Just Relax, It’s Business as Usual

Only a few days after a group of Basijis (Iran’s paramilitary forces) set one of Benetton stores in affluent North Tehran on fire as reported by Irania print media including conservative Jomhouri Eslami and reformist Etemad Melli, British- based retailer, Debenhams, opened its first store in Tehran. When in 2007 Italian Benetton as the first Western fashion brand established stores in Tehran, the move caused much controversy and criticism of Tehran’s Mayor, Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf who came under fire by the ultra-conservative wing in the Iranian parliament as ‘ by letting the Italian brand into the country’ he was promoting the Western culture among the Iranian youth.  The hardliners got more furious when the news leaked out about Qalibaf’s providing Mr. Benetton with a helicopter tour of Tehran when the fashion designer visited Iran.

Recently, along with some other foreign firms, Benetton turned to be the target of more criticism as it is now accused of being a ‘Zionist’ or ‘ Zionist affiliated’ retailer. The attack on the main store took place during Moharram, the mourning month for Shiite Muslims and concurrent with the attacks on the Gaza Strip by the Israelis. All these concurrent events made many in Iran super wrathful toward anything Western, on the assumption that Western countries back the Israeli atrocities.  The coincidence proved quite efficient in helping the angry masses discharging emotions through setting western brand stores like Benetton on fire, splashing colors on the Nokia billboards, organizing a demonstration in front of the Parliament against the serving of Nestlé mineral waters for the MPs,…

The upheaval got so tense that the cabinet probably under pressure from the hardliners presented a bill to the Parliament calling for a ban on the activities of all companies with either Israeli shareholders or branches in Israel. Weeks on since the handover of the bill, it is still dormant, with no sign of the initial enthusiasm which led to the formation of the bill in the first place.

I am almost very confident that the bill will be never approved of by the Parliament; at least not as it is today since it includes almost all Western brands available in Iran from automakers to food retailers.  And I assume that no one, neither the Western companies nor Iranians with interest in the listed entities, took the move seriously, as both groups know well that there are always at-the-surface measures in this country which function as a safety gauge. The economy is a mess, the country is under pressure for its nuclear activities and is constantly accused of supporting terrorist groups, the presidential elections are ahead and the conservatives apparently have a hard time reaching a consensus over a single candidate, the threat of the West’s cultural influence over the Iranian youngster is imminent and yet the government has failed to find an efficient solution to any of the dilemmas.  So what can be the best means to help this volcano erupt without causing much damage? A tragedy in Gaza, accompanied by new year celebrations by the ‘ignorant western missions’ in Iran where ‘ Islamic and national moral principles are hardly observed’ and a few remarks by the Western leaders in support of Israel are all well-timed incidents which can give enough excuse to take to the streets, chant slogans against whoever you don’t like, break windows, set places on fire,….and go home with a relieved heart!

As a proof to this notion that we are all- both insiders and outsiders- used to such maneuvers,  I’d like to remind that not only the British Debenhams ( the UK is called by some in Iran the small Satan after the Great Satan which refers to the US) has now a store in the Iranian capital and all Benetton stores are up and running now, as if nothing has ever happened. The so-called Zionist designer, Mr. Benetton, is so used to the Iranian culture now that just one day after one of its stores was set ablaze, the other stores hoisted flags of Ashura ( a mourning sign used during Moharram to express grief for the martyrdom of the third Shiite Imam) ! This becomes more difficult to grasp when the ‘Zionist’ Benetton who mourns the martyrdom of the Shiite saint is supported by a statement issued by the Italian Embassy in Tehran stressing that Mr. Benetton is a faithful Catholic.

The Benetton story should serve as a good lesson to Debenhams: The British design may have successfully crept into the Iranian market, but its managers and shareholders should be very careful to first make it clear what religion they practice, where else they have braches or intend to open stores, who has welcomed their presence in Iran, conservatives or reformists,….

Another thing the newly –arrived Debenhams should bear in mind is that even if it fails to clarify such issues at this juncture, still nothing can threaten its existence here.  A tour of super markets in Iran lends proof to the claim as Magi soups and Nestle coffees are put on sale in every corner, Nike trainers are worn by many young Iranians and at sale time, one has to wait in long queues to get in to the ‘much-condemned’ Benetton stores.

