Christmas in the Tehran City Council

Armenians Celebrating Christmas in a Church in Tehran

The Holy Scripture of Islam, which is believed to be a total revelation  to the Prophet Mohammad (SA), has several recurring references to the succession of Prophets who all came to deliver the message of the Creator. The Quran is unique in that it makes strong references to the beliefs and teachings of other Abrahamic traditions; emphasizing on the common themes of monotheism, abolition of all forms of slavery and subjugation,and the basic ethical and moral principles that all religions preach. The story  of  each prophet and their societies includes references to the incorrect beliefs and practices that have set blows to the livelihoods of peoples and undermined their dignity and each narration also points to the direction of salvation and eternal happiness for all humankind. Actually, most  divine Prophets deal with the lost ones, those who have not found their goal and direction in life, those who are disoriented and have forgotten their selves.
Among these narrations the story of Maryam the mother of Jesus, and the birth and life of Jesus is extraordinary. This story begins with references to the vow of the mother of Maryam, and that when she realized that her child was a girl, and was dedicated to serve the House of Solomon, she insisted to proceed with the vow; which meant that  a woman would serve in a Jewish monastery  for the first time. The chastity of Maryam and her status as a woman chosen to be a model for all are hallmarks of the Chapter and verses devoted to this lady.  The birth of Jesus and the fate of Maryam are also described in beautiful terms in the Quran.
Today ,in the Tehran City Council, a Christian member of the Friends of the Council, delivered a report on the conditions of district 8. This Armenian citizen who has been elected like hundreds of other Friends of the Council to oversee and facilitate the functions of local municipal authorities, was chosen to deliver the weekly district report. His report to the City Council included references to their activities, as well as  the social and environmental problems in the district.

Meanwhile, reformist members  of the Council took the opportunity to greet Christian Iranians on the occasion of Christmas and the New Year.

Arasbaran

Nature lovers can find many attractive and beautiful sites in Iran. On the Eid Fetr vacation we found the opportunity to visit Arasbaran and the Aras river along with family members. The Aras river is located in the Nouth Western border of Iran, adjacent to the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia and the disputed Nakhjavan territory. This large river has green riversides with tall bushes. In that region,  we also visited two ancient Churches , the Church of Saint Stephanus ( the first Christian martyr) and the Church of Nana Maryam. The Church of Saint Stepanus was open for the public and parts were under renovation and protection as monuments of national heritage. The presence of these historical sites are a clear indication of the long history of peaceful coexistence among followers of divine religions in Iran.
As we traveled from the Aras river to the southwest we entered the perimeters of Kiamaki Protected Area and further down the Arasbaran Forests Protected Area.  This trip was reminiscent of the many visits I had as Head of the Department of Environment some years ago, only now I was with the family and not the DOE directors and personnel. The pristine Arasbaran forests of Iran are recognized as one of the important biodiversity hotspots of the globe, meaning that the diversity of flora and fauna in this region is very high.
As we enjoyed the magnificent scenes, news of the street clashes and arrests of protestors in Urumieh and Tabriz who had objected to the trend of drought in Lake Urumieh brought us back to the realities of environmental degradation. In the previous week ,I was asked to make several interviews on the policies and measures taken during my tenure to combat the trend leading to the drying up of the Urumieh National Park. I had given detailed explanations on the research project leading to a management scheme and the measures and strategies we had taken to engage both the water and agriculture sectors on this matter to provide the water required by the lake on a regular basis. The DOE had warned the officials in 1998 we had layed out a road map for the protection of the Lake. Many parts of that project were underway  in 2004 . These protection schemes and strategies were later abandoned by the ninth government and only reconsidered recently after serious protests rocked the region. No one can dispute the fact that the environment was never a priority for the government of Mr. Ahmadinejad.

Ossetia, a scandal and a time to wait

The recently appointed Interior Minister , Ali Kordan now faces a serious challenge on the authenticity of a honorary Oxford university degree he flaunts. The ministry has posted a document which has numerous spelling and grammatical typos and Oxford University has denied issuing such a document. He now faces serious opposition from even his own party members. This is a serious test of moral integrity for the President and the Majlis. What has made this issue more controversial is the fact that the President brought up the issue of the Leader's support for these ministers in the confidence vote session of the Majlis. This scandal has sparked a very strong debate among political activists from all sides and political tendencies. For an Islamic Republic, ethical values should stand above all other considerations and it seems that some people have forgotten that.

In 2005 ,President Khatami delivered the government and economy to his elected successor in the most favorable economic conditions that any Iranian government had. The current government's incompetency to resolve economic woes and provide basic services such as gas and electricity to the people has caused even Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani the head of both the Expediency Council and the Experts Council to speak out on the inability of the government to manage affairs properly. Mr. Rafsanjani is considered to be a moderate voice who has now recently broken his silence by openly criticizing the government. Although some internet sites have been filtered but the issue is well covered in the press and other sites and many politicians have asked for the resignation of the Interior Minister. I also think that he should resign and the President should apologize for this big mistake he has made.

