The right to be

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Jahanshah Javid
by Jahanshah Javid
15-Nov-2007
 

Writing is hard for me. Expressing anything is potentially (usually) problematic. Expressing something requires thinking and I'm not good at that. Or maybe it's just that I can't make up my mind and come to a clear conclusion. Should I oppose Bush more than Ahmadinejad or the other way around? Should I condemn human rights violations when Iran is under immense international pressure? Would that undermine Iran's right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes -- including enrichment? Shish... man cheh midoonam!

If I'm going to say something in public I better make sure I have something half-intelligent to say. But that may be the biggest problem. Every time I want to write something I remind myself that for too many years, I was a Khomeini supporter. It's almost as bad as being a Bush supporter, but not quite :o)))

In fact, I may have to mention my years as a young, dumb supporter of the Islamic Republic every time I publish something -- just to make sure nobody takes me seriously. I want readers to say, Sheesh... what does this Hezbollahi ass-kisser have to say? And it makes me feel even better knowing that another segment of readers think that I'm a neo-con or Shahi or British, Israeli or American spy. (Personally I would prefer to be a Dutch spy. I love everything about Holland.)

So I'm thoroughly aware of my lack of qualification to express anything half-intelligent in half-decent English. (Have I crushed myself enough? The self-punishment never stops :o)... Hey boys and girls: If you get involved in a political or religious cause, do not surrender yourself completely to anyone, any group or any idea. Keep an open mind. No leader, government or religion is perfect. There's never ever ever ever any justification for defending, accepting or ignoring violence against a human being for political or religious reasons at any time, EVEN IN A TIME OF WAR. If you do, you will turn into me. You don't want to have a guilty-conscience for the rest of your life, do you?)

(The ground has been shaking for minutes in my Albany, California, apartment across San Francisco Bay. Is it another earthquake? I have felt at least five in as many months, including one just last Tuesday. I bet we're going to be hit with a giant earthquake soon. They say big quakes happen after a series of smaller ones. They said so on the Discovery channel the other night. But now I realize that the shaking is not from the ground, rather it's my knees rattling as a result of the two caffeine pills I took to stay awake to finish this blog. Such dedication!)

***

I started this blog to ask this: Have you noticed we have no respect for our opponents? We don't recognize the legitimacy of their existence only because they have a different opinion than mine and yours. Just look at the way we tear our best and brightest to pieces. It's an epidemic. Ideological opponents dismiss rivals in absolutist terms.

I sense the venom in attacks against a wide range of distinguished Iranians such as Abbas Milani, Nasser Zarafshan, Hamid Dabashi, Azar Naficy, Shirin Ebadi, Mehrangiz Kar, Shahrnush Parsipur, Ebrahim Nabavi, Hossein Derakhshan, Mehdi Khalaji, even Anooshe Ansari -- and it drives me crazy when this much energy is put into destroying them with vicious, sweeping stabs. Don't you see the anger in your voice and the hate in your heart? Chetooneh?

Have you ever considered that maybe Reza Pahlavi and Abdolkarim Soroush are very different but equally legitimate? Or the Mojahedin, Tudeh, Fadaian, Nehzat Azadi, Jebhe Melli... It's the same story with political groups, only worse. They can't even shake hands, compromise or form simple alliances.

We must have a particular gene that tells us our fellow Iranian opponents are entirely wrong, vile, stupid, ugly and treacherous, which "proves" they are indeed beasts, unworthy of basic respect and life. We are unable to separate the basic integrity of every person from their particular politics or religion.

Am I talking nonsense?

The bottom line is I hate fights.

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more from Jahanshah Javid
 
Rosie T.

Naficy/Dabashi

by Rosie T. on

Well now that the dust has settled on this blog in the rapidly moving world of Cyberspace, and its main function, to bring together rather than to divide, has been accomplished, I have to say the juxtapostion of Naficy and Dabashi is both an ironic and an opportune one. Please read my comments below this article on the main page to get my views on this:

//iranian.com/main/2007/more-lolita-tehra...

Robin


Rosie T.

To Mark Explanation...

by Rosie T. on

  0:D        !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    


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To Rosie T.

by Mark Exclamation (not verified) on

My ex-wife was giving me a hard time so I thought what the fuck Internet is free, posting comment is free, I’ll just piss someone off to make me feel better. That happened to be you. Thank you very much. Yes, yes I’ll try to grow up, you don’t need to say it. By the way you seem to enjoy my writings under my other pseudonyms.


