Noroozes with a positive attitude
and the remembrance of this equally beautiful Qur'anic verse (from
Surah Al-Hujarat 49, Aya 13):
"O mankind! We created you from
a single pair of a male and a female, and made you into nations
and tribes that you may know each other (not that you may despise
each other.) Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God
is he who is the most righteous of you, and God has full knowledge
and is well acquainted with all things." Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand Political endorsement
Dear editor salam,
I would first like to encourage those Iranians residing
in the United States who have not yet applied to become naturalized
American
citizens to do so immediately. Thereupon, I would encourage every
single eligible Iranian American to register to be able to vote,
and to subsequently educate themselves about issues and candidates,
and to finally participate (without exception) in all elections
and voting campaigns.
Having said the above, I wish to make the following
political endorsement for the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
I would like all Iranian
Americans (Republicans, Democrats and Independents) who would like
to see a substantive change in Iran's condition within the next
four years, to unequivocally support the upcoming presidential
campaign of George W. Bush with an understanding that in return
Mr. Bush will embrace Secretary of War Donald Rumsfeld's position
on how to effectively deal with the molla in Iran.
A clear message
needs to be sent to the Bush administration that we Iranian Americans
favor a popular and democratically elected government in Iran,
not the current tyranny that has been imposed on our people and
country. It should further be made clear that we Iranian Americans
are not in agreement with the "appeasement" stance contemplated
by Undersecretary of State Richard Armitage and his group whatsoever,
and that any continuing efforts in the direction of cutting deals
with the molla are highly unpopular with our community and will
be costly for this administration in terms of votes and financial
support from our community.
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand The last khan
Dear editor salam,
I must admit that it is with a certain sense of
sadness that I look around myself and see the scattered remnants
of my social
class; the old landed Persian aristocracy or "khans" have
been reeling from one heavy blow after another beginning with Reza
Pahlavi's "qasb" of their domains in the 1930's, continuing
with Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's failed/fraudulent land reform policies
of the early 1960's, and continuing most recently with the akhoonds'
theft of anything nailed (or not nailed) down.
In my immediate
circle, I can identify only one family- the Ahmadis (khans of Azari
extraction) - who retain that certain genuine quality (hard to
describe to those who don't know what to look for, but broadly
identified as "noble" or "honorable") that
identifies them as belonging to that social class. The truth is
that the genuine* khans are now few and far between, and with the
passing of time and generations that certain "noblesse oblige" that
identified the best of them will disappear, much to the detriment
of our community.
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand
Note that I only extend the label of "genuine" to
and only recognize those khans who embody nobility and honor, not
those
identifiable as criminals and renowned for oppression, cruelty
and corruption (and there were many.)
Playing with fire
Dear editor salam,
Can any of your readers
relate to my temporary fascination with matches and combustion
as a young boy of about six or seven, I
don't think I can be the only one of that age who set the yard
of the house we were living in on fire (thank God it didn't occur
to me to try and ignite the residence itself.)
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand What unemployment?
Dear editor salam,
When the rule of law returns to Iran and relations
normalize with the United States, I will personally attempt to
convince
Boeing
Corporation to establish a major international manufacturing
hub in Shahinshahr with the stated objective of creating
at least 50,000
high paying technical jobs (with many times that number if
Boeing's major suppliers are also factored in) for Iranian workers.
In
anticipation of that day, I would encourage Iran's government
to (1) make the
necessary infrastructure investments in the region to accomodate
such a project (2) establish a number of high quality local
technical colleges - modeled after those in Germany- from which
Boeing
can source qualified personnel, and (3) be prepared to
extend up to
a 10 year tax holiday to make the proposition more attractive
to Boeing Corporation. Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand Baku and Azerbaijan
Dear editor salam,
I was doing some geneological research
recently and discovered something very interesting. Azerbaijan
(or the northern part
of Azerbaijan which is now a separate country with Baku as
its capital)
was until 1805, when the land was forsaken by Iran's Qajars
and occupied by Russian invaders, loosely affiliated with Iran
under
the rulership of the Shirvan Khans. The Shirvan Khans were
the product of the Javanshir clan, a fiercely independent and combative
Turkic tribe, which routinely battled both the Russian Czars
and Iranian Qajars.
