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Lessons from a young Iranian

Posted in Irshaddering Thoughts on Jun 16, 2009

They have a dream (courtesy: Wikipedia)

The massive riots against election fraud in Iran reflects something I learned a few years ago, thanks to a young man from Tehran. I wrote about it in The Trouble with Islam Today:

“An astonishing proportion of Iranian youth are intellectual renegades. Far from being a sea of ‘Down with America’ messages, their banners often declare, ‘Down with Monopoly’ (by which they mean the clerical monopoly on morality.)

Young Iranians often listen to Israeli radio for balance and a high rate of Internet access makes them more wired to the outside world than other Muslims.

Also, being Shias, they don’t feel the need to legitimize the Sunni overlords of Saudi Arabia. That’s not to say Iran’s ayatollahs don’t traffic in Saudi-style terror. Many do, and Hezbollah thanks them, I’m sure. Yet they’re the ayatollahs against whom Iran’s students are mounting a mighty, and largely non-violent, rebellion.

In fact, it was a twenty-nine-year-old friend in Iran who emailed me Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail. I’d never read it before. My friend prefaced it with this sentiment:

When your broad-minded buddies in North America hesitate to expose Saudi Arabia for fear of offending Muslims, remind them of the Birmingham liberals who want King to stop fomenting ‘needless tension’ in their town.

King told them, ‘I must confess that I am not afraid of the word ‘tension.’ I have earnestly opposed violent tension but there is a type of constructive, non-violent tension which is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must see the need for non-violent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.’”

The young Iranian who brought me MLK’s letter might be realizing his dream at this very moment. Here’s what I tweeted yesterday: Heard from connected friend in #Tehran that many say this is beginning of end for clerics - new generation now awake. Tipping point to come.

I’ve tried to reach him again, so far without success. The regime is cracking down on social networking tactics. Will report more via Twitter. Follow me @IrshadManji.

You can also download the Persian translation of my book, free of charge.