Atlas Shrugs

Iran Breeds Islamic Supremacists and its Historical Mandate

Eli Lake has a devastating article in today's New York Sun on the grooming of Iranian youth into the Islamic jihadist supremicism.
But Andrew Bostom points out that the  important historical context to this phenomenon is lost entirely. " What we are witnessing today is not simply a "post-Revolutionary phenomenon" comforting as that may sound--this is a full-throated return to the Shi'ite theocracy that existed in Iran with the founding of the Safavid dynasty at the very outset of the 16th century, and lasted till 1925. i.e., for 4 centuries."

He has written about this extensively (in 4-parts  "The Ayatollahs’ Final Solution?"), but here is a brief summary:

The Safavid rulers, at the outset of the 16th century, formally established Shi’a Islam as the Persian state religion, while permitting a clerical hierarchy nearly unlimited control and influence over all aspects of public life.   The profound influence of the Shi’ite clerical elite, continued for almost four centuries (although interrupted, between 1722-1794 during the period of Sunni Afghan invasion, and internecine struggle), through the later Qajar period (i.e., until the Pahlavi seizure of power in 1925), as characterized by the noted Persianophilic scholar E.G. Browne, writing in 1930: 

The Mujtahids and Mulla [religious leaders] are a great force in Persia and concern themselves with every department of human activity from the minutest detail of personal purification to the largest issues of politics. 

Reza Pahlavi’s spectacular rise to power in 1925 was accompanied by dramatic reforms, including secularization and westernization efforts, as well as a revitalization of Iran’s pre-Islamic spiritual and cultural heritage. This profound sociopolitical transformation had very positive consequences for Iran’s non-Muslims. By virtue of , “…breaking the power of the Shia clergy, which for centuries had stood in the way of progress”,  Walter Fischel (a pre-eminent modern historian of Iran’s Jewish minority) observed that Reza Shah, “…shaped a modernized and secularized state, freed almost entirely from the fetters of a once fanatical and powerful clergy”. 

The so-called “Khomeini revolution”, which deposed Mohammad Reza Shah, was in reality a mere return to oppressive Shi’ite theocratic rule, the predominant form of Persian/Iranian governance since 1502. Conditions for all non-Muslim religious minorities, particularly Bahais and Jews,  as well as Muslim women, rapidly deteriorated.

Here is the Lake article
   

Study: Iran Indoctrinating Children in Islamic Supremacism Eli Lake

WASHINGTON — A new Freedom House study of Iranian textbooks finds that the Islamic Republic is teaching its children to embrace Islamic supremacism, preparing them to enter a political system that discriminates against women and non-Muslims.

The study, "Discrimination and Intolerance in Iran's Textbooks," is the most comprehensive to date of Iran's textbooks, analyzing 95 compulsory textbooks for grades one to 11. The main author of the study, Saeed Paivandi, is a sociologist at Paris-8 University and one of the few Western scholars to specialize in Iran's post-revolutionary education system.

"The discourse of the textbooks has not been written with the concept of equality of all human beings, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," the study concludes. "In the textbooks' reasoning, human beings cannot be equal with one another on this earth, in the same way that, on the day of reckoning, they will be subject to divine judgment for their identity and actions. The trend, based on the clear and official negation of the equality of human beings, created different positions for the various people in society. Some individuals are born first-class citizens, due to their identity, gender, and way of thinking, while others become second- and third-class citizens. Those who are excluded from the inside are victims of this discriminatory system."

That system inside Iran has led to a raft of laws that prohibit non-Muslims from holding high government and military posts, enforce a quota of non-Muslims allowed to matriculate at universities, and require non-Muslim shopkeepers to designate their stores as such. But the lessons of Islamic supremacism also applies to Iran's foreign policy, which the American government says is to support terrorist groups throughout the Middle East. For example, the Islamic culture religious studies textbook for eighth-grade instructs, "Defensive jihad is incumbent upon every one, the young and the old, men and women, everyone, absolutely everyone, must take part in this sacred battle, fight to the best of his or her abilities or assist our fighters."

A seventh-grade textbook on the same subject says: "By taking note of the guidance and instructions provided by Islam, every Muslim youth must strike fear in the hearts of the enemies of God and their people through combat-readiness and skillful target shooting. He must always be ready to defend his country, honor, and faith and use all his capabilities and power in this endeavor. After the victory of the revolution, His Holiness Imam Khomeini, the deceased leader of the Islamic revolution, issued an order for the establishment of the basij (paramilitary group) for the oppressed."

