SHAH

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

Dear Ms. Rusta,

For some unexplainable reason – maybe because of the depth of your knowledge about Iran’s contemporary history – you remind me of the veteran journalist and writer, Dr. Homa Sarshar, the author of among other books, the best seller, Sha'baan Ja'fari. I hope you take this as a complement. I should also add that in my earlier life, I had friends whose last names were Rusta (his first name also started with ‘F’), and Savadkoohi. So, forgive me if I find all these hoopla about Savadkoohi, Maraghe’i, etc, not that entertaining; and your participation in it, allow me to say, somewhat baffling.

An erudite like you certainly knows the reasons behind the adoption of Pahlavi as the surname by Reza Shah, and can empathize with Sadri’s qualm about it. Wouldn’t that have been more befitting had you educated us, as you did in response to my comment, than engaging in mud slinging?

With regard to your comments about the left-over, or petty feudals, I believe I distinguished between them and the majority of landowners who considered their property as a source of income, and not as a fiefdom. Nevertheless, I stand corrected.

However, I am sure you agree – even if you are not willing to admit publicly – that statements such as “as it goes with the Iranian mind set, we are never grateful for what is given to us free of charge”, are sophomoric. The participation of those so-called “protestors” had much more to do with the inequality they perceived, as a result of living in the city slums, than their ingratitude. Let us leave passing moral judgment about social phenomena to clerics and pretenders.

A Rusta's Produce

Six out of the eight pictures above (i.e. %75) of a “Rusta-zadeh (Reza Shah was an illiterate peasant turned soldier)” in full (fool’s rather) decorations speaks of our people’s “Lord& Servant” mentality. The people’s current “Lord” is still a peasant but with a different outfit.

Exiled sacred man!

Let me help you first with your query and second with your reductionist version of history.

The article by Mohmoud Maraghehi (aka Sadri) is in response to a call by Iran's radio-wave nemesis, i.e. the BBC Persian Service.  The new boys at the Beeb need new mythology writers and Sadri is only too happy to oblige.

Which brings us neatly to your minimalist version of history.  Yes, Reza Shah got rid of (some but not all of) the major players in the feudalist field but left hundreds of petty feuals along with a few major ones for his son to deal with.  The Shah's land reforms finished them off. By the way you are wrong in suggesting that the feudals supported the Shah against Mossadegh. Dr M was himself a seasoned feudal and remained so to the end of his days that's why many of the major remaining feudals like Qashqai siblings and Zulfaqari brothers supported him (not to mention a good number of Bakhtiari khans, including our own Shahpour khan, wink wink). What allured the former peasants to leave their newly awarded territories for the luxuries of the city life was, you guessed it, the oil revenue. But as it goes with the Iranian mind set, we are never grateful for what is given to us free of charge. Yes the former peasants and their next generation became the new protesters and as the saying goes, the rest is history!!

Your loyal royal commenter, 

FR

Good, sobering thoughts

 
and, maybe the start of a objective, scholarly look at Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi 

Except that the bit about "savadkoohi" was somewhat unnecessary. 

FR

I am familiar with the two gentlement's work, I am not interested in knowing more about these two brothers, and I've followed that thread earlier [your second link]. nonetheless thanks for the links.

who knows?

از سوادکوه تا مریلند تا...

The Shah and His father died a long time ago. The only matter which so ironically remains relevant to our future is the trait of declining efficiency seen in His family from grandfather to grandson.

visit....//www.ipinst.org/

Farah Rusta and Anonymous Observer

Dear Farah Rusta and Dear Anonymous Observer thank you so much for info,that helped me to know those people better !

Have a lovely weekend.

Farah Rusta

Thanks for links, I suspected that this guy must be at the same level as Trita Tazi

From insult to revisionism

I wonder what drives Sadri to hurl such a cheap shot? Where does this post come from? Is this from that BBC interview? I doubt that this is an IC exclusive. Did some naughty poster try to provide our loyal royalist commenters with ammunition to get even with Sadri? Any help out there?

AO,

If you revisit Iran’s history during Pahlavi era, you will find that it was Reza Shah who defanged the Khans and feudal landlords, not his son. My point is that your claim that “if it wasn't for ‘Mohammad Reza Savadkoohi’ and his land reforms, Iran would still be a ruled by feudal landlords and ‘khans’" is not supported by historical facts. You missed the train by a quarter of a century.

The ‘White Revolution’, if anything, alienated landowners and clergies who had earlier supported the Shah against Mossaddegh, the National Front and Tudeh Party – and interpreted WR as backstabbing on his part. WR offered debased landowners shares of the newly privatized factories, which they did not ask for; and to clergies, a severely–diminished role, which was only welcomed by less religious folks.

In fact, an unintended consequence of the land reform - courtesy of the inept bureaucrats who were in charge of implementing it - was to flood the cities with uprooted peasants-turned-farmers-turned-vagrants, who later became the foot soldiers of the revolution.

نگاهی‌ به کارنامه محمود مراغه‌ای و احمد اردبیلی

Singing to NIAC (by Ahmad):

Defending the homosexual non-erotic kiss of the mullahs! (Mahmoud)

آقای عزیز

you want to say something about a man in this case Pahlavi Kings, say it, what does being from Savadkoh to do with anything

otherwise, this kind of talk is cheap or academic gossip at best

واسلام

TheMrs : Savadkoohi = hendi = mendi = olagh=.....

Chi Meegee Madmazel?

Iranians deserve better than all this BS

What the heck are you guys even talking about?

Savadkoohi = hendi = mendi = olagh...all the same to me.

