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Let there be light
13-May-2008
The Dark Ages have just begun in Iran.
In European historiography, the period from the fall of the Western Roman Empire (AD 476), until approximately the middle of the 11th century, is often known as the Dark Ages.
The fatalistic tendency of political theorists in the Dark Ages was to view all political power as granted by God and rulers as unaccountable to any human being (although they were accountable to God). Rulers were above the law, and everyone else was obliged to obey them.
The king was sacred, and most political theorists in the Dark Ages believed in unlimited submission to government.
Kings were considered Christ on earth.
With the fall of Rome also came a growing importance in the role of the pope. Leo the Great (Leo I) stands out in bringing the papacy into a leadership force of the Western world. The pope was expected to wear many hats, including not only spiritual leader, but also statesman, administrator, and scholar. During Leo I´s papacy is the first time the title Pontifex Maximus (Supreme Pontiff) was used. In Latin this is translated to “highest bridge maker” and Roman emperors had previously used this title to signify their role as high priests in the Roman religion.
Similarly with the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, the idea of “absolute guardianship of the Islamic Jurists” (Velayat-e Faqih) gained influence and was advanced by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's leadership of the Iranian Revolution.
This doctrine, which now forms the basis of the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, maintains that Guardianship should include all issues for which Prophet of Islam and Shi'a Imam have responsibility, including governance of the country.
The constitution of Iran calls for a faqih, or Vali-ye faqih (guardian jurist), to serve as the “Supreme Leader” of the government. The title “Supreme” Leader (Rahbare Moazzam), is often used as a sign of respect; however, this terminology does not exist in the constitution.
The Supreme Leader is the ultimate head of the Iranian political and governmental establishment, above that of Iran's president. According to the constitution, he has absolute authority over all individuals and in all public matters including internal and foreign policies, control of the army Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and control of state broadcast.
He has the power to overrule the decisions made by publicly elected politicians.
In this doctrine, it is believed that the Vali-ye faqih is the representative of the Hidden Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi (the 12th and last Shi'a Imam). So he has a divine right to ruling.
While the “spiritual virtues” and “status” of the Prophet and the Imams are greater than those of contemporary faqih, their power is not, because this virtue “does not confer increased governmental powers”. (Hokumat-e Islami or Islamic Government by Khomeini, p.62)
As it is evident, the Vali-ye faqih assumes the roles of not only spiritual leader, but also administrator, and scholar at the same time. And most importantly, he is also the king with the turban for the crown.
Iran has become the first nation-state in history to apply absolute Velayat-e Faqih in the government. “Guardianship” of the faqih in the Islamic Republic of Iran is represented not only in the Supreme Leader, who must be a cleric, but in other leading bodies, particularly the Assembly of Experts whose members must be clerics, the Council of Guardians, half of whom must be clerics, and the courts. Friday prayer leaders are appointed by the Supreme Leader as well.
The dominant political theories of the European Dark Ages and the premises of Iran’s present ruling establishment are more or less the same.
As the so-called divine rulers helped to destroy the Roman Empire and plunge the Western world into the Dark Ages, Iranian so-called divine rulers are doing the same with the Iranian nation.
During the Dark Ages in Europe, there was complete rule by the church and warrior elite, no human rights to speak of, and degenerate, and inhuman behavior. For human liberty, the period was indeed dark.
In Iran’s mullahcracy there is complete rule by clergymen and the commanders of the Revolutionary Guards Corps. Women are arrested for showing their hair or wearing make-up or colorful clothes and men are arrested for wearing their hair long. Young people are jailed or flogged for dancing together at house parties. People are fined for using satellite dishes.
People are stoned to death for having sex. An ayatollah issues a fatwa calling for the assassination of an author without any trial. It is only the organized hypocrisy that allows people to hold governmental posts. All pro-reform newspapers have been closed down. And there is no freedom of speech and press.
EVERY THING is just a show.
In the Western Dark Ages, the church bureaucracy, with the active cooperation of the imperial court, had seized complete control over education with a near-monopoly on literacy, and had formed the backbone of local government in much of the West; so the church could control people’s mind in terms of what to think and what not to think.
Intellectual development suffered from the loss of a unified cultural and educational milieu of far-ranging connections.
