| CARLWATTSARTIST.COM "Writing by Catherine Yesayan" |
| "Tomorrow a stranger will say with masterly good sense precisely what we have thought and felt at the time." Ralph Waldo Emerson I am leafing through September 17, 2007, issue of Time magazine. An insignificant, small, colorful, snapshot, placed at one corner, grabs my attention. I put on my reading glasses and look closely. The picture has a backdrop of a blue sky. I see four men hanged, their feet dangling in midair. The caption says: "Iran executed 21 criminals in a single day." My stomach churns, a chill creeps down my spine. I close my eyes, take a deep breath. Again and again, the same question swirls in my mind. Why the West supported the Iranian clergy to depose the Shah? Why? Why? Why? Ironically I have the "Answer" to my own "Question". History has always repeated itself but unfortunately the "experts" or our "talking heads" have not learned lessons from it. Didn't the Soviet union wanted a better world for its own population? Then what happened? 20 million or more were vanished. Same as China's Cultural Revolution. The Communist regime managed to kill a staggering 70 million people. And, still fresh in our memory is the Rwanda's massacre. What happened to Rwanda when King Kingelli was forced to leave? Millions of innocent people were butchered. I wonder if the Shah was as bad as the Media had portrayed him, how come in my circle of "six degree of separation," I had never heard anyone disappeared, imprisoned or executed? On the contrary, after the Shah left, the Islamic regime became a repressive society where many innocent people were executed. Although, personally I have not lived under the Islamic Republic, but I have heard many gruesome stories happened within my "six degree of separation." Mothers and sisters were being humiliated and whipped for the site of a lock of hair showing from under their headscarf. Men were tortured and hanged Today, in Iran women are oppressed and have no right to work, to get education or to travel without the consent of either their father or their husband. And if they don’t follow the mandatory rule of covering themselves from head to toe they would be subject to brutal sanctions. “Infidel” or “adulterous” women just like Medieval time, are stoned or hanged. My husband, my four year old daughter and I, left Iran right before the revolution, in December of 1978. I was thirty. We left, thinking we will spend a few weeks in London and come back after the Muslim's mourning month of "Moharam." But situation changed overnight and we never returned to Iran. During many years of living in Iran, even though I belonged to a minority group, I had never felt any kind of restriction or discrimination. My family and I enjoyed respect and lead a full and carefree life. The Shah had created a "Safe Haven" for us -- Money was gushing into the country and everybody was benefiting from the many opportunities. The quality of life, even in the remote parts of the country, was elevating. In all of the villages, facilities such as public baths, living quarters and schools were renovating. Through a special program young doctors and college graduates were sent to villages to educate the public. To this day, after thirty years, the Iranian Islamic Revolution, remains a puzzle to me. I wonder why the masses could not see the bountiful life they were blessed with. What happened to Iran, is a good example of how people can be tricked, brainwashed and swayed into a wrong direction. Just like sheep. Few years ago I heard in the news about 1500 sheep jumping to their death. This real story, happened in Turkey. The shepherd who had left the sheep by themselves, to graze, get stunned to see all 1500 sheep had followed each other and leaped from the cliff, while he was having breakfast. Fortunately those who jumped later were saved as the rising pile, had cushioned their fall. In his exile, Barbara Walters interviewed the Shah. The last question she asked him was: "All in all were you a good ruler?" To which he replied, with a bitter smile: "History will judge..." I know for a fact that he will go down in history as a compassionate ruler. Ralph Waldo Emerson said: "Tomorrow a stranger will say with masterly good sense precisely what we have thought and felt at the time." I am hoping for that. Catherine Yesayan | 818 497 0707 Experience the new edge in the real estate market HOME STAGING and BEYOND www.homestagingbeyond.com |
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Tujunga, CA 91042
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