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Why Prince Reza Pahlavi Needs to Support a *SECULAR* Republic??
http://ghandchi.com/127-PrincePahlavi.htm
Already in my Open Letter to Prince Reza Pahlavi in August 2001, I argued in details why Prince Reza Pahlavi needs to support a Federal Democratic Republic to help Iranian Pro-Democracy movement for a secular state to succeed :
http://www.ghandchi.com/83-Letter.htm
I also have further shown why Monarchy is not acceptable as a choice by the
Iranian people and the platform for return of monarchy has only been dividing
the pro-democracy movement of Iran in the last 23 years:
http://www.ghandchi.com/98-NoMonarchy.htm
http://www.ghandchi.com/108-Sweden.htm
One of the major shortcomings of monarchists is their inability to push for real secularism in Iran, when in contrast to the views they inherit from the past, today, a strong separation of state and religion is highly demanded by Iranian people, in the movement to replace the Islamic Republic. The dilemma of monarchists is not just the fact that 1906 Constitution, which monarchists support, assumes the Shi'a religion as the official religion of Iran, and accepts the Veto of 5 mojteheds as the final say on all laws of the land. The reason is also that erroneously the monarchists think that Iran had progressed too fast during the Shah and they think that had been the reason for Shah's fall, and they are taking a step backward in their current plans for Iran's future, especially with regards to the Western values such as secularism, and this is why they try so hard to show their following of Shi'a occasions all around the year. I have explained before why they are wrong in their view of the fall of the Shah's regime:
http://www.ghandchi.com/92-FallofShah.htm
Basically I think it is the most critical that Shi'a clergy to be kept out of the state offices in all three branches of government in Iran. It has been bad news that in Afghanestan, after so much sacrifices of the Afghan people and the world community, the new Afghan government, is basing its judiciary on Shari'a laws, and in Iran, we should prevent such a grave error from now, when thinking of the future government of Iran. Here is what I had written about the Shi'a clergy and the future secular government in Iran, and again my main issue of keeping the clergy out of state offices of all three branches of future government in Iran is opposite to the plans of the monarchists, on the issue of separation of state and religion. They are just way behind the pro-democracy movement and the ordinary Iranian people they try to speak for:
http://www.ghandchi.com/116-ReligionState.htm
Finally I would like to add that this is the only way to achieve a secular state
in Iran, and I emphasize that supporting monarchy in Iran will end up in a
non-secular state again.
Just take a look at the writings of the monarchists who compose the etelAiehs of the office of Prince Reza Pahlavi on the occasions of Shi'a events and you can see what to expect for the future, and this is when the ordinary people in Iran are vehemently rejecting Islamism, and are openly attacking the Shi'a icons. It is ironic that the TV programs of monarchists abroad were filled with religious mourning on Norouz this year, when in Iran, the people chose Norouz over AshurA and defied VF's order of canceling Norouz.
In contrast, if one looks at the etelAiehs composed by the secularists of the same office of Prince Reza Pahlavi, it is easy to see those communiqués are more republican than monarchist:-)
We should not go backwards after almost a quarter century of sacrifices in battling the Islamic fascism in Iran. It would be the worst day of our lives if like the new government of Afghanestan, we see the successor of Islamic Republic, to make Shari'a to become the basis of our judicial system, and again the clergy to become the judges of our people in our land.
Prince Reza Pahlavi is doing a great
work to promote democracy and human rights in Iran, by talking to the press and
various international organizations abroad, and let's hope all his efforts and
all the sacrifices of pro-democracy activists inside and outside Iran, for over
a century, to culminate in a real secular state, which is the only way for Iran
to stay truthful to the ideals of democracy and human rights.
Sam Ghandchi, Publisher
IRANSCOPE
http://www.IRANSCOPE.com
March 27, 2002
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