Ammianus Marcellinus, Rome's last great historian lamented that, “Those few buildings which were once celebrated for the serious cultivation of liberal studies, now are filled with ridiculous amusements of torpid indolence. . . The libraries, like tombs, are closed forever.”
Iran’s education system has become one of the most backward education systems in the world, which is busy killing the students’ talents. The people in power have established an education system that does not really educate the people and do not provide them the skills needed to find employment in the Information Age. It corrupts their mind so skillfully that the average time that Iranians spend for book reading is less than five minutes in 24 hours.
The most talented students who survive this system and go to university end up escaping to Western countries.
A year ago, the International Monetary Fund said Iran had the highest rate of brain drain of 90 countries it measured. According to the IMF more than a 150,000 of the best young minds in Iran are leaving every year. And the cost to Iran of not stemming this brain drain - one government estimate put it at nearly $40bn a year.
Mass purges at Iran universities happen in the name of Cultural Revolution to get rid of secular and liberal professors.
In Europe, Christendom lost the art of brick and tile making, of bridge building and public sanitation. A despotic theocracy did not want people to think or to examine the world about them.
Iran’s mass media especially the state television are strictly monitored to control people’s minds and fashion a not-think-at-all mentality. To tell the truth it has been very successful in doing so.
Intellectual life and critical thinking, like tombs, are closed.
Like the Dark Ages in Europe, the patchwork of petty rulers are incapable of supporting the depth of civic infrastructure required to maintain libraries, public baths, arenas, and major educational institutions.
The social effects of the fracture of the Roman state were manifold. Cities and merchants lost the economic benefits of safe conditions for trade and manufacture.
Many Shia Iranians have also left the country. While the revolution has made Iran stricter Islamically, an estimated “two to four million entrepreneurs, professionals, technicians, and skilled craftspeople (and their capital)” have emigrated to other countries. Partly as a result, the economy has not prospered in terms of inflation, unemployment, and living standards. Absolute poverty rose by nearly 45 percent during the first 6 years of the Islamic revolution and on several occasions the mustazafin have rioted, protesting the demolition of their shantytowns and rising food prices. Disabled war veterans have demonstrated against mismanagement of the Foundation of the Disinherited.
Other symptoms of the Dark Ages which can be found in present Iran include:
Abandonment of rule by codified law, disappearance of monumental architecture.
Reduced literacy, loss of knowledge, a rigid and hierarchical society with an immense and widening gulf between rich and poor, Simplification of representational art, Abandonment of earlier religious forms, Increase in intra-group violence, and reduced inter-regional trade.
Like the European dark ages, over the past 28 years in Iran there have been little advancement in science, math, or even art, a complete subsistence based economy, a suspension of progress, and a period of intellectual and cultural retrogression, and social decline.
Some call the dark Ages in Europe a “time of ignorance”, the blame for which is to be laid on the Christian Church for “placing the word of religious authorities over personal experience and rational activity”. Exactly the same is going on in Iran.
An annual poll commissioned by the British Broadcasting Corp. ranked Iran as the country with the most negative influence on the world.
However, all these cannot and must not be blamed on Christianity or Islam. They should be blamed on the people who used Christianity and are using Islam to legitimize and make “divine” their own rule.
We should remember that while these Dark Ages were traumatic and destructive, they were, as the English Catholic historian, Christopher Dawson, had earlier noted in The Making of Europe, the very foundation of European and Western culture and paved the way for the Renaissance.
It should not be forgotten that Iran had never experienced a theocracy and the ruling of religious people before 1979 as it is now. So the Iranians needed these years to get rid of the divine-right-for-ruling mentality once and for all.
It took Europe almost 600 years to pass the Dark Ages. In the view of the fact that Iranians are living in the information age and a time of easy communication, if they are going to pass their Dark Ages five times sooner than the Europeans did, they need at least a hundred years to see their Reformation and Renaissance.
Italian scholar Petrarch (Francesco Petrarca) who created the concept of a Dark Age in the 1330s said:
“My fate is to live among varied and confusing storms. But for you perhaps, if as I hope and wish you will live long after me, there will follow a better age. When the darkness has been dispersed, our descendants can come again in the former pure radiance.”
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Double Standard!
by VivaIran on Wed May 21, 2008 08:16 PM PDTAfter posting the following post in “Six Bahá’í leaders arrested in Iran” not only my post got deleted again, but I lost the privilege/ability to post any other comments in that discussion. You be the judge are these people any better than the current regime in Iran.
