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12/1/2000 - The State of the Theocracy After 21 Years in Power by Whitney Mason

The State Theocracy After Years Power ByWhitneyMason TEHRAN Thenamehadamagical effectonmyguide MohammedAskerbuhad approachedmeas Iwasbreakfastingonfreshnanbreadwithhoneyandteaona rooftop overlooking green valley I steeply terraced village Masule nestled Iran Alborz mountains behind Caspian Sea With words Englishhe offered takeme ledmeby roomhouse hesharedwithhisparents whotriedtosellmehand knitsocks andarmed mewith scythe tipped against wolves For halfanhourwehad walking along wooded slope toward waterfall exchanging little informationourlanguagebarrierwould allow ThenIhadpronounced Shariati Askerbustoppedinhistracksandturned around toward YouknowShariati gloweringandjabbing geratmeatme Fromhisexpression Ihadnoideawhatthenamemeanttohim Yes Iknowhim Isaid raisingmyeyebrowsandshruggingmyshoulders conveyan ofinnocent neutrality Suddenlyabroadsm lituphismeaty weatheredface Shariatimyfriend heexclaimed jerkinghiscockedthumbtowardhimself Shariativerygood He lookeddownathisopenpalms indicating thathe Shariati sbooks ThemosquesofEsfahan theFlorenceofPersia embody17 centuryIran celebrationofbeauty RUSSIA Ankara Bursa TURKEY Antalya SYRIA IRAQ EGYPT SAUDI ARABIA pointed questioningly I replied putting myindex fingerandthumbtogether Mullahs referring religious scholarswhorule Iran making anastyfaceandgleefullypantomimingkickingthemout Through miracle verbal communication AskerbuconveyedthatheusedtoworkatMasule spost office before being fired supporting Iran reformist president MohammadKhatami Hepointedbackdown trailtowardthe village Shariatimyhome noddingenthusiastically Since IknewShariati therewasno question ofmypaying guiding friend Shariati friend ofhis ThetruthwasthatI firstheard ofAli Shariatijusta weekbefore group offemale university students Tehran The girls country staying atmytwo starhotelnearTehranUniver while attending youth conference social political issues managed utesawayfromthe chaperones while 6atingbreakfastin hotel tearoom I conference mustbe fascinating Staying ahoteltogetherwasfun theysaid whichIalreadyknew fromhearingthemlaughinguntillate intothenight conference itself pretty The problem thattheyweren tallowed talkaboutthe ideasandfig urestheyreallycaredabout Ah Isaid pullingupmy background reading You Abdolkarim Soroush popular philosopher whose defense dividual interpretation ofreligious truthhasearnedhim themoniker theMartinLuther ofIslam They allowed mention Soroush buthewasn ttheonetheyhadinmind Oneyoung BEKISTAN TURKMENISTAN Ashkhabad AI Ma Ri womanleanedforward looking atmeintently Doyou knowAliShariati asked whilehalfadozenyoung faces peering ofblack sheetsbeamed adoringly wayAmericangirlsmighthave40yearsagoaboutElvis AliShariati asIsoonlearned wasaFrench educated sociologistwhohad preached ablend ofIran Shiite Is liberation theology modernism trified Iranians sixties seventies Though forced exile killed Shah shenchmeninLondonin exchanges I Iranians country Shariati seemedtobe farandawaythemostpopularreligious figureinIrantoday ifyouwanttoknowmostIranians visionofIslam itseems youshouldlooktothevolumi tracts Shariati wrote speeches And sbadnews mullahs Shiite scholarswho Iran A leading exponent Islamic humanism Shariati emphasizedthe distinctionbetweentheShiismofImam Ali cousin Prophet Muhammad whomShiis considerGod regenton earth Shiism Safavid dynastywho theirascendancein1502madeitIran sstatereligion As historian Nikki Keddie wrote Alid Shi according Shariati represents originalIslamandis amovement ofprogress revolutionwithno divisionbetweenin tellectualsandthepeople Islaminitsprogressiveand dynamicphase The Safavids bymaking Shi state religion degraded institution means political enslavement turning original search justice sacred duties Shariati Safavid Shi Shah Pahlavi Shi today Safavid ulama WM mullahs arethosewhoplaygamesofpower Inone essay Reflections ConcernedMuslim On Plight Oppressed People Shariati writes Where should I Should I Mobedans priestsofpre IslamicPersia Howcould Ireturnto