Discussion:
Faryar Mansouri (Jeremy)
(too old to reply)
NUR
2009-05-04 02:20:33 UTC
Permalink
Faryar Mansuri
http://www.iranian.com/main/member/faryarm

Faryarm (Faryarm Mansuri) is Jeremy Faryar (Mansuri)

http://www.lifestoriesfilms.com/about%20us.html

(on the right)

http://www.garyspector.com/index.php#mi=2&pt=1π=10000&s=9&p=0&a=0&at=0

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/all-about-videography?lnc=4db27a48efa1d110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&page=2&rsc=articlecontent_planning

"The best way to end up with a film that you will view again and again
is to communicate with your professional in advance. Let the
videographer know what attracted you to his work, such as the blend of
candid moments and still photography. How the elements are combined
during the editing is as important as the way the video is shot, says
Jeremy Faryar Mansuri, owner of New York City's LifeStories Films.
Editing, he explains, "really sets the pace" of a video. Also discuss
sound, including your choice of songs for background or theme and the
mix of music with live, happy chatter that will accompany the final
product. As for length, most videographers will offer a range from a
thirty-minute summary of your day to a two-hour documentary."

http://www.iranian.com/July96/Editor/Letters/Letters.html

REFRESHING

How wonderfully refreshing to read these great articles.This must be
history in the making in terms of the freedom created by the Net to
express oneself in such a wide variety of subjects; all without the
presence of the modern day commercialism and stagnant waters in the
exiled Persian media. Congrats & more power to you.

Faryar Mansuri
New York City
***@ix.netcom.com


TOP

http://www.uga.edu/bahai/2002/970200.html


A "challenge" to Dr. Soroush
From: Faryar Mansuri ***@interport.net

The current interest in Dr Soroush and his ideas is a welcome sign of
hopefully a new generation of Iranians' examination of religion as an
age-old moral and spiritual force and an essential element of Iranian
life, despite the image created of religion by the current rulers of
Iran.

Your review of Dr Soroush's lectures spoke of apparent contradictions,
and yet fortunately people seemed to have accepted him for his attempt
at reconciling certain islamic values with secular thinking. I think
he can be a positive force in today's Iran; in highlighting some of
the shortcomings of current Islamic belief in relation to life in 21st
century Iran; by impressing in his talks that the failure of today's
brand of Islam in keeping up with social,economic and technological
progress is not necessarily a failure of Islam as a divine religion,
Islam having fulfilled its purpose for its designated period, having
first been a source of inspiration, civilisation and spiritual
conviction to the savage and warring tribes of Arabia, uniting them as
a nation, giving them what ever it took to overrun and finally defeat
the morally bankrupt Persian empire.In time the synthesis of Persian
culuture and Islam created one of the greatest civilisations, with
contributions to art, architecture, mathematics, chemistry and so on.

In fact, The failure has been but a tragic failure of a fanatical and
antiquated Shia clergy who through the centuries have paralysed the
spiritual and economic progress of its followers, by their self
serving actions as interpreters of Quranic law, as judges and
teachers, and today as rulers.

Dr Soroush is but a perceptive soul recognising the need of divine
element of guidance in the daily life of people, yet he is having
difficulty justifying obsolete Islamic laws and practices as it
relates to current Iranian life, hence the difficult questions from
his audience and the apparent contradictions in his answers.

The solution it seems is in the belief that, just as physical,material
and scientific progress; religion too has to progress with time; hence
the progress from Judaism to Christianity to Islam and so on. What Mr
Soroush has to impress upon people is that the essence of religion as
a divine force does not change with time and does not diminish; all
religions speak of the same fundemental principles; truth, justice,
etc; but the creator in His wisdom has from time to time revealed new
spiritual laws to suit the physical and social conditions of the time;
at the time of Moses, this meant laws suiting life in the desert; (eye
for an eye) in Christ's time, He did not reject the religion of Moses
but abrogated Judaic laws for new ones suiting the conditions of the
time; Muhammad in the Quran in turn acknowledged what came before, but
revealed new laws well suited to the lives of the people and that
time. There is plenty of references in the Quran about the never
ending words and divine guidance from the God.

