Iranians find Rumi's voice is their
own By Melody Moezzi
ATLANTA, Georgia - Iran's officially
recognized "spiritual leader" today may be
Ayatollah Khamenei, but for hundreds of years
before the current establishment of mullahs and
ayatollahs, Iranians of all creeds have looked to
another spiritual leader: Jalal ad-Din Rumi.
While this 13th century Persian Sufi poet
is known in much of the West as "Rumi", he is
referred to more affectionately in Iran as
"Mowlaana", or the Master. Among Iranians, he is a
spiritual guide and guru whose words hold
unmatched moral authority. Over 700 years after
his death, it is nearly impossible to spend a
day walking around any Iranian
city, suburb or village and not hear his echo.
His words live on in everyday parlance -
no matter one's station, religion or occupation,
everyone in Iran knows at least a handful of
Rumi's poems by heart. They are taught in
classrooms as an essential part of the basic
curriculum, but more than that, they are learned
in homes, cafes, bazaars, parks and houses of
worship. No place is beyond this poet's influence.
And there is no better way to understand
that influence than through Rumi's own verse,
although it often defies easy translation. Still,
English speakers have a wonderful resource in
understanding Rumi - and Iran - through the
translations of Coleman Barks, including the
following:
Today, like every other day, we
wake up empty and frightened. Don't open the
door to the study and begin reading. Take down a
musical instrument. Let the beauty we love
be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to
kneel and kiss the
ground.
Understand this poem, and
you will understand the soul of Iran - not just
the role of religion or dogma, but the spiritual
role of faith, love and beauty.
While Iran
is a Muslim majority country and Shi'ism is the
official state religion, Iran is not defined by
Islam. Rather, it is defined by its peoples, who
are Muslims, Jews, Baha'is, Christians, Agnostics
and Atheists. Iran is the birthplace of two of the
world's great religions: Zoroastrianism and
Baha'ism. It is home to millions of Muslims, but
also to the largest Jewish population in any
Muslim majority country. So, Iranians know very
well that there are at least hundreds of ways to
kneel and kiss the ground.
Nevertheless,
the Iranian regime maintains an intractable
identification with its interpretation of Islam,
and as such, it has played a strong role in
shaping the Iranian people's view of both Islam
and of religion in general. Because of the
regime's use and perversion of Islam for political
purposes, many Iranians have been turned off by
religion - especially among the youth who
represent the vast majority of the population.
As young Iranians, we have seen the
government's persecution of Baha'is and Jews and
its failure to provide equal rights to women, and
we realize that this regime has forgotten its
roots. It has forgotten the words of the great
Master, Mowlaana. Instead of taking down a musical
instrument to treat the fear, despair and
emptiness that have consumed so many young
Iranians (particularly since the 2009 elections),
Iran's leaders have brought out batons, bullets
and teargas.
As a result, people have
continued to turn away from organized religion,
particularly from Islam, because they have seen
how the regime is manipulating their faith to
oppress the populace and suppress dissent.
Nevertheless, there is a spiritual unity
in this growing collective repugnance for religion
- it is encouraging us to unite as Iranians of all
backgrounds and beliefs under the most basic and
universal spiritual teachings that Rumi and other
Sufi poets captured so brilliantly: the notion
that music, art, poetry, and above all, love are
our greatest spiritual resources.
In Iran,
such resources are more abundant than oil, saffron
and pistachios combined, and they represent the
truest faith of the masses.
Melody
Moezzi is a lawyer, columnist and activist
based in the United States and Iran.
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