From Iran, more matter (II)

Here is Robert D. Kaplan in an article for the Los Angeles Times. I found it in the Turkish Newspaper "Todays Zaman" and thought it written by a Turk while reading it. The article has a lot of information about Sunnites and Shiites and the postive role a moderate islamic regime in Tehran could play.

From Iran, more matter

Islam and democracy are incompatible is the contrast to Mousavi's letter. It is quoted in an article of the New York Times about Ahmadinejad (dated June 24):

At the same time, Ayatollah Muhammad Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi, Mr. Ahmadinejad’s spiritual mentor, runs three powerful educational institutions in the holy city of Qum, all spun off from the Haqqani seminary, which teaches that Islam and democracy are incompatible.

As another contrast to Mousavi's letter here is a story that is circulating in the web, too. It is more critical with traditional Islam and openly says that the West is very like the Paradise.

The story is called Battle of The Melody. The full text is in a blog that is run by somebody that calls him- or herself Kafirtiti.

It is also in Infidel Blogger's Alliance where Khomeini is quoted as saying





An Islamic regime must be serious in every field. There are no jokes in Islam. There is no humour in Islam. There is no fun in Islam.

Here is a small part of Battle of The Melody:

2. The West had ships that carried goods from hither to thither. They created large birds of steel, that could fly them to and fro, over a great many miles. The West also had music, beautiful music, played skilfully by well-trained musicians. And many other ways to entertain themselves.
3. Compared to the House of Allah and his prophet, may wasps nest in his stomach for eternity, the West was very like the Paradise written in their holy book, which told of Virgins, and rivers of wine and endless pleasures, if the believers would but die and kill for Allah.
4. And it made the lawless savages angry, because they must die and kill in order to attain the very Paradise which already was in the West!
5. And so it came to pass, that the Sons of Allah would go out from their House, and travel to the West.

From Iran, and not to be forgotten

Some words and pictures that went around the world after the elections in Iran (on June 12, 2009) should not be forgotten. Around that day I happened to have my first experiments with Twitter. Here the stream of disturbing news did not end. It flew from a country where the government turned violent against it's own people - people obviously with no extreme ideas or radical intentions.

I would like to remember the dramatic last tweets from Persiankiwi. I read it on my computer and later found it printed out in a blog that collects words and images like my blog does.

Persiankiwi blogged the following on June 24, around noon local time. There were no new tweets from him or her since then.


just in from Baharestan Sq - situation today is terrible - they beat the ppls like animals -I see many ppl with broken arms/legs/heads - blood everywhere - pepper gas like war -they were waiting for us - they all have guns and riot uniforms - it was like a mouse trap - ppl being shot like animalssaw 7/8 militia beating one woman with baton on ground - she had no defense nothing - #Iranelection sure that she is deadso many ppl arrested - young & old - they take ppl away -ppl run into alleys and militia standing there waiting - from 2 sides they attack ppl in middle of alleysall shops was closed - nowhere to go - they follow ppls with helicopters - smoke and fire is everywherephone line was cut and we lost internet - #Iranelection - getting more difficult to log into net -rumour they are tracking high use of phone lines to find internet users - must move from here now - #Iranelection - reports of street fighting in Vanak Sq, Tajrish sq, Azadi Sq - now - #Iranelection - Sea of Green - Allah Akbarin Baharestan we saw militia with axe choping ppl like meat - blood everywhere - like butcher - Allah Akbar -they catch ppl with mobile - so many killed today - so many injured - Allah Akbar - they take one of usthey pull away the dead into trucks - like factory - no human can do this - we beg Allah for save us -Everybody is under arrest & cant move - Mousavi - Karroubi even rumour Khatami is in house guardwe must go - dont know when we can get internet - they take 1 of us, they will torture and get names - now we must move fast -thank you ppls 4 supporting Sea of Green - pls remember always our martyrs - Allah Akbar - Allah Akbar - Allah AkbarAllah - you are the creator of all and all must return to you - Allah Akbar -

I would also like to keep in mind a touching letter that Mir Hossein Mousavi sent to his followers on June 20. Not everybody likes his faithful comradeship with the late Ayatollah Khomeini. He mentions him frequently in his letter.

But Mousavi says you can preserve your spirituality while living a modern life and, in saying so he reconciles the old religious way with the new secular way that people more and more seem to prefer.