"""I'm aware of at least 4-5 posts that have been deleted from here today. Two of them were from me, and the other ones from another user (that I did not even know - now go ahead and say that was me too!) that has emailed me after seeing my previous post. The hypocrisy is overwhelming here. The people that complain about being oppressed and not given their freedom in Iran, once they have the ability to manage/modulate something as simple as this discussion, become the oppressors and can’t take any opposition. What it shows is that you guys are no better than the akhounds, you are just powerless. If you had the power in Iran, you would probably be worse."""
Dark age started 1400 years ago
by jimzbund on Wed May 21, 2008 06:57 AM PDTWhen Arabs invaded Iran. Compare our culture now with the Arabs and see how we have become like them , always in fighting, killing, profanities, hating , superstitions and hoping to go to heaven.
Bund, Jimz Bund
doing yoga (to Anonymous90)
by Anonym7 (not verified) on Sat May 17, 2008 05:53 AM PDTAnonymous90 says, "Today's Iranian "Islamic republic" is a nightmare for its own citizens as well as a pestilential nuisance and menace to its neighbors like Lebanon who have to suffer for delusional dream of grandeur of a bunch of immoral, thuggish and criminal leadership using their iron fist against the silent majority of IRanian nation."
When was the last time you were in Iran? I was there not too long ago and I did not see the silent majority that you are talking about. Iranians are very vocal talking about corruption, unbearable inflation, those who are piling money and those who struggle to make it.....
Anonymous90, as you said in several of your posting below (see *), you have lost your majesty's precious time (exaggerating, and exaggerating, and insulting others) ... you had better go do some yoga or finish your project! ........
* his majesty said: "I've lost precious time which I could've spend volunteering, doing yoga, or finish my project"
So far you have been wrong on all of your assessments
by hanna (not verified) on Thu May 15, 2008 03:04 PM PDTTahiri, I have never requested that you take your time to speak to me. And though I find it hard to comprehend where your viciousness and anger is coming from I won't take it personal.
I will however state that all of your comments about me have been wrong.If this is how you make your assessments, I can only imagine how wrong you are on your other assertions. A lesson, get to know people before you make judgements about them.
Regards and best wishes in all of your endeavors.
You know what really grinds my gears
by Kurdish Warrior (not verified) on Thu May 15, 2008 12:28 PM PDTPeople who make accusations, based on some comments. They don’t even know you. People who think they know all the answers and that they are right and you are wrong. We need to stop this bad old habit if we all are going to move forward. That's what really grinds my gears.
on Bahais: Anti-Bahaism is
by Anonymous90 (not verified) on Thu May 15, 2008 12:19 PM PDTon Bahais:
Anti-Bahaism is not a threat only to Bahai.
_____________________
Any phobia or irrational accusation against a people and atrocity runs deeper than merely the manifestation.
ANY phobia of ANY specific group (women, Armenians, Bahais, Jews, Christians, muslims, atheist, Buddhists, humanist, secularist, communist, anarchists, the west, etc.) is a sign of degradation of a nation This phobia against any group has resulted in unspeakable atrocities against the targeted group throughout history. It is used by some to divest others of any rights and privileges as human beings, to steal their natural and human resources, and can result in total physical genocide.
Bahai-phobia, Anglo-phobia, Islamophobia, Judeo-phobia, Westphobia are an unfailing prognosis of barbarism and collapse, and the states and movements that promulgate it are doomed to suicide as well as homicide, as was demonstrated by Catholic Spain as well as Nazi Germany.
Today's Iranian "Islamic republic" is a nightmare for its own citizens as well as a pestilential nuisance and menace to its neighbors like Lebanon who have to suffer for delusional dream of grandeur of a bunch of immoral, thuggish and criminal leadership using their iron fist against the silent majority of IRanian nation.
Excelent and reasonable
by payam1979 (not verified) on Thu May 15, 2008 11:51 AM PDTExcelent and reasonable comment.I hope all the iranians who thier heart is beating for our dear country whould concider the situation and instead of personal attacks and argues, hand in hand come up with reasonable and realistic solutions for this extremely frustrating situation in Iran.
