Faramarz's Latest Rambling

Fort Hood Suspect Wanted a Wife: part 2

I heard he asked an Imam to help him find a wife. Personally I do not go to bearded men when looking for a wife. They are not my type. Specially the real hairy ones.

Fort Hood Suspect Wanted a Wife

I am not a doctor but I would perscribe a "Cold Shower" for that dude. Amazing that he is a doctor! Someone should have told that dude the Persian saying  {modified version} 

Kal agar tabib boodi ; Mokheh khod dawa namoodi" 

Anyway, could he not have gone to some Islamic country and got himself a wife? Or was he so crazy that not even they would give him a wife?

Re: Veiled...

I did not imply that Islam should be outlawed after the IRI. I am saying that Islam has lost a great deal of credibility amongst Iranians. I remember very well how in the late 1970's people thought: "The real Islam was going to fix all their problems" {thanks to Shariati and other unrealistic utopians}. So they got the real deal and saw for themselves. Now I see many Iranians give up the whole thing. Sometimes people need a jolt to wake up.

I would NEVER advocate banning Islam since that is exactly the fuel it needs to survive. I say let people practice what they want. However I do beleive that issuing fatwahs to do voilance to people must be banned. Any cleric issuing a fatwah asking people to do violance must be prosecuted in a civilian court and punished if found guilty.

Veiled...

I hope you are correct and that we see the end of the IRI sooner than later.  As far as its effect on Islam, it will remain to be seen.  As far as I am concerned, though, people should be left alone to practice whatever religion (or a lack thereof) they want.  In a new, democractic Iran, no one should be pushed aside based on his / her religion, ethnicity, sex, etc...  National conciliation is the key to building a participatory secular democracy. 

Fort Hood Suspect Wanted a Wife

Faramarz Jaan,

As I am looking at CNN's headline today: Fort Hood Suspect Wanted a Wife, I don't know if I should laugh or cry. The son of a bitch goes on a rampage and kills 13 people, including a pregnant woman, and somehow it is a religious duty.

I liked it better when those who were in dire need of a woman climbed trees and did not come down until someone found them a wife, as in Federico Fellini's masterpiece, Amarcord.

Re: Thanks Onlyiran you are right but

Do not despair. There is always utter darkness before day break. The deeds of IRI will bring it down. Mark my words. No government specially now a days is able to survive on terror. The IRI will fall and with it bring down Islam in Iran. In 1979 almost no one questioned Islam. Now there is no end to Iranians who either question or outright reject Islam. This is the most wonderful result of that disaster of a revolution.

The old guard is running scared and fighting back with all its might. But it will not work, they will soon be a part of history.

Dear Bijan

Thank you for your reply.  I will attempt to respond to the points you have made.  

Islam is the common denominator when you compare Islamic vs. non Islamic nations. In Islam, Sharia law is supreme.

Citizen of a country cannot obey 2 sets laws.  If you live in the U.S., you must obey the laws and constitution of the U.S.  Same goes for U.K. or any other secular democracy.  If Sharia law is thought to be supreme over all other laws, even in a secular democracy you will have problems.  An extreme case and point is the Fort Hood shooter. 

I am afraid Turkey is not a good example.  Look at what is happening now.  That nation is sliding back.  Fundamentalism is creeping its ugly head once again after 60+ years and all that Atatork did. As you know, Turkey for the most part has 2 regions; The Asian (Muslim) region and the European (Secular) region. Just look at the difference in these 2 areas.  The difference is night and day.

Islam teaches, breeds and rewards fundamentalism and intolerance.  As such it does not sit well with people who believe in liberty, freedom and pursuit of happiness.

Faramarz Khan,

My brave man who says it like he sees it. First of all I cannot refute any of the points you have made about Saudi Arabia and IRI. They are facts. But, I am struggling with the conclusion you draw. Facts are facts, a theocratic government or any government that’s influenced by religion cannot be democratic, period. But, would that condemn the religion? Or should it condemn the influence of religion in dictating the law of the land?. I believe the latter.

