Musings of a former chicken

Islam, Fundamentalism, Liberal Islamism, and Democracy

1. Yes. Yazdi was a very close adviser to Khomeini. He has realized the horrible mistake that the vf regime has made. Therefore, he can tell other Islamists to NOT make the hellish mistakes that he and other supporters of Khomeini made. The creators of Islamic theocratic regime have brought a true reactionary fascistic brutal savage rule to Iran. It is not clear at what price the Iranian people can put an end to this hellish nightmare. By providing his advice to the Islamist leader of Tunisia, Yazdi is sharing our nightmare with him, so that he may avoid it for the people of Tunisia.

2. Actually, unfortunately, Islamic teaching and culture are NOT based on pluralism and acceptance of tolerance. If they were, then we would not have observed so much brutal savage tyrannies all over in our histories. But to have democracy, we do need to learn about tolerance, and pluralism and respect for the RIGHTS of others. The AKP in Turkey is taking interesting steps in this regards.

Many thoughtful liberal Islamists such as Ayatollah Taleghani and Bazargan did try to combine pluralism and liberal interpretation of Islam. Dr. Shariati’s legacy remains open to discussion, because he did not live under the vf regime, so we do not know for fact how he would have behaved. His family, under the leadership of his father, strongly supported Bani Sadr, and opposed Khomeini and his fascistic tyrannical Islamic Republican Party. Based on these, one may infer that if Shariati was alive after the revolution, he would have opposed Khomeini and might have been executed. After the coup against Bani Sadr, the fundamentalists viciously attacked the home of Shariati and ransacked it.

Yazdi is regarded by many as one of the worst members of Nehzat Azadi. The best being Shariati, Taleghani, and Bazargan.

3. Neither Islam, nor Christianity, nor Judaism promoted democracy. A theocracy based on any religion (especially Abrahamic faiths), by its very nature as well as ALL the actual histories of them, been utter dictatorships.

Political parties could be religious (Jewish, Christian, and Islamic) and not be a mortal threat to freedom, democracy, and human rights, only and only if, they unequivocally accept the legitimate existence of ALL beliefs (atheism, agnostic, and various interpretations of their own religion, as well as all other religions), full civil liberties for all such beliefs, and free and democratic and periodic elections for all parties. If the religious parties win, they would accept all the civil liberties of their opponents. And if they lose the following election, they would leave power peacefully.

The experience of Khomeini has proven that Khomeini and all his supporters were fascistic brutal tyrants. One can be a democrat only if he or she begins by criticizing and condemning Khomeini, his political system, and his fascistic practices.

The experience of Hamas has also proven that Hamas is a terribly tyrannical group.

We will have to see what will happen in Turkey. So far, with some caveats, AKP has been democratic. Lets hope that Turkey’s democratization process continues successfully.

We will also have to see whether al Nahzat in Tunisia will follow the path of AKP in Turkey or the dictatorial path of Khomeini and Hamas. Perhaps more significant will be Egypt.

The movement of Islamist parties from dictatorship and embrace of pluralism and democracy would be a giant step for democracy in the Middle East and north Africa.

The questions remains whether these Islamist parties will become fundamentalist (i.e., Khomeini’s path) or liberal Islamist (AKP, Melli-Mazhabi, NA).

My 2 cents,

Masoud

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Een Yazdieh Khoda be Joon Zadeh Bere Ghomshe

He was one of the first meanest,ugliest faces of the Revolution. I don't think he's in the position to advise anyone.

آقای دکتر یزدی یک بند را فراموش کردند

و آن هم بند تنبانی بنام "حکومت اسلامی" که دایی جان خمینی بافت.

Nehzate Azadi

I agree with you partially. I agree that in a democracy everyone should be respected and have the right to express themselves. However, this does not preclude an honest historical judgment on Nehzate Azadi ie the people you mentioned. 

Nezate Azadi bears a big responsibility for the Mulla's regime. They are the ones who popularized political islam and the myth of "democratic Islam". Soon after their formation, they supported Khomeini in his 1962 movement. The main Jebhe Melli members such as Shapour Bakhtiar did not support Khomeini then, and were aware of his undemocratic demands. Over the next 30 years, nehzate Azadi was completely aligned with Khomeini and where his main bridge to the minds of young people and the so called "intellectuals". During the revolution, Bazargan and the rest of Nehzate Azadi betrayed Bakhtiar, who understood the risk of a theocracy and provided the last chance for a secular democratic government. The rest is history. They will be judged for their role in bringing the Mullas to power. 

Courage of Yazdi, Bazargan, ayatolla Shariatmadari / Montazeri

These people were part of the IRI, were mollah or almost mollah ... they could have had it all (like the current IRI rulers) if they had just shut up in the face of evil.

But they did not ... and lost all their life in the process.

That is courage. That is conviction!

We can disagree with them, but we should respect them!

That would be democratic.

پند گند یزدی!

سوالات گندیده:
<ما> کیست؟ منش و شخصیت یعنی چه؟ شاه درون و برون چه فرقی دارند؟ حلقه منحوسه را کجا آویزان میکنند؟ مردم سالاری چه صیغه ای است؟ آیا شاه درون ۳۰۰۰ میلیارد تومان از مملکت خارج کرد ویا شاه برون؟ باز <کش> این <باد کش> باز شد و گندکار در آمد تا کامنت بعدی!

یتیم و بی خوار برادر در قلم!

Yazdi Goh Khord

Takes quiet a nurve for someone like Ebrahim Yazdi to even open his piehole let alone give us advise.

Of responses

شما، فرد نازنین، از طرف اینجانب وکیل تام الاختیار هستی‌ که هر
جوابی که دوست داری به نام منِ گردن شکسته ثبت کنی‌؛ به شرطی که قول بدی
وقتی‌ که سایت جدید راه اندازی شد، منو توی بلاگات راه بدی.....چون اینجوری
که از ظواهر امور پیداس، ما ملت حالا حالا‌ها توی این دنیای مجازی پلاس
خواهیم بود و تازه میخوان براش یه سفارتخونه هم واز کنن...

پاسخ به سوالات برادر فرد

جواب ۱: به هیچ وجه

جواب ۲: به هیچ وجه

جواب ۳: صد در صد  

For an Islamic democracy