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November 26, 2007
Once again, the town I loved
That is the title of a beautiful book by Reza Ebrahimi. raw sentiments of a man toward his hometown at a new beginning. The book is written with such heartfelt longing that it does crawl under your skin and shake your bone. I read t in my teens, leaving in Tehran, My town, but as a young man who had never left all he had, and was secure within the everyday habits of his life, I could not have understood it as I do now.
It is so very hard to separate our culture from our religion. Although in my business life I have come across many of my Jewish friends that are truly Iranians although they practice. The high school I used to attend was primarily a Seventh Day Adventist school that also accepted Muslim and Jewish students. We started each day with a prayer in the small Chapel. There was a great tolerance toward other religions but this was Uptown. This was were upper Middle class lived. The rate of education was high amongst the heads of the house holds. Mostly Doctors, or high ranking government employees, and of course the entrepreneur merchants that owned factories or were involved in export and import.
If you travelled for an hour toward down town, you would notice how the scenery changed. and if you went further another half an hour, getting close to the Gates of the Old Tehran, then the change was much more drastic. You had to pass Bazaar before you got there, and Bazaar was probably a two miles square compound of wholesalers of raw materials like Iron products, netting wire, wool, Fabrics, paper, and many more. Some of the most powerful, richest Merchants had started in Bazaar as an apprentice, and had made their millions by their Forties or fifties. These were mostly smart, shrewed individuals who had learned their trades in the school of hard knocks. Many of them did not know how to read or write, some younger ones had attended elementary and maybe even high school.
Bazaar was the heart of the economic power of Iran. And amongst these merchants they controlled over billions of
dollars worth of commodities and trade. About ninety percent of these merchants were practicing Muslims, and mostly quite devoted to their religion. You had to wear your religion on your sleeve to be successful amongst them. You had to attend the afternoon prayers at the local Mosque, and be seen there. You had to give away your Zakat(5% of your earnings) or Sahme Imam ( Share of the Imam from your earnings). You had to attend overnight Ahya (sermons at the Mosque during the holly month of Ramadan, and Ashura and Tasoa ceremonies). You would throw dinners for all the attendance of the Mosque during the holly month, and you would do this all brazenly in front and showing. Once you had accumulated enough wealth that you had no debts, you also would go to Mecca for Haj ( every Muslim is obligated to go to Mecca at least once in their lives to pay respect to the house of God and participate in religious rituals there) and once you come back from Haj you would add the word Hajji (someone who has been to haj ) to your name and off course that would elevate your position amongst the other merchants.
Most of these Merchants would have lavish houses uptown, and commuted to work every day in their latest European or American cars. Their kids would be exposed to the more modern ways of life amongst the educated Doctors engineer's kids and they attend some of the best schools and even go to universities. Some of the Hajjis become exposed to European lives by their wives and kids, and even might enjoy a beer or a drink at night. Their religions would start to lose its grip as their standing elevated amongst their peers uptown. But these Hadji's kept their appearances, many would never wear a tie with their suites, many would have a two day stubble's, and of course the mark that their MOHR ( the stone you push your forehead against while you are kneeling and praying)
on their foreheads.
Some would add a bit of a spice to their double life by having a woman on the side quietly. they would buy her an apartment in mid town, and pay for her living. They could have a SIIGHEH ( a man can marry a women for a period of time, that was preset by agreement of the two parties. By reading a certain Surret from Quran in which the woman agrees and accepts that she is willing to become a short term wife, and union was not sin and accepted by the religion.). The man would have full control of such a union and he could release her and himself by simply
telling her that he is done and she s divorced. There are many tails, stories in Iranian books and movies of the tragedies that are caused by this ritual. Many of these women became pregnant, and many kids were born and raised in such situations.
-will continue
Posted by Idinraha at November 26, 2007 11:15 AM