I quote the translation of TehranBroadcast.

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Surely God commands you to make over trusts to their owners and that when you judge between people you judge with justice [Quran, 4:58]

The honorable and intelligent people of Iran,

These days and nights mark a crucial point in the history of our nation. People ask among themselves and also ask me what we should do and what direction we should take. I see it as my duty to share with you what I believe, to tell you and learn from you, so we would not forget our historical mission and not shrug off the responsibility that the fate of the ages and generations has bestowed upon us. Thirty years ago a revolution took place in our country in the name of Islam; a revolution for freedom, a revolution for reviving the dignity of human beings, a revolution for honesty and righteousness. In these years, particularly when our wise Imam [ayatollah Khomeini] was still alive, huge resources have been spent on strengthening its blessed foundations, may it be lives, material assets and reputations, which has led to valuable achievements. Our society was overwhelmed by a spirituality that we had not experienced before and our people found a new life that was sweet for them, although they went through the hardest of times. What they had achieved was dignity, freedom and the start of a pure life. I am sure that whoever experienced those days will not be satisfied with anything less.
Had we as a people lost something that made us unable to experience such a spiritual atmosphere anymore? I had came [as a candidate for the elections] to say that it is not so; it is not late yet and we are still not far away from that spiritual environment. I had came to show that you can preserve your spirituality while living a modern life. I had came to repeat our Imam’s [ayatollah Khomeini’s] warnings about fundamentalism. I had come to say that diversion from the law would result in dictatorship; to remind that respecting human dignity does not weaken the foundations of the establishment, but strengthens it. I had came to say that people expect their civil servants to be honest and sincere, and that many of our problems arise from lies and dishonesty. I had came to say that under-development, poverty, corruption, and injustice is not our destiny. I had came to invite you once again to the Islamic Revolution as it was, and the Islamic Republic as it should be.

My invitation was not eloquent but the true message of the revolution was so pleasant that it excited the young generation, even through my lame words, a generation that had not experienced those days and found a distance between themselves and that rich heritage. It resulted in scenes similar only to what I had seen in the days of the revolution and holy defense [Iran-Iraq war]. The spontaneous movement chose the color green as the symbol among themselves. I hereby confess that I was the one who followed them in this regard. A generation that is accused to be distant from religious foundations chose "Allah-u Akbar" [God is great], "Help is only from god, and victory is close" [from the Quran], and "ya Hossein" as their slogans, and they used Khomeini’s name to show that the fruits of this blessed tree are similar in all generations. They only came to these by following their own nature. How unfair are those whose petty interests make them ignore this miracle of the Islamic Revolution and call it a "velvet revolution" influenced by foreign entities.

But as you know, we all encountered lies and cheating in our path to achieving the wishes in the hearts of our young and old and a national rebirth; what we had predicted as the eventual result of diverging from the law actually happened in the most explicit manner in the closest of times.
The high turnout in the recent elections was first and foremost the result of efforts in creating hope and trust in people that there will be a suitable response to the management crises and massive social dissatisfactions whose accumulation can undermine the foundations of the revolution and establishment if not addressed properly. If this optimism and trust of the people would not be responded by safeguarding their votes, or if they cannot defend their rights in a peaceful and civil manner, then we will fall in a dangerous path. The responsibility of such circumstances shall be with those who cannot tolerate peaceful reactions.

If the huge volume of rigging and manipulating votes, that has burned away people’s trust, would itself be used as a means to deny the cheating, then the republic essence of the establishment would be undermined and the inconsistency of Islam and democracy would be practically proven. Such an achievement would overjoy two groups; one is those who opposed the Imam from the first years of the revolution and and consider an Islamic government to be a dictatorship of the righteous and wrongfully want to force people into heaven, and the other consists of those who claim to defend the right of the people and see religion and Isalm as an obstacle in achieving democracy. The extraordinary achievement of the late Imam was to nullify both of these curses. I had come to, following the Imam’s path, cancel the efforts of the magicians who had emerged again.

Currently the officials have, by approving what happened in the elections, accepted all responsibility for it. They have set a limit for the extent of the results of any further investigation into the ballots: that it would not result in annulling the elections and would not change the outcome, even though in more than 170 electoral districts, the number of votes is more than the number of eligible voters.