A Javanshir family with Tabrizi origins
still exists
in Iran -in fact- my maternal grandmother is from that family.
It would be nice to have northern Azerbaijan return to the
fold
of Iran, hopefully when Iran itself is free and democratic,
and conditioning that the northern Azerbaijanis themselves are
agreeable
to it.
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand
Magar kashk ast?
Dear editor salam,
NOTE: THIS OBSERVATION
BROUGHT TO YOU COURTESY OF CARTEL"VAR" BONYADS
AND BAZARIIS (which reminds me: will the outgoing Majlis finally
release their investigation -for worldwide distribution on the
internet- on the corruption that has plagued the Bonyad Mostazafan?)
Has
anyone been to a supermarket recently and checked up on the price
of Kashk? It may not be as inexpensive and cheap as common
parlance may suggest.
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand General mobilization and the keys to paradise
Dear
editor salam,
I wanted to write to express how extremely proud
I am of the determination and solidarity and compassion of our
Iranian
community, within
and outside of Iran, in response to the tragic earthquake that
ravaged the city of Bam. The initial and continuing concern for
the victims of that disaster appears to have been overwhelming.
Some people would give the keys of paradise to a simple young boy
to walk through a minefield in an unjustified war, I would give
the keys of paradise to the compassionate young (or old) person
who collected a "care" package for a helpless orphan
and needy family halfway around the world.
In the continuing drive
to strengthen our bonds as Iranians and to once again display
our solidarity and caring for one another
in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, I would like
to urge a general mobilization and the opening of a new front
in a new battle: let us make a collective effort to end the scourge
of smoking in Iran, because a healthy Iranian is a productive
Iranian,
and because the well-being of every Iranian is important to their
children, parents, siblings, neighbors, friends, and co-citizens.
As such, I would like to challenge Iranians to cut their consumption
of cigarettes and other tobacco products by at least 50% this
year, and at least 50% every year thereafter until our society
and people
are rid of this poison which is so harmful and damaging to both
personal and national health and wealth.
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand Who is Bagher Dehghanzadeh?
Dear editor salam,
Who is Bagher Dehghanzadeh?
A simple man -previously a night watchman- from a village in the
heart of Iran, now approaching his eighties
if not well into them, and losing his sight. But a man dear to
my heart with more character than any other Iranian I know, and
a man who embodies those rare qualities called "loyalty" and "gratitude." A
man from such humble origins yet with such noble demeanor.
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand Javaherlal Nehru's wisdom
Dear editor salam,
The other day I was reminiscing
about an old family photo album which contained pictures of slain
Indian Prime Minister Indira
Ghandi's visit to Iran in the mid-1970's. On this particular
visit the Indian Prime Minister honored my family with a
short stop at
Shahinshahr to catch a glimpse of a working model of Iranian
private enterprise in the agroindustrial and homebuilding
spheres, and
there are pictures of my father- in his younger days- greeting
Mrs. Ghandi. While I look back and think how flattering it must
have been to have received a visit from a respected and world
renowned leader, I wonder if any Iranians have taken the
time to visit,
absorb, and replicate what Mrs. Ghandi's father, Prime Minister
Javaherlal Nehru, created and which has since become the pride
and engine of India's worldwide technical prowess: the multi-campus
system of the Indian Institutes of Technology. Nehru and his
wisdom were truly a Javaher to his land and his people.
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand Iranian portfolio
Dear editor salam, To those of your readers who follow the financial
markets: I recently compiled a list of a number of publicly traded
companies which
I was able to identify as either being founded by or being led
by Iranians or Iranian Americans and I monitor them under the "Iranian
Portfolio" label, I am sure this list is not exhaustive
and if any of your readers know of others I would appreciate
hearing from them so I can add them to my list. Listed by symbol,
they are: EBAY, SABA, STEC, NXLCQ, WFII.