Kind regards
Payam
Hanna , I will not answer you anymore!!!!
by Tahirih on Thu May 15, 2008 10:58 AM PDTyou remind me of ,people who enjoyed the life of luxury during shah's time and as soon as the wind of revolution started, you were with Khomeini and kissing their hands. after a while it was too passe to be religious and you bought your ticket ( unlike most of us that escaped) and then you are sitting here , being 60 to 70 years old and very intellectual!!!!and we are not at your level!!!
The good thing is that your generation will be expired soon.
Respectfully,
Tahirih
The article is about Iran in its dark ages
by Abarmard on Thu May 15, 2008 08:26 AM PDTFrom comments here you should have concluded why!
Our society, similar to all of us, is not democratic because we are not in a stage to find a common ground.
Name calling and personal degrading is not a well established reasoning for any arguments.
Not wanting to hear the other side without personal translation on our own beliefs closes all the possible doors to a healthy discussion or results.
All those so called IR supporters that are being attacked, are not really supporting the regime. The argument is whether we should recognize the works from various individuals who have worked hard inside Iran to accomplish whatever that they could under this system.
All those who are called a neocons are not really in the same line of the Bush administration and want Iran to be attacked. Regime change is their main goal and argument. they don't want to confuse the issues.
The issue that we need to consider is to walk half way to communicate. Here are the ideas that I believe we all share
1-Regime must go.
2-The revolution did happen
These are the arguments that we might disagree on
1-How the regime should change
2-Why the revolution happened?
Those who are called IR supporters are arguing that regime can either change or reform within or it won't leave any options but a bloody revolution. Any interference from the West results in a delay for the people of Iran.
Those who are called Neocons or pro Shah are saying anything that helps Iran to overthrow is a what we shall promote.
misunderstanding comes when the first group looks at the second group and translates their logic on aligning to the "enemies" of Iran such as US or Israel for a possible attack to our country
The misunderstanding from the second group to the first is that they are happy with this regime and are in a dream land, since the regime is not reformable.
there is no need to label one another or degrade their arguments by personal attacks. calling one another Mozdur, either by IR or US.
Why have we failed to establish a democratic regime and why is now different than before?
No one person has all the answers so let's learn how to create and make arguments properly and practice our democratic behavior.
To: Sadegh I second what you said
by hanna (not verified) on Thu May 15, 2008 07:28 AM PDTI don't aim to be a cheer leader here. However, what you have said is so true.
In response to the question with respect to Bah'ais, unfortunately people speak without knowing what others' have done on behalf of the Bah'ai faith. I don't need to make a propaganda about my activities on their behalf, one thing I have learned is if you do something you don't have to show off.
I have made my comments in support of the Bah'ais straight in the face of those who matter (and you can guess who those individuals are); and have always advocated my Bah'ai friends to do the same.
I also agree with Sadegh we are not living in a close world, what happens to people in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Tibet, Africa impacts us all as members of the world community.
If we can't have compassion for other peoples' suffering as our great poet Sa'adi said, "human being is not a name for thee".
Towards that end I do care about all people who are suffering either under repressive regimes or under occupation, the millions who are dying of starvation etc.. The magnitude of human suffering in our world is unfortunately abundant, and it is up to us to care for the silent voices; and this includes our own countrymen/women/children as it does for the whole of humanity.
Unfortunately some only think that compassion stops at our own borders. If this was the case then we would not need all of these international organizations, "doctors without borders", inter-faith groups, NGOs and so many people from all over the world who are spending their life and capital to help the forgotten people around the world; each in their own way!
Iranian Parochialism
by sadegh on Thu May 15, 2008 07:02 AM PDTTahirih I have actually spoken of the abhorrent acts committed by the IRI against the Bahais on this site:
The Islamic Republic has its own 'Jews' and they are called the Bahais; who have been persecuted and brutalized since the revolution and whose presence has most perniciously been occluded from Iranian civil society.
Sadegh, Shah: Anti-Semite or Perceptive Critic, you can find it on my profile...