We are asked to follow our complaints through the guardian council. This is while the guardian council has proven not to be impartial in its actions, before, during and after the elections, and the first condition for any kind of judgment is neutrality.

I still strongly believe that a request of annulling the elections is a definite right that we should pursue through a neutral and nationally trusted committee. It should not be dismissed as impossible beforehand. People should not be prevented from any kind of rallies and demonstrations by suggesting the possibility of bloodshed. The national security council should not divert attention from itself when asked about the plain-clothes forces and their role in attacking people, damaging public property, and causing tension in public gatherings, and blame others for the disasters that have taken place.

When I look at this setting, I see it as a preparation for goals beyond imposing an unwanted government upon people, but as a means of imposing a new political lifestyle on the country. As a companion that has seen the beauty of your wave of green presence, I will not allow myself any action that may result in lives being endangered. But I also insist on my strong belief that the elections are invalid, and I will persist on attaining the people’s rights. Despite the limited capabilities and resources that I have access to, I believe that with your motivation and creativity you can continue to pursue your legitimate rights in new civil faces and forms, and achieve them. I assure you that I shall stay by your side. What this brother of yours suggests in seeking these new solutions is not letting liars and cheaters steal your flag in defense of the Islamic establishment, and do not let untrustworthy strangers confiscate the valuable heritage of the Islamic Revolution which is a resource which we have payed for by the blood of you righteous fathers. From now on continue the pursue of you rights with trust in God and hope in the future and reliance on your capabilities, while abiding by the constitution and the principle of non-violence. In this path we are not against the basijis; they are our brothers. We are not against the Revolutionary Guards; they are the safeguards of our revolution and establishment. We are not against the army; they ensure the safety of our national borders. We are not against our sacred establishment and its legal structures. These structures preserve our freedom, liberty and Islamic Republic. We are against lies and diversions and we aim to reform them; a reform that brings us back to the pure principles of the the Islamic Revolution.

We advise the officials to not only allow peaceful demonstrations, based on article 27 of the constitution, but to encourage them, in order to ensure peace and safety in the streets, and to lift the restrictions from the national television so it may stop its insults, and one-sided coverage. They should let the voices turn into arguments, and constructive debates, and be corrected and modified by being expressed in free media, before they turn into shouts. Let the press criticize, report the news as it is and, in short, give people a free environment where they can express their agreements and disagreements. Let those who like to shout "Allah-u Akbar" and do not consider that as disagreement with yourself. Obviously if this happens, there will be no need for having police and armed forces in the streets, and we shall not encounter events that seeing them or hearing about them would break the heart of any one who loves the revolution and the country.

Your brother and companion - Mir Hossein Mousavi

A Potsdam Conference

My Turkish friend "Nureddin", known to the readers of my Quran-Blog under this pen name, and I will go to Potsdam tomorrow. We will participate in a Jewish-Christian-Muslim conference that deals with the thoughts and teachings of Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish contemporary Philosopher.


"Today's Zaman" from Istanbul is reporting today. Zaman means "time".

Academics to discuss Gülen movement in Germany

The University of Potsdam's Institute of Religion and the Forum for Intercultural Dialogue Berlin are organizing an international conference on “Muslims Between Tradition and Modernity -- The Gülen Movement as a Bridge Between Cultures.” The conference, which will be held at the University of Potsdam on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, is supported by the German Orient-Institute, the Abraham Geiger College and the Protestant Academy of Berlin. The conference is hoped to provide a platform for the objective and rigorous examination of the activities of the Gülen movement. It is the first of its kind in that it has no Turkish or Muslim names on its editorial board, which instead features academics such as Professor Karl-Josef Kuschel from Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Professor Christina von Braun from Berlin's Humboldt University and Professor Markus Witte from the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt. The organizers of the conference have referred to Fethullah Gülen as one of the voices that have promoted peaceful coexistence in Europe and throughout the world.