Those who are familiar with the principles like Oneness of God; unity
of human race; common foundation of all religions; an independant
search for the truth; Universal compulsory education; equal
opportunity for men and women; spiritual solution to the economic
problem, adoptation of a universal auxiliary language, essential
harmony between science and religion, eradication of all forms of
prejudice, the strenghthening of human family, the elimination of
extremes of of wealth and poverty, the protection of the environment,
and the establishment of a just and and peaceful world social order in
which the rights of all peoples are fully recognised and protected,
know full well that these were the revolutionary teachings of
Baha'u'llah, who over 150 years ago in a backward country under the
Qajars, proclaimed to have brought a new revelation from God and tried
to wake Iran from its deep sleep.

Today in 1997, especially in the west, some of these principles are
considered common sense by most ; but in Iran of the late 19th
century, belief in these principles and one's identity as a Babi or
Bahai meant and still can mean death.

If present at these talks, I would like to have asked Mr Soroush,
(especailly as one, by some accounts, who bravely chose to take the
moral way and opt not to take part in clandestine activities against
the Bahais in the seventies in the disruption of their meetings, as a
then member of "Tablighat Eslami")....his opinion about the principles
of mentioned above; the spiritual teachings of Baha'u'llah with regard
to personal transformtion, as a prerequisite to a peaceful social
order; and why as apparently someone who can be outspoken, he has not
subjected these teachings which were obviously before their time, to a
wider examination by himself and the public, when they seem to be the
very answer to the difficult questions asked by his public, especially
with regard to reconciling religion and science, religion and
government, rights of women, education, family,marriage(sigheh), human
rights, the list goes on, all issues clearly discussed and addressed
in the Bahai writings.

As a Bahai, I am well familiar with the reluctance, and up to now the
inability of some Iranian individuals and media to fairly and
intelligently place under scrutiny the merits of Bahai idealogy as a
possible answer to the all of the socially relevant questions left
unanswered or softly brushed aside by Clerics or scholars such as Dr
Soroush.

I therefore like to humbly challenge Dr Soroush to examine (as no one
has dared to for fear of criticism by powers that be), scrutinise and
challenge the teachings of Bah'u'llah as a divine answer to what as
what Bahais believe to have be a new charter for a world civilisation;
first given to Iran and Iranians over a hundred and fifty years ago,
and for which many Bahais have given their lives and continue to, to
this day.

Back to Soroush main index


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(c)Copyright 1997, The Iranian


