Cyrus the Great
Again, yesterday, thousands and thousands of Iranians took to the street to protest, in open violation of the clerical decree from the "Supreme Leader" of Iran and in spite of threats, violence, torture, arrests and executions.
On Twitter there is profound outrage by the Western media coverage -
namely BBC Persia - downplaying the protests as the media workers find
it difficult to cut a new angle or even figure out what leg to stand on
when reporting the Iranian uprising.
In a sense the blogger outrage is appropriate, but there are a few ominous signs, such as a blogger stating that
"betrayers are worse than oppressors".
This is not a trend, as much as it is a warning sign and something protesters should be wary of: Objecting to misreporting or tendentious coverage is appropriate, but it is not prudent to alienate potential allies or perpetuate anti-Western sentiments.
Anti-Arab statements provoked by imported Basiji
Another sign of losing prudence to revolutionary fervor is anti-Arab statements, a tendency which has been present in subtle form in some Iranian Twitter reports - far from all - for weeks.
Anti-Arabism is not uncommon in Iran, where people take pride in their Persian origin.
The current anti-Arab statements from pro-Mousavi Iranians are largely provoked by the presence of Arab Hezbollahi in Iran, apparently imported by Ahmadinejad's regime to help in the clamp-down on opposition.
The role of Khamenei's son, Mojtaba
It is also worth mentioning that reports from Iran mention a new protest chant directed at Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah Khamenei:
"Mojtaba, you will never rule Iran"
Mojtaba Khamenei is suspected of being behind the coup (the rigged election and following clamp-down on opposition), attempting to secure his position as the next Grand Ayatollah of Iran. My stance towards this sub-trend is neutral.
The dream of enlightened governance
Another sub-trend which has largely gone unnoticed - a positive one - is the resurfacing of what you may call Persian paleo-nationalism, drawing on the large pool of prominent cultural figures throughout aeons of Persian history, namely Cyrus the Great.
A Twitterer wrote today:
If all men ruled like Cyrus, the world would be at peace and harmony... Truely he diserves to be called GREAT!
Another statement went viral among Iranians on the platform:
Cyrus, Rest, for We are Awake! We will rid the country of these non-believers intent upon torturing the people
I see the invokation of Cyrus as very signficant, because it ties the protests to the strong Iranian national pride, and because Cyrus is also an important symbolic figure in the Judeo-Christian world.
Favourable mention in Old Testament
Cyrus the Great is widely hailed as a benevolent leader, the ruler of a vast empire to replace that of Babylonia, empowered by respect for the conquered nations and for some of the earliest phrasings of principles of human rights.
Cyrus even receives favourable mention in the Bible (he is mentioned 23 times) as he decreed the return of the Jewish captives from conquered Babylonia to Israel, a historical act known as the Edict of Restoration.
In stark contrast to Ahmadinejad's official statements on behalf of Iran Cyrus ruled without anti-Semitism, and the increasingly frequent invocations of Cyrus may indicate a greater respect for the Israeli side of the Middle East Conflict than expressed by Ahmadinejad.
Ancient Persian-Israeli relations were benevolent
Invoking the name of Cyrus could, of course, also be a tactic employed by Iranian Jews sympathetic to the pro-Mousavi opposition and to the protests in general. It is worth observing that Mousavi's "troops" merely represent the axis of a larger protest movement with a variety of vested interests:
There is the socio-economical dimension with huge unemployment rates, while the Iranian elite is sucking up the oil revenues, the general human rights issues and the desire for gender equality, the grievances of a spectrum of ethnic minorities in Iran, the interest of sexual minorities and so forth, all the people Ahmadinejad arrogantly dubbed "dirt and dust".
The entire Book of Daniel, a story about a young Jew who is educated as a sorcerer in Babylon, is largely a document to establish that the conquests of Cyrus is a manifestation of the will of Yahweh.
