Friday
December 8, 2000
Compromised values
A few days ago, seven Tehran men convicted of committing a series of
drunken thefts and brawls were returned to the scene of their crimes and
forced to ride backwards on donkeys in public, press reports said recently
(see below).
The seven also had plastic pitchers, of the type found in Iranian toilets,
tied around their necks, the Entekhab paper said.
See what our homeland has become? The indignity of man towards man is
lamentable. The story reminds me of Mao's China and the famous purges.
Sometimes I am outraged by our intellectual passivity towards such things.
Imagine if the Shah's regime had committed this what scandal! How do you
explain the apathy among our generation towards events back home?
Maybe I'm wrong but I feel we've compromised our values: our Persian
sense of honour once practiced by our ancestors and what is considered
universal beliefs. In the name of some abstract hope that Khatami will
lead us to a democratic utopia within the framework of the original revolutionary
ideals (Khomeini's ideals not Mossadeq or secular ones) we have allowed
our standards to fall below mediocrity.
As Khatami recently said he is powerless to stop such incidents. Maybe
it's time for his voters to speak out for their fundamental human rights
and for us who have been cast adrift to the four corners of the globe
to speak out over the net and define our views towards Iran and its future.
May God show us the light at the end of the tunnel.
Cyrus Kadivar
Seven men ridiculed in public after intoxication, crime
spree
TEHRAN, Nov 27 (AFP) - Seven Tehran men convicted of committing a series
of drunken thefts and brawls were returned to the scene of their crimes
and forced to ride backwards on donkeys in public, press reports said Monday.
The seven also had plastic pitchers, of the type found in Iranian toilets,
tied around their necks, the Entekhab paper said.
It cited a local sociologist who said the unusual punishment would be
counterproductive.
"People ridiculed like this will try hard to take their revenge
on society," he said.
Links
