Which do you think best describes a good Iranian Muslim in the opinion of the gov't of Iran?

[Boojatta]

Poll question: Which do you think best describes a good Iranian Muslim in the opinion of the gov't of Iran?

"A good Iranian Muslim is an Iranian Muslim who...

[ShortnFiery]

1. This would be conjecture - since we are not privy to "valid info. re: the average Persian,

I don't want to play. Sorry. :shrug:

[Boojatta]

2. What motivated you to post? Do you wish to discourage others

from conjecturing about the opinions of the people who hold the majority of power in the government of Iran? Are your posts in the R/T forum confined to topics for which there is no significant controversy about the correct answers, so that there is no impetus to formulate hypotheticals on those topics?

[ShortnFiery]

10. No, since I have lived in the Country of Iran as a dependent of an US Assigned Official ...

I tend to have a very high regard for "the people."

This is only my personal opinion, but I feel that it's unfair to even begin to characterize the sentiments of "The Average Iranian." :shrug:

[Boojatta]

11. This poll is about the opinions of the leaders of the Iranian government.

It's not about the sentiments of the average Iranian.

[TheBaldyMan]

3. I think the options are nonsensical, let me explain

The mistaken notion that the government of Iran is in someway so monolithic that it could concieveably pronounce any such statement. This is just plain wrong-headed. They would be unable to reach any consensus on what makes a 'good' muslim, let alone one based on such a narrow criterion as the reading of a single book.

You supposition is bigoted and it shows a disturbing willingness to demonise a government and it follows a whole nation.

Would you think I was justified in supposing something about the Bush administration opinion about whether a person was a good christian on the sole basis of reading a single controversial book?

[Boojatta]

4. Would it be a mistake to think that the gov't of Iran could in future

be monolithic enough to both legislate and enforce legislation to strip charitable status from any charitable organization in Iran that offers money for the killing of a foreigner who is not wanted dead or alive by Interpol?

Would it be a mistake to think that the gov't of Iran could in future be monolithic enough to both legislate and enforce legislation to make it a criminal offense for an organization in Iran to offer money for the killing of a foreigner who is not wanted dead or alive by Interpol?

Related item from the news of February 1999:

Also today, the Khordad Foundation, a semi-official charity group that has offered a $2.8 million reward to anyone who kills Mr. Rushdie, said the edict would be carried out.

''The idea of Rushdie's annihilation is still very much alive and seeks only the right moment,'' Ayatollah Hassan Saneii said in a statement published in the hard-line daily Jomhuri Islami. ''There are many people in different countries who are ready to carry out this verdict,'' he said. ''Surely, this verdict will be implemented one day.''

Source:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980CE7D8123AF936A25751C0A96F958260&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/R/Religion%20and%20Belief

[TheBaldyMan]

16. Why do you use a semi-official body to smear the Iranian government

Why bring up the Khordad Foundation and the fatwa against Salman Rushdie? This didn't come from the Iranian government, it comes from a arch-conservative minority faction within the government.

It is precisely because the Iranian government is not monolithic that this would seem to be wishful thinking on your part. It is also likely that the Iranian government will never carry out or enforce this fatwa. It is only supported by hard-liners, a faction that is losing support within Iran.

You seem to be latching onto a minority view within the Iranian administration and assuming that this can be safely generalised to the whole governmental structure, if not the whole of the population of Iran.

The US media is probably the poorest source in the world for all things Iranian. The coverage is so one-sided you would be pushed to find out anything resembling the truth.

on edit:
Here is a BBC report from 1999 (on the 10th anniversary of the fatwa), a time when the hard-line conservatives had more support than they do today. A trend that is being increasingly reversed by the actions of the Bush regime.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/279493.stm">Read the original report here

The conservatives are opposed to President Khatami's efforts to improve relations with the West and with the United Kingdom in particular. They know that the West is sensitive about the fate of Mr Rushdie and they deliberately insist on implementing the fatwa in order to thwart Mr Khatami's efforts.

The conservatives even forced the government to reaffirm that the death fatwa was irrevocable despite its commitment not to implement it.

Compare the behaviour of the Iranian parliament with the US Congress. Ask yourself if you can cherry pick any lunatic resolution that would portray the US government as a rogue state.

