Shahrokh Ahkami —
Persian Heritage, #111, Spring 2024 —
Norouz-e Bastani, the ancient Persian New Year, marks the beginning of a new year for nature, the awakening and the staying awake of nature until the time comes when autumn and winter compel it to silence, stillness, and sleep. It holds it within with the hope for another spring to come, burying a few months within itself until the time of its awakening arrives. How much of this nature’s attribute holds true for humans and creatures on Earth? The Iranian people, who have been struggling for years, are still in the throes of movement and upheaval, not having reached their promised spring. Yet they are still hopeful for a new day when they can attain freedom, equality, the right to choose their faith and religion, and uphold their dignity and values in a way that does not harm the fundamental principles of Iran’s independence, stability, and unity. They desire to display their worthiness and pride to the world and its people.
In these critical days, where many plans are being discussed to attack Iran, aiming to achieve the ultimate goal of its designers, namely the division and fragmentation of Iran, the concerns of Iranians and their loved ones who cherish the unity, independence, and stability of Iran are growing day by day. However, on the other hand, considering the indifference of the Iranian authorities to the lives of the people, not only does not help to heal or alleviate these concerns, but, on the contrary, some of them seem happier and more joyful because in recent days some officers and commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps outside Iran have been targeted by missiles and bombs, seeing these incidents as signs of weakness and perhaps anticipating the regime’s downfall sooner rather than later.
In addition to the regime’s external problems and its predicaments, which could exacerbate the current war in the region and increase the likelihood of an attack on Iran, internal predicaments, including thefts, hoardings, pressures, and the capture of thieves, are on the rise. Cultural extremism and the greed of corrupt leaders and powerful individuals continue unabated. Among these revelations is the scandalous land-grabbing case of a hypocritical cleric who, prior to the revolution, opposed the revolutionaries and engaged in conflict with them. After the revolution, he suddenly became a revolutionary himself, donning the garb of clericalism and occupying a prominent position in the country’s judiciary, playing a significant role in the execution of numerous educated youth and elites of this nation; executions that those like this cleric and his accomplices, ostensibly motivated by the best intentions of achieving paradise, did not anticipate. For years, he was the exclusive eulogist for the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, but now, with the courageous disclosure by a bold and courageous journalist, documents of land-grabbing and embezzlement of public property by him and his children have been exposed. Unable to deny the documents, he initially claimed that someone had forged his signature. However, it soon became apparent that this cleric himself, with his own feet, had gone to the presence and, by signing the document, seized four thousand square meters of land in the best location in Tehran. Then, realizing that the situation was very dire and the disclosures were undeniable, he sought repentance in the presence of the Leader, seeking forgiveness from the leader for his theft. But the story did not end here and did not remain limited to this cleric as a thief, and the authorities responsible for matters, in order to silence the uproar and support this embezzlement of public property, escalated audacity to its extreme. The newspaper Hamshahri, the organ of the Tehran municipality, wrote: “All this filth and corruption has come to light, and then Mr. Mehdiyan in Hamshahri titles the disgusting face of a cleric with a heavenly smile, saying that a believer should deal with [this land-grab] in a faithful manner and ethics and piety should be observed” (taken from the Hamshahri website). Interestingly, in contrast to this major theft, the interim Friday Imam of Tehran, the official eulogist of the Supreme Leader, the judge and head of the judiciary, judges, and … who imprison many individuals and young people for very minor crimes such as stealing a loaf of bread and brief sins, now request a faithful treatment for such an individual and, by writing a letter and seeking forgiveness from the Leader, not only are his sins forgiven, but he and his children have become owners of vast estates; they are not obliged to return them, nor are they required to apologize to the noble people of Iran; and there will be no trial or imprisonment.
The level of embezzlement of people’s properties and the emptying of the country’s treasury is occurring while pressure on the people, injustice in the rights and benefits of workers and employees, seizing the savings of employees in social security and retirement funds, lack of funds for employee pensions, closure of factories and shutdown of production sources, and increasing reliance on imports are all on the rise. All of these are nothing but signs of incompetence and lack of experience among the ruling leaders. The product of the Imam Sadiq University, which was once thought to be the successor to the Qom seminary for the production and training as auxiliary civilian attire costumes, is now a producer, Minister of Cabinet such as minister of foreign affairs (State Dept.), and manager of various organizations. Those who have neither experience in managerial and administrative affairs nor have they studied much about their religious duties to become the successors of the Qom scholars, people like the current mayor of Tehran, who claims to be a doctor of nuclear medicine, and whose daughter resides in Switzerland, while he himself is thinking about building mosques in the parks and recreational areas of Tehran. To quote the famous actor Reza Kianian regarding the construction of a mosque in the Qeitarieh Park: “I remember God more with pure intentions than building a mosque next to other mosques…”.