Even as a victim of Islamic society’s discrimination against non-muslims, I still believe Onlyiran is right in his comments. At the same time, I can sincerely appreciate your frustration with where our nation is now and easily draw the conclusion that if we were not a nation of muslims we would not be where we are today.  It is only logical to conclude this way, isn’t it? But, I tell myself, what about Turkey? Weren’t they (and aren’t they) a nation of muslims? Then, I realize it is not Islam (the religion) that is the source of the misery, it is Islamism.

I realize that we are only debating on this site, but, if there is any hope for Iran to become a secular society, it will only be thru educating the public about separation of church and state. You can never succeed by pointing to the shortcomings of someone’s belief system, NEVER.

I apologize if my post comes out as lecturing. That has never been my intent. I have always respected you as an open minded, no nonsense, and passionate poster.

Regards,

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No one disputes the facts

because that's not the issue.  The issue is whether or not those societal ills are solely related to the peopel's religion, and any sociologist will tell you that they are not.  Societies are complex entities, each with its own unique dynamic.  While religion and religious and / or psuedo-religious governance (in saudi Arabia's case) is a common factor in both of the countries that you cite, so is the fact that both of those countries are ruled by highly unpopular dictatorships with oil based economies that concentrates the country's wealth in th hands of a few in the ruling class.  I think that this factor has a much more profound influence on the facts that you raise in your blog than the country's religion.  Again, this type of governance breeds rsentement and pushes the population toward religious radicalization, which, again, as I mentioned, has become the sole political alternative in the Middle East.  Incidentally, I think that Saudi Arabia's government is a "dead man walking" sort of speak.  Just wait.  You haven't seen radicalization yet.  wait till that government falls and that country is taken over by Islamic extremists.  The saudi ruling family's chicken will come home to roost. It's only a matter of time. 

Re: Welcome to the party...

Good points.

I think the "agre of sacred" should have been named "age of scared". Because people were afraid to express their opinions. Now thaks to the internet we don't have to be scared! We get to say what we want. So there is no more sacred!! 

Anyway, one person's sacred is another person's  profane. Free exchange of ideas is a good thing. People, put on the asbestos suite or leave the kitchen!

Welcome to the party...

Bashing: To engage in harsh, accusatory, threatening criticism.

I am not really  into Satan worshipping, cross-dressing, tattoos, naming your child "Changeez", or smoking , or religion bashing, for that matter, but I am for the rights of the individuals to exercise any of the above.

Islam bashing,  is a very young exercise. If Islam is here to stay, it needs to survise  it's critics, who, for the first time, in 1400 years, thanks to the age of communication, can freely express themselves,without fear of punishment.

If it survives it- as many Moslems believe- good for them. I think the freethinker Moslems (if there are such people) would actually welcome this.

What is that religion that started in Iran some 150 years ago ? Yeah, Bahaii. Despite- or maybe because of- all the killings and lynchings, (and, yes, some bashings,too) they managed to grow from one,  to some 6,000,000 worldwide.

I have never heard a Bahaii complain about Bahaii bashing. There is a huge budget devoted to bashing Bahaii'at in Iran, and we all have been exposed to it since childhood. Hell we read Bahaii bashing blogs here just about every week. Some Bahaiis respond, but I have never heard one complain about "What is with all the Bahaii bashing?".

Anyway. It is the 21 st century. No matter what or who you are, a man, a God, an ideology, a revolution, a religion, or a historical figure,...no one is immune :

Someone out there will bash you.

The age of "the sacred" - fortunately, or unfortunately- is over.

Re: Not one of the stated facts is refuted yet

The reason is obvious. The facts you mention are true and very to verifiable. How can Therefore they have no option but to either agree or attack the messenger. This stuff used to work in old Iran because by their numbers and fanaticism they could overwhelm oppostion. However in the new world of internet and electronic media they are helpless. So they get angry and stamp their feet. It will be to no avail. Days of darkness are winding down.

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Not one of the stated facts is refuted yet

Of the 7 Islamist who rushed to personally attack me, not one was able to refute even one of the facts I stated.

From the get go, they started attacking the "messenger" if you will and not the "message".  This is MO of a typical Islamist.

Now they are making Islam into a race!!!!!   If all the Islamist where gathered somewhere and did in breeding for a few generations, yes, that may be true then.  Until then, Islam is a religion.