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand
Note: NXLCQ and STEC, in that order, are particularly
compelling TO ME (having said that, please do not invest in anything
without
first consulting your financial and/or legal advisor and please
do not invest in something just because I find it compelling
to me.) Rahbar & Akbar: The Aristide option?
Dear editor salam, The latest round of parliamentary elections and
the widespread universal boycott of those elections by Iran's citizenry
constituted
a proxy referendum and established the illegitimacy of Iran's
existing regime in the eyes of the majority of Iran's voters.
The denial of legitimate forums to establish opposition to and
implement tangible changes in a "beemar" system increases
the likelihood of vocalization of dissent and its metamorphosis
into violent and armed struggle and resistance.
I think it would
be an appropriate time for Iran's citizenry and the international
community to start looking for a couple of villas in some distant
African lands to accommodate Rahbar and Akbar in order to preempt
inevitable violence, bloodshed and chaos.
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand Healing the rift
Dear editor salam, I ask Muslims, of both the Shii and Sunni persuasion,
if they are sincere and brave enough to believe in and embrace
the word of
Allah? In Sura 3 (Ale-Imran), Aya 102-105 we read:
"O you who believe, Fear God as He should be
Feared, and die not except in a state of Islam."
"And
hold fast all together by the Rope which God (stretches out for
you), and be not divided
among yourselves; and remember with gratitude God's favor on you,
for you were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that
by His Grace you became brethren, and you were on the brink of
the Pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does God make His
Signs clear to you, that you may be guided."
"Let there
arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good,
enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: they are
the ones to attain felicity."
"Be not like those who
are divided amongst themselves and fall into disputations after
receiving Clear Signs: for them is a dreadful Penalty."
In this spirit of unity and healing, I would like
to extend an invitation to Muslims of the Shii and Sunni persuasion
to make
today the start of a reconciliation that is long overdue. Invite
one another to each others' homes, share meals, become friends,
and attend one another's occasions of happiness and sadness, attend
one another's places and ceremonies of worship with love and respect,
and not with malice and hatred. It may surprise you to find how
many true Muslims reside on each side of this "divide."
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand Halaliyat Dear editor salam,
Are other individuals of Iranian heritage as confounded
by the concept of "halaliyat" as I am? "Halaliyat",
if I am not mistaken, occurs when someone intentionally damages
or hurts you (typically it involves something premeditated and
illegal or immoral, like someone thieving your property, maliciously
slandering you, running-off with a man/woman you might be engaged
to, etc.) and then asks you to exonerate their actions, without
penalty or remuneration or punishment, by acknowledging -to the
perpetrator- that what they did was okay in your eyes?!?! Generally, "halaliyat" seems
to be a formality because even when it is not extended to the
perpetrator it doesn't seem to modify their behavior or conduct...which
might lead one to ask what the point is for the perpetrator to
seek "halaliyat" anyways, after all how can one be
an ethical or moral crook?
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand Personal hygiene
Dear editor salam,
The other day a distant memory
reappeared in my thoughts, it was the memory of the one and only
time I and my brother, aged 10
and 9 respectively at the time, went to a communal afternoon
masjid prayer in a middle class area of Tehran in 1978, and our
interesting experience there. We had traveled to Tehran from
Esfahan, as we did a couple of times a year, to visit members
of my mother's family who resided in the capital. I don't exactly
recall what I and my brother were doing alone in that particular
neighborhood-if we had gone together to visit a store and buy
some stationary or if we had tagged along with one of our "da-yees" on
some business that he was attending to- but I do recall my sibling
and I being alone and near a masjid and hearing the "azan" and
seeing a large group of people head towards the masjid.