thosetempleswhichwerebuilttoenslaveme Should I thosewho claim examples national freedom essence attem pting their inhuman privileges The mosques betterthanthosetemples thepyramids usedhereas symbols authoritarianism When I first arrived Iran I vaguely imagined Iranians divided between religious people whosupported theocraticregime andbetter cated religious people reformist newspapersthathavebeencloseddownindrovesover I discovered false chotomy It snoaccidentthatShariati themostpopu larmodernthinkerinIran wassomeonewhohadtried reconcile Shiite traditionwith modernity Iranians faith Shiite Islam centered savior uresdescendedfromImamAli broadanddeep Butit isnotthereligionthatoutsiderswouldinferfrom looking Iran institutions Quite trary inmanyways Iranians faith isdeeply hostile towardboth reigning religious authorities Sunni Muslim world which ernmentoftenexpresses fraternal solidarity Is Nationhood The Safavids introduction Shiism Iran state religion Iranian society today sdifficultformanyIranianstoconceiveoftheir nationalidentityapartfromthe religion AndyetIrani constantly reminded their forebears monotheistswhoruledhalftheknownworld atatime whenthepeoplewhobroughtIslamto Iran theArabs worshipping idols living banditry The schizophrenic combination intense devotion Shiite version religion Prophet Mohammad revealed Arabic visceral loath forArabs themselves I error referring Iran Is lamicperiod Jahaliya theperiodbeforeMohammed known Muslim history ignorance Jahaliya isonlyforArabs adevoutIranianmantold rather tersely We Persians civilization before Islam In Iran National Museum I monolith called Hamurabi Stone inscribed necessaryforasmallco mmunity Thesigncalledit Roots ofRevolution Nikki R Keddie Iran mullahs arefirst andforemost supposed expertson ShiiteIslamiclaw enjoyboth thepowerand popularityoftheirsecularAmerican counterparts world firstwritingonhumanrights Iran snational Shahnameh orBookofKings callsArabs lizard eaters Iraniannamescomefrom therfromArabic orthe Shahnameh whichalthoughwrit teninthe 11thcenturyrecountsmostlythe glories ofpre Islamic Iran Very often Iranians Arabic names would tellmetheyhatedthem andaskmeto callthem Persian Many Iranians I described Arab conquest tragedy thathad ruined their culture Andyet whentheShahhadtried toweakenthe power religionby promoting Islamic nationalism effortwas abitter failure The spiritual heart Iran Islamic civilization monotheistic religion founded Iranian prophetZoroastersomefive centuriesbefore Christ The greatestconcentrationofZoroastri anstodaycanbefound ancient oasis ofYazd where according elderlyZoroastrianItalkedto there areabout 000Zo roastrians Zoroastrians Iran ReflectionsofaConcernedMuslimOn thePlightofOppressedPeoplesbyAti Shariati The stonewas carved 1160by order Babyloniankingwhomovedhis capital whatisnowwestern Iran The French tookthestonefromIranin1901and returned itbeforeWorldWarII Itwasdiscoveredtobeafakemadeofplasticwhen somesophisticatedantiquariantriedtostubouthiscigaretteonitand itburned TheoriginalremainsintheLouvre Institute Current World Affairs Zoroastrian monuments Until coming ofIslam Arab conquest seventhcentury Zoroastrianismwas thestatereligionofSassanidPersia Unlike Arabs refer thepre Islamicperiodas thetimeofignorance today sIranians express enormous pride their ancient history In order avoid contaminatingany ofthe sacred elements offire water earth Zoroastrians dispo their leaving towersofsilence these Yazd where birds would their bones clean There aremoreinnorthernIndia where reknown Parsis The number shrinking because Zoroastri tallow intermarriage since Revolution thegovernmenthasn tallowedMuslimwomentomarry Zoroastrian The principal Zoroastrianmonument inYazd isatemplehousingafirethathasbeenburning continuously years The elderly Zoroastri ansexplained thattheydon tworshipfire assomeigno rantly accuse doing regard light signofGodandgoodness Zoroastriansprayfacingnatu rallight standingupright becauseGod AhuraMazda The temple known Chak Chak built around desert spring Zoroastrians regard sacred marks lastgaspofIran Islamic civilization everywhere Outside Yazd steep shaped mounds