Re: Comment deletion policy

Deletion of comments is plain out censorship. There is no excuse for it. One of the greatest achievements of the US is freedom of speech. We should learn from it rather than go back to the European model of "lets not hurt anyone's feelings". I used to blog on BBC "have your say" and due to their policy of censorship I left it over a year ago and have not gone back. All censorship does is to destroy the credibility of the blog. People will move on to better blogs. It is a tough world out there, and we better have thick skins.

Comment deletion policy

I am utterly amazed at how some comments without any profanity gets deleted.

I wrote a response to this character HollyUSA which did not include any profanity.  Did it have personal attacks?  YES!  Did HollyUSA's comments include personal attacks?  Indeed.

So why is it that one remains posted while the other is deleted?!

I have never flagged any comment on here in the past 3 years.

I guess I have to start now.

I doubt VERY much if JJ himself is doing the deletions. 

Re: one thing that does bug me

You are absolutely right. I never understood how could the "intellectuals" of 60's and 70's in Iran possibly support an Islamic government. What about the: Christians; Jews; Bahai's; Hindus; or plain out Atheists? What makes the Muslims any better than others? Why should they are more rights and get all the good jobs? The whole philosophy is sick and rotten to the core. Thoese who supported this disaster and still do are dishonest or just plain afraid to admit their horrible mistake. A mistake OTHER people paid for.

If there is a judgment day these folks are in big trouble :-)

Re: He can tell the difference...

FF's avatar is a parody of the IRI flag. I know Islamists do not have a sense of humor but just read the fine writings on his avatar.

As for the racist charge, nonsense. Many Iranians oppose Islam and it does not make them racist. Islam is a religion {some say it is a cult} not a race. I am really sick of hearing Islamists and their left wing symphatizers in the west calling everyone who disagrees with them racist. It is the Islamists who are the real racists who never miss a chance to express their hatred of Jews.

In Islamic countries they shut down discussion with the threat of death {often acted upon}, and in the West they use policitcal correctness and false charges of racism to shut down honest discussion.

Faramarz Jan, THANK YOU!  Live long and prosper and keep exposing these hypocrites and frauds.

All of Faramarz's points are true and completely verifiable.

Past 1400 years of suffering is enough for the Iranian people. No more threats; no more shut down of criticism. We lost many real intellectuals to Islamist thugs. No more Mr. ncie guy! Islam is reaping the results of its own intolerance and violance muhammand unleashed upon the world. Now the world is pushing back. Every single act of violance done because of Islamic teachings is exposed on the internet and via satelite to the world to see. As a result fair minded; good people are leaving Islam in droves.

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No bashing

I was including Christianity and Judaism, both of whose judicial systems are based on ancient Jewish laws.  It was a summary attempt on my part to bring to attention the dangers of mixing church and state, as it had happened in the past in Europe, one of the results of which, incidentally, was the persecution of the Jews and the birth of the vile anti-Semitism that contiues to today.

Re: Since this is in response to my blog

you say: "When your judicial system is based on a 1400 year old Bedouin code or a 5000 year old Jewish tribal code,"

Why does there always have to be bashing of Jewish people?

Since this is in response to my blog

I guess I have to comment.  The problem is not in people practicing their faith.  Religion is a deeply personal matter, and it should remain as such.  The problem is when religion becomes part of the state, and that is what you see in Iran and Saudi Arabia.  When your judicial system is based on a 1400 year old Bedouin code or a 5000 year old Jewish tribal code, you will see floggings on the streets.  The challenge for all of us is not to bash the religion and call those who practice it brain washed terrorist morons.  The only result of that short sighted and emotional approach is alienation and radicalization, which is something that we really don’t need anymore in the Middle East.

As I said in my blog, secularization and democracy is the way forward.  Unfortunately, because of corrupt, despotic and incompetent rulers, religion has become the sole political alternative in the Middle East.  Some of those despotic rulers, like the IRI, have taken the upper hand by claiming religion as their own, and as the justification for their crimes against the people. Everything in the Muslim world today is being defined with a religious undertone, from the Arab / Israeli conflict to the Iraq invasion to the cost of bread at the local bakery.  And this is the direct result of a vacuum in secular leadership in the society.  Even you are guilty of this same mindset in that you’re describing socio-political conditions (which are results of a combination of factors) in those two countries based solely on their religion.  This is the exact mindset that we should be fighting against.