کجای کارید

یک سری به سایت آیت الله بی بی سی بزنید در صفحه ی ویژه بمناسبت سى امين سال درگذشت محمدرضا شاه پهلوى،  ببینید آقای مراغه‌ای (ببخشید آقای صدری ) و هم کیشانشان چه معرکه ای گرفتند.

Another poor attempt

of legitimizing the 1979 devolution through slandering the Shah.  Just know one thing: if it wasn't for "Mohammad Reza Savadkoohi" and his land reforms, Iran would still be ruled by feudal landlords and "khans", much like Pakistan and Afghanistan.  But then again, some regime supporters would applaud that system---and miss it quite a bit as it was so easy to use that form of tribal mentality to control people through superstition and religious backwardness.  That's why the mullahs were opposed to---and still complain about---Shah's White Revolution.

My dear Pastor Rennick

You have one loyal disciple in me father. Just name your church and Hallelujah I'll be singing from your hymn book as no singer before.

Peace, 

FR

one quick point.....

everyone is calling his the 'last shah' of iran.....

but I bet he won't be....it's possible that we can have a democracy with a king as a figure head....but who knows 

پِی در پی از مُرده نوشتنْ،خَلقْ را چه حاصِلْ؟

به عَجبْ پیشرَفتی دست پیدا کرده ایم،مُرده خوریْ  (پِی در پی از مُرده نوشتنْ،خَلقْ را چه حاصِلْ؟!) دیگر کفافِ خرجِ دلالانِ محّبتْ ، فاحشه ها، لوطیان ، قاپبازان ، رمال و معرکه گیرانْ نمیدهد و عنقَریب  دارالایتام دایر کرده ایم و دِلِمانْ خوش است که کبوترِ حَرَمیم و سیاسی نِویسیم و کرور کرور روشنفکر!واقِعاً خجالَت دارد،مملِکتْ از دست رفت،فکری به حالِ اَلان کنید که والله پَهلَوی وَر اُفتاد.

روشنفکران

How about Ruhollah Hendi ?!!

Just to clarify before anything else, I am NOT a monarchist, but calling Reza Shah Pahlavi Reza Savadkoohi is disrespectful, as other people pointed out, we Iranians owe Reza Shah some gratitude for bringing Iran into modernity from the absolute disaster the Qajars inflicted on our beloved country through their "Nekbatbar" dynasty.  So, Mr Sadri, if you want to call people by their rightful names, I suggest you start by calling Ruhollah Hendi as he should be called, as his brother Sheikh Hasan Pasandideh declared about their foreign (Indian) grandfather.  But I guess you don't want to do that, because you feel calling Ruhollah by his correct last name "Hendi" might be hazardous to your health.  Just an observation Mahmoud jaan !!!!

Payandeh Iran, our Ahuraie Fatherland

Dear Farah Rusta, the economy in the US is bad!

Even the college profs are suffering. Who would buy let alone read books on Khomeini? What more insight can one obtain by reading a book on Ruhollah Khomeini after his death and so much destruction he has left behind!

The Shah is another story! The author of this post owes his success to Reza Shah and Son. After all, he attended and graduated from U. of Tehran which was established by the former! 50 Million Iranian youths would love to read about what and how their lives would be today had the devolution of 1979 not occurred!

So, there will be a book titled, "The Great Shahs of Iran"  authored  by Sadri & Sadri coming soon to your nearest book store! 50 Million X $1.00 = $50 M!

Regards

PS - And you are right shenass-nameh (birth certificate) played an important role circa 1930's in the migration of folks out of the caves and into the modern world but as you can see once an Olagh always an Olagh with shenas-nameh or without (e.g., Jasonrobardas!)

Olagh is ...

by any other name, is still  olagh .

اقای محمود مراغه‌ای

اقای محمود مراغه‌ای دیر جبیدید

اگر رضا شاه صدور شناسنامه را برای اجداد شما تدبیر نکرده بود احتمالا شما و اخوی از نام زادگاه پدرانتان (و با توجه به آذری نژاد بودنشان) مثل مراغه، تبریز و یا اردبیل به طور پسوندی استفاده میکردید: محمود مراغه‌ای و یا احمد اردبیلی. ولی‌ به هر تقدیر در این مورد شما دیر جنبیدید. در کتاب بعدی آقای میلانی که بیوگرافی محمد رضا شاه است خیلی‌ مفصل تر از آنچه شما می‌‌پندارید در باره شاه نقد شده است.

ولی‌ هنوز درباره روح الله خمینی از طرف هوادارانش نقدی نشده است. چطور است که شما و اخوی در این راه پیش گام شوید؟

FR

قضاوتهای ایدئولوژیک

حضرت استادی در مورد پژوهشهای جدید در مورد شاه بدرستی منجمله میفرمایند:

"چشم از قضاوتهای ایدئولوژیک بشویند اما از مورخین و اهل فکر و ذکر جز این انتظاری نمی رود."

و

 "در پژوهش علمی خود از عصر ایدئولوژی فرا گذرند و اجازه ندهند حب و بغض شخصی یا ساختار های ذهنی فرا تاریخی در تحقیقاتشان خدشه و اعوجاجی پدید آورد."

  پرسش اینست که چه زمانی اسلامیستها هم دست به ایندست پژوهشهای تهی از قضاوتهای ایدئولوژیک  در مورد خود و رهبرانشان خواهند زد و برای نمونه در مصاحبه با بی بی سی حقیقت  در مورد انجمن حجتیه را  کتمان نمیکنند؟