reddish couple hundred They called towers silence Zoroas triansuse leave corpses their wheretheywouldbepickedcleanbyvulturesandcrows without contaminating sacred elements earth water Themostimportant Zoroastrian Irantoday place northeast ofYazd seems havemore withnationalpride religion KnownasChakChak WM shrine inthe desert thatmemorializes lastgasp ofIranianindependencebefore thecountrywasoverrun bytheArabs ToreachitmyguideanddriverandIdrove rattling Peykan sedan twenty kilometers north Yazd turned right theDasht desertand drove another20 kilometers inthe direction ofTabas where20 years American attempt rescue hostages fromtheUSembassyhadendedinafiery collisionbe tweentwohelicopters Another20kilometerspastmoun tainsblue grayinthe deserthazealonganunpavedroad broughtus destination About above shelf surrounded desolation desert small complex yellow brick buildings builtaroundahugechenar Twomagnificentbrass doors adorned reliefs ancient Persian warriors opened sanctuary built around thegurglingspringthatfeedsit aswell asasacredflame Zoroastrians believe planted Nikh Banu GoodLady theyoungestdaughterofthelastSassanid Yazdgerd III According after Ar absinvadedPersiain636 Yazdgerd whosekingdomwas alreadyweakenedbyaninternalrebellionledbyaproto communist named Mazdak moved court Yazd whichwas farawayfrom theArabs possible When theArabsfinallycaughtupwithhim theroyalfamilyfledthe cityinsmallgroups WhenNikhBanu collapsedfromex haustioninthemountainsnearby sheplantedherwalk stickbeside springandfell asleep Fromthatwalk stick Zoroastrians believe grewthe sacred Whatallows Iranians cherish their faithwhile spisingtheconquestthatfirstbroughtIslamto theircoun course Iranians Shiite Iranians believe thatthe andnottheSunniswh orepresent90percentof Islamic world carry authentic Muslim tradi bequeathed Prophet Mohammad Shia point ofdeparturefromtheSunniis disagreementabout succession leaders Islam Khalifs after death ofMohammad The majority ofMuslims ported candidates Mecca leading family Umayyids despite theyhadbeenlate ceptthenewfaith ButShiisbelieve thattheProphethad elected lawand cousinAli successor Shiis Iran known twelvers lieve God regency earth passed Ali through succession infallible until twelfth andlastonedisappearedundermysteriouscirctnnstances intheninthcentury Sunnisconsiderthe firstfourKhalifs rightlyguided oneswhopresided golden ageofIslam IraniansbelieveAli whoeventuallybecame thirdKhalif shouldhavesucceededMohammadand thatAlishouldhavebeensucceededbyhismale descen dents Shiis other rightly Khalifs usurpers Abu L Lo themanwhomurdered second Khalif Umarisburied largecomplexonthe edgeofKashanthat sapopularpilgrimage Iran violent clash Arabs since original invasion eight Iraq Institute Current World Affairs which about million people killed In Iran known imposed emphasize Iraqthatstarted itwhenittriedtotakeadvantageoftur during Revolution seize Iran smain ducingregion AlludingtothefactthattheSassanidking domwas alreadyweakenedbythe proto Marxist insur rection veteran religious second Arabs tried takeadvantageofinternalinstabilitytoconquerIran Said theveteran IfoughttodefendPersepolis theawesome ruinsofthe citythatwasthereligiouscenterofthePer dynasty Cyrus Darius before being sacked byAlexander Great In Behesht Zahra enormous sprawling etery Tehran I shocked across monument Iranians killed whilemakingthe toMecca Asign themonument explains pilgrims Saudi security forceswhilemarchingin apeaceful unity demon stration Suchademonstrationhardlyseemedobjection given fostering brotherhood point hajjis chant Oh Muslims unity unity Butphotos themonumentshowthe marchers carrying signs Khomeini picture which mostunwelcome incitement reactionary SaudiArabia TurkishhajjishavealsotoldmethatIra nians inMecca andMedinahold themselves arrogantly alooffrom other pilgrims At raised plazacoveredinheadstones isKhomeini sownverdict onthemassacre Even ifweforgetaboutQods Jerusa ifweforgiveSaddamand allourotheren emies never forget forgive Saudis De spitetheleader sdamnation Iran sgovernmenthaslately improving relations Saudi Arab Iraq Several moderate Iranians prochementmadethemsick