Iran and Islam

I posted a report by Nushin Namazi claiming that Islam was invented in Arabia by an Iranian exile Salman Pak, who used Mohammed as the spokesman .This story would infuriate pious Muslims. I have searched for Salman Pak, and I came up with a mass of article about a terrorist training camp in Iraq named after him. There was no reference to the historical figure, but he must be a hero among Arabs, although not the inventor of Islam. I asked Nushin where she got the story, and she replied "Foulavand, an Iranian Scholar". I cannot find him, and In do not have the six-volume Cambridge History of Iran, so I asked Nushin to identify him. Her answer will be the next posting, In any case, this version of history must be circulating, presumably among Iranian anti-Muslim nationalists. Nushin sends a long quotation in English translation. From it I extract the relevant section:

Fourteen centuries ago, an old Persian revolutionary prince who used different names "MAYAA" "BEHBOOD" "NAAJAA" "BORZOOYEH""BAKH-SHOODAAN""EBEN KHOSHNOODAAN" "ROOZBEH" OR SALMAAN EL FARSI, rose up to overthrow the Sassanian Dynasty and get the crown of his motherland. He prepared a blood- thirsty army of barbarous Arabs from the dry deserts and trained them to achieve two aims: Get the Paradise of the Earth (Iran) or kill and die for the paradise of heaven.

The old Persian revolutionary prince, using his vast knowledge, wisdom, and culture, taught a young man the arts of leadership and made the ignorant Arabs obey the young man as a prophet and believe in Islam, a religion made up by his own imagination. He trained them to stand in one line in order to conquer the greatest emperorship of the world, Iran. Finally the Persian army was defeated by the bloodthirsty and wild Arab army lead by Salmaan El Farsi “MAAYAA.”

History tells us that the old Persian Salmaan Maayaa was the leader and commander of the Arab army in this bloody war (Ghaadeseyeh). Two and half years after the Persian army was defeated at the battle of Ghadesseyyeh the old Persian Prince “Maayaa” died. His barbaraous followers misused the opportunity and put the country under the rule of blood and swords. They burned libraries and books, they killed bookmen and all open minded people, they destroyed all castles and signs of culture and civilization and finally they forced the Iranian nation to believe nothing but Islam as a religion. Their aim was to force the Persian People to abandon their brilliant and magnificent civilization. Nobody was allowed to say: this is my land and I am an Iranian in my country, but one only could say: I am a Moslem, and I am a slave of my Arab masters. The great nation of culture and civilization was captured by the cruel evil of wildness and barbarity. Nobody was able to help the Persian People. For more than 12 centuries the city of Tisfoon with its huge castles and magnificent buildings was the capital city of Persian Emperors when the Arabs occupied this great city, they burned and destroyed all the castles and buildings but for one, which was not easy to destroy: this castle is named Ivaan-E Kasraa or Tisfoon (Arabs named it Madaaen). If you make a tour to Iraq you will find the remains of the castle of Tisfoon 38 km from Baghdad. It is still alive and talking about the great and magnificent Persian civilization and culture. Baghdad and its suburbs were just a part of Iranian capital city of Tisfoon. Yes, Barbarian Arabs tried to get rid and demolish all the signs of that huge Persian Art and Culture but the Persian Civilization was stronger than their wildness and bloody swords of Islam.

For the last 14 centuries, there has been a nonstop and bloody war between the swords of Arabs ideology and Persia's brilliant culture. During the 20th century, our culture was going to defeat the Arabs' bloody ideology and get rid of it all over the land of Iran, realm of culture and civilization. Unfortunately, 14 centuries after the Arab invasion, once more the bloody idea of barbarians defeated our kingdom of culture and human rights with western countries' support and put our nation under the sword of Allah's laws again.

Now aiming to support human rights, real Iranian culture and history is going to create a new cultural coronation to restore our kingdom which was established more than 6265 years ago. Our nation presented it to all other respectful nations of the world, our nation has the right to restore and keep the crown of its history and make it the real source of its political life and by using the power of its civilized kingdom, find the best solutions for a better life. Now the crown of Persian civilization and culture is in the hands of Anjoman-E-Padeshaahi Iran (Assembly of the Iranian Kingdom). Anjoman will do its best to offer the Persian crown to the best Persian Man who is able to get the throne of Persia by his dignity, wisdom, and respecting the Persian culture and history.

RH: In view of the fact that Iran may be next on the Pentagon's menu, this is extremely important. We posted a report by a Western tourist in Iran who quoted students as saying "To hell with the mullahs!" This might well mean that they reject Islam. Some presumably view it as having destroyed Persian culture. The charge that the Arabs destroyed libraries may be correct, since in their sweep across North Africa they destroyed the great library of Alexandria. Notice the reference to Baghdad. Iraq was indeed part of the Persian empire, and Iranians insist that during its period of glory Baghdad was an Iranian city, indeed the capital of Iran. In addition to the discontents in Iran, there are exile groups in several cities including Los Angeles. I do not know how many of these groups support the Assembly of the Iranian Kingdom, a name which suggests an attempt to restore the order under the Shah, which was indeed anticlerical. I do not see how the West can be accused of supporting the mullahs, although France gave refuge to Khomeini. See the next posting.