Feeling
particularly mature and pious at that very time and spot, my
brother and I looked at each other and thought it would be a
good idea to join the crowd for the prayers in the masjid. "Damaghet
Rooz Bad Nabineh (or Boo Nakoneh in this instance)", never
in my life have I and my brother had our senses assaulted by
such rancid and foul smelling odors as those we experienced-
caught between the crowd and the exit of the masjid- that day,
and for nearly twenty minutes we suffocated, gagged and nearly
threw-up while waiting for the prayers to end so we could flee
the scene of the nastiest smelling feet, socks, and shoes in
the universe. Needless to say, I and my brother never attended
another communal prayer session in a public masjid in Tehran
after that harrowing experience (granted we haven't been back
since 1979.) Having recounted this experience, I ask your readers
to look at Surah Al-Maidah (5), Ayat 6 to -in fact- reinforce that
the Qur'an,
despite common norms, does establish that "cleanliness is
next to Godliness." Notably, we read "..O you who believe,
when you prepare for prayer, wash your faces, and your hands (and
arms) to the elbows; rub your heads (with water); and (wash) your
feet to the ankles. If you are in a state of ceremonial impurity,
bathe your whole body. But if you are ill, or on a journey, or
one of you comes from offices of nature, or you have been in contact
with women, and you find no water, then take for yourselves clean
sand or earth, and rub therewith your faces and hands.. God
does not wish to place you in difficulty, but to make you clean,
and to complete his favor to you, that you may be grateful."
If
the akhoondeh mambar can't impart this basic message to those
going to the public masjids for communal prayers, then it should
come as no surprise that they can't aspire to lead a nation competently,
either.
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand Nuclear realities
Dear editor salam, With the free flow of technical
and scientific knowledge and information, it is inevitable that-sooner
or later-countries like Iran will
possess nuclear weapons (to think otherwise is just plain unrealistic.) As
such, the question that the world at large needs to ask itself
is that given this very real (and likely very near) possibility
who does the world want to support and see at the helm of a nuclear
armed country like Iran?
Would the world at large prefer
a nuclear armed Iran governed by an educated, rational, moderate,
refined and legitimately elected leadership with a grasp of
the deterrent and security aspects of nuclear weapons, or would
the
world at large prefer to see a nuclear armed Iran governed
by a gang of low-life low-class hooligans, bandits, murderers,
thugs
and thieves ready to resort to any form of nuclear blackmail
to maintain their recent hold on ill-gotten wealth and power
(let me refresh your memories with flashbacks of Saddam and
his Fedayeen if you have forgotten what I mean by unqualified and
opportunistic jack-booted scum.)
The world has to make its
decision
and has to make its decision quickly, because it will be
alot harder to remove the trash from Iran once that trash gets
its
hands on the Bomb...IS EUROPE LISTENING????? Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand
Tolerance
Dear editor salam, Sura Al-Jassiyah (45.) Ayats: 14-15:
"Tell those who believe to forgive those who
do not look forward to the Days of God: it is for Him to recompense
(for good or ill)
each people according to what they have earned."
"If any one does a righteous deed it enures to the benefit of his
own soul, if he does evil it works against (his own soul). In
the end will you (all) be brought back to your Lord."
In short: MOZAHEM MARDOM NASHAVID
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand Thank you Tehran
Dear editor salam, Let us begin the day by thanking the majority of
the citizens of Tehran for respecting the call for the election
day boycott and
for letting the Nezam know what Tehroonis think (or don't think)
of "Rahbar and Akbar". I look forward to extending
a similar note of appreciation to citizens of all the other large
cities of Iran (excepting perhaps Mashad and Qom) for having
let their feelings be made known LOUD AND CLEAR. Yes, this was
a proxy referendum!
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand Charity. Make it a habit.
