Gary Fitleberg, December 15, 2003

According to Nobel Peace Prize Winner Shirin Ebadi, lawyer and human rights activist, "Iran must be master of its own destiny." We can all agree. Iran can choose a course of destruction and tyranny or it can choose a course of democracy and freedom. Time will tell. We will see.

In Ebadi’s acceptance speech as a human rights activist and lawyer she presented a compelling argument for the latter choice.

Her historical reference to Cyrus the Great is a great analogy that must be applied to modern times in Iran. Ebadi notes for the historical record that the very emperor who came to power 2,500 years ago stated that he would not reign over the people if they did not wish it. Compare that to the regime of tyranny of Ayatollah Khomeini today. Many have attempted to protest the extremist fundamentalist ruler only to find their freedom of speech repressed and suppressed.

Ebadi added "And [he] promised not to force any person to change his religion and faith and guaranteed freedom for all."

Under the leadership of Cyrus the Great, Iran flourished as a democracy that allowed Jews and Muslims to live side by side and practice the religion of their choice without imposing any will one over another. Compare that to today where the remaining Jews are held hostage and not given the same rights as Muslims in the country and are not even allowed to leave if they would like. Instead they are jailed, tortured and sometimes murdered.

The "Shiraz 13" were Jews falsely accused of spying for Israel. Israel flatly denied these allegations.

The prisoners were falsely arrested, accused, and convicted on charges of spying for Israel in January and March 1999. Three were found innocent subsequently of espionage charges and released. Ten were sentenced to jail terms between four to thirteen years in July 2000.

Ten of the men appealed. Tehran reduced the sentences from two to nine years in September 2000. Five of the imprisoned 10 were released after serving some or all of their time.

Advocates including diplomats, human rights experts, and the media all declared that the closed trial was a complete fraud. Advocates for the men say that what really bothered Iranian authorities was the men's increasingly fervent brand of Orthodox Judaism.

Most of the men were religious leaders from the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, a bastion of religious conservatism. The arrests were perceived as a warning to the rest of the community, and there was initial fear that the men might be executed.

Mullahs try to distract the masses from economic hardship and lack of freedom. They do so by inciting the public against the "Zionist enemy" and "collaborators" in their midst according to some analysts.

The Jewish community in Iran presently numbers approximately 25,000 individuals. There has been a significant decrease from the approximately 100,000 Jews who resided there prior to the Islamic revolution during 1979.

These are tense times for the Jews of Iran. Their future is uncertain. The ruling extremist fundamentalist regime is one of the main proponents to eliminate Israel. Iran openly sponsors Hezbollah and has been declared by the U.S. State Department "as a chief sponsor of terrorism" internationally.

The Holy Koran and faith of Islam invokes the belief to recognize the Holy Books and Prophets of the other faiths "inviting all human beings to uphold justice." Especially the three monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam who believe in one and the same G-d because there is ONLY ONE G-D!!!

Ebadi states that luminaries in Iranian literature are emissaries of this humanitarian culture. Their message manifests itself in this poem by Saadi:

The sons of Adam are limbs of one another.
Having been created of one essence.
When the calamity of time affects one limb.
The other limbs cannot remain at rest.

Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in International Relations with emphasis on Middle East affairs.

Copyright © 2003 Gary Fitleberg