Ramin Tork

Not so innocent or Tork

First of all I must object to the "Tork and innocent" title of your comment, if you are approaching this from an enlightened perspective which I think you are then I suggest that at least you wouldn’t start it by insulting the largest Iranian minority group i.e. the Torks. If indeed you are associating the Tork stereotype as a synonym for stupidity, or gullibility then does that put you in a superior position to those IRI thugs that you are fending off?  I should also mention that despite the name I am not a Tork but that does not really matter.

Putting that aside I am glad that you have put some very useful points that can open debate on the question i.e. If IRI or one of its affiliate organizations arranges an event be it cultural or otherwise as someone in opposition should you attend it or should we have boycott the Shah Abbas event too?

I am aware of the way IRI has on many occasions hijacked our national heroes and as a ‘def facto’ atheist I do not wish to promote their deluded view of the world as a factory for producing Martyrs, however where we differ is that I would encourage people to study such mentality and also make their kids aware of it.

In fact we should become so aware of such mentality that we should know it better than the palm of our hands and the frown on our forehead!

This is not a hypocritical view, if I put my neck on the line and take part in campaign against Sharia law then I needs to know what I’m facing rather than run away from it.

//iranian.com/main/2009/mar/one-law-all

I don’t see these cultural events in the same light as joining their organized ‘Mob for rent’ demonstrations or participating in bribery in free “polo khoree!” and think that it would be a loss to miss them. Besides you can enjoy or try to understand a work of Art irrespective of agreeing with the Artist or not for instance I am a great fan of Russian realist propoganda posters but I do not hold a Stalinistic view or I enjoy Wagner's music but realize that he was a fascist before anyone else. 

A very import point that should not be missed is that irrespective of all these arguments whatever IRI tries to get out of this, Takhti is an Iranian hero not just because of his life time achievements but also for his good hearted nature and for his philanthropy. 

As for the Heech sculpture I think you have a very valid take on this and now that you have mentioned perhaps it I should had been included it in my article about Allegory ( i.e. use of Allegory by our Artists and writers to protest against totalitarian regimes) but I was referring to the significance of the word Heech for myself rather than suggesting that was the Artists intention.

Here is the article if you missed it:-

 //iranian.com/main/2009/feb/zahak-plastic-prostitutes-tehran

Tork and so innocent?

Mr Tork

Your innocence (putting it as politely as possible) is amazing if not amusing. These two exhibitions plus a third one (coins and splendour of Isphahan)  are openly sponosored by the highly controvertial (again trying to be as diplomatic as possible) Iran Heritage Foundation and the tacit, if not explicit, approval of the Isalmic regime. All three exhibitions are celebrating the birth of Shi'ite Persia and all its ramification which embraces the concept of martyrdom, of which Takhti is a symbol (according to Khosrow Hassan Zadeh, the war veteran and artist behind the Takhti exhibition).  

And as for the "take" on Tanavoli's Heech statue, how about this one?

//iranian.com/main/singlepage/2008/khomei...

Now Mr Tork, do you still see all these as "innocently" as you did?

 FR