The report places the present school curriculum in Iran in the context of the country's ancient tradition of religious Muslim schools but finds major differences between the two. Iran's modern school curriculum, for example, teaches secular topics such as science and political history, while the Khomeinist doctrine of the state runs through these subjects, as well. On lessons on world history, the textbooks emphasize a unity with fellow Islamic republics.

The textbooks also enforce a strict view that women should be at home raising children. A 10th-grade textbook for religion and life says, "A mother whose husband earns sufficient income cannot say, 'My job demands that I leave my child at the day care center every day,' and, in this way deprive her child from her constant love and attention."

While the textbooks recognize other religious groups in Iran, including Jews, they refer to followers of the Bahai faith as members of a cult.

Dishing at the National Review Summit

This was fun.....

Back in New York. Can pause now and reflect (vs react.) It was a great couple of days. I tip my hat to the brain trust over at the National Review. It was most excellent. They have full video and audio here. The mix of ideas, study, chat, dish, was potent. For those of you who played with the idea of going and didn't - HUGE mistake. That was my idea of good time. All that squareball jazz.

Let's talk about Romney. He had his coming out debut -- his speech after dinner. He is very strong. Very smooth. But not ready for prime time. He needs work. His material is good, very good. His delivery second rate. I know I know substance over style. But he'll never appear sufficiently presidential if he comes across like a 'TV game show host'.

Up close and personal, Romney is all that and a bag of chips. Seriously. He is charming, funny, sincere (yeah), not at all wooden. They've got to figure out how to translate that personal charm from the street to the stage and away from  boilerplate politician personal.

Now it maybe beginner awkwardness. Or not. Only time will tell.  Quicktime video here.

Fred Thompson

Goldberg and Steyn (very funny, very)

Sammon

National Review Summit: IRAN IN IRAQ: THE LAKE INTERVIEW

Eli Lake,  intrepid reporter to the New York Sun, is IMAO  the leading journalist on what's really happening in Iran.  So when we connected at The National Review Institute Summit I asked him what was really going down in the second nuclear arms race in the Islamic Republic of the Poison Dwarf.  Listen to it ALL. This you need to know. And there's more from Lake here.

 

Iran looks to Russia as global mediator

Iran's Space Venture Will Enhance its Nuclear Military Resources

NRI 2006: Home Sweet Home

***TOP THREAD******UPDATED CONTINUOULSY DAILY****

What a blast. Surrounded by Atlas readers, and NY Sun writers - the best there ever was -  the great Eli Lake, and Richard Miniter, Here I am with Mark Steyn.............fookin awesome. It was an unforgettable moment

My nex t radio guest. STEYN!

Miniter, my next killer venture
J Nuts and Bolton's  remarks - following every word. Where's the strategery?

UPDATE: So much to tell, so little time.So many great like minded lovers of personal freedom, small government. True conservatism- it's exhilarating. Conservatives charting the course for the future - hooha! Bonded quickly with fellow blogger Joe over at the NovaTownhall blog. He did a great post here (check out his fabi pics) on last night's revelry.

Go over and check it out ...........he  stayed for the panel discussion  with Kate O'Beirne, Mona Charon, Kathleen Lopez (K-Lo of NRO), Michelle Malkin, and Laura Ingraham. Photo courtesy of Joe.

Laura Ingraham lit up the place, in my opinion. No surprise there, as she is the talker-by-trade; but she is awfully good at it. On the question of what is wrong with the Republican Party, the woman sparkled. Transcriptions should be available here next week.

I, OTOH,  did not stay for the panel. Instead I bolted with Richard Miniter, his gorgeous significant other Heather and a great bunch of  of kick ass conservatives. We headed over to the only  saloon in town where smoking was still chic (a cigar bar of course) and partied. So great. So glad I came ......... way beyond my expectation.

This morning, New Gringrich took the floor elaborated on his postions of public policy, the failure of the Republican party to stand by its core values and idiocy of the left. Gingrich believes we are at an histroical crossroad, more serious than that of the Civil War or World War II. Newt Gingrich, speaking at NRI's Conservative Summit in DC. Watch here I will transcribe later but click of this link those that follow for more of his grand, sweeping ideas;

DEFEATING AMERICA'S ENEMIES

“It is the eternal struggle between two principles,
right and wrong, throughout the world.”
President Abraham Lincoln
Debate at Alton, Illinois, October 15, 1858

Imagine the morning after an attack even more devastating than 9/11. It could happen. The threats are real and could literally destroy our country.

