All about freedom

... the Pahlavi State was

By Mihandoust
January 28, 2002
The Iranian

Dear Mr. Javid,

I have written to you before about the respect that I have for your personal honesty, the transparency of your thoughts and the great service that your magazine renders to Iranians in serving as a forum for their thoughts.["Shah bee Shah"]

There is however one element which is lacking in your journalism.

I think you would agree with me that any serious magazine either states that they are completely unbiased or clearly descibes the political platform that they support.

Your editorial policy does not state that you do subscribe to any particular political philosophy or belief but it does not state that you are completely unbiased either. It is therefore completely fine for your magazine's editorial policy to be antimonarchist or to be more precise anti-Pahlavi.

This is not to say that you do not publish pro monarchist articles or you play them down. From personal experience, I categorigally state that this has not been the case so far.

However since you are honest and brave enough to come out and admit that you once supported the Islamic Republic, why not come out openly and state in your editorial policy that on the issue of politics the editor is specifically biased towards a secular republican form of government because that is what you clearly state in your article.

Please understand that I do not consider myself of any particular importance to preach on you or to advise you. It is just an opinion from a reader and contributor.

On the issue of monarchy and freedom: There is no question that there was no political freedom in the Pahlavi state. This has however nothing to do with monarchy, there has never been any political freedom in Iran under any regime.

For that matter, there has never been nor there is any political freedom even close to what it is practiced in the West in any part of the Islamic Middle East, republic or monarchy. The Pahlavi State did however provide for social freedoms which had never existed nor do they currently exist in Iran and are rare in the whole region.

The freedom of religious belief. Ask any Bahai, Sunni, Jew, Armenian, Darvish, Aliolahhi.

The freedom of commerce, trade. Ask anyone who has had their properties confisacted or their business ruined because they would not put up with the Mullahs.

The freedom of travel. Ask all those who for one reason or another have been prevented to leave Iran during the IR.

The freedom to wear what one desires. The freedom to listen to music. The freedom to do as when wishes within his own home.

Sir, in these respect the Pahlavi State was all about freedom.