Dear editor salam,
It is true, the old saying that "you
can't take it with you"...after
all, have you ever seen a hearse with luggage racks? I speak from
personal experience when I say that nothing matches the "high" one
receives when giving FREELY, HABITUALLY, IN MODERATION, and WITH
ANONIMITY to a worthy or needy cause. I will vouch that habitual
charity is a potent cure for the disease of greed, and I will vouch
that habitual charity is a function which benefits the giver as
much as the receiver.
Consistent with this personal experience
and also in line with the Muslim philosophy of Zakat (interestingly,
this term implies "purification" of the balance of one's
income and wealth upon the disbursement of this compulsory charity
by people above certain income and wealth levels- suggesting that
one's income and wealth have yet to be "purified" prior
to the disbursement of this compulsory charity) and the Muslim
tradition of Sadaqeh (non-compulsory charity), I would encourage
those of your readers who are financially able, and who wish to
experience that aforementioned "high", to make it a habit
to allocate up to 2.5% of each gross paycheck amount and 10% of
any capital gain secured through a purchase and sale PROMPTLY BUT
THOUGHTFULLY AND WITH DIGNITY to someone in real need (beginning
with needy but not immediate relatives, needy neighbors, needy
friends, needy orphans, and needy strangers) and for worthy causes.
For Muslims, Zakat is to be distributed to other
Muslims, though Sadaqa can be distributed to non-Muslims. Also,
in the spirit of "not
being able to take it with oneself" I would encourage those
of your readers who are financially able and have fulfilled their
debt obligations to take to heart the Muslim tradition of leaving
upto 30% of their estates upon death (leaving 70% to their heirs)
to needy individuals and worthy causes, an excellent candidate
for such charity might be helpless and needy orphans, a segment
of society much referred to in the Qur'an, and the individuals
and insitutions which support them.
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand And the final tally is....
Dear editor salam,
Independent final reports coming out of Iran suggest
that participation in the latest round of parliamentary elections
are hovering between
10% and 15% of the eligible voter base (consistent with the
results that opinion polls were indicating.) So I would have to
say that
the final tally is:
Iran: 65,000,000
Rahbar and Akbar: 0
Now, if I am not mistaken, the initial objectives
of the boycott were: the removal of Khamenei, the removal and prosecution
of Rafsanjani
and his mob, and the dissolution of unelected shadow entities.
Now, lets add to that the preparation of the groundwork for a
nationwide referendum to formalize the results of the proxy referendum
that
we just experienced.
To drive the point home, just in case the Nezam
still has not gotten the message, I would like to ask the people
of Iran to
organize
a mass peaceful nationwide work stoppage and demonstration
spanning the days between April 15th and April 25th in honor of
the thirteenth
anniversary of the cold-blooded murder of my relative, Dr.
Abdolrahman Boroumand, at the hands of this regime's assassins.
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand Statistical truths: Opinion polls don't lie
Dear editor salam, Granted that the electronic poll run by the hamehporsi.org website is skewed towards a typically younger, better-educated,
and computer savvy selection of potential voters, statistically
the size of the sample used in the poll (over 3000 responses
from Iran and over 3000 from around the world) suggests that
with 99% accuracy less than 10% of the younger, better-educated,
and computer-savvy group of Iranians within and without the
country support the existing Nezam in its current form, and that
more
than 90% want some form of change.
Now I don't mean to come
across as being elitist, but if I cared about my country and
the opinion
and desires of its young and upcoming generation I would
be giving these figures a real hard look. Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand Catch-22
Dear editor salam,
I thought I would share an interesting story with
your readers: after 14 years and approximately 250,000 miles (on
the original
engine) I finally made the difficult decision of parting with
my trusty Honda Accord (yes, someone actually paid me $2,000
for the car and has told me they are very pleased with the
vehicle.) My old Honda was a reliable automobile that was as dear
to me
as my favorite pair of worn jeans and old sneakers, and nearly
as dear as the comfy couch I like to stretch out on sometimes
to watch TV.