All needed is patience and inattention to what is going on outside; let’s stick to business and everything else will work out just perfectly!

 

 

 

 

Norms vs Masses; Masses vs. Norms

Last week, I saw one of Iranian director, Farhad Aeesh’s works, based on a play by Eugene Lonesco’s Rhinoceros [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinoceros_(play)]. Rhinoceros is taken by many as one of the finest works by absurdist Lonesco. The setting of the story was a French town of the 70s, but the theme was so tangible that the scene could be anywhere and the actors anyone. 

To me Rhinoceros showed how any kind of totalitarian and at times inhuman tendency can turn into a prevailing trend in a society and how we can so easily get used to any violence and atrocity and after a time begin to appreciate it as a symbol of beauty. How one can so easily let himself be invaded by a new doctrine, a new ideology, a new religion. Lonesco himself once commented: “when people no longer share your opinions, when you can no longer make yourself understood by them, one has the impression of being confronted with monsters-rhinos for example. They have the mixture of candor and ferocity. They would kill you with the best of consciences.”

Rhinoceros also showed under what pretexts people decide to join a movement without having any in-depth knowledge of it. Sometimes they only fall for novelty. Many – usually with a matter-of-fact look- believe that to understand a phenomenon one has to experience it in person.  Some others simply cannot bear to be different. However no one can deny the fact that no matter how difficult it may be to remain a human, there are people such as the protagonist, Brenger, who fight till the end to remain human even at a time when being a rhinoceros, is the norm and being a human is considered as a monstrosity.

Rhinoceros showed how masses establish norms and norms form masses so much so that you can hardly differentiate between values and anti-values and probably wonder if there is any strictly-defined thing called value? Norms can be just what the majority does and the majority always does not go for the best.

I ran to get to the theatre on time for a pretty long distance, because I didn’t want to miss the performance and have been feeling guilty for reading and watching so little which could be a disgrace for anyone who has studied English literature. I walked the whole way back home quite inertly though, wondering about ME, people around and all that is happening. I keep asking myself how far I have gone with the so-called norms of the society I live in and whenever I accompanied the masses was it out of sincere belief, fear of exclusion and being different or maybe an interest in just a new experience? Is it possible to stand till the last and fight for ones individuality while having everyone even the most loved ones turned into Rhinos?

Sure there are taboos I don’t understand and like to break the same way there are ‘ acceptable norms’ I like to revise, but the question which remains to be answered is what price one is ready to pay to remain what he/she is. The bitter paradox is that I wish I could remain ME in spite of everything but I hate being labeled as a ‘rebel’, too. Either a new term needs to be coined for this state of mind or I need to choose between the two ways. 

Amazon.com, Made in Iran

 

If you live in Iran it is very difficult if not impossible for you to have an international credit card like Mastercard or Visa. This means that online shopping is nothing but a dream and the Internet has not much to offer to you who are desperate to get connected to the global village, as they call it.

For Iranian book readers seeking original books, Amazon.com, is just a shelf showing the latest on the market and the prices. If the book is something you find of interest or exactly what you were seeking for this and that research, then you’d better pay the price of a trip to neighboring Dubai where besides doing some cultural stuff, you can buy original designer labels, go to bars, go for a walk with no fear of the moral police and even for only a few days feel part of the global village. You don’t have a chance for a trip to Dubai? still fine! I bet out of every 10 friends or acquaintances around, you can find at least one every month who visits the Emirates and you can ask him/her to do you the favor.

There is another side to the problems caused by our isolation. Iranian authors can hardly reach out for the outside world. I have been using the Shelfari website (www.shelfari.com) for a while. It’s an online library which gives you a chance to showcase and recommend books you have read or like to read. But the books written in Farsi are hardly found or added to the lists. Part of the blame is on the authors themselves, although no one can deny the role the government plays in promoting the culture.  Out of the more than 9,000 Iranian publishers, only a handful have bothered with launching a professional constantly-updated website or any initiative to introduce themselves at a broader range or to facilitate access to their books. This may sound like an unnecessary thing for those of us who live in Iran and can easily access book shops but I guess that can be a necessity for the Iranian Diaspora.  

