The Inshallahs
Key players in the Middle East
Bobby Burner
April 3, 2005
iranian.com
I wonder why so many people in the Middle East continue living under social
and political conditions, which most people would not choose to accept as living
condition. My curiosity for the subject has grown through the years.
My concern to be more concrete is why the Iraqis continued living
under the Saddam Hussein's tyranny for such a long time; and why
the Saudi Arabians continue accepting the Saudi family as their
bosses, and how come the Iranians haven't got rid of the mullahs
for a long time ago.
I am fully aware of the complexity of the question I raise. Therefore,
I would like to underline that I cannot possibly give a complete
and satisfactory answer. The issue is too complex and the human
brain too little! Yet I believe it should be allowed to play with
some thoughts. It should be allowed to ask and it should be allowed
to think. Or not?
I recall very well the day I very politely asked my religion
teacher, after he had spend an hour or two on reasoning for God's
existence, how I could believe in a god that I can't see with my
eyes. The teacher came towards me looking very angry and shocked.
He sent me to the principal's office after slapping me hard on
my face. Later I was expelled because of what they called it "kind
of blasphemy." Well, as I was under 18 and this was one of
the "good" schools in Iran, my father was blamed for
not bringing me up in the "right way".
How dare I could question God Almighty's existence, was what
the teacher and the principal could not understand. Why I asked
such a question from my religion teacher was what my parents did
not understand. Why no one did answer my question was what I did
not understand!
Today 15-20 years after this incident I still wonder why it should
not be allowed to ask such a simple question and why in fact people
are not encouraged to ask. Moreover, why each time does someone
question the authority of the authorities s/he is accused of for
example blasphemy and sentenced to death or jailed?
Yet, to be executed for one's thoughts and believes is nothing
new in human history. Not long, time ago, in the name of god we
punished the man who publicly announced that the planet Earth was
not the center of the universe and not flat at all.
Lately the political situation for the opposition groups and
the ordinary people in Zimbabwe has become intolerable. Robert
Mugabe is apparently one of those who does not like someone questioning
his authority. In addition, he can be brutal.
However, Mugabe's brutality has not stopped the opposition and
people from actively opposing his government. The people have not
stopped thinking and questioning the authorities, even though some
are killed and their houses burned down. In fact there have been
many protest demonstrations in Zimbabwe recently.
On the other hand, there have not been many anti-government demonstrations
in the Middle East. There were a few rallies in Iran last year.
But hopes that these protests would become a movement against the
mullahs and their establishment have not materialized. Rather people
chose the path of not questioning.
For an observer and an outsider like me, it does not cost many
calories to say, "Go ahead, protest and die!" However,
I still believe we should ask why the Zimbabweans carry on protesting
despite the very high costs, while Iranians seem to have given
up. The only apparent different between Iran and Zimbabwe is religion.
As curious as I am, I have talked to many people, especially
Iranians in exile about their thoughts on this issue. Based on
my unofficial and unscientific research and discussions with friends
and family, I have come to conclusion that it is useful to group
the explanations in two rough categories. One type is what I would
call the "sorrow" category and the other I choose to
call the "Inshallah" category. Both labels have their
roots deep in the 1400-year-old Iranian Shi'a mentality.
Members of the Sorrow category are those who explain the lack
of motivation for questioning authority by saying things like "there
is nothing we can do", "the mullahs will kill you if
you say something", "I have children to take care of", " how
can you expect people protesting when they have no food or jobs" and
so on.
The Sorrows continuously grieve and mourn over their loss, whether
country or dead leader, and have developed rituals to express their
sorrow. Grieving is overwhelming and fills one's entire life. Members
of the Sorrow group stay faithful to the chosen passive path. Iranians,
for instance, faithfully grieve over the lost Pahlavi Dynasty.
Even today, nearly 25 years after the revolution, we hear songs
and read poetry about the loss of country and kingdom to the Islamic
Republic.
The Inshallahs are those who blame the whole thing on foreign
powers and expect them (God, Americans, Russians, British, Imam
Mahdi, or someone else) to intervene when the all-knowing power
finds it convenient.
It is very tempting to argue for
the similarities between the Inshallahs and different castes in
India. Both groups tend to believe in a sort of fate. The Inshallahs
would explain their situation by saying something like "it's
our fate" or "it's God's will" almost same as an
untouchable in the Indian caste system. The only different would
be the word "god." The Indians might have instead used
the word Bhagwan.
The Sorrow group cannot possibly explain why the Zimbabweans
continue their protests but Iranians don't. The Inshallah group
has no answer either. Yet the latter has not given up. They count
the days and wait for the "savior" whoever it might be.
The sorrow group is more or less exclusively related to the Shi'a
mourning mentality, whereas the Inshallah group can be found among
both Sunnis and Shias. This makes the Inshallahs the main category
and the very majority of the people in the Middle East. One should
not underestimate the power of the Sorrow group, but there is no
doubt that the Inshallahs are the key players in the Middle East.
The Inshallahs have to live with, on the one hand the intervener's
will, and on the other hand their desire of self-determination
and independence. They wish to gain control over Iraq but expect
the Americans to do it for them. They ask the Americans to throw
the mullahs out of Iran, yet they do not want the Americans to
do it; because they also know once you get the Americans in your
country they will stay there! The super powers have surely used
the Inshallahs and their ambivalence. The Kurds that are being
used by Americans in Iraq are one of many obvious examples here.
In many ways the Inshallahs are the key players in the Middle
East. As the key player, the Inshallahs should be aware of their
role and take responsibility. The political situation and living
conditions for millions of Middle Easterners will get better, Inshallah,
as people start asking questions.
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