BBC Persian Special Report on Prisoners' Wives public expression of love

Balatarin
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BBC Persian Special Report on Prisoners' Wives public expression of love
by MM
26-Feb-2010
 

While the concept of love in the Old Persian Culture dates to pre-Zoroastrian era, Wikipedia section on love has a whole paragraph devoted to love in medieval Persian culture, where it is written that:

“Rumi, Hafez and Sa'di are icons of the passion and love that the Persian culture and language present....... In the Persian culture, everything is encompassed by love and all is for love, starting from loving friends and family, husbands and wives, and eventually reaching the divine love that is the ultimate goal in life. Over seven centuries ago, Sa'di wrote:

The children of Adam are limbs of one body

Having been created of one essence.

When the calamity of time afflicts one limb

The other limbs cannot remain at rest.

If you have no sympathy for the troubles of others

You are not worthy to be called by the name of "man." “

It is even said that the concept of love was exported to the west from stories that were translated from medivial Persian writings. 

Looking at the current brutalities committed in Iran, one has to ask “where is the love?” “Where is the compassion towards fellow mankind?”.  While the state has diverted this love “elsewhere”, it was refreshing to see that love is alive and well in the Iranian culture, but reserved and yet even manifested in couples that I did not think that they would express their love publically towards their spouses.  Enjoy:

 

Balatarin
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yolanda

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by yolanda on Fri Feb 26, 2010 06:58 PM PST

Wow! These ladies are amazing that they stand by their men at the most difficult moment with their unwavering love....I hope these couples can be re-united soon! God bless their hearts!


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MM

Thanks Yolanda - I hope you understand Farsi if u watch video

by MM on Fri Feb 26, 2010 01:37 PM PST

I am glad you liked the text.  I hope you understand Farsi, since the video is in Farsi.  The BBC video is mostly about the love letters and the public expression of love of the wives of the political prisoners in Iran for their spouses, and how unusal this is, especially coming from the religious/reserved sect of our Iranian culture.


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yolanda

......

by yolanda on Fri Feb 26, 2010 11:14 AM PST

Thank you for your beautiful blog/pretty picture and great topic. Thank you for quoting Saadi' famous poem. You-tube is blocked at work, so I have to play the video after work. I really like the fact that Persian poems mentioned love a lot: both human love and divine love......I can only read the English translation of Persian poems, but they are still super cool! I posted many Persian poems in English on IC and I am still reading more poems. 

Actually Iranians are not very reserved, Orientals are more reserved than Iranians.....:O), but IRI likes to suppress people's feeling.....it is sad, but sometimes love is just irrepressible!

//payvand.com/news/09/jan/1162.html

I have not seen AN display any affection toward his wife, this picture is kind of scary:

//www.rightpundits.com/?p=1663

Great job with your blog!


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