The miraculous conquest of Babylon
Also, the book of Isaiah interprets Cyrus' seemingly miraculous
conquest of the heavily fortified capitol of Babylon - largely without
bloodshed - as divine intervention:
Thus says Yahweh to his anointed, to Cyrus, whom he has taken by his
right hand to subdue nations before him and strip the loins of kings,
to force gateways before him that their gates be closed no more: I will
go before you levelling the heights. I will shatter the bronze
gateways, smash the iron bars. I will give you the hidden treasures,
the secret hoards, that you may know that I am Yahweh. (Isaiah 45:1-3)
Who roused from the east him that victory hails at every step? Who
presents him with nations, subdues kings to him? His sword makes dust
of them and his bow scatters them like straw. He pursues them and
advances unhindered, his feet scarcely touching the road. Who is the
author of this deed if not he who calls the generations from the
beginning? I, Yahweh, who am the first and shall be with the last. (Isaiah 41:2-4)
Babylon, surrounded by three layers of walls each so thick two horse chariots could race on top of it, side by side, was considered impenetrable at the time. Historians believe that natural disasters, possibly a combination of earthquakes and an epidemic, weakened the defenses of Babylon and forced them to surrender to Cyrus.
Cyrus let Jews return to Israel, financed it
Also, the book of Isaiah interprets Cyrus' seemingly miraculous
conquest of the heavily fortified capitol of Babylon - largely without
bloodshed - as divine intervention:
Thus says Yahweh to his anointed, to Cyrus, whom he has taken by his
right hand to subdue nations before him and strip the loins of kings,
to force gateways before him that their gates be closed no more: I will
go before you levelling the heights. I will shatter the bronze
gateways, smash the iron bars. I will give you the hidden treasures,
the secret hoards, that you may know that I am Yahweh. (Isaiah 45:1-3)
Who roused from the east him that victory hails at every step? Who
presents him with nations, subdues kings to him? His sword makes dust
of them and his bow scatters them like straw. He pursues them and
advances unhindered, his feet scarcely touching the road. Who is the
author of this deed if not he who calls the generations from the
beginning? I, Yahweh, who am the first and shall be with the last. (Isaiah 41:2-4)
Flavius Josephus, the Roman historian, corroborates the account in last chapters of the Book of Daniel:
"I have given leave to as many of the Jews that dwell in my country as
please to return to their own country, and to rebuild their city, and
to build the temple of God at Jerusalem on the same place where it was
before.
I have also sent my treasurer Mithridates, and Zorobabel, the
governor of the Jews, that they may lay the foundations of the temple,
and may build it sixty cubits high, and of the same latitude, making
three edifices of polished stones, and one of the wood of the country,
and the same order extends to the altar whereon they offer sacrifices
to God.
I require also that the expenses for these things may be given
out of my revenues"
Respect of Jewish sacrificies, sacred artifacts
Josephus' account of Cyrus' decree continues:
Moreover, I have also sent the vessels which king
Nebuchadnezzar pillaged out of the temple, and have given them to
Mithridates the treasurer, and to Zorobabel the governor of the Jews,
that they may have them carried to Jerusalem, and may restore them to
the temple of God.
Now their number is as follows:
Fifty chargers of
gold, and five hundred of silver; forty Thericlean cups of gold, and
five hundred of silver; fifty basons of gold, and five hundred of
silver; thirty vessels for pouring [the drink-offerings], and three
hundred of silver; thirty vials of gold, and two thousand four hundred
of silver; with a thousand other large vessels.
I permit them to
have the same honor which they were used to have from their
forefathers, as also for their small cattle, and for wine and oil, two
hundred and five thousand and five hundred drachme; and for wheat
flour, twenty thousand and five hundred artabae; and I give order that
these expenses shall be given them out of the tributes due from
Samaria.
The priests shall also offer these sacrifices according to the
laws of Moses in Jerusalem; and when they offer them, they shall pray
to God for the preservation of the king and of his family, that the
kingdom of Persia may continue.
But my will is, that those who disobey
these injunctions, and make them void, shall be hung upon a cross, and
their substance brought into the king's treasury."
It is, of course, too lofty to speculate at this point if protesters name-dropping Cyrus the Great may indicate a possible shift in Iranian foreign politics following a possible regime change or political reform.
July 10 2009
