The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran

5 Responses to “The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran”

1. M. H. Eslami says:

   October 3, 2010 at 11:00 pm

   This is a trivial book about Iran with no succinct point. Random drivel and also exceptional description of the Mullah’s son- the author- tripping on “sheereh”! It is written by the official translator of Ahmadinejad and a son of powerful clergyman. This is the ONLY book on Iran that I have bought and could not read to the end- and I think I have read >90% of these books. If I could question for my money back, I would. Don’t waste your money on this when there are fantastic books by Rey Takyeh, Dr. Milani and additional that clarify post revolutionary Iran.
   Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5
2. Reader says:

   October 4, 2010 at 1:04 am

   Really, two and an a half stars is how I would rate this book. It is appealing, well written and a quick read. But, the closer to the end I got, the more irritated I became, as there is virtually no point of view from the women’s side beyond some artificial references to make-up, etc. I am worried, this reflects Mr. Majd attitudes. He is also too willing to clarify away some offensive views, and in a weird way too, by citing his Jewish friend admiring Holocaust denying Iranian president. Please! This reminds me of southern racists who start their remarks with “some of my best friends are black”.
   Reader’s Rating: 2 / 5
3. Caraculiambro says:

   October 4, 2010 at 1:42 am

   This is one of the better books I’ve read about Iran, though it’s hard to place my finger on why I liked it so much. It doesn’t have much of a thesis: it’s basically the reflections of some Americanized, secular Iranian traveling a bit through his ancient country. Not much of a structure, not much of a point.

   But the book was engrossing like few others on the topic. Perhaps this is owing to a combination of the writer’s graceful fluidity with English when combined with his deep understanding of modern Iranian culture. From what I can make out, the leader, Hooman Majd, is the lapsed scion of a long list of ayatollahs.

   Here’s a few samples of the kookiness you’re in store for:

   [Mojtaba Hashemi-Samareh, Ahmadinejad's dark political mentor,] “believed that Iranian diplomats’ trousers could not sport sharp creases, for if they did, it was surely a sign that the diplomats were neglecting their thrice-daily obligatory prayers, which comprise repetitive standing, kneeling, and bowing gestures.” (p. 47)

   “I also stopped at Jamkaran and visited the gargantuan mosque that had been built on the site of an alleged vision of the twelfth Imam, the Imam Mahdi. (In Shi’a Islam, the twelfth, or last, Imam is believed to have never died, merely disappeared, and will one day reveal himself to us as the Messiah. The Muslim Messiah, that is, and according to believers Jesus Christ will appear at the same time by his side as his follower.) On Tuesday evenings the faithful come to Jamkaran to pray and to drop a note to the Imam in a well (near which the vision of or encounter with the “Hidden” Imam really occurred in 974 C.E.), asking him to solve their problems, as Tuesday is rumor has it that the day the vision appeared and therefore the day of the week that he, although invisible, takes requests.” (p. 83)

   “Iran’s executioners do not seem to have approached hanging–which should result in the instantaneous breaking of the neck–as a algebraic challenge, for some unfortunate convicts have finished up being slowly strangled rather than hanged, either because of an inadequate drop or because the hangmen simply dispensed with the drop altogether, as a replacement for allowing the winch to lift the victims by the ropes around their necks.” (p. 126)

   “Non-suicide operations were regularly carried out by men who fled as passengers on the backs of motorcycles, the most powerful of which were banned as a result and the reason that today still no motorcycle with an engine larger than 150 cc can be bought in Iran.” (p. 155)
   Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
4. Reads a Lot says:

   October 4, 2010 at 4:22 am

   Majd has produced a readable and insightful look at Iran. I have traveled to Iran and agree with many of his opinion. What this book accomlishes is to show the complexity of Iran beyond all the black and white depiction of the country in American media. But, Majd can also be to some extent overtly understanding of the Iranian regime’s terrible ways.
   Reader’s Rating: 4 / 5
5. Jonathan Daniel Simmons says:

   October 4, 2010 at 5:22 am

   Unlike some readers, I establish the wordiness of this book to be rather enjoyable, in that the leader manages to paint colorful portraits of a number of characters, both large and tiny. It’s sort of a “social travelogue”, being long on personalities (mostly rich and/or powerful friends of his family tree) and fleeting, evasive, and downright misleading with past fact. The consistent references to social or political dissent from the official government “line” that manage to surface might be described as “people who like their government, but would like it to be just a small nicer than it already is.” He manages to toss off holocaust denials of leading Iranian government facts as merely “teasing” the west, Germans in particular. Give me a BREAK! Iran’s active support for terrorism throughout the middle east and the world isn’t clarified or dealt with at all; but, rather it is ignored…the single reference that I came across being to aver that Iranian-made IED’s establish in Iraq were counterfeited by the US government. I don’t aver to be an practiced on Iran, which is one of the purposes of acquiring and reading this book. But, it wasn’t my “first rodeo”. I was disappointed to learn that it is a lightweight apologia for Khomeini and his successors and should be stirred into the category of “fiction”. If you already unconditionally “like” the concept of the Islamic Republic of Iran, why waste your money ? If you’re a critical reader seeking knowledge, don’t waste your time or money.
   Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5