Tuesday, April 14, 2009
This is just a quick link to follow -- an "aside." These are links to interesting things that, for one reason or another, I didn't place into a full posting. Click the link to visit the full article. Go to the blog index for a regular listing of posts.
Life in Iran, Where Freedom Is Deferred - '...In these pages Ms. Moaveni does an affecting job of conveying how the Islamic government’s edicts permeated every aspect of people's private lives. Couples wishing to hold a "mixed wedding," where men and women commingle, are advised to hire expensive security details to guard against police raids. Baby names have to be chosen with care so as to avoid forbidden names, including European names, Kurdish names and the names of pre-Islamic Persian heroes...'
Success with that heavy handedness as well as success in standing against international pressure will eventually inspire Islamist support from quarters which would previously never have supported Iran. When that starts happening, the world will long for the good ole days when statements like "only a small percentage of Muslims are radical" were still largely false, but were more true than they will be when these natural enemies unite into the juggernaut. That is why you don't talk to your enemies without preconditions. (JMIO)