Friday
February 2, 2001
Inclusionary
"Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible; but man's
inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary." Theologian
Reinhold Niebuhr, as quoted by Senator Patrick Leahy of the Judiciary Committee,
on the Senate Floor, February 1, 2001.
All in all, I consider Dr. Tehranian's inclusionary and progressive
views ["Pacific
Islam"] as a helpful constituent of the enlightenment that is
taking place in our civil-society (Jameah Madani), and in the larger scheme
of things.
Faced with a reductionist and selective treatment of Shia tenets, it
is very prudent of Dr. Tehranian not to respond directly to a voice that
trivializes culture and heritage; no doubt this wisdom comes from years
of experience as a teacher and activist.
Many years ago, through friends who had high regard for his work, I
came across Mr. Tehranian's name as an engage intellectual who had been
to Harvard. I myself, have a particular respect for those scholars and
academics who are concerned about pluralism and social justice; no wonder
that as a young man he was affected by the 1953 coup, and lived to tell
about it and research the concepts of political repression and legitimacy.
Of all the number of articles and books I read about the revolution,
I felt his piece "Alienation, Communication and Revolution" in
The Journal of Communications, provided the best analysis. When
I gave a copy to my professor, it became required reading for the class.
Tehranian's participation in this forum is a blessing, for I guess it's
his excitement about the field of communications and the Internet phenomenon
that makes his scholarship accessible to The IranianTimes audience.
Some of us may be "lodged abroad;" yet, we are fortunate to
not be living in "Talkh-Aabaad" or "SpitenVille."
Farid Marjai
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