Taboos- II
Religion- I
If I'm going to mention the taboos here, I would begin with religion which I believe is the source and root of other taboos in our society in a way. I am not a religious expert to be able to mention all the principles of it and to prove what is wrong or right with it or which is original or which part of it is fake. What I write here, is an ordinary person's views that has been living in this country all her life. The recent three decades under the theocratic regime has enriched my experience about religion and what religion in practice can be. I never can claim what we are taught here to be the real principles of Islam (as the main religion covering more than 98% of the entire population). But who else can when Islam is interpreted in many different and sometimes opposite ways, ranging from Bin Ladin to those who adapt the message of peace and tolerance out of it?
Also, I won't challenge the probable objections due to literal applying of the word 'taboo' to religion. The reason for calling religion a taboo is that the people are not comfortable opposing it here, challenging and defying it or denying it.
Iran is a conservative country when it comes to relate to religion. It means that millions of people believe in some kind of faith. Some of them practice it and some don't. Practicing Islam varies from praying the God five times a day and fasting during Ramadan to observing hijab and so. Even hijab was picked according the people's tastes. Some preferred chador, when some just liked to cover their heads with headscarves.
Before the Revolution, the religion was something quite personal. Well, many practiced it; the people fasted, they took part actively in mourning ceremonies of Ashoora. BUT nobody bothered to ask someone else whether he believed in God or not. Nobody spied on the other to check whether he prays the God or not. There was a funny tradition among many who drank alcohol, then washed their mouths and then prayed the God. Well, people invented their own version of Isalm, something which fitted the life style they loved to follow. The religion I remember from my younger days was beautiful. It was human, something very normal and natural. It was a soothing element giving courage to millions and helping them to relax and relieve from the hardships of life, or the anxieties they might face. So, for it to be quite personal, the people usually didn't try to show off because nobody was to punish them if they didn't observe religious regulation or to award them if they did.
Before the Revolution, the center of Islamic education was Qom with one of the biggest Islamic schools for Shiaas- Feyzieh. Qom never could compete Najaf or Krabala but still was one of the major points in Shiaa part of the world to educate clerics. I can say, when it comes to religion, Qom was the most religious and conservative city of the whole country. Even before the Revolution, the religious atmosphere dominated the whole city. But that was it. To witness the extreme feature of Islam, it was the only place to go. Needless to say, for other cities, the more distant the city located, the more religious it was. The only exception was the north of the country which the people followed a more liberal version of Islam.
Although, Shah's regime had a secular trend, they never dared to oppose Islam explicitly. Shah even did the pilgrimage to Mecca and tried to show off as a good Muslim. He called himself arrogantly the one after the God for the country. That shows the power of the religion in Iran- I suppose.
Even before the Revolution, the family law and inheritance law were both based on Islamic principles. It was not illegal if a man re-married again and again. Also, the temporary marriage – called Mot'a by Arabs or Seeghe by Iranians- was ok.
According to inheritance law, the girls inherited half of what their brother(s) did.
If I'm going to mention the taboos here, I would begin with religion which I believe is the source and root of other taboos in our society in a way. I am not a religious expert to be able to mention all the principles of it and to prove what is wrong or right with it or which is original or which part of it is fake. What I write here, is an ordinary person's views that has been living in this country all her life. The recent three decades under the theocratic regime has enriched my experience about religion and what religion in practice can be. I never can claim what we are taught here to be the real principles of Islam (as the main religion covering more than 98% of the entire population). But who else can when Islam is interpreted in many different and sometimes opposite ways, ranging from Bin Ladin to those who adapt the message of peace and tolerance out of it?
Also, I won't challenge the probable objections due to literal applying of the word 'taboo' to religion. The reason for calling religion a taboo is that the people are not comfortable opposing it here, challenging and defying it or denying it.
Iran is a conservative country when it comes to relate to religion. It means that millions of people believe in some kind of faith. Some of them practice it and some don't. Practicing Islam varies from praying the God five times a day and fasting during Ramadan to observing hijab and so. Even hijab was picked according the people's tastes. Some preferred chador, when some just liked to cover their heads with headscarves.
Before the Revolution, the religion was something quite personal. Well, many practiced it; the people fasted, they took part actively in mourning ceremonies of Ashoora. BUT nobody bothered to ask someone else whether he believed in God or not. Nobody spied on the other to check whether he prays the God or not. There was a funny tradition among many who drank alcohol, then washed their mouths and then prayed the God. Well, people invented their own version of Isalm, something which fitted the life style they loved to follow. The religion I remember from my younger days was beautiful. It was human, something very normal and natural. It was a soothing element giving courage to millions and helping them to relax and relieve from the hardships of life, or the anxieties they might face. So, for it to be quite personal, the people usually didn't try to show off because nobody was to punish them if they didn't observe religious regulation or to award them if they did.
Before the Revolution, the center of Islamic education was Qom with one of the biggest Islamic schools for Shiaas- Feyzieh. Qom never could compete Najaf or Krabala but still was one of the major points in Shiaa part of the world to educate clerics. I can say, when it comes to religion, Qom was the most religious and conservative city of the whole country. Even before the Revolution, the religious atmosphere dominated the whole city. But that was it. To witness the extreme feature of Islam, it was the only place to go. Needless to say, for other cities, the more distant the city located, the more religious it was. The only exception was the north of the country which the people followed a more liberal version of Islam.
Although, Shah's regime had a secular trend, they never dared to oppose Islam explicitly. Shah even did the pilgrimage to Mecca and tried to show off as a good Muslim. He called himself arrogantly the one after the God for the country. That shows the power of the religion in Iran- I suppose.
Even before the Revolution, the family law and inheritance law were both based on Islamic principles. It was not illegal if a man re-married again and again. Also, the temporary marriage – called Mot'a by Arabs or Seeghe by Iranians- was ok.
According to inheritance law, the girls inherited half of what their brother(s) did.
posted by Laila @ 3:02 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
http://www.akhbar-rooz.com/article.jsp?essayId=4084
interesting interview, you might like to read
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