February 07, 2004
Farah's Book
I guess Farah Pahlavi has found the time in what must be a very hectic schedule for a former dictator's wife to write a book. Or most likely have someone write a book for her. I used to think that she was perhaps monarchists only salvation (don't jump on me yet, let me explain).
Wife of Shah always had this mostly false aura of being a commoner amongst the royalty. She came across as more approachable and friendly, with plenty of strategically picked publicity shots of her talking to the nomads or farmers or dejected women seeking help. I remember at the height of street protest in 1978 an elderly neighbor of ours explaining to me how all the royal family is so corrupt and he quickly said "except for Shahbanoo", that being Farah's official title. He even went as far as saying he'd be happy if Shah abdicated the throne to her. This always remained with me, how one person could have saved face with a portion of the population, while being amongst a family of hated monarchs.
Of course all this quickly changed as she not only chose to remain mostly silent while the country was going through such horrible ordeal, but chose to become a major defender of her husband's criminal regime, while in exile.
Now, 25 years has gone, her husband is long gone and at best is plant food for the past couple of decades and she will have the opportunity to confront the past and come clean, once and for all. Will she do it in this book? I wouldn't bid to find out two months before everyone else, but I am not holding my breath.
Posted by Pedram at February 7, 2004 11:55 PMI don't like neither Pahlavis nor their supposedly "commoner" Queen. But I think we should appreciate Farah for at least one thing: The Center for improvement of the Children and Teenagers (Kanoon-e Parvaresh-e Fekri-ye Koodakaan va Nowjavaanaan, I don't know if I translated it right.)
Farah and her friend Lili Amir-Arjmand established an organization that created a new wave in Iranian cinema, created Iranian animation, brought books and arts to thousands of young people all over the country, and set a standard for whatever was created afterwards in these fields.
Just think about Kiarostami, Beizai, Taghvai, Amir Naderi, Parviz Naderi, Zarinkelk, Mesghali, and many many others who made their first masterpieces there. Samad Behrangi published his "The Little Black Fish" (Mahi Siyah Koochooloo) by The Center. Publishing books specifically for children all began in The Center.
It's amazing how a few years of dedication to do a right thing and creating a right space for creative minds can change so many things. Kanoon was just about 10 years old when the revolution happened. By then it had already changed many things in Iranian culture, including a desire for freedom among the generation who began reading books. I wish "Kanoon" programs were accompanied with a set of reforms in Iranian political system based on the 1906 constitution. That could have saved both the Monarchy and the Iranian nation from these monsters that are in power now. But Pahlavis and specifically Shah were too stupid to understand that. Shah was just too happy with his tyrannical power and the illutions of being a superpower.
I don't know who was behind the idea of Kanoon -Farah or Amir-Arjmand, or both- but we should thank them for Kanoon, It was a great place to breath in that suffocating dictatorship.
Posted by: The Other at February 8, 2004 09:42 AMDo you seriously think that Farah is going to write a scathing critique of her children's father and his family? This book is for sure going to be a type of Apologia, explaining all Reza's heartfelt desire to "modernize" and "westernize" and put Iran in its rightful place as a preeminent World Power. It will talk all about his programs to develop the infrastructure, education, technology sector, etc. Probably some touching anecdotes about how he dealt with the pressures of living up to the expectations of his father and his father's cronies, who were all brutal, ruthless grim power mongers.
Mostly, though, I am sure it will be about her personal agenda for improving the condition of women and children, her successes and the obstacles she faced. I'm pretty sure she either closes her eyes to the sins of the Pahlavis, or rationalizes that she used her power and position of effect positive changes. I will probably read the book, just to see what kind of role model for being an Iranian wife in the Modern world she offers.
I expect something like Jehan Sedat's book. Not quite Benazir Bhutto, but not Evita Peron either.
You and your usual gang of readers and commenters do have a real serious inferiority complex, haven't you?
Still can't see some one better than your lot?
Pedram
Would you explain how the 'criminal regime' affected you personally. Its sounds as if you were repeatedly tortured.
Mast, one only needs to read the reports of any of the reputable international organizations about the human rights record of that era to see the criminal nature of Shah's regime. Does Pedram have to be "repeatedly tortured" to point out the obvious?
Posted by: Roya at February 9, 2004 01:36 PMMr. "Some guy who is still a bit sane,"
Would you tell us what you mean by what you said here? To me it's totally nonsense.
Mast,
That criminal regime has killed one of my cousins and tortured and imprisoned another one. Do I have the right to criticize it?
What is interesting to me is that I even didn't criticise it here. I actually praised a work that was done in that period of Iranian history.
Your reactions reminds me of what Martin Luther King once said: "Nothing in this world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."
Check the Amnesty International records on what SAVAK has done during the late 60s and 1970s. You will find some valuable information about that bastard who was called Shah of Iran.
Check the info on his stupid celebration of the "2500 years of Iranian empire." See how this psycho ordered French food (from Paris' "Maxim" restaurant) for a ceremony that was supposed to be a celebration of Iranian nationality and you will get an idea what the inferiority complex means.
May I ask what your cousins were up to?
Your point about the food at the 2500 celebrations is best kept to yourself. If you disagree about the motives of the event, then point those out, but don't ask the Queen to serve fish and chips at Buckingham Palace.
We all need to practice democracy. Most of us tend to think "black or white" because of our culture, religion, and governments.
It is better to have an ex-queen than nothing regardless of what she has done in the past. It is good to remember Reza Shah as someone powerful who did a lot for Iran in 16 years. It is also O.K. to talk about Mosadegh and Khomeini as passionate Iranians who were able to take a step forward. It is O.K. to say Shah made us proud of ourselves by focusing on our 2500 years of history.
We eeranians have been naming every Iranian politician a CRIMINAL for the past 300 years.
We have wierd translation for the followings as well.
Security services : Criminals
Cops : Supporting criminal
Mollah : English Criminal
Reza Shah : Supported and imposed by England
Reformist : enemies of islam
Shah of Iran : C.I.A agent
Komonist : Nokar e USSR
Mojahed : killer of our own poeple
What the hell is going on
Posted by: Homayoon at February 19, 2004 10:27 PMpeople often have lop sided views of history. people that call the shah's regime despotic look at from the perspective of the 21st century. with the cold war gone it's hard for most to remember the era of mcarthyism, the rosenberg's, the anti-american activities committe of congress, the japanese internment, rosa parks, civil rights movement. and these are just events in the united states. you should revisit history with a more balanced perspective, and you'll realize it wasnt half as bad people made it to be. all these revolutionary leaders that were supposedly dying at the stake were freed a year before the revolution. khiabani, rajavi, taleghani, beheshti, rafsanjani, etc... what evil deeds the shah committed by letting them go free...
Posted by: afshin at February 19, 2004 10:54 PMba salam bh malake iran
man shoma ro khele dost daram
va az zahmathae kh shoma ksheded bh iran motshakram
ba spas faravan khoda nghdartan
Only if we as Iranians stop critisizing others and started with self mastering, then perhaps we will have a shot at anything good in this world.
Posted by: Mehrdad samie at March 11, 2004 03:02 PM