Rosie T.

To Mark Explanation?

by Rosie T. on

Why are you doing this?  Why is punctuation so important to you?  Don't you think it's odd that other people are baring their souls here and you are talking about punctuation? Do you think there is something you might be avoiding here? Are you sure there isn't? Why do you consider yourself a full-fledged writer and others only wanna-be? Who told you this? Are you counting my question marks?


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"Hey boys and girls: If you

by Anonymous777 (not verified) on

"Hey boys and girls: If you get involved in a political or religious cause, do not surrender yourself completely to anyone, any group or any idea. Keep an open mind."

Don't short-sell yourself JJ. These are strong and profound words that carry weight in the humility and honesty with which they are spoken. And young and old people need to hear it. It is not a sign repentance or forgiveness, but rather a sign of enlightenment. So my hat off to you.

I have a question for you. Is an open mind sacred?


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right on

by S (not verified) on

you're awesome.


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There will be a very bloody period forthcoming in Iran.

by ((Anonymous)) (not verified) on

I personally believe Iranians are great people. However, they have been brutally attacked physically and emotionally. Our true history is wiped out by many forces including primitive Arabs. Greeks were also very unfair in portraying Iranians. Lastly, West gambled huge by supporting Islamist fanatics and Islamizing Iran against USSR communist in 1971, and supported so called Islamic Revolution.

Now, the question is on a behavior of a brutalized and abused nation by many forces! Expecting tolerance as main option is very naive and unpractical. I do not like it, however, it seems there will be a very bloody period forthcoming in Iran.


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We always think we are the

by Fa- east coast (not verified) on

We always think we are the only one who is right and we don't listen nor pay any attention to any other person.
"I am... thefore I AM RIGHT!!
.
No one has any rights( hagh o hoghoogh ) except for the ones who agree with me!
Even if deep in our hearts we may wonder, at times, that we may not be 100% right, yet we continue to insist on our position as fully correct!
.
... but things are changing a little with the new generation, just a tiny little bit.
Let's hope we all learn to be more tolerant, to listen ,to learn and then make decisions and not just roll along with all the preconceived notions that we have had all along!
.
We all change... Our ideas change, we are not the same person we were 5 years ago, even if we are not willing to admit it!
Mistakes are what force us to rethink our direction...
If fact mistakes may even just make us start to think in the first place( this format applies to many a person).
I have been wrong on many an occasion... now I know, so I'll try despeately not to repeat it again.


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Re: hard choice by Jahanshah Rashidian

by LostIdentity (not verified) on

Minds involved in politics, see the world thru prizm of self-interest and indecency. Islam is a global philosophy. The minds that feel like being intellectuals, always look at traditions in defiance and denial - The outcome is usually "Astray" souls and "Lost" indentity. World is full of these souls and People like J. Rashidian are not exceptions or new phenomena! I also callthis kind of minds home for "Floating" ideology - Those who will have revolving believes with no hard grip on a known principle.

The irony is that if I criticize this brand of mind, I will be a backward and enemy of freedom; However, these minds are free to question my principles with no hesitation and consider it their natural right!

Such minds think that they have very progressive ideas and the opposite is all people with no intelligence and rational - A very unrealistic obsevation. The fact of the matter is that Intelligent, intellectual and rational mind can be found in differnt camps. These attributes ar escalar power of brain. The direction of the vector (a human being value) is determined by his/her world vision - Something that Islam (or other ideologies) give us. For me Islam's view is complete and error-free. If there's any shorcoming, it is the limited viosion of the observer.


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To : Mark Eclamation!

by Grammar Teacher (not verified) on

...nada!


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Too many questions not enough exclamations

by Mark Exclamation (not verified) on

I don’t understand why so many Iranian writers use so many question marks in their articles! JJ you had 12 questions in this article, that is one question per 57 words! I think you still think you are a reporter, that’s why you ask so many questions! Frankly I am very disappointed that you only used 2 exclamation marks in your article! Here are a couple of places that you could have used exclamation marks but didn’t: “I was a Khomeini supporter!”, “They can't even shake hands, compromise or form simple alliances!”
I have two suggestions for wanna-be writers, no more than 3 questions per 500 words, or the same number of exclamation marks as question marks.
P.S. please note that this entire comment is written without asking a question!