Page last updated/revised 020715
Return to the Bahá'í Association's Main Web Page
NUR
2009-05-06 11:03:36 UTC
Permalink
Faryar Mansurihttp://www.iranian.com/main/member/faryarm
Faryarm (Faryarm Mansuri) is Jeremy Faryar (Mansuri)
http://www.lifestoriesfilms.com/about%20us.html
(on the right)
http://www.garyspector.com/index.php#mi=2&pt=1π=10000&s=9&p=0&a=0&at=0
http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/all-about-videography?ln...
"The best way to end up with a film that you will view again and again
is to communicate with your professional in advance. Let the
videographer know what attracted you to his work, such as the blend of
candid moments and still photography. How the elements are combined
during the editing is as important as the way the video is shot, says
Jeremy Faryar Mansuri, owner of New York City's LifeStories Films.
Editing, he explains, "really sets the pace" of a video. Also discuss
sound, including your choice of songs for background or theme and the
mix of music with live, happy chatter that will accompany the final
product. As for length, most videographers will offer a range from a
thirty-minute summary of your day to a two-hour documentary."
http://www.iranian.com/July96/Editor/Letters/Letters.html
REFRESHING
How wonderfully refreshing to read these great articles.This must be
history in the making in terms of the freedom created by the Net to
express oneself in such a wide variety of subjects; all without the
presence of the modern day commercialism and stagnant waters in the
exiled Persian media. Congrats & more power to you.
Faryar Mansuri
New York City
TOP
http://www.uga.edu/bahai/2002/970200.html
A "challenge" to Dr. Soroush
The current interest in Dr Soroush and his ideas is a welcome sign of
hopefully a new generation of Iranians' examination of religion as an
age-old moral and spiritual force and an essential element of Iranian
life, despite the image created of religion by the current rulers of
Iran.
Your review of Dr Soroush's lectures spoke of apparent contradictions,
and yet fortunately people seemed to have accepted him for his attempt
at reconciling certain islamic values with secular thinking. I think
he can be a positive force in today's Iran; in highlighting some of
the shortcomings of current Islamic belief in relation to life in 21st
century Iran; by impressing in his talks that the failure of today's
brand of Islam in keeping up with social,economic and technological
progress is not necessarily a failure of Islam as a divine religion,
Islam having fulfilled its purpose for its designated period, having
first been a source of inspiration, civilisation and spiritual
conviction to the savage and warring tribes of Arabia, uniting them as
a nation, giving them what ever it took to overrun and finally defeat
the morally bankrupt Persian empire.In time the synthesis of Persian
culuture and Islam created one of the greatest civilisations, with
contributions to art, architecture, mathematics, chemistry and so on.
In fact, The failure has been but a tragic failure of a fanatical and
antiquated Shia clergy who through the centuries have paralysed the
spiritual and economic progress of its followers, by their self
serving actions as interpreters of Quranic law, as judges and
teachers, and today as rulers.
Dr Soroush is but a perceptive soul recognising the need of divine
element of guidance in the daily life of people, yet he is having
difficulty justifying obsolete Islamic laws and practices as it
relates to current Iranian life, hence the difficult questions from
his audience and the apparent contradictions in his answers.
The solution it seems is in the belief that, just as physical,material
and scientific progress; religion too has to progress with time; hence
the progress from Judaism to Christianity to Islam and so on. What Mr
Soroush has to impress upon people is that the essence of religion as
a divine force does not change with time and does not diminish; all
religions speak of the same fundemental principles; truth, justice,
etc; but the creator in His wisdom has from time to time revealed new
spiritual laws to suit the physical and social conditions of the time;
at the time of Moses, this meant laws suiting life in the desert; (eye
for an eye) in Christ's time, He did not reject the religion of Moses
but abrogated Judaic laws for new ones suiting the conditions of the
time; Muhammad in the Quran in turn acknowledged what came before, but
revealed new laws well suited to the lives of the people and that
time. There is plenty of references in the Quran about the never
ending words and divine guidance from the God.
Those who are familiar with the principles like Oneness of God; unity
of human race; common foundation of all religions; an independant
search for the truth; Universal compulsory education; equal
opportunity for men and women; spiritual solution to the economic
problem, adoptation of a universal auxiliary language, essential
harmony between science and religion, eradication of all forms of
prejudice, the strenghthening of human family, the elimination of
extremes of of wealth and poverty, the protection of the environment,
and the establishment of a just and and peaceful world social order in
which the rights of all peoples are fully recognised and protected,
know full well that these were the revolutionary teachings of
Baha'u'llah, who over 150 years ago in a backward country under the
Qajars, proclaimed to have brought a new revelation from God and tried
to wake Iran from its deep sleep.
Today in 1997, especially in the west, some of these principles are
considered common sense by most ; but in Iran of the late 19th
century, belief in these principles and one's identity as a Babi or
Bahai meant and still can mean death.
If present at these talks, I would like to have asked Mr Soroush,
(especailly as one, by some accounts, who bravely chose to take the
moral way and opt not to take part in clandestine activities against
the Bahais in the seventies in the disruption of their meetings, as a
then member of "Tablighat Eslami")....his opinion about the principles
of mentioned above; the spiritual teachings of Baha'u'llah with regard
to personal transformtion, as a prerequisite to a peaceful social
order; and why as apparently someone who can be outspoken, he has not
subjected these teachings which were obviously before their time, to a
wider examination by himself and the public, when they seem to be the
very answer to the difficult questions asked by his public, especially
with regard to reconciling religion and science, religion and
government, rights of women, education, family,marriage(sigheh), human
rights, the list goes on, all issues clearly discussed and addressed
in the Bahai writings.
As a Bahai, I am well familiar with the reluctance, and up to now the
inability of some Iranian individuals and media to fairly and
intelligently place under scrutiny the merits of Bahai idealogy as a
possible answer to the all of the socially relevant questions left
unanswered or softly brushed aside by Clerics or scholars such as Dr
Soroush.
I therefore like to humbly challenge Dr Soroush to examine (as no one
has dared to for fear of criticism by powers that be), scrutinise and
challenge the teachings of Bah'u'llah as a divine answer to what as
what Bahais believe to have be a new charter for a world civilisation;
first given to Iran and Iranians over a hundred and fifty years ago,
and for which many Bahais have given their lives and continue to, to
this day.
Back to Soroush main index
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(c)Copyright 1997, The Iranian
Page last updated/revised 020715
Return to the Bahá'í Association's Main Web Page
NUR
2009-05-07 00:09:16 UTC
Permalink
http://www.iranian.com/main/blog/nur/beware-dog-house