Please don't accuse when you don't have all the facts...On a related note however it's very sad to see how parochial and provincial many Iranians are, even the one's who claim to be 'cultured' and 'Westernized' - they are so narcissistic and only concern themselves with their own problems and issues, god forbid someone speak of the suffering of the Tibetans, Africans dying of starvation or especially the Iraqis or Palestinians ("they are nasty Arabs after all!"). Do you only concern yourself with the suffering of the Bahais because you yourself are Bahai??? If so that is really unconscionable. There are plenty of others suffering around the world also…There is plenty of proof of this parochial and narcissistic outlook here. For instance I posted an essay on the suffering and colonization of Tibetans and not one single individual commented on the post, in the same time however someone else posted a clip of a UK talent show in which an English girl belly danced for 30 seconds to a song from the pop singer Arash and it received scores of comments. I have absolutely nothing against the light-hearted entertainment of the latter post, I merely make the observation of how parochial and uncosmopolitan so many Iranians truly are in a situation where the sensationalist regularly seems to take precedence over the substantive...
I am glad that the core teachings of Bah'ai are similar to Islam
by hanna (not verified) on Thu May 15, 2008 06:21 AM PDTFYI another one of your mistakes just like I was not a male, I am also not a Bah'ai. Though as I have said I respect people of all faiths or no faith.
Don't deviate from my remarks. If you can't respond, which I don't expect nor have I asked you, its best that you remain silent.
If you have not noticed from my comments, I will not stoop low to your level no matter how much you try.
Best Regards and all the best wishes
To Hanna:
by Tahirih on Thu May 15, 2008 05:56 AM PDTYou have learned your Bahai 101 in Hojatiyeh school well. I like to know how many of my dear Hamvatanan would know what you said about "Humility is a virtue". You have to be well read about Bahai faith to know that. and I know where you read it!!!
With all your sweetness which is just like splenda!!! fake suger!!! could you please explain this then we talk :
www.monasdream.com
Why none of you entusiastics,like you Ranapanah and sadegh are not saying a Word about this case of killing innocent Bahai young girls???
Either speak about it and explain it , or you have no credential. You know truthfulness is a virtue too!!!
Tahirih
Well said Hanna, these
by sadegh on Thu May 15, 2008 05:40 AM PDTWell said Hanna, these individuals have fallen victim to an 'you're either with us, or against us mentality'. They are thoroughly McCarthyite in disposition and yet have the audacity to prattle on about freedom of speech, something for which they have little respect or understanding...They are fanatics in their own way, and like all fanatics of both religious and secular stripes, fall prey to hypocrisy at every turn...Best wishes, Sadegh...
Sadegh the problem is not with your analysis
by hanna (not verified) on Thu May 15, 2008 05:11 AM PDTThe issue with many people on this site is that unless you admit that nothing positive has transpired in Iran during the past 30 years; as it might seem like you are giving credit to IRI; you and others like you will be attacked with a vengeance.
.
The hypocrisy is that these are the same people who are advocates of democracy, freedom of speech and expression; however there is a red line that one cannot trespass - and that is anything, even a minutia discussion of anything positive in Iran under the IRI.
This kind of reminds me of the same analogy that is taking place here in the United States; you have freedom of expression and speech but there is a red-line; no negative remarks must be said about Israel (or even a hint that may be construed as negative). Our compatriots here have drawn the same line; nothing positive must be said about Iran during the past 30 years.
Unfortunately our supposed intellectual compatriots view the world as either 100% black or 100% white with no shades of gray. Their utter hatred and disgust, has blinded all objectivity in seeing the world as it truly is - full of shades of gray.
To: Tahirih - Thank you for educating me about your Baha’i faith. I am always eager to learn about other religions and their teachings. However, weeping I will not, as there is absolutely no reason to weep. What is most shameful is ignorance and an unwillingness to learn. Fortunately, I have a very broad capacity to learn so that I may not fall into the deep dark hole of ignorance and arrogance. As our Persian saying goes "The branches of a tree that bears the greatest fruit flung low toward the earth". Humility is a virtue!
To: Setiz - thank you for taking the time in providing (at least for me) us with your detailed analysis.
Yes, let there be light - and there is always light at the end of the tunnel, there is even a slimmer of light while one is in a tunnel that's what guides us towards the full bright light.
Long Live Iran today, tomorrow and forever!
