A note from Shahram Shiva

Regular readers of this blog will remember Celebrating Rumi, a review of a CD by Shahram Shiva. Shiva is a native of Iran who fled during the Islamist Revolution 30 years ago, and who has devoted the last 20 years of his life to studying and performing works of Rumi.

In email this evening I received an email (mass email, I’m on their mailing list) from the Rumi Network in which Shahram Shiva muses on the contrasts between what happened 30 years ago in Iran, and what is happening (and not happening) now. I repost it here for our readers in its entirety, with this disclaimer:

These are the views of Shahram Shiva, who is not affiliated in any way with Metaphors For Life. We may or may not share his views; they are reposted here for the consideration of our readership, who are intelligent enough to draw their own conclusions from it.

Iran’s New Murmur for Freedom – A Look Back & Personal Journey

The recent outpouring for justice and basic human rights from the streets of Iran, my country of birth, takes me back 30 years ago to the first revolution. The bloody, wild, loud and destructive revolution and regime change that I witnessed first hand and remember very vividly through the eyes of an active 16-year-old teenager.

I remember the cries of “god is great” from the rooftops at night, these are the same cries that Iranians are shouting again, although in quieter voices. I remember going to the roof of our building in North of Tehran with my neighbor and best buddy Ali Reza to watch Tehran burn during the height of the protests. I also remember being trapped in my high school, which was very close to Tehran University, with massive military presence outside using tanks, personnel carriers and armed soldiers.

That day we were given a warning to vacate the high school, or they would open fire. No one trusted the voices coming through bullhorns as they hid under the tables and in closets in various rooms in the building, however I and a handful of others nervously but slowly walked out and left that area. I learned the next day that moments after we left they attacked our high school with tear gas, arrested all and seized the building.

My simple gesture of abandoning the holdout on that day, leaving behind the most politically active high school in Tehran was more than an attempt at self-preservation; it was a subconscious mental confirmation of my total disbelieve in that so called “revolution.” I never wanted to be a part of it, actually never asked to be such an active witness either. Even at such young age I knew then that the degenerate mullahs (clerics) where a dark and hypocritical force and supporting them would be a vote for a life of misery. Luckily I left Iran soon after.

My most vivid memory from that time, wasn’t abandoning my high school on that day and never returning, or seeing Tehran on fire, but it was asking a classmate who I thought had more sense why he had joined the protests and he laughed and said, “because it’s so much fun.” Yes, the first revolution was brought up by bored class clowns and those who were brainwashed and turned slaves by the religious fanatics.

Those unaware masses who placed the extremely rich 7000-year heritage of our great land into the hands of the barbaric and hypocritical religious nutcases, promptly, as if through a time portal, regressed our country back a good 1000 years.

However, all that darkness and regression befell Iran though a massive and popular uprising.

Now 30 years later, I know better not to get my hopes up. I have a feeling that the Iranians will fail me once again.

I remember very clearly back in 1978 and 1979 the type of energy, the magnitude of force and the outcry for change that rocked Tehran but today in comparison I see only a marginal display.

What I see is not a shout for freedom but a whimper. I don’t see hundreds of thousands facing the armed guards and overpowering them, I see small batches of enlightened heroes and freedom fighters quickly overcome by basic crowd control tactics.

I don’t see protestors 30,000 strong taking over TV stations, government offices and official residences, I see a small band of warriors fighting the big fight with too few braves to win it.

I’d hope after exactly 30 years our younger generation would have had it with these agents of suppression and hate. I’d hope they would have been so angry to the point that they would be willing to sacrifice themselves en mass for the greater good. But no such luck. Alas, the new generation is too politically correct and self involved to bring about an actual revolution.

Unseat the Mullahs
The clerics only understand brute force. And why shouldn’t they, they have an absolute hold on an extremely oil-rich country. They control all aspects of life in Iran and have amassed a large army of thugs to maintain total domination over the lives of 70 million people. A true revolution in Iran can only happen when the same people who appointed these brutal, heartless, faithless mullahs into power to drag them off of their thrones and unseat them for good.

To yank these mullahs from power will take a massive force. That great punch that knocked out the old regime needs to be duplicated now. The timing is right, the world is totally and wholly supportive of the new march for freedom in Iran. People all over the globe are rooting for those in Iran who are enlightened and courageous enough to want to change their lives for the better. The time is now.

Rumi Would Vote Green
I have lived with Rumi now for over 20 years. In the past two decades as I have shared Rumi with the world, through my books, music, readings and events I have come to a special understanding of him. Rumi was Maverick’s Maverick. A true independent. In his first epic collection, Rumi repeatedly speaks of setting fire to the dogmatic way of life and accepting the essence of Love as the true faith of the enlightened.

Well, Rumi was 1000 years ahead of his time in the 13th Century.

The one who is born into Love,
doesn’t follow any one religion,
be sure of that.
Since in the religion of Love,
there is no irreverence or faith.
For the true Lover, the Ka’ba
and an idol temple are one.

Transform Iran – Transform the World
Iran is a great nation, with rich history, filled with gracious people and it deserves to be governed by a secular and democratic government.

I salute the very courageous Persian men and women who are facing the attack dogs of this brutal regime. I hope to see their numbers multiply every day. A momentum has been created, a crack is formed, now increase the pressure and topple the old bastards and not only transform Iran but shape the whole world. I am rooting for you.

Here’s to victory over dark, suppressive forces that may reside anywhere in the world,

Shahram Shiva