Background:
Recently, Manoto television aired a program under the title of "Rich Kids of Tehran." The program depicted the affluent families in Iran who came from the inner circle of the neo-conservative religious families who are political actors or controlling Iran's security apparatus. They ruled Iranians with an iron fist to silence anyone who questions the regime's legitimacy in Iran. The administration power stems from the Sharia laws, and everyone must obey the Sharia laws. In case a person is founded in violation of the Sharia laws, s/he will subject to Islamic laws forthwith. There is a fair point that needs to be mentioned to the readers that Iran's economy had regression since the inception of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Consequently, the middle class in Iran disappeared; consumers' purchasing power is falling. The low-income class is growing, and the power elite is gaining strength, wealth, and prestige while others are looking upward with empty stomachs. Iran's parliamentary research center released a report on the state of poverty in Iran that 57 million Iranians from 82 million Iranians will face poverty by the end of 2020. The number of individuals who will be living below the poverty line will increase. The regime in Iran had no plan to modernize Iran's industries. It relied on Iran's fossil fuel to generate revenues.
Iran's current economic climate is a paradox of what Khomeini Hindi promised Iranians to revolt against Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi's establishment. Khomeini pledged to a free ride society and a utopian society. However, now Iranians are living in a state of dystopia.
Khomeini also used the terminology of "Westernization" as a platform to accuse Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi of developing domestic and foreign policies to promote corruption to violate the Islamic laws. Eventually, Khomeini accomplished his diabolic plan. What became evident that Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi moved Iran toward modernity, and Khomeini wanted to stop modernity in Iran and move Iran toward traditionalism. Let's examine what modernity means, what traditionalism means, and what the future of Iran becomes.
What Does Modernity Mean?
According to reason, logic, and science, modernity is about rejecting past values that those values governed a nation and developing a new notion about governing a country. A nation cannot use voodoo or magic to resolve its issues. Today, a judicial system does not place a hot object on the accused's tongue to know the accused person is telling the truth or not. Even in modern times, it is proven that the prison system is not helping convicted individuals who are serving time in prison to rehabilitate and return to society.
Modernity is about discovering new meaning to life and building new ideas to accommodate happiness in society.
What Does Traditionalism Mean?
A segment of society has blind faith in God/god and believes in divine intervention to govern a nation. This segment of society is known as a traditionalist who formulates a national policy that God/god is the nation's ruler. The rulers are the exact word of God/god, and anyone tries to say contrary to God/god's word, s/he commits a vile crime.
Where Did the Notion of Westernization Come From?
The notion of Westernization developed by Sayyid Qutb went to the US to pursue his higher education. He observed the US lifestyle as to how people danced during the weekend, and some enjoyed a few drinks. He rejected western values and did not want Muslim nations to adopt western values.
What Do The "Rich Kids of Tehran" Say?
The Rich Kids of Tehran come from neo-conservative families whose parents believe God is the absolute ruler of Heaven and Earth. These parents have the sole responsibility to keep their nations pure as a snowflake. There is no corruption, and the word of God rules Iran. However, the neo-conservative individuals have proven to be a hypocrite. They are stashing money in foreign banks and are enjoying the luxury lifestyle. For example, during the Pahlavi Dynasty, in Tehran's red district, known as the new town, the revolutionary forces burned some sex workers alive or executed them. However, if a John brings a sex worker into a cleric office and pays the cleric a fee to recite a few Koran words, now, this transaction is not Hallal and legal. The morality of the community is not hurt.
The Rich Kids of Tehran are not following in their parent's footsteps. They are Ultra-conservative who know that God/god is the absolute ruler of the human being. They must execute Islamic laws so that they can remain at the top of the food chain.
The Rich Kids of Tehran are acting and are living an extravaganza lifestyle and are acting like rap stars. They stand beside luxury vehicles, and dream girls are dancing with their binkies in the swimming pools. Every young man begins to envy that they cannot gain employment and start a family. The young man begins to look at the Rich Kids of Tehran that those kids have everything they want; however, the young man has nothing. The Rich Kids of Tehran wholeheartedly believe this difference of classes created because of God's will who wanted the Rich Kids of Tehran to live a good life, and others are scavenging leftover from the garbage cans.
The Rich Kids of Tehran are also moving away from tradition and are moving toward modernity. They are no longer interested in hiding their wealth in foreign bank accounts, as Max Weber says, displaying power and prestige.
In conclusion, Iran's society is composed of two classes, one class has unlimited access to wealth, power, and prestige, and one class does not have anything to eat to stay alive. The Rich Kids of Tehran legitimacy their wealth from God's divine intervention, who wants these kids to live a happy life. The class does not have because God wants them as a slave to serve the Rich Kids of Tehran.
The critical point is here that the force of modernity is pushing the Rich Kids of Tehran not to act like their parents and act like rap stars. This itself is the actual threat to the Islamic ideology.
Copyright © 2020 Peyman ADL DOUSTI HAGH
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