Over 20 academics will present papers at the two-day conference. The first panel of the conference will discuss whether the Gülen movement can offer a solution for the problem of European Muslim integration. Professor Karel Steenbrink of Utrecht University will present a paper titled “A Turkish Solution for a Dutch Problem.” Participants at the conference will also discuss whether dialogue can help overcome the clash of civilizations. In this part of the conference Professor Reuven Firestone will present a paper titled “Religious Identity in a Competitive, Pluralistic World: Cultural Capitalism, the Gülen Movement and Religious Education,” and Professor Claudia Derichs will present her impressions and findings from the activities of the Gülen movement in Australia. Professor Johann Hafner will discuss attitudes toward apostasy as a criterion of religious tolerance, whereas Dr. Klas Grinell will try to read Fethullah Gülen as a political thinker as a postcolonial option in reference to conservatism and democracy. Journalist and academic Dr. Reiner Hermann will assess the place of Fethullah Gülen and the movement named after him in modern Turkey.

25.05.2009 News TODAY'S ZAMAN

A Poem by John Updike (and a weak German translation)

Fine Point
December 22, 2008

Why go to Sunday school, though surlily,
and not believe a bit of what was taught?
The desert shepherds in their scratchy robes
undoubtedly existed, and Israel's defeats -
the Temple in its sacredness destroyed
by Babylon and Rome. Yet Jews kept faith
and passed the prayers, the crabbed rites,
from table to table as Christians mocked.

We mocked, but took. The timbrel creed of praise
gives spirit to the daily; blood tinges lips.
The tongue reposes in papyrus pleas,
saying, Surely - magnificent, that "surely" -
goodness and mercy shall follow me all
the days of my life, my life, forever.


Feinschrift
22. Dezember 2008

Warum zur Sonntagschule gehen, unwillig,
und ohne das zu glauben, was man hörte?
Die Hirten in den groben Kleidern gab's
doch zweifellos, und Israels Niederlagen -
der Tempel in seiner Heiligkeit zerstört
durch Babylon und Rom. Und dennoch,
die Juden hielten ihren Glauben und gaben
ihre Gebete weiter und krause Riten,
von Tisch zu Tisch. Und Christen lachten drüber.

Wir lachten und wir nahmen. Das Tamburin des Preises
gibt dem Alltag Geist und Blut den Lippen.
Urworte auf Papyrus erfrischen die Zunge,
daß sie sagt Gewiß - groß, dieses „gewiß" -
Gutes und Barmherzigkeit werden mir folgen
mein Leben lang. Mein Leben. Für immer.


John Udpike lived from March 18, 1932 until January 27, 2009.
His last poetry book Endpoint was published these days.
An Audio Book read by Charles McGrath will follow,
samples can be heard in the New York Times.

Proceed to Extraction

"We must proceed to extraction," says the dentist to Thomas Buddenbrook*, and he answers "Very well, proceed, then”. The operation fails. The tooth is broken, before it is brought out, and the Senator dies shortly afterwards from the effects.

It went incomparably better with me today. The friendly and skilful Doctor Reitz got the back tooth out in almost no time and in only one piece, under a strong local anaesthesia. He also cleaned the part of the bone where the dead root had permanently inflamed the body and caused disorder.

I am sitting right now, three hours after surgery, almost pain-free in my house and am already planning what kind of meal I will mash in the mixer.

In the last few days the idea had frequently occurred to me that I could do like the Senator and decease after the operation. Those are the thoughts that torment people who read too much.


* In Thomas Mann’s novel „Buddenbrooks“. Original: „Wir müssen zur Extraktion schreiten“, sagte er nach einer Weile und erblich noch mehr. „Schreiten Sie nur“, sagte der Senator und schloß die Lieder noch fester.

Among immigrants, being an immigrant myself

For Erkan Saka’s sake who kindly put a link to this new blog I should add a little detail to my latest post: the quarter where my immigrant great-grandfather started his business in 1898 and where he lived until his death in 1939 is now one of the centers of the local Turkish population*. So I use to tell my children that our people were the first Turks in town.

I sometimes talk to my Turkish friend Necattin, whose father came to Cologne around 1965 about our mutual experience of being offsprings of immigrants. He of course denies that I am his equal, because my great-grandfather “only” immigrated within Germany. But he listens well when I tell him that my great-grandfather walked two days from his village 60 miles south of here, whereas it took Necattin’s father only three hours with Türk Hava Yollarι from Ankara.

The history of the worldwide migration from village to town is still unclear to most of us. Why did they all walk out from the beauty of a rural setting into the ugliness of modern cities? I am sure that the reasons why my great-grandfather and Necattin’s father went must have been pretty similar. I will try to find out more about both men.

*somewhat around 10% of the 120.000 inhabitants of Remscheid