January 03, 2004
THE APPROACHING END OF A LOVERS' QUARREL:
Earthquake reveals seismic shift in Iranian view of US (Dan de Luce, 04 January 2004, Sunday Herald)
The American doctors and aid workers were welcomed with bouquets of roses, boxes of chocolates and pistachios. They had not expected such warmth from a country labelled by President Bush as a member of the “axis of evil”.But the tragic earthquake in Bam has shown that the official rhetoric coming out of Iran and the US bears little resemblance to reality.
The first US delegation to set foot on Iranian soil in 25 years has learned that ordinary Iranians are actually some of the most pro-Western, pro-American Muslims in the world. And as physicians from Boston wiped away tears while treating quake victims in a makeshift hospital, the theocratic regime’s paranoid portrayal of the Great Satan seemed particularly ridiculous.
When the clerisy imposed a theocracy in Iran they betrayed not just the people of that great nation but the doctrines of Shi'ism as well. Thankfully, the totalitarian experiment failed quite quickly and the unfortunate breach between friends--us and them--will soon be repaired. Posted by Orrin Judd at January 3, 2004 08:18 PM
"the tragic earthquake in Bam has shown that the official rhetoric coming out of Iran and the US bears little resemblance to reality."
Nice piece of moral equivilance by the Herald.
Ed
Posted by: Ed Driscoll at January 3, 2004 09:10 PMWell, the Left always does have difficulty separating a people from the government that rules them. Even when the government is hardly representative.
Posted by: John Thacker at January 3, 2004 09:22 PMWhat a bunch of poppycock.
Posted by: Sandy P. at January 3, 2004 09:31 PMTo paraphrase a quote heard on NPR attributed to Joan Baez concerning her (and the left's) support of the "proletariat." It went something like this: I love them as a group; but not one at a time.
Think about it.
To be fair, the medical team members from Boston are probably predominantly left wing Democrats and they are wonderfully proving an exception to the rule expressed by Ms. Baez. Unfortunately, I know quite a few "Progressives" who live by her words and don't realise it.
As for the Herald's phrasing Ed, what else could one expect. Either they think their readers are morons ... or they are. The Public Editor for the NY Times has an interesting OP/ED piece online today.
Posted by: genecis at January 4, 2004 10:41 AMI have a hard time with the concept that the high poohbahs of Shiaism are not Shiites. It's like saying the Pope isn't Catholic.
Even accepting the view (and I don't) that Shiaism was once more attractive than it is now, why couldn't it have changed for the worse? You guys are happy to contemplate a similar decay in Anglicanism, and it fits with the disbelief in progress.
Anyhow, you mistake discontent with bad administration with rejection of religion. Iranians still go to mosques. They are not looking to be governed by non-mullahs but by a better class of mullah.
Posted by: Harry Eagar at January 4, 2004 03:54 PM