The main reason I decided to sell my car was that
it was getting shabby and sort of run down, and I found that
in making sales calls on my business clients I needed to park
my car blocks away from my clients' offices (and prying eyes)
in order to deny reality and maintain the image of business
success that goes along with having a relatively new and shiny
car (which
I didn't have, of course). Also it was virtually impossible to
use the vehicle to haul clients to business lunches or elsewhere
without getting some interesting (mainly condescending but
invisible) reactions from them.
So one day, recently, when one
of my subcontractor
crews was doing some work at an auto dealership park I popped
into one of the adjoining dealerships and gathered the courage
to sign a lease on a new and respectable looking sedan. All
proud and puffed-up, like the father of a newborn baby, I drove
off
of the dealership lot in a shiny new leased automobile thinking
that I had now solved a burdensome problem but not knowing
the dilemma that awaited me.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, here is the
catch: I still find myself facing the same dilemma of parking
my brand new and shiny car blocks away from my clients' offices,
and I still feel reluctant to offer my clients a ride in the
new vehicle, the reason being that I now sense that the immediate
thought running through my clients' head is not that of pity
and feeling sorry, but that of : "if he has this new and
shiny vehicle then he must definitely be overcharging me for
his services!" The experience reminds me of the story I
once heard of an Azari businessman who worked in the bazaar and
who upon buying a new pair of shoes would immediately sprinkle
dust over them so his clients wouldn't feel they were being overcharged...does
anyone know where I can find a car-dust service?
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand
PS: If you haven't guessed my heritage from this
story, then you should know that I am half Fars (Esfooni from my
father's side)
and half Azari (Tabrizi from my mother's side.) Prisoner of conscience
Dear editor salam,
How about turning up the heat a little on assassins
and torturers? Check our this link:
Amir Abbas Fakhravar, freelance journalist
and prisoner of conscience
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand Chera...?
Dear editor salam, Can any of your enlightened readers tell those of
us in the dark why Iranian women who wear "chadors" in
public wear black chadors? I had the opportunity to witness many
nationalities
and ethnicities and races on a unique trip to perform the Haj
in Mecca a number of years ago (an unsurpassed experience I would
recommend to everyone at least once, and one which I hope to
have the opportunity to experience again), and among the most
beautifully clad pilgrims I observed were West African women
in stunning vegetable-dyed clothing spanning the colors of the
rainbow...how refreshing!
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand
Completing the Circle. Surah Al-Tawbah (9).
Verses 31-35
Dear editor salam, To those of us who are students of history, we know
that modern Europe broke itself from the superstition and ignorance
and backwardness
and enslavement of the Dark and Middle Ages, and eased itself
into the Age of Enlightenment and Renaissance which preceded
today's Age of Industry and Technology when Martin Luther, a
dissident man of God, challenged the hierarchy, dogmatism, and
corruption of the established Church and Clergy of his time and
encouraged people to think for themselves and free themselves
from the shackles of dry tradition and imposed tyranny.
Well, "dry
tradition and imposed tyranny" seem to have afflicted mankind
through the course of history, and may (if not kept in check)
afflict humanity through the end of time. I know that in referring
to the Qur'an Surah Al-Tawbah (9), verses 31-35 [definitely track
this down on islamicity.com for
a good translation] I am returning to a theme that I have revisited
before, but I can not help but stress that if we look at the
Qur'an as a book of history, it addresses the issues that Martin
Luther grappled with 900 years before his time, and if we look
at the Qur'an as a book of divine revelation, it addresses an
issue that mankind may be challenged with through the end of
time.
As I think I have mentioned before, the aforementioned
verses should be looked at it the context of today's Iran with
the labels "ahbarahom and rohbanohom- priests and anchorites" referring
to present day mollas and akhoonds. To those debating whether
they should participate in or boycott Iran's upcoming elections
(see: hamehporsi.org for
a current opinion poll), I would encourage them to think on this
piece
of Qur'anic wisdom with deliberation.
Va salam,
Hamid Boroumand .................... Say
goodbye to spam!
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