Put a sock in it, Souri!

by NUR on Wed May 06, 2009 05:05 PM PDT


My religion, unlike you Baha'is, is a religion of firm Justice and
fair-play, something you Haifan Baha'is know nothing about since your
whole creed was founded on injustice and na-mardi from day dot.

For the people who don't know what I am talking about. I put up a link
in one of FaryarM's blogs to a post I have made on USENET detailing
his actual identity and what he does for a living, which wasn't hard
to discover. After a few days FaryarM deleted the whole blog. I put
the link back up here as the first comment, and within 5 minutes after
the blog went up the censor Aftabeh Javid deleted it - which tells me
there might be some kind of a preexisting business relationship
between FaryarM (and a few other Baha'is) and iranian.com. I'll be
getting to the bottom of all this as well.

Compared to the legally actionable libel FaryarM has posted here on
me, what I put up was tame by comparison, just reproducing material he
himself has posted.

Be that as it may, just note, Souri, that neither you nor your clique
here can hide behind convenient aliases or plausible denials anywhere
anymore. I will find you and will publish your details online!
Whatever happens as a result, is on your own heads: Kooneh laghetun!
And from here on out FaryarM will curse the day he entangled with me.
There are a lot of hungry attorneys in North America out there in this
economy at the moment who would jump at the prospect of taking legal
action against FaryarM or this site pro bono until victory for the
published libel and defamation here, since it would be an easy, open
and shut case - no questions.

Wahid Azal

(I am publishing this comment on USENET in case Aftabeh Javid deletes
it like he did my first comment. He might also wish to note that
everything I have posted here has been saved, including the material
he has deleted)
NUR
2009-05-07 02:12:11 UTC
Permalink
http://www.iranian.com/main/blog/nur/beware-dog-house#comment-170729

Harrassed?
by NUR on Wed May 06, 2009 07:10 PM PDT


You don't say?

Just note who the moderator takes orders from around here and make the
logical deductions about preexisting business relationships between
the moderator of this site and several of the key Bahai posters here.
This is why he keeps deleting my posts while he keeps the clearly
legally actionable material from his Baha'i contingency posted against
me on here indefinitely.

Wahid Azal
NUR
2009-05-07 03:40:24 UTC
Permalink
http://www.iranian.com/main/blog/nur/beware-dog-house#comment-170756

You flagged it because you are a hypocrite
by NUR on Wed May 06, 2009 08:39 PM PDT


G'head, flag it again:

http://groups.google.com.au/group/talk.religion.bahai/browse_thread/thread/b90e7edcdfd21267

Badi19, I'm not going anywhere until this clique of corrupt foundation-
funded fascists and political charlatans kick me out of here, which is
what I am hoping they do :)

