Updating Religion?

Just decided to briefly share my recent thoughts here. They might be right or wrong. I don’t know. But the reason I am sharing them here is just to challenge your thoughts too. You may find this blog targeting my Iranian friends but I believe it’s a good read for the rest of you to look at your country’s issues from a different perspective.

We all Iranians were the victims of the recent, or some might say long-time, crisis in Iran in different ways. People died, imprisoned, and were threatened for sharing their voices, for criticizing the regime, and for standing against what they believed as dictatorship. Those of us who live abroad recently experienced the disconnection with our loved ones due to the internet shutdown in Iran. We are scared of going back and visiting our families due to the chance of war between Iran and the US or the fear of crashing on the flight back home. We were challenged economically by the fluctuating exchange rate and, lastly, we were saddened by seeing our families and friends’ terrible situations in Iran.

So, am I writing to blame Trump or the Iranian Regime? They are not innocent, but no. I am writing to challenge a habit. The habit of adjusting our religion with the modern world requirements to solve our problems.

Just decided to briefly share my recent thoughts here. They might be right or wrong. I don’t know. But the reason I am sharing them here is just to challenge your thoughts too. You may find this blog targeting my Iranian friends but I believe it’s a good read for the rest of you to look at your country’s issues from a different perspective.

We all Iranians were the victims of the recent, or some might say long-time, crisis in Iran in different ways. People died, imprisoned, and were threatened for sharing their voices, for criticizing the regime, and for standing against what they believed as dictatorship. Those of us who live abroad recently experienced the disconnection with our loved ones due to the internet shutdown in Iran. We are scared of going back and visiting our families due to the chance of war between Iran and the US or the fear of crashing on the flight back home. We were challenged economically by the fluctuating exchange rate and, lastly, we were saddened by seeing our families and friends’ terrible situations in Iran.

So, am I writing to blame Trump or the Iranian Regime? They are not innocent, but no. I am writing to challenge a habit. The habit of adjusting our religion with the modern world requirements to solve our problems.

In the history of Iran, we always fought for our freedom in different ways. In 1979 revolution, our parents and grandparents fought to bring an end to monarchy and begin a democratic government. They did it, but with what cost? The revolution resulted in murdering and prosecuting people whose beliefs and ideas were opposed to the crowd. Some extremists in power tortured women without hijab, they killed people who were against the Islamic republic, and imprisoned intellectuals who wrote against Ayatollah Khomeini. In contrast to their initial purpose, they demonized and hurt other people and their opinions.

I am not going to talk about it much, but most of you who are reading this know that having religion, in this case Islam, involved in government doesn’t work. For instance, Islamic doctrines ignores and disrespect women’s rights and sentences those who convert out of Islam to death. Now after 40 years, many Iranians came out on the streets, protested, and got killed and arrested for their voices. It seemed like now people know that the separation of government from religious institutions matters. It looks like we finally know that religion may not work. Or do we?

What concerns me is that why those people that believe in human rights and freedom of speech still get support from Islam to protest against the regime. I wonder if chanting “Allah o Akbar” on the streets would really solve the problems. I mean yes, I am not in Iran now, so I might as well shut up. But still why? Why in the universities we back up our criticism to the regime with Islamic principles? Is Islam the problem or are our laws, people in powers, and their way of interpretation of Islam that cause the problem?

I say it is Islam.

Our laws and principles are based on Islamic doctrines and those doctrines justify the ones in power to do most the wrong things they do. You agree or not, according to Islamic historians, invading other countries was how prophet Mohammed “invited” other people to Islam. Yes, this was how kings and emperors expanded their territories in the old times. Obviously, we should not do the same today. But, that is very similar to the way the Islamic regime sentences none-believers to prison or death. That is what the ones in power are doing to our people because the constitution that is inspired by Islam allows them to do.

Therefore, what I want to challenge you my Iranian friends is to critically think if it is only the regime or certain people that cause dictatorship in our country or it is Islam and its influence in our cultural principles and laws? Do we want to adjust Islam to modern time requirements again and again, like we have always done in the history? Do we want secularism and respect for all beliefs? Should we still keep chanting “Allaho Akbar “on the streets? Will that work in the long-term?