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***JJ For President 08***

by Fish Lover (not verified) on

JJ, The voice of reason and the practitioner in democracy!!!
***JJ For President 08***
***JJ For President 08***
***JJ For President 08***
***JJ For President 08***
***JJ For President 08***
***JJ For President 08***
***JJ For President 08***
***JJ For President 08***
***JJ For President 08***
***JJ For President 08***
***JJ For President 08***
JJ, The voice of reason and the practitioner in democracy!!!


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in order to be sincerely

by FF (not verified) on

in order to be sincerely tolerant one must understand and in order to do that one must have love for himself and his fellows.
in order to poses such love, one must love God.
this love enables man to have love, compassion and understanding and as a result be tolerant.

But this is a process. We are just coming out of age,
we are on the way to better things. but remember we have been oppressed for a long time, that kills all good things, and now that the gates are open for us to speak and be free we are scared and out of our mind comes only rotten thoughts. it is even appalling to ourselves when we read what we wrote yesterday. but the water will eventually run clean.
We just need to do our best today, and promise that we will make tomorrow better and move on with that conviction and faith.
This joint is for everyone who cares to frequent it and feel like he is making something happen. The uninformed, the tormented, the privileged, the educated, ... you have made a place for all, keep it up man.
frequent flier


Rosie T.

Ardeshir, there will always be exceptions...

by Rosie T. on

individuals we can't forgive...for you, Javadi, for some Khomeini, Rajavi, Hitler, Pol Pot. Right now I personally can't really forgive Bush and Cheney until they are STOPPED from destabilizing the entire MIDDLE EAST!

But you GUYS on this SITE--you're like the THIRTY BIRDS getting close to the top of the mountain...you're the ones flying together....and Jahanshah's place...this is your...AINEH!  And that's why you keep coming back to slug it out!  Not the hit and run fly by night idiots who come, post a death threat, and leave, but YOU GUYS....SURELY you can forgive EACH OTHER!!!!!

;D


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To Jahanshah and Rosie

by ardeshir keyvan (not verified) on

Dear Jahanshah

I think you should be proud of yourself because you are one of the rare Iranian people who truly believe in freedom of speech and democracy and the iranian dot com is the proof. Since mature and educated people fell in love with Khomeini your feeling is totally understandable in that era as a young person however saying that I was wrong loudly (what you are already doing) takes a lot of braveness.
Dear Rosie and Jahanshah
I think unity and respect between Iranian political groups is impossible due to this bloody revolution and it is not even necessary.
I personally as a young person can't respect people like "Haj seyed javadi" when I read his articles in 1979 era that he was kept encouraging "Pasdars' to kill more people in order to sterilize the revolution environment! Please keep in mind he was one of the most recognized intellectuals in Iran. Poor Iran!
Anyone who is not biased and truly believes in freedom, naturally participates in fighting for reaching to it and regardless of his political view gets his respect.
The problem is everybody talks about it but in reality most of them are just yakking. Even Islamic republic claims they are the most democrat regime in the world.

But Jahanshah is the man. I mean it.


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Jahanshah Aziz

by Agha Mostafa (not verified) on

Tamame' Harfhayee Ke' Zadi, Hameye' Maha, Dar Vaghthaye' Mokhtalef Zendegiyeman, Kam o Bish Moteham Be' An Boodeiim. Bebin Agha, Eshtebah Dar Zendegi Kardan Vaghean Be Oon Soorat Mohem Nist. Chize' Mohem Tar, Motevaje' Shodan Be' An Eshtebah Ast o Esslah Kardan An. Mane' Ahmagh, Aval Enghelab Ke' Daneshjoo Boodam, Kheili Be' In Imam Khomeini "Eteghad" Dashtam. Fekr Mikardam Ke' Yek Marde' "Roohani" Vaghean Nemitavanad Enghadr Kesafat Kari Bekonad. Vali Khodetan Didid Ke' Che' Shod. Javani va "Khariyat" Baham Hastand. Dar Har Soorat, Begzarid Azetoon Tashakor Konam Baraye' In Ke' In "Website" Ra Dorost Kardin. In Website Ejaze' Midahad Be' Iranihayee Mesl Man Ta Ba Hamvatananemoon Dar Tamas Bashim. Dar Har Soorat, Ghorbanetan, Va Movafagh Bashid :)


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You are maturing... it's natural.

by Nassery (not verified) on

We all, hopefully, become more understanding with years. We all make mistakes and have regrets.

North Korea is our new ally in the war on terror. The US Navy saves a few NK sailors from prirates and we have a new "friend."

Are there any pirates around Iran these days? Maybe, the US Navy can rescue some Iranians and this conflict will be over.