Wahid Azal
NUR
2009-05-08 03:23:29 UTC
Permalink
Faryar Mansurihttp://www.iranian.com/main/member/faryarm
Faryarm (Faryarm Mansuri) is Jeremy Faryar (Mansuri)
http://www.lifestoriesfilms.com/about%20us.html
(on the right)
http://www.garyspector.com/index.php#mi=2&pt=1π=10000&s=9&p=0&a=0&at=0
http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/all-about-videography?ln...
"The best way to end up with a film that you will view again and again
is to communicate with your professional in advance. Let the
videographer know what attracted you to his work, such as the blend of
candid moments and still photography. How the elements are combined
during the editing is as important as the way the video is shot, says
Jeremy Faryar Mansuri, owner of New York City's LifeStories Films.
Editing, he explains, "really sets the pace" of a video. Also discuss
sound, including your choice of songs for background or theme and the
mix of music with live, happy chatter that will accompany the final
product. As for length, most videographers will offer a range from a
thirty-minute summary of your day to a two-hour documentary."
http://www.iranian.com/July96/Editor/Letters/Letters.html
REFRESHING
How wonderfully refreshing to read these great articles.This must be
history in the making in terms of the freedom created by the Net to
express oneself in such a wide variety of subjects; all without the
presence of the modern day commercialism and stagnant waters in the
exiled Persian media. Congrats & more power to you.
Faryar Mansuri
New York City
TOP
http://www.uga.edu/bahai/2002/970200.html
A "challenge" to Dr. Soroush
The current interest in Dr Soroush and his ideas is a welcome sign of
hopefully a new generation of Iranians' examination of religion as an
age-old moral and spiritual force and an essential element of Iranian
life, despite the image created of religion by the current rulers of
Iran.
Your review of Dr Soroush's lectures spoke of apparent contradictions,
and yet fortunately people seemed to have accepted him for his attempt
at reconciling certain islamic values with secular thinking. I think
he can be a positive force in today's Iran; in highlighting some of
the shortcomings of current Islamic belief in relation to life in 21st
century Iran; by impressing in his talks that the failure of today's
brand of Islam in keeping up with social,economic and technological
progress is not necessarily a failure of Islam as a divine religion,
Islam having fulfilled its purpose for its designated period, having
first been a source of inspiration, civilisation and spiritual
conviction to the savage and warring tribes of Arabia, uniting them as
a nation, giving them what ever it took to overrun and finally defeat
the morally bankrupt Persian empire.In time the synthesis of Persian
culuture and Islam created one of the greatest civilisations, with
contributions to art, architecture, mathematics, chemistry and so on.
In fact, The failure has been but a tragic failure of a fanatical and
antiquated Shia clergy who through the centuries have paralysed the
spiritual and economic progress of its followers, by their self
serving actions as interpreters of Quranic law, as judges and
teachers, and today as rulers.
Dr Soroush is but a perceptive soul recognising the need of divine
element of guidance in the daily life of people, yet he is having
difficulty justifying obsolete Islamic laws and practices as it
relates to current Iranian life, hence the difficult questions from
his audience and the apparent contradictions in his answers.
The solution it seems is in the belief that, just as physical,material
and scientific progress; religion too has to progress with time; hence
the progress from Judaism to Christianity to Islam and so on. What Mr
Soroush has to impress upon people is that the essence of religion as
a divine force does not change with time and does not diminish; all
religions speak of the same fundemental principles; truth, justice,
etc; but the creator in His wisdom has from time to time revealed new
spiritual laws to suit the physical and social conditions of the time;
at the time of Moses, this meant laws suiting life in the desert; (eye
for an eye) in Christ's time, He did not reject the religion of Moses
but abrogated Judaic laws for new ones suiting the conditions of the
time; Muhammad in the Quran in turn acknowledged what came before, but
revealed new laws well suited to the lives of the people and that
time. There is plenty of references in the Quran about the never
ending words and divine guidance from the God.
Those who are familiar with the principles like Oneness of God; unity
of human race; common foundation of all religions; an independant
search for the truth; Universal compulsory education; equal
opportunity for men and women; spiritual solution to the economic
problem, adoptation of a universal auxiliary language, essential
harmony between science and religion, eradication of all forms of
prejudice, the strenghthening of human family, the elimination of
