Getting a bit political.

My end goal here is to think up of a foreign policy for the U.S. that will not only be beneficital for the U.S., but will make the world a better and safer place. I'm not Political Science expert, but hell the biggest experts that control this country managed to screw things up, so there's hope for me yet.

Think about this situation: The United States is successful in creating a viable democratic republic in Iraq. The Iraqi people feel that they are represented and the country becomes stable. (stop laughing, stay with me here) At this point, the Iraqi people, even though they are greatful for the liberation of their country, wish to completly cut ties wih the United States. They want a generation to live without fear or foreign intervention, so they can figure on their own how to govern themselves. They take a vote, and the majority agrees to cut all ties, political, economic, etc, with the United States.

How should the United States deal with this? I asked this very question to Dr. Condoleeza Rice when she came to lecture at the University of Washington. She skirted around the answer. It didn't seem like a possibility to her. A democratic country that is anti-US? How can that be? Oh, it can be; it be very easily.

In my opinion, U.S Foreign Policy should allow for this situation to happen, and U.S follow the wishes of the Iraqi people. We stand for democracy; we stand for rule of law. We believe in it so much that we aren't afraid to let other do their own experimenting of democracy without our help. We realize that democracy and rule of law are NOT just American values, but universal ones. We would like everyone to experience the benefits it brings, we would like everyone to join with us in the international economy and trade with us, but we believe it is immoral, unethical and therefore against U.S Foreign Policy to force a country have ties with us. You can't force a person to love you.

If you love them, set them free. In the end, they will all come back to us. They will see what we were saying. But no one trusts us right now. You tell them democracy, they squinch in disgust. Foreign intervention has left a bad taste in their mouth. They want to be free, free to develop a nation on their own, free to fuck things up and learn from it. Teenagers.

But what about the dictators? Those who play the politics of fear, those who don't allow their people to be free? Let's deal with those countries on an individual basis, but let's start by cutting our dependence on oil and energy from them. In fact, lets make sure we're not depedant on them in any shape or form. The war with dictators must begin economically, but it must be fought and it could take a really long time. But oh, it's so worth it. It'll be like cutting off all the parasites off our bodies. We will be free. It seems impossible to many, but so did the moon landing, so stop whining and being so cynical. Its possible, and its vital.

God

How could anyone deny the existance of God? Perhaps they aren’t understanding the real meaning of God. Perhaps they associate Him with some persona or being that is somehow a superpower. That’s not how I think of God. God is that which we do not know. God is the essence of what makes us exist. He is and has all the answers to our questions. How could we possibly deny the fact that we will never know all there is to know about the world? There will always remain unanswered questions, ALWAYS. Because of this simple true fact, and because of the fact that there are answers to all valid questions, we know that there is a God. God is infinity. He is in a place that no human being can ever reach when still alive. His existence lives inside all of us, because at some point we were nothing; we were dust. At some point we were one atom. At some point we did not exist. And creation is proof of the existance of God. From nothing we create something, whether it be an idea or a baby. Our hopes and dreams always lay with God because it is because of Him that we can ever fulfill our dreams and hopes.

Our connection with other human beings is vital and is related to our connection with God. Through other people we reflect ourselves and we get closer to Him. Looking at the eyes of your friend, and knowing that he or she loves you and cares for you as much as you love him or her brings your spirit closer to Him.

Pouya in Iran

My friend Pouya is currently in Iran and blogging about his trip. Like me, its his first time in the country since he was a child. http://ipouya.blogspot.com

Food I ate in Iran

You better believe I ate it, I ate it all!
http://www.persiancircle.org/Pictures/FoodsOfIran.wmv

The Call to Prayer and God.

Every couple of hours, the streets of Tehran are filled with the sounds of the Call to Prayer. To some this chanting can be haunting and annoying. I personally find it soothing. I don’t think it should be forced upon anyone like it is in Iran, but if a community agrees to have it, i see no problem with it. (For example, a mosque in Dearborn, Michigan has this)

The basic chants of the prayer are calling fellow Muslims to join in prayer. Allah Akbar means Praise God, a pretty universal message. Being a believer in God, i enjoy the times when i see others acknowledging that force that is greater that us, that force that we will never fully understand but has great power in our lives. When the chants start to talk of Mohammad and Ali, which Shiite Muslims chants usually do, I don’t enjoy it as much. I’m not fully convinced yet that revering Mohammad and Ali, or Hassan or Reza for that matter, is such a great idea when it comes to satisfying the goal of being closer to God. I’m sure these Imams and the Prophet teach great things, but there are many many other great teachers, some that are still alive today even. I find it a bit hypocritical when some Muslims put up the Imams and the Prophet on such a high pedestal. One of the basic tenants of Islam is supposed to be that idolatry is wrong, people worshipping is wrong. We are all humans and have things we can teach each other and also make mistakes and do things wrong. The Imams and Prophets are not immune to this reality, as far as I’m concered. If there is any one that I would want to worship, and draw pictures of and post bumper stickets praising it would be my parents. The lessons they have taught me have been greater than all the books i’ve read combined. They deserved to be put up on a pedastal as much as Mohammad is, as far as I’m concered.