But there ARE some good news for the Iranian publishers who want to have a voice at global level. Just a few days ago, Culture Minister, Mohammed Hussein Saffar Harandi, revealed the Ministry’s plan to launch the first Internet Bookshop where thousands of Iranian authors can put their works for sale. If the plan ever gets the chance to become operational, it will be the most significant Internet project in this field. The Culture Ministry will be in charge of the source engine and the books can be searched through titles, authors or publishers.  To solve the problem of online payment, the Ministry plans to provide credit cards designated for book purchase.

I optimistically- not naively, I hope- look forward to the launch of this website and I see two very positive points in the initiative: 1. The Culture Ministry with all its maltreatment of the writers over the past few years is going beyond lecturing about the poor reading culture of Iranians – the Iranian reading per capita is 2 minutes in 24 hours- and is seeking ways to work out a practical solution 2. Iranian authorities despite their suspicious look toward the Internet as a means to  get exposed and learn about what might not be accessible within the Iranian borders have realized that to be part of the modern world, we have no way but to make use of the tools of modernity. 

However there is definitely room for concern as the Culture Ministry would be the one and only authority in charge of the would-be Internet Bookshop. Given the Ministry’s record of censorship and bans, the online bookshop can turn into a space for the authors and publishers the Ministry favors.    

Knowing all these, I still prefer to thank Mr. Minister for the initiative as for a nation who is struggling to crawl its way into the modern world, every tiny step counts.  

Heavy Price of Ignorance

It was in 1997 when my cousin took some posters on campaign against AIDS to school as advised by her father to be distributed among teenage girls as a means to raise awareness against the disease. This however was interpreted by the headmistress as ‘an attempt to promote indecency’ among young girls as she quite disapprovingly asked “why on Earth the innocent school girls should think about sexual behavior so that they may need any education on the matter”. It is interesting to note that the headmistress strongly believed that the only way of HIV transmission is through sexual relationships.

…

It’s 2008 now. Iranian Minister of Health warns that the spread of HIV virus through sexual relationships is alarmingly on the rise in Iran. It’s a common practice among Iranian authorities to deny facts – from economic difficulties to social disorders- even those which might be pretty crystal clear and tangible to the ordinary citizens; so when they refer to an issue as a concern, it means that it has to be taken not as a budding problem but an already severe crisis. The same formula is now applicable to the spread of HIV virus.

I am glad to see posters of campaign against AIDS on street walls on the World AIDS Day and plenty of articles and interviews on the subject in the print media. This is a very big step to recognize the problem before finding a remedy to it. I am even happier that finally we are coming to the conclusion that there is nothing wrong with those who admit a shortcoming; blame should be on those who cover it up and pretend.

It took us more than a decade to recognize that : 1. Sexual behavior is NOT  the only way of HIV transmission, 2. An HIV positive person is not a sinner, he/she can be a victim, a patient like someone suffering from diabetes, cancer,….3. Even if an HIV positive got the disease through sexual relationships or drug consumption, or any other behavior the society frowns upon, we as a society have NO right to judge or punish and 4. Iranians like any other nation are prone to social and behavioral patterns which may have certain consequences, we are no saints and thus we’d better find ways to immunize the society in the face of all kinds of disorders which may pop up every now and then.

Ten years have passed and lives have perished before we understood that it is OK if we talk about proper sexual behavior to our teenagers. Now do we need another ten years to allow the *ABCD of AIDS to be taught publicly? I hope not. But to this end I guess we first have to accept that 1. Iranian youngsters’ behavioral pattern can be a world apart from what the authorities assume; premarital relationships DO exist, although hidden. 2. Extramarital relationships are drastically on the rise; they are sometimes kept as a secret and sometimes encouraged by the State in the form of temporary marriages.

Currently 1,832,000 Iranians are HIV positive, but as put by the Deputy Health Minister, the real figure is four times higher as many are either not aware of their disease or prefer to keep mute in fear of a possible social exclusion.

*Abstain, Be faithful, Condomise, Disclose

Am I Just Naïve Or….