Azarin Sadegh

Maybe it is just our self-hatred

by Azarin Sadegh on

In my personal case, nothing shaped me more than my devastating hatred from my own destiny. My hatred from what I endured and what I turned into.

But I am pretty sure the day I dare pushing my own tangible boundaries to reach my dreams and my dreams transform into my achievable goals, my bitterness, my pain and my hatred -- everything that reminds me of my own failure -- would go away.  

 

So, maybe this deep hatred, this intolerance you notice in your readers is their special way to show how much they suffer each time they remember who they have become. Maybe others, like a mirror, reflect this image -- the image of their pain. 

 

Then…please let's be tolerant, open and accept others (with or without a dream).

Azarin

 


Rosie T.

Anonymous: How can "you" overcome intolerance?

by Rosie T. on

Forgive.


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relevant or not?

by guilty as charged (not verified) on

Dar javani paak bodan shiveyeh pighambarist,
Var nah har gabri be piri mishavad parhizkar!
nothing personal!
Rasti az ghotbzadeh cheh khabar??? anyone?


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For about 30 years we have bombarded with intolerance

by ((Anonymous)) (not verified) on

For about 30 years of mullah and islamic rule we have bombarded with intolerance. How can we overcome this intolerance spreading so soon?


Red Wine

Jahanshah Asabani mishavad !

by Red Wine on

hahahahaha ... Chikaresh kardin baz shomaha ??? hahaha ... enghadar in agha ro aziatt nakonin baba... hamin ye chos azadi ham keh behemoun dadan,kharab nakonin.


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We have no respect for

by Anonymous343444 (not verified) on

We have no respect for opponents because we lack self esteem. We are also and angry culture which is understanable considering our history. War and revolution, over and over, national insecurity and so on, influences family life and income which in turn influences how children are raised. We have a collective culture of blame, hatred, guilt, shame, helplessness, anger, outrage, revolution. We are great people but emotional! And this latest bit where Iranians are supporting a war against Iran is nothing but emotion, hatred, frustration and fear. Not logic, business, money, hunamity.


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Piles of Dead Bodies

by Rosie T... (not verified) on

Well Ardeshir if you are standing on piles of corpses all the more reason to make common cause because probably everyone is at least a little guilty. And was this "sea of blood" CREATED by Revolution (think Teymortache, think candle-adorning of Bahai, think exterminations of the Manichaeans, etc.etc.)? EVERY nation stands in a sea of blood as old as this earth.
But as for more recent historical events, it seems to me Khomeini's betrayal and destruction of his allies, and concomitant monstrous regime, was so far from what most people in the urban intelligentsia (with perhaps the exception of our Fearless Leader in his tender years--and how I cherish that irony! :D ) really wanted or expected...that...
many who were anti-Shah have a vested interest in DEMONIZING people who were not because if they don't, facing their role in what happened is just too painful. And then some start saying, ah, a stoning here, a stoning there, is that really so backward?...
while people who were pro-Shah, with egos already badly bruised enough, get so enraged when the anti-Shah ones start saying things like so what you built hospitals and roads? don't you see your entire lives were useless and/or EVIL? (But a stoning here, a stoning there, really couldn't hurt...)
that before you know it everyone's playing Aryaans and Lizard-Eaters and similar games... ...
so....
it would really be better since you're going to be standing on a sea of corpses anyway, to find the common ground. Which seems to me so overwhelming: almost EVERYONE wants a secular parliamentary democracy eventually, the differences are as to tactics of implementation, almost EVERYONE would prefer lack of foreign intervention, particularly military, and almost NO ONE likes Khamenei and his ilk. AND THAT'S WHY YOU ALL KEEP COMING BACK HERE TO SHOUT AT EACH OTHER! ...don't you get it? That's the joke!
So....
if you would put your EGOS aside, you might be be amazed at the results. Rosie believes that when the neocons are "erased from the pages of time" that the life support they gave these geriatric dinosaurs in power will end and there will be a great opportunity for a new, dynamic and overwhelmingly youthful Iran...but still one with a brain drain...
So Rosie thinks you should all kiss and make up. And think with your brains and not with your mouths, and feel with your hearts and not just your guts, ...otherwise when it is time for the new Iran, what will you have to offer but the muddle you give voice to as a group here on this website? And then you will lose all credibility and ability to participate in forging a new future for Iran.
But what does Rosie know about Iran?


caspianseamermaid

.

by caspianseamermaid on

.