My question to the mayor of Tehran, his colleagues, and his fellow clerics is this: Will building more mosques increase the number of devout Muslims and believers? Does this action by the mayor bring people closer to religion and faith? Or are these pressures, embezzlements, lies, and high-level corruptions the reasons and motives for distancing oneself from religion and religiosity? Does closing gardens and parks during the Norooz holidays, especially on the thirteenth day (Sizdah Bedar), deter people from celebrating Sizdah Bedar, or does it provide motivation for defiance and serve as an excuse to confront authorities and their thugs?
Just as the fight against hijab, despite all the pressure, killings, and blinding of the eyes of the youth, not only did not help veiling become more widespread day by day but with severe crackdowns on women, youth, and supporters of women’s rights activists, the rate of unveiled women in the country has increased. In my opinion, the issue of hijab and unveiling is a diversion created by the authorities to keep half of Iran’s population, the brave Iranian women, busy fighting against compulsory hijab, without addressing the fundamental issues of the people. In the forty-odd years of the regime, most of the efforts and struggles of our courageous women have been about the hijab, and surely if the hijab issue were not a stumbling block for our lion-hearted women, and their energy, life, and efforts were not wasted on this issue, they could have played other, more effective roles alongside men to tackle other problems that the regime has placed in the way of the people, and our Iran could have had a different situation. Today, the Leader once again stated that opposition to compulsory hijab is part of the “foreign agenda” and demanded “legal and religious action by officials”. Occupying people’s minds with these foolish matters, which are examples of the incompetence and lack of foresight of the rulers, increases dissatisfaction and insecurity day by day and ultimately brings the people closer to revolt and uprising.
I was searching for news and concerned about the political, social, and security situation in Iran when I saw a post on Telegram about the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic talking about
someone who apparently sat on the floor next to him. He said, “At that time, I went to my friend’s house on the former Shahbaz Street, and it was prayer time, and I knew my friend wasn’t into these things. I asked him which direction is the Qiblah (direction for Mecca prayer). My friend replied, ‘I don’t know. I’ve only been living in this house for two years.’”
This joke or jest by the leader about his friend indicates that he himself knows well that these days people do not show much interest and attachment to religion and religious beliefs. Despite the insistence of the mayor of Tehran and his associates on building 400 more mosques in Tehran, they know very well that most of these mosques are currently empty of believers. An example of this was during this year’s Norooz holiday, which coincided with the month of Ramadan, where the number of travelers and visitors to places like Hafezieh and Saadieh (in Shiraz), Pasargad, Shiraz cities in northern Iran, Tehran, and Khuzestan were the highest, while Mashhad, the pilgrimage site for Shiites, was in the sixth or seventh position. Perhaps this is also a warning sign for the authorities to realize that increasing pressure and threats, alongside exposing corruption and indifference to people’s lives, all serve as negative evidence of the religiosity of these gentlemen, further alienating the youth from religion and religiosity.
Leaving aside this painful and distressing issue, there is another matter that has troubled me for a long time and forced me to make a decision that I was very hesitant and unhappy about. The truth is that after 28 years of hard work, dedication, and selflessness from the colleagues and associates of “Mirass e Iran”, we are now forced to discontinue the print editions of the magazine, and starting from the summer issue, we will make it available digitally with the same layout and formatting as always to the enthusiasts of this magazine. At the age of 85 and nearing retirement, it may no longer be possible to continue the legacy of “Mirass e Iran” in the final years of life under financial pressure and constraints. The cost of printing, postage, and mailing of the magazine, along with insufficient income from subscriptions and advertisements, does not allow us to continue this situation. Many of our loved ones and close ones have seen that for years, both my spouse and I have shouldered the heavy burden of “Miras e Iran “, which I am deeply attached to with my heart and soul. However, with the increasing economic pressures, especially in recent years, and advancing age, continuing work in the same manner is no longer possible. But we have decided that instead of permanently closing the magazine, we will present it in digital format on our website to the readers and enthusiasts. Therefore, we express our gratitude to the readers, subscribers, and dear ones who have supported “Mirass e Iran” for years by placing advertisements, and we will never forget the kindness of these dear ones. The colleagues and allies of “Mirass e Iran” who have been my companions and supporters from the beginning of the publication until now will always remain dear and respected by me, and I consider myself indebted to all of these dear ones.
This farewell and discontinuation of the print edition of the magazine from the summer issue has changed me so much that I no longer want to bring anything on paper, except for a heartfelt note from Forough Farrokhzad, which may express my wish, a wish to present “Mirass e Iran” to the enthusiasts until the end of my life.
“Foroogh Farokhzad says:
My wishes are many, they are tall, they are long,
But my most important wish is this:
To be human, to remain human, to become enlightened as a human,
Time is short; while I still have time, I must show kindness
Time is short; I must be good, be kind
And love all the beauties…
For the readers, friends, and dear Iranians inside and outside the borders, I wish health, and reaching their long-term aspirations. I hope that dear Iran will one day witness the end of pressures and difficulties, and be able to establish relationships of peace and amity with neighbors and all nations, and day by day, take longer steps towards progress and victory for the welfare of all people and securing freedom of belief, religion, personal choice, and living with personal preferences.
Wishing you all well!