Asar Art Gallery was closed down yesterday and I missed the chance of seeing Peyman Houshmandzadeh’s photos http://www.kargah.com/peyman which I liked to see. The reason behind the closure of the Gallery was reportedly violation of Islamic codes of ethic. Apparently the officials in charge of galleries at the Ministry of Culture visited the exhibition and found some of the works ‘indecent’.  The so-called offensive photos were removed but later the Ministry decided to close down the whole Gallery.

Based on a directive by the Culture Ministry, all Art Galleries should submit a copy of the works they intend to put on display one week prior to the show, a measure seemingly ignored by the managers of the Asar Gallery.

I am now more curious to see Peyman Houshmanzadeh’s photos, since now I like to discover the ‘indecency’ of his masterpieces  and once again try to find out if I and the statesmen of my country share the same definition of such adjectives as ‘ offensive’, ‘ indecent’ , ‘ immoral’,….

This is a test I take every now and then. Films are censored or totally banned and later when I watch the pirated but pretty available ORIGINAL version, I try my best to see it through the eyes of the decision-makers and discover the immoral, anti-something parts. Usually the effort proves in vain.  Book cafes are closed down and I try to understand the ‘corruption’ they promote and I fail and feel like an alien just stepping into this part of the world.   

Probably I need to see things anew from a different perspective, through the eyes of those who know and decide rather than an ordinary citizen who like many others anywhere in the world, see a book café a place to read, mingle with people, listen to music and chat or an Art Gallery simply a venue for exhibition of beauty, novelty and creativity.

Am I just naïve or …..

 

Can You See How Solemn It Is?

I have been waiting for quite a few days to start writing my first post, I was looking for something interesting, bright, and positive! But this morning I couldn’t resist the grief which needed to be expressed out loud and thus to my dislike, started the blog with a cheerless story.  11 year old Sara is burnt to death by his father, a bank clerk in the capital Tehran. Probably this should not struck me so much because now that I am thinking I can remember 4 year old Ali Akbar, teenage Laleh,….all similar cases reported  just recently. I am not going to condemn the murderer father or dig out the possible social, psychological or economic reasons which caused the disaster as I am quite sure that our collective conscience as a society will spare no effort when it comes to condemning and praising.

According to Islamic Penal Code practiced in Iran (Article 220), if the father kills his child, there is no death penalty for him (I am seriously against death penalty) and he is only sentenced to 3-10 years of imprisonment and has to pay the blood money. I am no law expert, but as an ordinary citizen I cannot understand how is that part of the Establishment so vigorously insists on death penalty for those who have committed a murder before getting 18, most of the time quite accidentally (According to the Child Right Convention to which Iran is a signatory anyone under the age of 18 is considered a CHILD) but shows so much leniency toward a crime committed by an adult that also against his own offspring! One reasoning by those who support such a light punishment is that a father always seeks the happiness of his child as is the law of nature and that no matter what, a father always loves his children. Some others argue that death penalty is far from the grand status a father should enjoy in the family and the society (someone needs to define the family in which the father decides to kill a member!)

What frightens me most is the reaction we are showing as a society to such stories which are rightly reflected in the media recently. Our collective apathy for such incidents scares me to death. Do we prefer to be blind or are we blind indeed? How is that when a criminal is executed “the collective conscience of the Iranian society which is easily moved, is tranquilized”, making sure that thank God another source of corruption has been wiped off the Earth, but the same sensitive people instead of taking a step to amend things prefer to distance themselves of whatever ugly and play the role of the well-liked protagonist who heroically destroys whatever ugly? Probably we are not sensitive; we just want to stand out as not-the-bad-guy; we want to distance ourselves from the wrong-doing of others and that’s why we are relieved when we see them eliminated.

By the way today the Iranian Parliament (Majlis), ratified a bill specifying the penalty of making, buying, selling or keeping alcoholic drinks. Anyone with even just one bottle of alcohol arrested can be sentenced to 6 months-1 year of imprisonment, up to 74 lashes and a fine as much as five times the price of the confiscated alcohol!  

I can’t take the 11-year old Sara off my mind, just imaging gasoline all over her, fighting for her life, in vain.