Impressions about Iran

My five year stay in Iran left me with many memories, mostly pleasant and happy, which I would always be able to recollect with great fondness, and some not so pleasant, specially of the period, during which Iran was transformed into the present day Islamic republic, the couple of years during which the Islamic revolution was brought, and then consolidated. However this experience left me with a better understanding of the Iranians.

The pre-revolution era was time of rich cultural activity, reflecting thousands of years of traditions; the experience of living there, during that period left me with everlasting, pleasant impressions of the refined way of life of the Iranian people, their charming mannerism and the richness of their traditions. A way of life, that has such deep roots in the Iranian society that it can never be wiped out by a revolution.

The masterminds of the revolution, aware of the influence these traditions and culture could have in defeating their efforts in consolidating their fledgling revolution were quick to attack the traditional values and age old way of life, by declaring them un-islamic and reminiscent of the Zoroastrian era.

However in spite of all the brainwashing and indoctrination of almost three decades, the Iranians still remain pragmatic people for whom day to day trade and commerce were always a way of life in which Islam did play an important part, but only in the cultural sense. This aspect of Iranian life was reflected even just after the revolution, when Ayatollah Hashemi Raftsanjani was attacked as a bazari, or a puppet of the merchants, for canvassing his pragmatic policies. However, the dogmatic elements were never able to sideline him completely, and he remains to this day a representative of a powerful school of thought, having even served as a president.

It is this pragmatic face of Iran that should be addressed to by the outside world in resolving the present nuclear crisis, and the matter of their supporting militancy in Iraq and Lebanon, which can be perceived merely as a way of their showing support for the struggle by the oppressed and the downtrodden, a strong omnipresent undercurrent of the Shiite faith, since it evokes feelings of sympathy for Imam Husain’s similar struggle against a usurper and a tyrant. I think there is still hope for dialog, and It would perhaps not be advisable that violence, which only begets more violence, be used against Iran.

Since the Shias of Iran and Iraq are people who are deeply inspired by the martyrdom of Imam Husain, the grandson of the prophet, and martyrdom by them is perceived as an ecstatic religious experience, it would be wiser not to provoke them to a long drawn conflict. It is surprising for me, that these very Iranians whom I found to be extremely polite and peaceful, to the extent, that we Pakistanis living there labeled them as cowards, are today perceived as a bellicose nation and a threat to regional peace.

The world has gone wrong somewhere in understanding them or stereotyping them with other Islamic fundamentalists like the Talibans. It must be remembered that Islam has many faces, inspired by the many facets of personality of its prophet Muhammad. For example on one hand it has the countenance of a humble and forgiving person, who, in the hour of triumph, forgot all the miseries of years of persecution by the Quresh of Mecca, who ultimately forced him to migrate to Medina, and then tried to follow up their harassment there. In his hour of triumph, by one magnanimous gesture, he forgave them all. On another hand Islam has the face of an imparter of harsh justice, who mercilessly punished the Jews of Medina, with whom the Muslims had a pact to support them if Medina was attacked by the Quresh, but who betrayed the Muslims in their hour of peril.

Which face of Islam, any nation or group of Muslims dons depends on the cultural background of those people. The people of Afghanistan had a history of violence and bloodshed, and of living in a lawless frontier territory where warlords and their tribesmen had always been fighting with one another, and it was natural for them to adopt a militant and harsh form more akin to their cultural past. In Iran an enlightened scholastic face of Islam, in harmony with the rich culture and traditions of research and learning took its root, ultimately culminating in a revolution which started in schools of Islamic jurisprudence, and was led by a man who had established his credentials as a leading religious scholar.

There is need for the world to understand the Iranians better, and for the sake of peace in the region, it would be more beneficial both for Pakistan and India to try to bring a peaceful compromise between Iran and the rest of the world. Both Pakistan ad India, stand to suffer most from the spillovers of any military solution to the Iranian problem.