[Boojatta]

18. I might respond in more detail later.

Why bring up the Khordad Foundation and the fatwa against Salman Rushdie?

The poll at the beginning of this thread refers to a book that, coincidentally, Rushdie wrote.

This didn't come from the Iranian government, it comes from an arch-conservative minority faction within the government.

When did the arch-conservatives become a minority within the Iranian government? Numerically, Stalin was in the minority in the USSR because he was just one person. Stalin was not, however, a marginalized minority.

Ask yourself if you can cherry pick any lunatic resolution (...)

Why should I ask myself that? Is Salman Rushdie's name very well-known today because of cherry-picking by opponents of the Iranian government? I get the impression that it's much more a result of publicity deliberately created by the government of Iran.

[TheBaldyMan]

19. I mention cherry-picking because that's exactly what you have done.

Just post that you hate all Iranians and have done with it.

You are entitled to your bigotry but please do not dress it up as some fatuous poll. It is an insult to everyone's intelligence.

FYI there is a sizeable number of moderates and progressives within the Iranian regime, unfortunately that tends to be overlooked in the US media. Your insistance that the country is being run by mad mullahs shows how ignorant of the country you are.

[Boojatta]

20. If you quoted something I actually wrote, then you would probably

do a better job of representing my opinions.

Is the book The Satanic Verses no longer banned in Iran? If it is banned, then it would seem that there has been a consensus within the government of Iran that the book should remain banned.

For a book to remain banned in Iran is for people in Iran to be prevented or at least deterred from buying or borrowing a copy.

Thus, the government of Iran seems to be using the apparatus of government to prevent people from having an opportunity to form a first-hand opinion about The Satanic Verses. However, does the government of Iran in fact want the people of Iran to refrain from having any opinion of that book?

Now, I will guess your answer: the government of Iran is just a chaotic group of people yelling at each other. They can agree on practically nothing. Thus, in particular, they cannot agree on whether or not they want people in Iran to have an opinion about that book.

Did I guess right? I hope that I'm not insulting everyone's intelligence by refusing to claim that we all know your answer.

[TheBaldyMan]

21. I'm sorry - I don't have a broad enough brush to represent your views

I won't lower myself to to repeat your remark (not mine) about the Iranian government. Please don't try to put words in my mouth.

I will repeat what I posted earlier. Your views are bigoted, most probably because they are based on US media reports.

[Boojatta]

22. If you believe that my information sources are unreliable, then

why not provide some examples of reliable sources that provide information that conflicts with information I relied upon?

For example, do you have some reliable sources to demonstrate that the claims made at the link below are false?

Reporters Without Borders

[Boojatta]

23. What are the odds that this (from a US media report) is

an accurate quote of Ralph Ellison's words?

Nobody can ignore your ordeal, for at least three reasons.
First (and once again), a man is being persecuted for having written a book.

Second, for the first time in the history of this century the death penalty is extended beyond the borders of a single country, in spite of the laws of other countries. Exile, the last resort of free men, does not work any longer.

Third, your potential killers are summoned through the media; ironically, any medium covering the event contributes to inform and mobilize new potential killers.

You deserve the full and passionate solidarity of any man of dignity, but I am afraid this is too little. This story of a man alone against worldwide intolerance, and of a book alone against the craziness of the media, can become the story of many others. The bell tolls for all of us.

Ralph Ellison, United States.

Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/books/99/04/18/specials/rushdie-words.html

[cosmik debris]

5. Other

The Rehnquist in your Lobster Newberg.

[Boojatta]

6. Clarification would be appreciated.

For example is a "Lobster Newberg" like a lobster?

[cosmik debris]

7. I know exactly what you mean! n/t

[Boojatta]

8. That's good to hear, but I don't know what you mean.

[cosmik debris]

9. Exactly! n/t

[Az]

12. Priceless

:rofl:

[cosmik debris]

13. I like to Potter Stewart with Boojatta. n/t

[NoodleBoy]

14. +1

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=247x12626

[Az]

15. Its realy the interlocking M's that bring it all together n/t

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

17. I don't know.

I guess they have the same opinion that the American government has that describes good Americans with regard to Cat Stevens.