I think that everyone’s time is much better served in concentrating our efforts on bringing about secular democracies and separation of church and state in Iran and in the broader Muslim world.  It is a tough challenge, and will probably take at least one or two generations to accomplish. But it sure as hell won’t happen by bashing people’s religions and putting them on the defensive because of their faith.   

No matter how much

you state the obvious, people do not get it. They blame not the cult itself, but those who misuse it.

The list that FF has presented is a great representation of the corrupt nature of this religion. Can anyone deny that these practices are NOT sanctioned by Islam? If the "defense" is the interpretaion, then, is it not the essence of the religion that opens the door for these intrepretations?

Like I said yesterday, no one is saying other religions are any better (actually all are at this stage of the human history) than Islam, but they did not wipe out our culture and civilization before them, Islam did.

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IRAN BEFORE ISLAM 

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Faramarz and HollyUSA

Well said, Faramarz, and a huge thank you for trying to wake up the dead, that being Iranian muslims, from their 1,000 year dream of behesht and Imam Hussein.

And HollyUSA writes: "I am a proud EX Muslim; & a Thankful Iranian-American. (this one is a COMPLETE lie - I bet you there is not a single person with a single drop of moslem blood in his entire extended family 200 generations back)"

I would think that's something to be VERY proud of by true Iranians, to not have a "single drop of Muslim blood in his entire family for 200 generations back." I wish I could say that! Honestly!

Faramarz -- keep up the good work!

LONG LIVE THE GLORY OF KUROSH 

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He can tell the difference...

between a religion and a dictatorship under the guise of religion. It is just that in Iran's case 1) He hates Moslems 2) It doesn't serve his agenda to admit that there is a difference.

I don't know why the rest of you even post comments on this dude's blogs. He is clearly a racist. I gave up on him after he blogged "Jews rule the world. Because they are smarter than you.  They are
better than you.  They work harder than you.  Learn to deal with it.
Its the way its going to be for a long time to come." (and I responded to him accordingly.)

Here is a list of his blog titkes that he has under his very proud belt:

Israel and the Jews rule the world; deal with it

Did Imam Hossein die in Karbala or because of an Opium overdose?

Islam; Chapter 7 bankruptcy. IRI in chapter 11

Jews; God's gift to radical Islam

I am a proud EX Muslim; & a Thankful Iranian-American. (this one is a COMPLETE lie - I bet you there is not a single person with a single drop of moslem blood in his entire extended family 200 generations back)

Dream of Islam Free Iran coming true

Just look at his Avatar. I don't care if that is the symbol on the IRI flag, it reads and in no unclear fashion, ALLAH. Can you imagine the drama if a moslem blogger's avatar was the Star of David noted with equally flatterrig adjectives as his bears? Dear God, the entire board of directors of AIPAC would come knocking law suit in hand.

Friends, I've said it before, I don't care much for religion myself, ANY RELIGION. I merely respect the individual's right to practice theirs privately. But this guy's behavior is disgusting, ansolutely hateful and should not be entertained. I suggest you all boycott his blogs. If he comments on other people's blogs, ignore. He will shut up once you stop feeding his hatred.

M&P / Bavafa

M&P thanks for the laugh: I loved that comment! 

Mehrdad jan, if someone can't tell the difference between a dictatorial government and people's faith, you shouldn't really try this hard to educate them: that is one task where obviously many have failed already! 

IRANdokht

Bavafa, no one can help the Moron

some are just beyond help. When you've gone blind with rage and bigotry, it's hard to get normal sight back.

Can some one PLEASE PLEASE

Can some one PLEASE PLEASE help this moron understand the difference between a theocratic/dictatorship regime from a religion, or is he beyond help?

Mehrdad

P.S.

I find myself in a strange position to defend religion knowing that I have ever been religious, far more atheist if any at all. But that has never been a reason for me to insult/bash any religion and in my book they are all essentially the same, a means to brain wash and control masses.

Mehrdad