The government provides another group ofSunniMuslimstowardwhommanyIranianshavehard feelings 5millionAfghanrefugees settledinIran ofthem since Soviet invasion theircountr in1979 ImetMozafarDaudi adazzlinglybright23 oldfromKabul inaninternet inYazd Over awater house bazaar described refugee Heisone His father religious fanatic Asarefugee notonlycanheneverbecomea driver license lowed basketball school Nor Afghans allowed build Sunni mosques Since therefugeeshaven tevenbeendocumented When anAfghanleaderinexile ismurderedbyahitmansent bythe Taliban theIranianmediadescribe itsimply Afghan Afghan killing In weeks I there IheardmanyIraniansmakederisiveremarksabout theirMuslimbrothers Once whenI scended along staircase leading anundergroundwa channel known qanat someone turned lights plungingme several Italian tourists ItmusthavebeenAfghanboyswhodidthat Iranian guide apologetically Local behaved The Cult ofMartyrdom Myprogress through Iranwas measured drunk graves visited Iran often necropoliswheretheghosts ofthe country svauntedmil lennia ofhistorydominatenot theminds ofthe ingbuttheirrealestate aswell Probablythedensestcon centrationoftombsinIranistobefoundinsouthTehran higgledy piggledy streets during Revolution bastion support Ayatollah Khomeiniandthemullahs TheTombofSheikhSadough isone ofmanyhousedin itsownenclosedbuilding roundedby graves lesser mortals manyofwhich splattered rather gruesomely paint signifying violence their deaths People Sheikh buried prematurely coffin He promised God could escape write tailed commentary already existing translation theKoraninto Persian Just grave robberdugup coffin liberated Sheikh The picture above doorway ancient village ofAbyaneh where residents speakan archaicform Persian called Parthian Pahlavi marks ofone ofthe hundreds ofthousands ofmartyrs Iran Iraq promise writing Iran famous Koranic commentaries In cemetery champion wrestlernamed Takhti martyrs ofthe struggle against Shah Iranians lieve murdered Shah brother Gholarn Reza At sporting attended public emony royal received amuchbigger tionthanhe Takhtihimselfsnubbedthe prince Acouple ofweeks later wrestlerwas Hewas declared suicidebutbecausehewasveryreligiousandsuic worst Islam Iranians beenkilledbytheShah secretpolice Acoupleofkilo metersawaylies thebiggestcemeteryI Behesht Zahra Zahra Paradise miles miles graves thousands martyrs marked glasscasescontainingflowersandphotosofthedeceased Like Russians across Caspian Iranians topridethemselvesonbeingableto suffermoredeeply andnoblythananyoneelse ForthemostimportantShiite holiday Ashura Iranians stage apassionplayreenacting killing Ali sonHosseinby KhalifYazid isdepictedastheincarnationofevil Ivisitedalltheholi estsitesinthecountry thegreatshrinesofShiraz Qom andMashad andallofthemarebuiltaroundthetombs oftheimamandhis siblings Besidesthesegrandshrines Iranis sprinkledwithhundredsof Imamzadeh shrines builtaroundthetombsofmoredistantrelatives ofimams Highways especiallyinTehran arelinedwithbillboards buildings covered dramatic murals depicting ordeals deaths martyrs great small The greatest monument Revolution moustomb mosque complex ofAyatollahKhomeini The Martyrs Museum collection photos short biographies personal effects killed service Revolution closest Islamic Re publichas yetcometo establishing amuseumdedicated itsownhistory Theyoungestmartyrinthemuseum wasa14 oldboywhostrappedgrenadestohisbody threw himself under Iraqi Ayatollah Khomeini himself exalted young suicide So deeply embedded Shiism ideal sacrificethatthestandardPersianphrasefor rewel ghorbaneshomaa means I sacrificemyselffor WhenIremarkedtoIraniansthat Ifound thisex pression strangely melodramatic theywould assureme emptily perfunctory Most Iranians anxious sacrifice themselves oneelse especiallynow 20yearsaftertheRevolution DuringthewarwithIraq allIraniansoldiersheadingto front woreheadbandsproclaiming their readiness martyrs million But popular filmfromthe early Leyla IsWithMe differ story Theprotagonist reporter makesagreat wanting fight actually terrified Tohis horror assigned cover story atarear WM Thisburntoutjeep Tehran sBehesht eZahra cemetery