Regards
Wow, your IQ must be really
by sadegh on Thu May 15, 2008 02:41 AM PDTWow, your IQ must be really up there Anonymous90, it was Ranapanah who referred to this particular statement - but you are of course an arrogant snob, just too hypocritical and self-righteous to admit it, even when hiding behind the veil of anonymity- just plain sad. Parthian you're just an idiot, I'm sorry to say it, but you are...I say one needs to abolish velayat-e-faqih and enact the separation of church and state, call the mullahs in power criminals and bandits, and you call me a regime supporter!!!!!! All I can say is check youself into a mental asylum and soon, you are completely and utterly barking mad!!!
Ranapanah
by Loser (not verified) on Wed May 14, 2008 09:14 PM PDTIf your are an Iranian student and this is the best you could come up with we can not complain about the the shamble. What a disgrace. Get yourself motivated for the right reason, self actualize, self realize and learn something instead of wasting your life and despirately just doing homework, its your life honey.
Sadegh
by Parthian on Wed May 14, 2008 08:44 PM PDTMy agenda unlike yours is very clear. I want IR removed from Iran. I am not associated with neo-cons, old cons, democrats, independents or whatever label you want to throw out there. I don't associate with one particular line of thinking. There is only one thing important for me, removal of IR. I have no idea when you refuted me, I don't know how you can even measure such thing, but you know if it boasts your ego by self-claiming such things(last time I checked there was no moderator, polls, or judges to see who refuted who) than go right ahead and imagine you have refuted me. You know You won. But you defending the regime makes you full of crap. I guess you are a winner full of crap. Enjoy the title. I like to see JJ give your a championship belt. what are you, 5 years old?
Having said that, there is not one good hearted person on this planet, who have lived in Iran, who today can claim with objectivity that this regime is better than the previous. But you know, that is not even the argument. This regime is a sick regime, I don't need to compare it, I judge it on the merit of its actions. This is a backward, reactionary regime. You can refute all kinds of things all you want, you won't be able to refute that fact.
thank you all.
by Ranapanah on Wed May 14, 2008 08:36 PM PDTwell first you should note that I am an Iranian student and since we
all care about the education of Iranian students you would understand
that I was desperate, this was all i could come up with at the last
minute. I was going to go on campus and use a face to face discussion
but this made for a much better paper.
I had to pick a topic I had some previous knowledge of and argue it out with people and psychoanalyze their behavior.
The only real part of my argument was the first half of what i wrote in
my first post. I actually had to go read the constitution to make sure
i had covered all the bases. My American friend came over and we had
some fun coming up with ways to continue the arguments until my 25 page
paper was written. She didn't enter this forum under a different name.
She barely has an idea of where Iran is really.
If you want I can share some of the conclusion with you on the site,
but first If you read this and have contributed to this page today , I
would appreciate it if you could share your reaction to this post.
I would also like to share that my own personal beliefs didn't enter
the conversation except about comparison of educational system in Iran
and America.
to hanah , sadegh, tahiri, and anonymous90, on a personal level, I
agree and disagree with the points all of you made. They may or may not
have been reflected in the posts. I didn't mean any disrespect to any
of you or your beliefs.
my religious views are whatever religion you have , you should use it
to better yourself, and I think that would take all the time in the
world so you don't have time meddling in religious views of others.
again feedback is greatly appreciated.
Hanna/Ranapanah read this and weep for your dark future!!!
by Tahirih on Wed May 14, 2008 07:58 PM PDTSadegh do you need proof every morning, to know it is a day??
by Tahirih on Wed May 14, 2008 07:51 PM PDTMay be you need a researched paper to know if it is day or night? but I do not need it . The same way , we do not need any research to know that this backward regime has taken our beloved country back with it at least for 50 years.
you can talk as much as you want ,but non of the #'s are showing any improvement in freedom and democracy in Iran . How do you explain , killing of innocent teenagers from all groups , that were slaughtered in the last 30 years?
how do you explain this www.monasdream.com
Just explain this one then we talk . Otherwise you can use your research for your own books, which mostly your aunt reads them.
Tahirih
There is no doubt that under
by Farhad Kashani (not verified) on Wed May 14, 2008 07:48 PM PDTThere is no doubt that under this regime, we have entered our "dark ages" and we are experiencing a sharp decline in our civilization. Iran needs to be saved.
