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Opinions

The Lessons of History

April 20, 2017
Firouz Farzani
3 min read
Theocracy is losing its grip, especially in cities. Since 80 percent of Iranians live in cities, this shift in mood is widespread
Theocracy is losing its grip, especially in cities. Since 80 percent of Iranians live in cities, this shift in mood is widespread
Reformists say football was once frowned upon, but now "any guy can play." For them, it's a sign of progress
Reformists say football was once frowned upon, but now "any guy can play." For them, it's a sign of progress
Many Iranian women lead modern secular lives behind a thin veneer of conformity to the mullah’s edicts
Many Iranian women lead modern secular lives behind a thin veneer of conformity to the mullah’s edicts

Interviewing reformist politicians should be easy. After all, there are plenty of pressing issues to ask them about. To name a few: gender inequality, the Islamic dress code, growing drug addiction, the lack of independent political parties and the gap between the Islamic Republic’s official “values” and what people really believe.

But do they have answers? Usually they start by recalling the time in pre-history when humans discovered fire and invented the wheel. Then they amble forward in time – revisiting accounts of Adam and Eve, Mohammed, the Shia Imam Ali and Islam arriving in Persia. Finally they get to the modern era in Iran – that is 1979 and the Revolution.  

Since then, they admit, young people have become disillusioned – but point out that after all, many young Americans are dissatisfied with President Trump. As if that makes it okay.

Press a little harder and they’ll say: “This is Iran. We don’t have a tradition of democracy. It takes time”...and blah blah blah. 

Recently I asked a reformist politician why Iran’s government insisted on approving every candidate allowed to run in our elections, even municipal ones.

“Voters who turn out to cast a ballot are boxed in,” I said. “They have no real choice. Just the usual roster of the tame and lame.”

“Compare that with – for example — the Paris City Council. Candidates simply run if they want to – and they come from across the spectrum – male, female, centrist, religious, Communist and, conservative and the hard right.”

Confronted with concrete examples, reformist politicians tend to take another deep dive into history.

“Well, Europe changed at a snail’s pace too,” they’ll say. “For centuries they were stuck in the Dark Ages. It took hundreds of years for individual rights and the rule of law to evolve.”

Then they remind you that it took until the 20th century for women in Britain and Europe to get the vote, and another hundred years for feminists to win equality before the law.

“Why are Iranians in such a rush?” they ask. “After all, we are emerging from 2,500 years of despotic rule. And after all, there has been progress.”

“Right after the Revolution the mullahs frowned on men playing football. Now, any guy can play. And so can women.  Okay, they can’t play if there are any men around, and women can’t attend national matches with their male friends...but all in good time.”

“Same with chess. Men were once barred from competing, but no longer. Nowadays women play too and even win championships.”

But do they really believe these piss-ant instances of liberalization will satisfy Iran’s educated and worldly young? It’s ridiculous – like offering breadcrumbs to a starving tiger.

Profound changes are transforming Iranian civil society. The once domineering theocracy is losing its grip, especially in cities. But 80 percent of Iranians live in cities – so that means most of us are affected.

Just look at the prevalence of so-called white marriages. That is, men and women who are friends decide to marry and move in together as a disguise for living independent lives, which include whatever sexual partners they feel like having.

I know women who flout Iran’s rules and live in their own apartments, read anything they like using proxy servers and wear inappropriate hijab. In short, they lead modern secular lives behind a thin veneer of conformity to the mullah’s edicts.

Meanwhile the theocracy chooses not to see what is happening. The clerics and their political allies rail against social changes that swept through Europe decades ago – co-habitation, for example – and pretend that Iran will be immune for another 200 years.

Don’t they realize that the pace of social change is accelerating and in this wired world, there is no way to shield Iran? 

That unless young people’s values are recognized in convention and in law, disobedience and dissatisfaction will grow. Eventually the state will lose all legitimacy and implode.

The conservatives and true-blue revolutionaries may choose to remain blind, but to the reformists who at least understand there’s a problem I say, “If you want to draw lessons from history, think back to the late 1970s. See the parallels? Sclerotic corrupt regime ignoring the popular will? Beware. As we know, it didn't end well.”

comments

Sohrabmmm
April 21, 2017

I wish others could read Firuze Farzani's blogs in Persian too

Sohrabmmm
April 21, 2017

How can I read the comments of others

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