commemorates Iran apocalyptic eight warwithIraq Themonumentbehind recalls hundreds ofIranians Saudi securityforces while performing Hajj Mecca Througha series accidentshe thenfindshimself being dragged closer closer front At windsupactually atthefrontandhistough lookingpro duceradmitsthathe terrifiedhimselfandcanonlymar colleague courage All finds himself trench facing Iraqi tankwith ingbutarocket propelledgrenadewithwhichtodefend himself Petrified firesblindlyand destroys BackinTehranhe sgivena swelcomeandonlywe audience coward really The filmwasagreatsuccess manyIranians itseemed could relate Popular Islam Mullah Islam In public rooms Iran there never urinals One I askedmyguide spent years living US abodt Of course Our religionforbidsus Urinate standingup Accordingto Iranian Muslim menbelieve their religion enjoins themto urinatewhile squattingandeven stipulates should their urethra three times three different places ensure urine We Iranians never urinary disorders proudly IdoubtMohammadcanbeblamedfor another peculiarity Iranian toilets toiletpaper Instead theyhave small articu latedhose Exactlyhowthewholeprocessworks something correspondent never managed figure It personal level thatmostMus experienced their faith throughout centuries Histori cally strict austereandlegal istic vision Islam espoused mullahs never appealed small minorityofbelievers their exercise ofsupremepo litical authority unprecedented Many Iranian Turkish Muslimshavebeenmoreinfluenced bythevariousmysticalpractices collectivelyknown Sufism which anathemato orthodox ligious scholars Acomplexand varied tradition experts Islamic history often resists succinct description Butmyguide offeredanex planationthatstruckmeasveryapposite Mullahs believemanbelongs toGod Sufisthatwearepartof God Inthegreenoasis ofMahan onthedeserthigh between Kerman Bam I stopped elaborate complex Iran mousSufis ShahNematollahVali Thecolonnaded garden crowded mosque I visited As I approached mosque where Nematollah Vali buried young standingnearthedoorhandedmeacookie Itwas Sufi birthday explained chance anniversary wedding night God better known death Like other Sufis wouldoftensubjecthimselfto40daysandnightsofmedi tation calledChellehNeh Shirn duringwhichhewould eatjustone A guide teaching story emphasizestheSufibeliefthatGod isunknowable differentfrom conviction ofmanymullahs areprivyto allAllah sintentions ShamsofTabriz spiritualmentorofthe greatSufi mysticJelaluddinRumi couldwalkonwater Rumiasks himtoteachhimthe trick Shams tellsRumihecantoo hejusthastofollowhimrepeating OhShams Rumi works Then Rumi hears Shams startedrepeating OhAli Rumiswitches tosaying Oh Ali whereupon immediately sinks Shams turns aroundandsmiles Youdon tevenknowmecompletely andyouthinkyoucanknowAii The following story which I bazaari inEsfashan illustratestheteasing folksy sideofIranians attitudetoward authority Shah Abbas greatest Safavid builder ofmuch Esfahan would dressup dervish around capital observing subjects behaved One night heard music handsome house He knockedonthe doorand You I dervish pleasehelpme Thepeopleinvited Shah Abbas discovered successful shopkeeper ShahAbbas askedhimwhetherhe consid eredtrying savesomemone ratherthanen tertaining lavishly Whyshould I asked shopkeeper ShahAbbas Becausetomorrowyourshopmay closedbyorder ofthe Shah Nah shopkeeper Shah dnever shutmyshop fornoreason Butwhatif pressed disguised Shah Godisgreat dshowmeanotherwayto formyfamily ThenextdayShahAbbasorderedtheshop closed Thatnighthe returned shopkeeper shouse surprise found another party goingon Againtheshopkeeperinvitedhiminand showedhimperfecthospitality Heexplainedthat hisshopwasin deedshutbyorderoftheShahbut dmanagedtoputaside abitwhichtheywere nowspendingonthis party WhatiftheShahtakeseverythingyouhaveleft asksShahAbbas Ah hewouldneverdothat answeredtheshop keeper Butwhatif repeated Shah TheshopkeepersaidagainthatGod isgreatand wouldprovide awayforhimto carry The Shah Abbas ordered keeper sremainingpropertyconfiscatedandthat nightreturned againdisguised dervish Once againhewasinvited inandaskedtheshopkeeper whathewasgoingto HetoldShahAbbasthat