I think many of the negative religious things I saw in Iran are direct affect of the theocracy that the people live under. Trying to unify everyone under one vision is a noble goal, but an ignorant one. Theocracy’s problems are the same has communism’s problems: creativity is seen as a bad thing becasue it can lead to creation of new visions of reality, which can break people apart and not allow for unification and therefore peace. Thats why I love the philosophies behind diversity so much. Growing up in California and seeing people from every region of the world, one finds that we are all the same, all human beings with a conscience, with goals, and with issues. Embracing our differences and making use of them is the solution to unification of people. Unifying people under Islam can only work if the entire world accepts Islam, and if thats what the Islamist’s goals are, they have their work cut out for them. There already too many other realities that are well-accepted throughout the world, and I dont see them being given up anytime soon. In the end, Islamists will fail just as American hegemony will fail. We can only see the world in the same way if we accept and embrace the fact that we all see the world differently.

Hiking with Mohsen agha

Mohsen agha, my uncle, is a man I am deeply proud of. He just celebrated his 70–birthday. He still teaches art and painting and has been for decades. I’ve seen his students work, and his teachings have brought out great creativity and talent in his students. Moreover, he is a dedicated althete for life. Every week, he hikes up the Ab-o-Bargh mountain for 4–5 hours. As he is hiking up, he puts his hand together behind his lower back. Never run as you go up or down the hill, he suggests. He knows all the paths to this mountain, he’s been climbing it for years. And it shows. Unlike many other elderly men his age, he is an energetic and vibrant man. His smile shows the self-satisfaction that althetisicm brings, a feeling I want to have in my life.

Mohsen agha loves to garden, he finds the most exotic and unique plants and grows them in his backyard. He says the experience and satisfaction of watcing them grow bring him great joy. It has also taught him patience. He gardens as patiently as he walks up the Ab-o-Bargh mountain.

Pizza In Iran

Pizza in Iran: Delicious. I think they put in less tomato sauce (so as a result we dip the pizza in ketchup), and they use really good meat that’s not pork-based (Muslims aren’t allowed to eat pork). Pizzas with meat in the US usually always have pork-based meat. I’m not sure what the name of the meats used in Iran are, but i’m sure going to find out. Anyone know a website with a good recipe?

The pizza crust tasted great too. Is there some special type of flour they use to make the bread? Bread in general in Iran has this extra unique taste that I don’t recall ever tasting in the US.

Mashhad

I spent a week in the city of Mashhad, which is in the eastern region of Iran. That’s where my dad was born and where most of my dad’s side of the family lives. Mashhad is a big city that has one big landmark: the Imam Reza Shrine, or Haram. Shiite Muslims follow the teachings of Imam Reza and believe Haram to be holy. It is said that when you go to Haram for the first time, whatever wish you make will always come true. No, i wont tell you what my wish was when i went there.

As interesting as the city of Mashhad is and as important as Haram is for many, for me it was all about family. I have five aunts and uncles that live in Mashhad, and many many cousins there. Ameh (Aunt) Zari and Ameh Afsar were the two aunts i stayed with most of my time in Mashhad. They Ameh Afsar’s husband, Mr. Keyhani, just turned 70 but is the most athetic of all our family members. Every other day we went hiking up the nearby hill. I definetly appreciated the exercise especially given all the great food I was eating there. My aunt’s cooking skills are top-notch and can beat any Persian restaurant bar-none.

I have three beautiful cousins that I became very close with as I spent my time in Mashhad: Nastaran, Narges, and Nasim.

Nastaran lives in Tehran and is married to Hamid. I came with them and their son Nima to Mashhad. Thanks to Hamid agha’s driving skillz we got to Mashhad in blazingly fast. What was supposed to be a 15 hour trip was only 11 hours, and that including stops for snacks, gas fill-up, and lunch.

Narges also lives with her husband Vahid in Tehran. They have three really awesome kids, Mahta, Amin and Mohammad. Mohammad thinks that I may be from the FBI or at least know all about it. Amin is a really considerate kid. I gave him some gum and shared it with his brother even though he liked the gum himself.

Mahta loves to tickle. I kept telling her I’m not ticklish and she kept proving me wrong. She asks me 'Eiman, how old are you? How much do you weigh?' and told me thise annoying jokes like 'A bird is flying and drops and egg, but it never hits the ground, why? Beacuse the bird is wearing shorts' or 'Why can't an elephant fit into the hole of a sewing needle? Becasue its tail is tied in a knot and could get stuck in the hole’ Silly girl.

Update

Sorry for no updates everyone, getting Internet access take some effort and time, and I like to spend most of my time with family at the moment. Will update soon. Eiman