I posted a long piece sent by Nushin Namazi claiming thatn Islam was invented by a dissident Persian, Salman Pak. I asked her about the author of the piece. She replies: "His name is Fouladvand. He has translated the Koran from Arabic into Farsi so that Iranians can understand what is in the Koran. For many centuries it was forbidden to translate the Koran. In his books, he points out what is false and what is true in the Koran. He points out the source of the information in the Koran. I have to send him a fax or email to get the exact title of his book. The piece I sent to you comes from his website: anjomane paadeshaahi. I have sent him an email asking for more nformation and will forward it to you. If you wish to correspond with him directly His email: fouladvand1@netscape.net

Another Iranian scholar who has published numerous books on the Koran and Iran's history is Dr. Shojaedin Shafa. I don't have the exact name of the books in which he describes Salmon Farsi but I will find out".

RH: I gather that Fouladvand.lives in London- The Library of Congress catalog lists nothing by him. If he were proved right, the effect on Muslims would be shattering.

I posted a piece by Hushin Namazi about Salman Farsi, allegedly the author of the Koran and therefore the real founder of Islam. Nushin objects to my comments: "I take issue with your claim that this is a history that circulates among anti-Muslim nationalists. This is a historical fact (although generally suppressed) that has been meticulously documented by Iranian and Arab scholars decades ago, even before the entry of Khomeni. If you were to do an internet search under "Salman Farsi" you will see a number of references to him. He is recognized by Arabs as a hero, his name is in the Koran, while to Iranians Salman Farsi is a traitor.

The Shah of Iran was not anti-cleric. The Shah's regime took legal and political power away from the Islamic clerics in the process of establishing a secular government. The clerics were encouraged to do what they are supposed to do: administer to the spitual needs of the people. The city of Quom was developed into something along the lines of Vatican where the Mullahs could train and preach the Koran. The Shah was quite egalitarian and open-minded in his outlook toward religion.

Please keep in mind the nature of this systematic destruction of our Iranian heritage, it was initiated by the Arabs 1400 years ago. However, fast forward to the Quajar Dynasty. During the Quajar Dynasty, the Europeans initiated a similar effort by supporting the Mullahs in order to exploit Iran's national resources. This is amply documented in Iran's history and literature. The religious clerics have been the most effective tool for foreigners to infiltrate, colonize, and exploit the natural resources of Iran".

RH: Of course Salman Farsi is well known. Whether the story of his role in the creation of Islam is a "historical fact" I am not qualified to say. The opinion of that excellent specialist Ed Jajko would be appreciated. The Shah's attitude toward Islam was similar to that of Kemal Ataturk. "Anti-clerical" may be a harsh word, but it is commonly used. The Shah rather than the Mullahs is commonly charged with opening up Iran economically to foreigners (which was probably a good thing), but again I plead ignorance. The opinion of Anthony Smith's Persian friend would be welcome.

In view of our concern over the role of Iran un the Middle East, this article forwarded by Nushin Namazi is important, since ir shows that the mullahs' grip on pòwer is not very firm. Here is an excerpt from "Those Friendly Iranians" by Nicholas Kristof (New York Times, 5/5/04):

Finally, I've found a pro-American country. Everywhere I've gone in Iran, with one exception, people have been exceptionally friendly and fulsome in their praise for the United States, and often for President Bush as well. Even when I was detained a couple of days ago in the city of Isfahan for asking a group of young people whether they thought the Islamic revolution had been a mistake (they did), the police were courteous and let me go after an apology. They apologized; I didn't. On my first day in Tehran, I dropped by the "Den of Spies," as the old U.S. Embassy is now called. It's covered with ferocious murals denouncing America as the "Great Satan" and the "archvillain of nations" and showing the Statue of Liberty as a skull (tour the "Den of Spies" here). Then I stopped to chat with one of the Revolutionary Guards now based in the complex. He was a young man who quickly confessed that his favorite movie is "Titanic." "If I could manage it, I'd go to America tomorrow," he said wistfully. He paused and added, "To hell with the mullahs."

In the 1960's and 1970's, the U.S. spent millions backing a pro-Western modernizing shah, and the result was an outpouring of venom that led to our diplomats' being held hostage. Since then, Iran has been ruled by mullahs who despise everything we stand for, and now people stop me in the bazaar to offer paeans to America as well as George Bush. Partly because being pro-American is a way to take a swipe at the Iranian regime, anything American, from blue jeans to "Baywatch," is revered. At the bookshops, Hillary Clinton gazes out from three different pirated editions of her autobiography.`It's a best seller, though it's not selling as well as Harry Potter," said Heidar Danesh, a bookseller in Tehran. "The other best-selling authors are John Grisham, Sidney Sheldon, Danielle Steel."

Young Iranians keep popping the question, "So how can I get to the U.S.?" I ask why they want to go to a nation denounced for its "disgustingly sick promiscuous behavior," but that turns out to be a main attraction. And many people don't believe a word of the Iranian propaganda. "We've learned to interpret just the opposite of things on TV because it's all lies," said Odan Seyyid Ashrafi, a 20-year-old university student. "So if it says America is awful, maybe that means it's a great place to live." Indeed, many Iranians seem convinced that the U.S. military ventures in Afghanistan and Iraq are going great, and they say this with more conviction than your average White House spokesman".

Ronald Hilton -

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