Shahand askfor agoodjob The court hired Shah sexecutioner ThatnighttheShahagaindropped house amazement found yetanotherpartyinprogress Hesaid theman Iknowyouhaveanewjob butyouhaven tbeen paidyet sohowcanyouafford allthis Themanexplainedthathe dsoldthe officialsword dbeengivenjust ButwhatiftheShahordersyoutoexecutesome onetomorrow Themanshrugs ThenextdayatcourtSh ahAbbas orderedhimtoexecutesomeone Theformershop keeperapproachedtheShahandsaid Iknowthat promise Please sparehim ShahAbbas orderedhim proceed ecution Theshopkeeperraisedhishandstoheaven Dear God ifthismanisreallyguil lethislifebetaken bymyblade But isinnocent pleasespare myshahthe ofunjustlycondemninghimand turnmyswordintowood Whereupontheshop keeper theatrically pulled wooden sword Shah Abbas burst laughing returned shopkeeper sbelongings Anticlericalism To visitIrantoday istoknowwhatBarcelonamust havebeenlikewhenitwasthehotbed ofRepublicanism Spain Civil War Iranians criticizing theocracy since reform overwhelmingvictoryin lastFebruary sparliamen elections Everywhere I Iran green mountains above Caspian baked mudfortressofBamontheroadtoPakistan people wentoutoftheirway tellmehowmuchtheydespised ullahs Aseniorwesterndiplomattoldme The isolating itself Tehranis confirmed saying thatwhile inthe olddaysyoumightat leastsee theShah slopes instance nowadays senior mullahs inhabit world completely separate ofthenormalpeople Themullahs aloofness offendsmanyIranians senseofsocialjustice WhiletouringBam Iranacrossa group mullahs From solicitous attitude their guide I guessed VIPs When I tress about climb humble Peykan Iran homely national driver pointed disgust portal which mullahs emerg walking toward gleaming white Land Rover pulledupto WhenImamAliwasKhalif andhis tiveswouldcome visit hewould refuse lightextralamps soconcernedwasheaboutabusinghis position WhenImamHosseinwasstrugglingagainstthe Umayyid usurpers could number positionintheempire ifhehadsimply knowledged Yazid rival killer asKhalif Butinsteadhechosea heavenly kingdom Compared imams hesaiddisgustedly justlook these mullahs their fancy ThelyricallyelegantcityofEsfahan whichIthoughtofastheFlorence ofthe East ishometosomeofthemostbeau tiful religious buildings Islamic world But locals attitude toward mullahswholive andpray inthem couldhardlyhavebeenmoreirreverent OneafternoonIwassharingataxiwith young woman graduate studentinhistoryandmentionedthat I heading central plaza called Imam Square Call Shah Square shecommandedasshe The reliefsofPersepolis thereligious capitaloftheAchaemeniandynasty WhenIwasleavingthebeautiful therefinedPersianswhosuccumbedtotheGreeksunderAlexandertheGreat eighteenth century Chahar Bagh Madraseh Iranian tourist I dbeen chatting gatekeeper madraseh mullah I asked could Because wouldn offhis hairy Locals later toldmethattheMadraseh orseminary isknowncollo quially queer The popular suspicion insulated compounds supposedly devoted religiousstudy actuallythescene illicithomo sexual activity In Century nownedEsfahanipoetHafez whohimselfhadattained thedistinctionofmemorizingtheentireKoran penned these lines Those preacherswhoinprayer archandpulpit imposinglyparade Whenthey theirchambergo anotherkind actperform Aproblem Pleaseasktheassembly slearned Whydo thosewhocommandus repent seldomthemselves repentancemake Youmight theyputno faithin theDayof Judgment Sincewhenthey actforthe Judge theyemploy deceitandfraud InTehran thelongestroadinthe runningsome kilometers foothills Alborz fluentnorth limits south isnownamed ValiAsr Thenamehasaninterestingprovenance Befo itwascalled Pal41aviBoulevard afterthereigning dynasty After Revolution renamed Mossadegh honor popular prime minister whonationalizedthe oilindustryandwasdeposedina organizedby CIA Whenmullahs control oftheRevolutionfromthe liberals ofthe National Front renamed street Kashani after conservative mullah But those revolutionary fervor there enough opponents theocrats Kashanistreetsignswerebeingcontinuouslyvandalized Finally government street Imam revered Mahdi Messiah Iranian Shiis believe occultation destined return theworld toheraldJudgmentDay Tehran popular football