I had found time to read a historical article yesterday concerning the vast influence of Iranian civilization in the region. There was a section that surprised me with information I knew nothing about. There was a report on Ossetia and the fact that the origins of these people were from the Aryan tribes who had migrated from Iran thousands of years ago. They still call their region Ariestan and cherish Persian customs like Nowrooz and Chahrshanbe Suri. The Ossetians have strong family ties and traditions very similar to Iranians and their lifestyle is still very alike. The recent events and the claims of ethnic cleansing on both the side of the Georgians and the Russians is seriously troubling for everyone. I hope the situation is contained and the Ossetians find the opportunity to live in peace and prosperity.

Even as there are global efforts for peace and security in the world, it seems that things are not working out as they should be. This essentially means that the mismanagement of global affairs , the incompetence and lack of moral integrity among political leaders and the rising sense of insecurity in the world are all pointing to a bitter reality. We are not satisfied with the current circumstances, we are waiting for better times and for better leaders. Tomorrow is the birthday of Imam Mahdi , who is the Twelfth Imam waiting for the time to appear, he will come not to conquer through war and bloodshed as some Christian Zionist eschatologists profess; but to promote justice, love , understanding and peace among religions and cultures.

It is interesting that according to Shia traditions, Imam Mahdi is known to have a multicultural background. His father is a descendant of the Prophet of Islam, his mother is a Byzantine princess who was originally Christian, and his great grandmother is an Iranian princess. More interesting are the narrations that indicate that his reappearance will coincide with the return of Jesus Christ and that they will pray together and they will unite, for the betterment of mankind, for there is no discord or dispute in the realm of God.

Fitna and the Vatican

As a seventh or eighth grader, I was trying to challenge my history teacher who was telling the class that Islam had spread in its early years from the Arabian Peninsula with the force of the sword. I attended Iranzamin, an international school in Tehran, our lecturers were American or European and most of our textbooks, including the history book our teacher was referring to, was American.

The textbook said exactly the same thing; that Islam had spread not due to the belief and conversion of people who had got the reviving message and were persecuted by their rulers and tyrants, but by force of the sword. A commonplace evident distortion of history by Christian historians, reflects the policy of denial that was practiced for a long time.

That history book was full of references to the merits of the Roman Civilization and excessive references to the services that European civilization had rendered to humanity and of course the American civilization. Very little, if any, mention was made of the great services that Islamic scholars, scientists, artists and leaders had provided. That was back in 1974.

Today, there is more understanding and recognition of the Islamic civilization in many dimensions, there are many sincere attempts on behalf of Christian authorities and scholars to appreciate the role of Islamic culture in the scientific, technological, social and political advancement of the human civilization.

Yet, there still are malevolent attempts to incite religious hatred and to depict a distorted image of Islam for the world. There seems to be a well orchestrated ongoing effort to portray Islam as a religion of violence, hatred and revenge. The film "Fitna" by Dutch far-right MP Geert Wilders, which features images of attacks in New York and Madrid intertwined with recitations from the Holy Quran, has provoked widespread condemnation.

I saw the film on the internet last night. It is very unfortunate that under the disguise of freedom of speech, which is a highly valued principle, a European politician would go to the extremes of insulting a divine religion known to be the fastest growing religion on earth.

The coincidence of the news given by Monsignor Vittorio Formenti, the compiler of the Annuario Pontificio, the Vatican yearbook is striking. He said "For the first time in history, we are no longer at the top: Muslims have overtaken us." He added that figures for 2006 showed that Catholics accounted for 17.4 per cent of the world population while Muslims accounted for 19.2 per cent.

Asked for an explanation Monsignor Formenti observed that "While Muslim families, as is well known, continue to make a lot of children, Christian ones on the contrary tend to have fewer and fewer". He said the figure for the Muslim global population was derived from data submitted to the United Nations by Muslim countries. He did not mention the high number of converts particularly in European countries.

I think there is an ongoing effort to create tensions leading to a collision course between Muslim and Christian societies who have been living together in peace for centuries. Muslims in Europe are emerging as a reality that has to be dealt with in a just and dignified manner. Up to now they have been generally excluded from the political and economic processes of their societies. Contrary to Iran, where religious minorities have a quota in the Parliament, Muslims lack any political representation in many European countries although they have strong minorities. These populations are mostly peaceful, law abiding and hardworking citizens.

The Fitna is a test for the values of democracy, tolerance and respect for diversity of opinions that Europeans claim to cherish and promote.