Is PanIranism good or Bad?
Are you loyal to Iran independence and resistant to Pan-Iranism?
I’ll tell you that I am!
I know that pan-Iranism has got its own supporters, and it has been moderately growing among Persian youngsters mostly but the sad part is when pan iranism advocated by green movement leaders to penetrate the society to gain the state power!! Last night I got the chance to overview the urge behind this green color, finally I remembered why I can’t accept that this green was the sacred religious one, but it has been inspired with the green background color of pan-Iranists symbol.
In my point of view most of people who are sympathetic to pan-iranism are after new territorial order, however most of pan iraninists depend on foreigners solidarity, mostly western elites. They ignore the fact that foreign support wont come until they sacrifice their independent political identity, which is happening now for pan iranist greeners.
We should understand that there are different tribes and ethnics living in Iran and historically Pan Iranism never stopped the chronic infighting between kurds, Turks (Azeri Iranians), or Arab and ajam in Iran but as we see one strong state power with Islamic identity united them all within Iran.
Pan Iranism is nothing but a conflict point which increases the sense of differences between Iranians. You would sense the feeling of racial inequality by even a glimpse at their symbol.
Nonetheless developing a national identity is not bad if we know our real nation-wide identity!
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Pan Iranism started in the contemporary history, and there are times when a very vital nationalistic movemtn conpensates for the weaknesses in a nation, calling them for acheiving higher goals of national interest. It could as well, send reseve messages to the ones who do not exactly share the same interest.
Some think that the umberella that could shelter the I*ranians is the distorted version of religion imposed by the regime upon all Iranians, and preached as the sole affiliation of Iranians as a nation, as individuals and as possessors of distincttive tribes and ethnicities, practicing a diverse set of religions and beliefs, with a very distinct population of non-believers, the ones who do not find going to heaven the main agenda of their lives.
It is true that religion could at moments be a help and inspiration to a people, but when that religion is forced upon every one, with the veils and regulations, when it is called the only way, when every one else is pushed aside, when there is no opportunity to convert to other religions, when Bahais with a religion close to the rest of Iranians are persecuted the way they are, when thbe Sunnis are paying a very high price for not being Shiite under this umberella, when the rest of Shiite sects are being suppresses and severed by the sect of Shiiote that is ruling, when that sect of Shiite is too politicised top sound or look natural or honest, .. under all these conbditions, you find the green movement and the green unberella that brings people together, an unberella that is not mjeant to be a foe to fellow Sunni Iranians, an unberella that incluses the Bahai Iranians, that respects woemn and freedom of speech and practice, an umberella that belngs to all Iranians and it is meant to join all other umnberellas in the Middle East to support freedom and the civil values of mankind regardless of their race, color, religion, sect, political affiliation, the countriy they belong.
I am a Czech. Czechs are a Slavic nation. About 150 years ago, many Western and Southern Slavs were dominated by German empires, and a notion similar to pan-Iranism, in our case, pan-Slavism, was very popular in the intellectual circles.
It turned out not to be a good idea. The fact that, 15 centuries ego, all Slavs were a single tribe and that their languages are – to some degree – mutually intelligible until today – could not bridge several hundred years of divergent development. In fact, the 1945-1989 period, when Russia had the greatest power over the Western and Southern Slavs, was arguably the worst. After 1989, not just the Western and Southern Slavs (Czechs, Slovaks, Poles, Serbs) escaped the former system with great enthusiasm, and even the Ukrainians, who are pretty close to the Russians from the linguistic and cultural point of view, are strongly determined to keep a separate identity now.
Given this bad experience, I wouldn’t recommend pan-anything to anyone. The differences arose for a reason. I can’t imagine how the rather secular university-educated urban Iranian middle class could find many things in common with Pastho mountain people who rely on subsistence farming and grazing in the middle of Hindu Kush, and many of whom have never seen a non-Quran book in their lifetime, let alone a Web site like mideastyouth.com.
To Elinor:
will you define distorted version here for us?.. Iranians love islam and they have proved their loyalty to islam since they embraced islam thousand years ago, otherwise Iranians would have changed their mind if they found it forceful.imposed idea ., people like you think any one else’s belief is distorted but yours. those who try to force their own distorted ideology on others and call it democracy…….such a distorted democracy !
There is no compulsion in religion, but when majority want to have islamic state you as a minority have no say on it and have to bow down to the majority’s decision (98% yes vote for islamic republic of Iran) even after 30 years the number of Iranians who pour into the street to pray behind the supreme leader is way larger than those you call them greeners.
But your other accusations shows that you are blind completely towards Iran society..where and when in iran sunnies have to pay high price under shia government..what you say is shallow claim came from your hatred towards iranian religious atmosphere and probably Muslim totally, where we celebrate Unity week among shia and sunnies the only country that sunni and shia live peacefully .. when you claim something try to back it up always…seems you have forgotten that there are sunni governors in sunni populated cities , sunni parliament representatives sunni fiqh being studied as university course, about bahaies…bahaiees case are different individuals dislike bahaism not the people and show us where they have executed them brutally!! except the espionage cases with a few Baha’i involvement in,( however before revolution individuals were more sensitive and intrusive to bahies.)
i dont see green movement capable of integrating different people …. I am afraid to say what i have seen with my own eyes their number is dropping down dramatically day by day …
To Marian,
You got my point about being pan-anything ………it s what we see in pan arabism….many Arabs as well..have lost their faith in pan arabism……..because it s only about infighting and competing to get the leadership ……pan-.something will bring destruction rather than construction
Samimaneh,
If someone would like to convert to another religion is that possible? So where is that ” There is no compulsion in religion?”
If the tolls you are talking about apply to now, why wouldn’t this great regime backed by the ones like you would agree with an internationally supervised referandum to see what Iranians really want now that 30 years had been passed from the days their freedom seeking movement was hijacked by the opportunitst you bow down to?
I am not a Sunni Muslim, and I will not speak on their behalf, but if a Iranian Baluchi Or Kurd, or Arab Sunni was here to answer you back, that would have been great. In fact on the same forum we have people who just fled Iran because of the ways Sunnis were being treated, and the same screwed up mentality is now in the position of power, as the one and only that would not share authiority even with its own shadow, I promise you that this is not going to be the case for so long because never pressure worked for a long long period, things will change, one way or the other.
About the Bahais, we do have Bahais on the forum, to tell you how they find themselves spoiled under the IRI. Whether or not they decide to talk to you doesn’t change the facts, the way they are treated is known to every one, recently a wonderful lady from the same forum you and I belong to introduced me to an Iranian Bahai and it would be great if you hear what he has to say about his school years, his perrished grandfather and his confiscated properties, his pains are enough to make an Iranian so ashamed of just reclining without moving to revive the lost case of the rights of the Iranian Bahais.
I don’t call you blind, I find you someone who finds it more comfortable to close her eyes and ignore all the upheavals, the stuggling youth on the streets who are boldly and peacefully opposing what the regime that you back has imposed unrightfully upn each and every Iranian.
Wake up and smell the coffee!