officially called Paroozi Victorious inhonoroftheRevo lution Butitsthousandsofadoringfans stillcallitbyit Revolutionary Islamic Persepolis One I touring Green Palace horribly gaudy building Reza Shah Shah father founded dynasty after manding brigade Cossacks As I looking containingsome ofReza Shah personal effects Iranianvisitorpointed atapairofreadingglasses Revo lutionaries sayRezaShahcouldn tread single female guide We should peoplewho surprising savagery Yes agreed visitor future TheMantleoftheProphet RoyMottahedeh erations write aboutthem Wither Revolution In democracy course suchwidespreadcontemptfor ruling class would werenumbered ButIran despite freely elected parliament mocracy Commandofthe police Revolutionary Guards control courts other words monopoly violence thatWebersaiddefinesthe state belongs unelected Supreme Leader Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khameini Peaceful democracy demon strati arebrokenupviolently Inthe conservative mullahs shutdowndozensofpro reformnews papers licensed Ministry Culture which under President Khatami authority The mullahs ushered millennium convicting intellectuals acting against principles Revo lution Theiroffensehadbeento conference Berlin lastwin organizedby Green Party German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer A video conference aired Iranian TV showed awomannotjustdancing notjustunveiled butwithherarms bared For being associated suchsmut intellectuals sentences rangedupto 10yearsinprisonandfive years exile reformist journalist Akbar Ganji Areformist mullahwho attended These donation boxes above ubiquitous almost entirely unused represent officialfaceofIran theocracy thisplatform below stilts inalagoon offtheCaspian Sea Iwas offeredadrinkofillegalvodka theconference HasanYousefiEske hadalready convicted ofapostasy daring suggest ligious scholars should wield supreme worldly thority He alone during Revolution prominentmullahsarguedthatsecularpowerwouldcor rupttheirreligiousvocation Todayintheseminaries argument being fortified growing recognition theocratic turning Iranians against mullahs Butwithallthephysicalpowerinthehandsofpower loving mullahs question Who going lenge President Khatami great reformers elected percent majority backed equally reformist parliament appears impotent A student group prestigious medical school Shiraz recently drafted protest Khatami Youenjoythesupportof20 millionvoters aswell astheharmonyofthestate leadership Howcould yousay thatyoulackthe authority If there truly persons create staclesagainstyoubehindthescenes whyareyou notexpo singthemto people Howwasitpossibletoimprisonthe studentswho injured during attack Tehran University dormitory whereas their attackers chargedwith theft In accordance Majlis deputies express their views How WM arebeingprosecuted exercising right Howcometheindependentpopularpress which linkbetweenthenationandthe ernment arebanned You callingonthe world tobegin dialogue resolve problemsthroughtalksandconstructive criticism atmosphere understanding quillity If reformists cries purely cerebral mullahsmightprevail againstthemindefinitely ButIra nians demandsforchange arefueledbyreligious fervor conviction mullahs corrupt worldly despots dynasties before Revolu Iranians traditionally accepted authoritarian expect better worlduntilthe cleansingreappearance oftheMahdi But mullahs offense incomparably worse Shahs They betraying sacred tradition Irani beloved imams And Iranians agree ultimate apostasy GI ThisnewLandCruiserwaits topickupagroupof VIP mullahs touring walledfortress ofBarn ManyIranians deeply offended mullahs aloofness indulgence INSTITUTEOFCURRENTWORLDAFFAIRS FELLOWSANDTHEIRACTIVITITES Shelly Renae Browning March AUSTRALIA A surgeon specializing hearing Dr Browning studying approaches traditional healers among Aborigines Australia She wonherB S inChemistryattheUniversityoftheSouth studiedphysician patient relationships China Australia Thomas J Watson Fellowship M D Emory University Atlanta Before ICWA fellowship Fellow Skull Base Surgery Montreal McGill University Department O tolaryngology WendyCall May2000 MEXICO