Proof that this Regime Sux is in the quality of it,s supporters
by samsam1111 on Wed May 14, 2008 07:40 PM PDTEvery Regime in the world has supporters and Opposition. This alien occupying force has only 2 groups "Opposition" aka "Us" and those who claime ""We don,t support the Regime BUT !!!"" aka ""Financialy bound to the Mullahs"". Because even they know how smelly this corps is.....If you support the Regime come out like a decent human (with your real profile) and say "I Love my Islamic Republic regime and everything it stands for"" . I have yet to witness a regime sympathizer who commit fully to their cause. I don,t blame them .This regime Sux.
Cheers!
Look up the definition of compatriots!
by hanna (not verified) on Wed May 14, 2008 06:19 PM PDTFirst for your information I am a female. So, get off your "hojat" whatever the hell you are trying to implicate. It seems you are not used to women speaking their minds or engaging in political and economic discussions; maybe we should all be reciting poetry or exchanging cake & cookie recipes?
That's for you, not for me, thank GOD Almighty!!
Second compatriot FYI means exactly what the definition of the word is
"a fellow countryman or countrywoman [French compatriote]
Collins Essential English Dictionary 2nd Edition 2006 © HarperCollins Publishers 2004, 2006
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun 1. compatriot - a person from your own country
national, subject - a person who owes allegiance to that nation; "a monarch has a duty to his subjects"
countryman - a man from your own country
countrywoman - a woman from your own country
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
compatriot
noun fellow countryman, countryman, fellow citizen
Collins Essential Thesaurus 2nd Edition 2006 © HarperCollins Publishers 2005, 2006"
Hopefully this clears up the definition for you.
Finally, it is quite unfortunate for some who keep preaching about peace, love, etc..on this site, to view speaking with respect as having a negative connotation.
Well, I guess individuals finally show their true character. In every religion there are hypocrits who always hide behind their faith whenever it suits their purpose.
Regards
Sadegh: Please don't
by Anonymous90 (not verified) on Wed May 14, 2008 06:02 PM PDTSadegh: Please don't mischarcterize my statement. If my intention was to demean religious people, I would not have said that they have contributed immensely to the field of computer science.
I was talking about a particular religious family who happend to have peasants parents. It does not mean that all relgious people are peasant. That is a grotesque mischaractersition by an emotionally unstable infant.
Education and Jobs... before and after the revolution...
by Setiz (not verified) on Wed May 14, 2008 05:55 PM PDTAt the dawn of pahlavi regime, there were essentially no higher education, except for those few who could attend dar-al-fonoon or those few rich who could afford attending higher education in European countries.
One of the best two universities in iran, internationally known and praised, the university of Tehran was established by reza shah. The other, Aryamehr/sharif University was established by mohammad reza shah. The curriculum in these two universities were designed to compete with the best universities around the globe as well as to fit the culture and future needs of a progressive iran. The professors were often themselves graduates of the best western universities. The emphasis was on quality, and cost of education was minimal to none; students were often paid monthly stipends through various grants from likes of pahlavi foundation or for some form of assistantship. Phalvi foundation was formed and inherited the land inheritance of shah from reza shah for the primary purpose of educating sons and daughters of iran.
The top 5% of university graduates would get full scholarship to continue their education in best western schools and return home to contribute as faculty members. The next top 20% could also receive scholarship from pahalvi foundation upon successful completion of one semester of education is a accredited western university. Most of such graduates, sometimes married to foreign nationals, returned to iran to contribute in industries which were forming at warp speed during the 60s and 70s. Some tens of thousands of Iranian students studying in western countries and were supported by such scholarships, irrespective of their family background, and often participated in anti-shah activities there.
After the revolution, the population doubled and population of university candidates more than tripled, yet now after 30 years, those two universities have maintained their high ranking with no new school established with the same caliber.
The problem that mullas had was that they tried to humiliate the educated class, whom they perceived as challenging them, and establish that being a doctor or engineer was of no particular value. This opened an opportunity for mullas: they opened many private schools, which not only increased number of graduates (a positive outcome), but also became a source of income for mullas, the most famous ones are the Azad universities whose tuition are in the thousands of dollars and pretty much tuned towards rich and middle class.
However, there is no job for graduates. A couple of percentages of best graduates end up as faculty members or in very few research organizations around the country. The next group, a few percentages end up in service organizations, importing hardware or software products hacked to be useable by the industry (likes of routers, data base management systems, etc.), with some development work done to accommodate the need for Persian language interface.