extremes of of wealth and poverty, the protection of the environment,
and the establishment of a just and and peaceful world social order in
which the rights of all peoples are fully recognised and protected,
know full well that these were the revolutionary teachings of
Baha'u'llah, who over 150 years ago in a backward country under the
Qajars, proclaimed to have brought a new revelation from God and tried
to wake Iran from its deep sleep.
Today in 1997, especially in the west, some of these principles are
considered common sense by most ; but in Iran of the late 19th
century, belief in these principles and one's identity as a Babi or
Bahai meant and still can mean death.
If present at these talks, I would like to have asked Mr Soroush,
(especailly as one, by some accounts, who bravely chose to take the
moral way and opt not to take part in clandestine activities against
the Bahais in the seventies in the disruption of their meetings, as a
then member of "Tablighat Eslami")....his opinion about the principles
of mentioned above; the spiritual teachings of Baha'u'llah with regard
to personal transformtion, as a prerequisite to a peaceful social
order; and why as apparently someone who can be outspoken, he has not
subjected these teachings which were obviously before their time, to a
wider examination by himself and the public, when they seem to be the
very answer to the difficult questions asked by his public, especially
with regard to reconciling religion and science, religion and
government, rights of women, education, family,marriage(sigheh), human
rights, the list goes on, all issues clearly discussed and addressed
in the Bahai writings.
As a Bahai, I am well familiar with the reluctance, and up to now the
inability of some Iranian individuals and media to fairly and
intelligently place under scrutiny the merits of Bahai idealogy as a
possible answer to the all of the socially relevant questions left
unanswered or softly brushed aside by Clerics or scholars such as Dr
Soroush.
I therefore like to humbly challenge Dr Soroush to examine (as no one
has dared to for fear of criticism by powers that be), scrutinise and
challenge the teachings of Bah'u'llah as a divine answer to what as
what Bahais believe to have be a new charter for a world civilisation;
first given to Iran and Iranians over a hundred and fifty years ago,
and for which many Bahais have given their lives and continue to, to
this day.
Back to Soroush main index
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(c)Copyright 1997, The Iranian
Page last updated/revised 020715
Return to the Bahá'í Association's Main Web Page
NUR
2009-05-09 01:08:52 UTC
Permalink
Faryar Mansurihttp://www.iranian.com/main/member/faryarm
Faryarm (Faryarm Mansuri) is Jeremy Faryar (Mansuri)
http://www.lifestoriesfilms.com/about%20us.html
(on the right)
http://www.garyspector.com/index.php#mi=2&pt=1π=10000&s=9&p=0&a=0&at=0
http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/all-about-videography?ln...
"The best way to end up with a film that you will view again and again
is to communicate with your professional in advance. Let the
videographer know what attracted you to his work, such as the blend of
candid moments and still photography. How the elements are combined
during the editing is as important as the way the video is shot, says
Jeremy Faryar Mansuri, owner of New York City's LifeStories Films.
Editing, he explains, "really sets the pace" of a video. Also discuss
sound, including your choice of songs for background or theme and the
mix of music with live, happy chatter that will accompany the final
product. As for length, most videographers will offer a range from a
thirty-minute summary of your day to a two-hour documentary."
http://www.iranian.com/July96/Editor/Letters/Letters.html
REFRESHING
How wonderfully refreshing to read these great articles.This must be
history in the making in terms of the freedom created by the Net to
express oneself in such a wide variety of subjects; all without the
presence of the modern day commercialism and stagnant waters in the
exiled Persian media. Congrats & more power to you.
Faryar Mansuri
New York City
TOP
http://www.uga.edu/bahai/2002/970200.html
A "challenge" to Dr. Soroush
The current interest in Dr Soroush and his ideas is a welcome sign of
hopefully a new generation of Iranians' examination of religion as an
age-old moral and spiritual force and an essential element of Iranian
life, despite the image created of religion by the current rulers of
Iran.
Your review of Dr Soroush's lectures spoke of apparent contradictions,
and yet fortunately people seemed to have accepted him for his attempt
at reconciling certain islamic values with secular thinking. I think
he can be a positive force in today's Iran; in highlighting some of
the shortcomings of current Islamic belief in relation to life in 21st
century Iran; by impressing in his talks that the failure of today's
brand of Islam in keeping up with social,economic and technological
progress is not necessarily a failure of Islam as a divine religion,