A Healthy Societies Fellow Wendy spending years Mexico Isthmus Tehuantepec immersed contradictory trends attempt industrialize develop along proposed Caribbean Pacific containerized railway desire indigenous peoples preserve their Mexico remaining growth forests WithaB A inBiologyfromOberlin Wendyhasworkedasacommunications coordinator Grassroots International national campaign director Infact corporate accountability organization Martha Farmelo April ARGENTINA AGeorgetown graduate major psychology minor Spanish Master Public Affairs Woodrow Wilson School Princeton Martha Institute Suzanne Ecke McColl Fellow studying gender issues Argentina Married toanArgentine doctoral candidateand motherofasmall focusing genders which immensely important Italo Latinomachismo Marthahasbeen involved LatinAmerica professional having worked Catholic Relief Services Inter American Development Bank Costa Rica Human Rights Watch Ecuador Inter American Foundation El Salvador UruguayandattheUNWorldConferenceonWomen inBeijing Gregory Feifer January RUSSIA WithfluentRussianandaMaster sfromHarvard Gregoryworked inMoscow political editorforAgenceFrance Presseandtheweekly RussiaJournal in1998 GregseesRussia slatestfailuresateconomicand politicalreform continuation failed attempts atWesternization began Peter Great failures succession behind scenes elites Russia behind mythic facade strong rulers centuries Heplanstoassessthe continuation ofthese cultural underpinnings Russian governance Gorbachev Yeltsin succession CurtGabrielson December2000 EASTTIMOR With Missouri background MIT degree physics Curt spending years East Timor watching nation create education system ashes Indonesian system Since finishing MIT Curt focused delivering inexpensive culturally relevant hands science education minority income students Based Teacher Institute Exploratorium San Francisco worked youth teachers Beijing Tibet Mexican agricultural Watsonville California Peter Keller March CHILE Public affairs officer Redwood National Park planner Yosemite National Park before fellowship Peter holds B S Recreation Resource Management University Montana Masters Environmental Law Vermont Law School As John MillerMusserMemorialForest SocietyFellow isspendingtwoyears ChileandArgentinacomparingtheoperations parksandforest reserves controlled Chilean Argentine vernments those controlled private persons governmental organizations Leena Khan April PAKISTAN A lawyer dealing immigration international business Washington DC i_eena study status women under islamization Pakistani began 1980s continues Born Pakistan immersed Persian Urdu literature grandfather Muslim herself holds B A North Carolina State UniversityandaJ D University ofSan Diego Whitney Mason January TURKEY A freelance print television journalist Whit began career founding newspaper called The Siberian Reviewin Novosibirsk worked editor ofthe VladivostokNewsand wrote Asiaweekmagazine Hong Kong In switched radio video journalism working inBosniaandKoreaforCBS AsanICWA Fellow isstudyingandwritingaboutTurkey sroleasnexusbetween East West traditional secular Islam Jean Benoit Nadeau December FRANCE A French Canadian journalist playwright Jean Benoit studied drama National Theater School Montreal received B A fromMcGillUniversityin PoliticalScienceand History Theholder several Canadian magazine investigative journalism awards spending ICWA fellowship years France studying resistance French trend economic cultural globalization Author Mason Whitney Title ICWA Letters Europe Russia ISSN Imprint Institute Current World Affairs Hanover NH Material Type Serial Language English Frequency Monthly Other Regions Sub Saharan Africa East Asia South Asia Mideast North Africa TheAmericas InstituteFellows chosenonthebasis character previ experience promise They areyoung professionals funded spend aminimumoftwoyears carrying designedprograms ofstudyandwritingoutside theUnited States TheFellows required report their findingsand experiences field amonth They canwriteon subject formally informally The isauniqueformofreporting analysisandperiodicas sessment international events issues