There are weapons of mass destruction, weapons of mass murder, and weapons of mass disruption—nuclear is first, biological and chemical is second, electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is third. All are real, and we are lulled into complacency by the fact that none is currently being used. But if any of them were used, the effect could be catastrophic.

Despite spending billions of dollars on our national security, we are still unprepared.

Defending God in the Public Square

There is no attack on American culture more deadly and more historically dishonest than the secular Left’s unending war against God in America’s public life. The decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to rule unconstitutional the phrase “one nation under God” was the final straw. A court that would destroy a Pledge of Allegiance adopted by the Congress, signed by the president (Eisenhower), and supported by 91 percent of the American people1 is a court that is clearly out of step with an America that understands that our rights come from God, which is why no government—or court—can justly take them away from us.

Protecting American Civilization

We should not worry about people who want to come to the United States to work hard, pay taxes, obey the law, and become Americans. In fact, we should be delighted to have new Americans join our country because historically they have been the source of enormous talent, energy, and courage. From Alexander Hamilton to Andrew Carnegie to Albert Einstein to Henry Kissinger to Arnold Schwarzenegger, people who wanted to improve their lives, and in the process improve the country, have enriched America.

Nor should we be concerned that a substantial number of new Americans are Hispanic. America has a long history of absorbing and blending people of many languages and backgrounds. There have always been non-English newspapers in America and now we have non-English radio and television. I am also not worried that some immigrants come here only to earn money and then go home (Italian immigrants, in particular, did that in the past).

What should worry us is the breakdown of will on the part of America to control the borders and to ensure that new immigrants learn to be American.  What should worry us is a breakdown of will to protect America’s unique civilization.

Winning in a Global Economy

The challenge of economic competition from China and India will require transformations in litigation, education, taxation, regulation, environmental and health policies for America to continue to be the most successful economy in the world and the best source of high paying jobs and enough economic growth to sustain the Baby Boomers and their children when they retire, especially the transformation of math and science education in America. This is the single greatest challenge to our continued economic and national security leadership. Without a profound improvement in math and science learning, America will simply not be able to sustain its national security nor compete for high value jobs in the world market.

For the last two decades, the Europeans have looked with scorn upon the American model of free enterprise. Their response to innovation and challenge has been economic isolationism, rule-¬rigging, and graceful decay. While they know that a welfare state and unionized work rules are expensive and inefficient, they’ve decided to live with them.

In the United States, there exists a coalition of union leaders who prefer protection over competition; environmental extremists who value nature over the well-being and prosperity of their fellow citizens; and liberal intellectuals who distrust the fluidity and uncertainty of the market and prefer the orderliness of command bureaucracies. This liberal coalition complains about companies’ outsourcing jobs while insisting on corporate taxes that encourage companies to go overseas. They prefer that government impose on business obsolete, absurd work rules, even though these raise costs, lower productivity, and make America less competitive in the world market. These liberals believe in expanding regulation even when it fails to meet any cost-benefit test and clearly drives jobs out of the United States. The Left refuses to reform litigation or create a better system of civil ¬justice even though it knows the explosion of lawsuits makes it less desirable to create jobs and invest in the United States.

I will upload the audio later.

Frank Gaffney and Andrew McCarthy (fresh off that ridiculous panel I attended Wednesday, Center for Law & Counterterrorism, Is it a war?. The left's latest attempt to fool the American people and desroy our will.

Session: Is "Small Government" a Big Joke? Pat Toomey, Marvin Olasky, Paul Ryan Moderated by Ed Feulner

UPDATE: Jeb Bush for lunch. Wonderful speech -- will download the audio. He refused to speculate about the 2008 White House or whether he would run. He urged attendees to stay true to our conservative values ........... that is what defines the party.
Check out my mini interview with Jeb nd check out  the video of his speech at NRO - Watch here

Lunch pals from left Jeb Bush, Ken Blackwell, Mark Steyn, Ed Gillespie

Mary Matlin and Joe Klein

UPDATE: Byron York on the summit;