The
West Must Support the Iranian People
By
Amber Pawlik
Most
Westerners know very little about the psyche of the Iranian population.
Those who think they do are usually nothing more than elitist
leftists who are projecting what they want to believe about
Iranians unto the Iranians.
I’ve
gotten into many debates with leftist elitists who insist that the
Iranian population is Muslim. I
was on the phone with a man (who sympathizes largely with communist
theory), and I brought up Iran. The
first thing he said to me was, “They are Muslim.”
Although he asserted that they are Muslim, he in fact revealed
the opposite. The fact that
as I brought up the Iranian people, he immediately defended the notion
that they are Muslim proves that the issue is debatable.
Those
insisting the Iranians are Muslim are leftists who fundamentally need to
believe that the entire rest of the world is Muslim.
They are of the naïve belief that people everywhere would just
like a kinder, gentler version of Islam.
They are wrong. Many
people around the world, especially in Iran, are not Muslim and in fact
hate it.
It’s
time to shed light on the secular psyche of the Iranians.
Ever since my work on Shirin Ebadi, I’ve been in contact with
several Iranians from around the world – including phone contact with
an Iranian living in Tehran. Let
me tell you what they have told me.
I’ll
tell you about my first phone conversation with my friend in Tehran.
I said to him at the end of the conversation, “I hope and pray
that Iran is free someday so I can safely visit you.”
He said to me, “Don’t pray.
Praying gets us nowhere and got us into this mess.”
Just
today (Thursday Dec 4, 2003), four popular fast food restaurants were shut
down in Tehran, Iran because the Iranian youth
at the restaurants were behaving in ways that were “un-Islamic.”
“Young
women, in particular, have incurred the wrath of hardliner's authorities by
wearing make-up, short coats and colorful scarves pushed back to expose
as much hair as possible instead of the head-to-toe black chadors deemed
necessary by the country's ruling clerics to protect a woman's
modesty.”
The
Iranian youth purposely violate Islamic law in favor of going to fast
food places to mingle with the opposite sex and let their hair down.
Do they sound Muslim to you?
Most
are shocked to learn that Iran, which is a theocracy, is made up of a
population that is not Muslim. Surely
a government that is the most vigorous theocracy in the Middle East
would be filled with Muslims. But
it is the exact opposite. The
more un-Islamic the people are, the more insistent those who want to
create an all Islamic society are in forcing Islam upon them.
It
was the Iranians, not any other country in the Middle East, who did not
only cheer on 9-11, but in fact have come to support the Americans.
The Iranians favor the West and Western ideals in more ways than
one.
For
centuries, there has been a battle between reactionary mullahs and
ancient Persian heritage. The
mullahs are doing every thing they can to force their culture down
upon the Iranians. As an
example, the mullahs have banned parents from naming their children
ancient Iranians names and instead force Arabic names on the children.
It
is difficult to tell how many Iranians actually support Islam
because leaving Islam is punishable by death inside the Islamic
Republic. But every indication
tells us that a large portion of Iran's youth does not identify itself
as Muslim. If
the emails pouring into me are any indication, they tell me the Iranian
people see Islam and its laws as a source of oppression and sexual
apartheid. And even though as Iranian they may consider themselves Muslim, they still consider
themselves Iranian first and Muslim second.
If
you want to see the secular psyche of Iranians, you really have to do
little research on the internet to find it.
You will find many Iranians who are downright hostile to Islam
itself, with its advocacy of decapitations and floggings; Iranians who
openly say they see no compatibility between Islam and human rights; or
even Muslim Iranians, like Ebadi, who call for an ending of such Shariah-based
laws like public stoning. Among
the Iranian people, you would be hard pressed to find someone who wants
to keep the government as it is.
They do not want a milder version of what exists (everyone except
Ebadi that is). They want a
fundamental regime change. And,
I’d like to add – they would like a government minus
religion.
The
Iranian government poses the biggest threat to the United States and the
Iranian people hold the biggest potential for setting up a stable
democracy in the Middle East. It
is where we should turn our attention to next.
We should be focused on empowering the Iranian people.
They need our support in every possible way – including moral and
military support.
The
Iranian population is incredibly young.
This means they are willing to fight but lack leadership.
The West needs to provide it.
The thugs working for the mullahs would turn their back on the
government and support the people if only the people showed clearly that
they will support them 100%. However,
many Iranians are still waiting for a Messiah.
This should stop. They
need to know fundamental regime change is, ultimately, in their hands
and their hands alone. The
Iranian people need a whirlwind of support – a gusto – a fire under
their wings to once and for all topple the Ayatollahs.
It should be quick, drastic and therefore – relatively
painless.
They
are in dire need of our support. If
most Western people understood the situation in Iran, there is little
doubt in my mind that Westerners would support the Iranian people –
which means, toppling the Iranian government.
The
reason why America as a whole is hesitant to support others around the
world is largely due to our corrupt intellectual leadership.
Our universities, media, etc. is filled with anti-capitalist,
anti-American dirtbags. I
was in fact told by one leftist that we should be “cautious” about
endorsing a free, capitalist society in the Middle East.
He said, "I
think it would be fine if civil society controlled the middle east, but
I'm afraid it would turn into another stifling petite bourgeoisie
modeled after the West."
I
would like to take his concern to the Iranian people.
Let them choose: a
theocracy which stones its women for committing adultery or – oh the
horror – a system with a middle class.
Leftists
are reprehensible. They are
Khatami apologists, insisting Iranians would like to just work with the
system. A large part of the reason they won’t support
Iranians is because it makes their complaints look petty.
Western intellectuals complain the capitalist system victimizes
people – Americans simply can’t turn down Big Macs at McDonald’s
or Hershey bars at the supermarket.
Meanwhile, in Iran, virginal women are raped before they are
executed so they don’t die virgins – because according to an Islamic
tradition, virgins will not go to hell. Regardless of what political-economic system is ultimately set up in
Iran or elsewhere, one thing is for sure:
it will be far better than what exists now.
I
am addressing you – a Western person, especially those on
college campuses. Tell
everyone you know about the Iranian peoples’ struggle.
Write letters. Send
this article to your friends. Get
the word out. I believe it
is in the heart of every American to see people around the world enjoy
the freedoms we do. This will also ensure peace within our own
borders.
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