But majority of graduate, specially from lower-rank universities cannot find job and end up going into the only other viable business in iran, import of products, appliances, and clothing from neighboring countries. In other words, a vast majority of graduates do not use their education directly, although their education increases their expectations and understanding of what mullas are doing to the country.
In other words, a country who has gone backwards for 30 years, with its GDP per capita going from $2400 (~$7200 in today’s dollar) in 70s to around $1800 today, a 4 fold decrease, does not need those graduates and has no plan for creating jobs for them and/or progressing the country. After all freedom for Qods has taken the front row for the past 30 years with no result to show for it, except for rebuilding of ruined houses in Lebanon at the cost of Iranian children, and distraction from internal problem. A 70-million country like iran needs a minimum of 35,000 new jobs per month, or 420,000 new jobs per year just to maintain the new entries into the job market. There has simply been no organized plan for job creation in a long long time.
That is why so many line up in front of western and eastern, arab and non-arab, embassies for visa to exit in search of jobs. iran which were once as prosperous as S. Korea, Taiwan, and Turkey, are now running away joyfully, to likes of arab states, india, and Malaysia in search of a decent life.
hanna ,your hanna has no Rang!!!!
by Tahirih on Wed May 14, 2008 04:07 PM PDTI come back and you Hanna And Ranapanah (which are the same )shar ra shologh kardid!!!!
Hanna would you please expand on who theses people are that you are referring to:
""I am sure my compatriots who are far more in tune with Iran's advancement and progress post the 1979 Revolution will provide readers with ample information.""(could it be? Pedar Ahmadinejad?!)
From your qutation of Bahai writings I can defenetly say you are jojeh Hojatiyeh!!!
Also to answer your other personality, our kindness stops at hojatiyeh's door, so do not ask for it from me. Instead answer this one
www.monasdream.com
And for God sake do not pretend that you are a female!!! please!!! you know by doing so you will be half of a man??!!!Oh that's why there is 2 of you to be counted as one!!!
Tahirih
"Democratic" voices???? Some quotes...
by sadegh on Wed May 14, 2008 02:56 PM PDT" The “infestation “of this site and many other public venues by the “mushrooming” regime apologists/lobbies only goes to show their desperation." - Fred
"I bet one of you is the Ahmadinejad's younger son ,the one who is obsessed with Internet." - Tahirih
"If I were Vezarate Etelat, I would fire all of this surrogates on this site. They couldn't be more incompetent or transparent. The sick part is that no matter how many times they are decimated, they keep soldiering on to peddle their canned disinformation. I'm exhausted and need a break." - Anonymous90
Everyone all together. HYPOCRISY!!!
No one disputes the mullah's in power are crooks, that Iran isn't a democratic state, and that Iran has been economically retarded by the religious oligarchy, and that there must be a separation of church and state, creating phantom enemies once again I see, just pathetic...These so-called "opposition" figures who contribute absolutely nothing to the betterment of Iran, are the first enemies, along with the IRI, of free speech and democracy, the fact is, is that they are merely the other side of the coin of the clerical oligarchy, the only difference is that in their state you'll be killed for disagreeing with their views, they are therefore monumental hypocrites...The only thing they have a problem with is that they aren't currently the autocrats in power...The Shah was a tyrant, and so was Khomeini, maybe one tyrant was slightly better in certain respects than the other and vice versa, sorry, but those truly in favor of democracy and a liberal society are compelled to denounce both, you can't have it both ways...
wow
by Ranapanah on Wed May 14, 2008 02:45 PM PDT"I know of very religious people who went back to Iran after graduating
from some of the best schools paid for by the Shah or because the Shah
allowed their "peasant" family to socially move upward and provide
their children with the best high schools." - anonymous90
religious people = peasant ?????
that's one big discriminatory , hateful, and selfrightous argument.
Of course you agree
by sadegh on Wed May 14, 2008 02:33 PM PDTOf course you agree Parthian, I've refuted you previously beyond any reasonable doubt and shown you up for the fraud you are...again it's completely understandable...Individuals like you and you're buddy whose name I shall not mention, enjoy constructing fake enemies in order to push your propaganda down peoples' throats, much like Bush, Ahmadinejad and other fanatics...It is absolutely incredible how the most nasty, slanderous, discourteous and ill-mannered on this site take offense when someone dares to vigorously respond to their poorly thought out mendacity and deceit...