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January 07, 2006
The way I see it
Well, here we are, in a new year of a young century. They say to learn about your future, you should study your past. The conflicts we are facing now have the same historic elements to them, just wrapped in new circumstances and new characters, But more than ever it's the same historic elements that we face, and more than ever we need good men and women to afford us our survival.
Living in this part of the world, this vast continent, it is easy to be uninformed, although they are so many new venues available to us to find the information. Americans have changed a great deal within the last thirty years that I have lived here. They have a better sense of the world and are not as isolated in their visions of other societies. The last two wars, and what happened at 911 has brought a new awakening to them of the complex issues of social and political life that people live with on the other side of the Oceans. They feel more exposed and more vulnerable to the rest of the world and hopefully that allows them more compassion and understanding of the wide differences in societies and their cultures..
The oceans do not protect us any more, and the hatred and jealousy of the others that are witness to our privileged ways of living has become the new reality of this age. We do live in the richest house in the neighborhood (as Thomas Friedman has said)of the world and if we do not come up with solutions for the rest of the neighborhood, we will feel the rage and that stains of materialistic and intelligent poverty of the other societies. I definitely believe that America's vision of the world and its middling's in its affairs is not Imperialistic as the simple minded ideologies of uninformed masses would say. It is visionary, and the future of this land and its survival depends on this new world order. Our gift to the rest of the world can not be anything but Freedom and democracy.
I was at a party not long ago where I was seating between two Physicians, and I was exposed to their belly achings. They were smiling as they were discussing how the whole motive behind the conflict in Iraq is for Oil and nothing else. Soon their voices got louder as they were confirming each other's sentiment, that although they live a privileged lives in this country, they were human enough to see the atrocities of Bush administration and how they felt for their fellow men . I looked across the table and saw my beautiful wife shaking her head, telling me not to say anything and since we were the hosts, I stayed quiet while itching so badly to give them a lesson in all the reasons that had brought us to Iraq and the conflict that we are involved.
I do make it my business to listen, to read and learn. I go across the Internet and find different opinions of many about the state of our living. I go further and read more, because I am interested and because I have to know. I always welcome a good discussion or a debate, as long as it is based on facts, and not sentiments. And I think, if I feel good enough about myself and my opinion to start preaching, I better be clear about my facts. There is a certain responsibility in putting words on paper or projecting an idea in a crowd. I expect the same from others. It is much easier to do otherwise.
The news of Ariel Sharon's illness and the effect it would have on the problems of the middle east and the world has shaken me. I have a certain admiration for Mr Sharon in his quest for peace, and hate to see that all he has done unravels. It's interesting that as Iranians, many of my friend, my contemporaries and I have been poisoned about the state of Israel and plights of the Jewish nation. When I came here like most of Iranian Moslem men of my generation, I did have a certain dislike for Israel and Jews. However after living in this
country I have a more positive and moderate opinion of them and what they have accomplished in the last fifty years. I also think what happened at 911 has brought us more sympathy and better realization of their plight. I have learned that the eternal conflict I have witnessed in my life between Moslems and Jews has a deep root in ignorance, hatred and geopolitical policies. As Mr Ahmadinejad(Iran's new president) put it so eloquently in his many speeches, the ultimate goal for Islamic ideology he represents is the inhalations of the Jewish state and all the Jews. And I wonder what would be next, probably Jihad against America and west, for in their opinion if you are not a Moslem you are a heretic, and deserving of death.
Unfortunately I still see the same bigotry amongst many Moslem friends against Israel and the right of Jews to live in an independent state. Mr Sharon is much despised amongst Moslems for what happened in Beirut, when the Christian militia slaughtered the Moslem Mojahedins. He was a general at that time and in war with Islamic fractions in Beirut. When he cam to power I was as apprehensive about what would be the result of his leadership and ideologies for Israel and Palestinians. But Mr Sharon came to accept that his main duty as a Prime Minister was to bring peace to the region. He had approved the policy of assassination of Hamas leaders and the opposition, one by one before, which helped the situation and now as a politician he had to come up with a form of diplomacy to bring Palestinians to the peace table. Giving up Gaza, and the most of the West bank, although very much against the popular opinion in Israel, was the main solution. He was brave enough to understand this and accept it. That is what made him an statesmen and brought an era of Seize fire and the road to peace initiatives. and that would be the main legacy of Ariel Sharon.
I hope his replacement would have the same vision and understanding to stay with the peace talks. As a Moslem I have been praying for his health, I think Palestinians should too, since he has been their worst enemy first and now their best friend.
Posted by Idinraha at January 7, 2006 10:49 AM
Comments
I enjoyed reading you article. Only one question: You identified yourself "as a moslem". Beside being born as one, what distiguishes you as moslem than others?
Posted by: LiveLife ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.idinraha.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at January 7, 2006 02:04 PM
Dear Fereydoon, I have been brought up as a Moslem, and Islam has a deep root within my conscious living.
But it is my own private Islam, the way I see it, and the way it helps me in my living. A very basic Islam that has been moderated as I am aging. Believing in God, striving to do good, and hoping that my life has helped others, praying and the closeness that I feel to my God, that is my Islam and I am a Moslem because of it.
Posted by: Idinraha at January 7, 2006 06:30 PM
I guess that means you believe Mohammad was sent by God and what is written in Koran is the word of God.
Posted by: LiveLife at January 7, 2006 10:55 PM
Do accept everything you were brought up with, or religion is passed by genetic coding?! If not please lets at least agree that what you are acknowledging is your SUB"concious living" and not consious
and may be those who have been "brought up to" hate Isreal also have their way of justifying that thinking "has a deep root within their (sub) conscious living."
I just think as self claimed intellectuals there is more expected of us if we really and eventually expecta solution to it all.
If I recall right, there was a Man who questioned the thinking that he was "brought up" with and thanks to him the earth is no longer flat!
Posted by: LiveLife at January 7, 2006 11:10 PM