Islam having fulfilled its purpose for its designated period, having
first been a source of inspiration, civilisation and spiritual
conviction to the savage and warring tribes of Arabia, uniting them as
a nation, giving them what ever it took to overrun and finally defeat
the morally bankrupt Persian empire.In time the synthesis of Persian
culuture and Islam created one of the greatest civilisations, with
contributions to art, architecture, mathematics, chemistry and so on.
In fact, The failure has been but a tragic failure of a fanatical and
antiquated Shia clergy who through the centuries have paralysed the
spiritual and economic progress of its followers, by their self
serving actions as interpreters of Quranic law, as judges and
teachers, and today as rulers.
Dr Soroush is but a perceptive soul recognising the need of divine
element of guidance in the daily life of people, yet he is having
difficulty justifying obsolete Islamic laws and practices as it
relates to current Iranian life, hence the difficult questions from
his audience and the apparent contradictions in his answers.
The solution it seems is in the belief that, just as physical,material
and scientific progress; religion too has to progress with time; hence
the progress from Judaism to Christianity to Islam and so on. What Mr
Soroush has to impress upon people is that the essence of religion as
a divine force does not change with time and does not diminish; all
religions speak of the same fundemental principles; truth, justice,
etc; but the creator in His wisdom has from time to time revealed new
spiritual laws to suit the physical and social conditions of the time;
at the time of Moses, this meant laws suiting life in the desert; (eye
for an eye) in Christ's time, He did not reject the religion of Moses
but abrogated Judaic laws for new ones suiting the conditions of the
time; Muhammad in the Quran in turn acknowledged what came before, but
revealed new laws well suited to the lives of the people and that
time. There is plenty of references in the Quran about the never
ending words and divine guidance from the God.
Those who are familiar with the principles like Oneness of God; unity
of human race; common foundation of all religions; an independant
search for the truth; Universal compulsory education; equal
opportunity for men and women; spiritual solution to the economic
problem, adoptation of a universal auxiliary language, essential
harmony between science and religion, eradication of all forms of
prejudice, the strenghthening of human family, the elimination of
extremes of of wealth and poverty, the protection of the environment,
and the establishment of a just and and peaceful world social order in
which the rights of all peoples are fully recognised and protected,
know full well that these were the revolutionary teachings of
Baha'u'llah, who over 150 years ago in a backward country under the
Qajars, proclaimed to have brought a new revelation from God and tried
to wake Iran from its deep sleep.
Today in 1997, especially in the west, some of these principles are
considered common sense by most ; but in Iran of the late 19th
century, belief in these principles and one's identity as a Babi or
Bahai meant and still can mean death.
If present at these talks, I would like to have asked Mr Soroush,
(especailly as one, by some accounts, who bravely chose to take the
moral way and opt not to take part in clandestine activities against
the Bahais in the seventies in the disruption of their meetings, as a
then member of "Tablighat Eslami")....his opinion about the principles
of mentioned above; the spiritual teachings of Baha'u'llah with regard
to personal transformtion, as a prerequisite to a peaceful social
order; and why as apparently someone who can be outspoken, he has not
subjected these teachings which were obviously before their time, to a
wider examination by himself and the public, when they seem to be the
very answer to the difficult questions asked by his public, especially
with regard to reconciling religion and science, religion and
government, rights of women, education, family,marriage(sigheh), human
rights, the list goes on, all issues clearly discussed and addressed
in the Bahai writings.
As a Bahai, I am well familiar with the reluctance, and up to now the
inability of some Iranian individuals and media to fairly and
intelligently place under scrutiny the merits of Bahai idealogy as a
possible answer to the all of the socially relevant questions left
unanswered or softly brushed aside by Clerics or scholars such as Dr
Soroush.
I therefore like to humbly challenge Dr Soroush to examine (as no one
has dared to for fear of criticism by powers that be), scrutinise and
challenge the teachings of Bah'u'llah as a divine answer to what as
what Bahais believe to have be a new charter for a world civilisation;
first given to Iran and Iranians over a hundred and fifty years ago,
and for which many Bahais have given their lives and continue to, to
this day.
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