 


Jahanshah Rashidian

hard choice

by Jahanshah Rashidian on

As in 1979, most Iranians still believed that Islam could assume freedom and justice; it was a hopeful vision even for many intellectuals. I think, not because Iranians did something wrong with the last regime, but because we were not enough aware of a newborn dictatorship--our secular intellectuals have not discovered it.

A number of religious intellectuals, Soroush, Banisadr, Ayat…reinterpreted Islam and reinvest it with meanings appropriate to the current situation, diverting people with false hopes. Such redefinitions, however, perpetuate from the beginning our freedom.

At that time, the choice between despair and hope was very hard, especially for a teenager who could join any extremist side, religious or not. Those intellectuals, religious or secular, who joined the regime or tolerated it, are more responsible.


Mehdi

Brainwashing

by Mehdi on

First, I'd like to say that admitting mistakes is the first step of taking responsibility. So you should not be too harsh on yourself. By the way, by feeling guilty I am hoping you mean feeling responsible - there is no positive value in blame and self-beating.

 

 

Next, if you look at the way brainwashing works, I think you will find some answers to the question of why Iranians seem to be very much interested in destroying each other and their own group. In brainwashing the brainwasher attacks the subject and essentially puts the subject's survival at risk and reduces the subject's survival to a very low level and maintains that condition for usually a long time. In time, depending on the subject's ability to "hold his position," the subject starts to "break." What this means is that the subject starts to believe that the brainwasher is right! He starts arguing that if the brainwasher was not righteous, then he should have failed and since he hasn't, then he must be rightous, which makes the subject not-rightous. So the subject starts to give in to the demands of the brainwasher. The subject usually goes on in his life feeling undeserving and not allowing himself any rights. He will become a slave and follow the brainwasher's command freely and with no expectation. He considers that he has ben put on Earth just to serve the brainwasher.

 

 

Similar thing can happen to a whole nation. After prolonged torture and the taking away of rights and freedoms (attacks by Mongolians, Tazis, Alexander, etc), a whole nation starts to believe that it doesn't have any rights and should not prosper. That nation might not say it outloud but deep down it feels it doesn't deserve freedom - that it is not entitled to any rights. Interestingly enough, such a nation fights any attempts by anyone to give it more freedom or more power or more rights. Such a nation becomes unable to have. So it subcounscieously works on destroying itself - usually while pretending to fight for its rights! It gets rid of any potentially progressive leader, using very interesting reasoning! 

 

 

I think once we become aware of this, we can free ourselves from it. A nation will gradually improve and slowly come out of its brainwashed state if no more brainwashing was done on it. This is another reason why a "revolution" doesn't work. We look at Iraq and we see no matter why the US attacked it, there are attempts by some to establish a democratic government there. And when they run a survey and ask people what they want for their future, they answer that they want a powerful strong leader who can hold the nation together - in other words they want a dictator like Saddam!

 

 

A call to peaceful discussion and civilized concourse is the best way out of this state.


ahvazi

Thank you...

by ahvazi on

JJ, thanks for this entry. When we get to the, " basic right of your opponent to exsist, organize and speak freely..." we can have a healthy culture, a functioning civil society and an effective government.

I remember these lines from Omar Khayyam anytime I want to see the world in "absolutist terms".

قومی متفکرند اندر ره دین 
قومي به گمان فتاده در راه يقين
مي‌ترسم از آنكه بانگ آيد روزي
كه ای بيخبران راه نه آ نست و نه اين

 


Orang Gholikhani

I'm not agree with you but I'll fight for your speech freedom

by Orang Gholikhani on

I don't know how told it for sure he is not an Iranian!

Actualy the problem in the Iranian.com is worse than that. People could hate each other, even fight each other and be polite ! I could tell "I hate you" without insulting.

I'm wondering if people would told the same things if they were in the same room ?! Internet and anonymous may push them to be like that !

To finish with another very known words : 

My freedom stop where other's freedom start (Ma liberté s'arrête là où commence celle d'autrui) (Montesque).

Orang

 


Jahanshah Javid

VIEWS

by Jahanshah Javid on

Ardeshir Keyvan: "What about the corpse?"
Ardeshir, where did I say "respect every point of view"? I said the opposite. I said criticize all you want but do not deny anyone's right to EXIST and think and speak and write ONLY because of their political or religious VIEWS (actions are a different story. If an actual crime is committed, the perpetrator should be held responsible).