Hooman Madj: The Ayatollah Begs to Differ

Daljit Daliwal, http://foreignexchange.tv, interviewed this Iranian author.
Fareed Zakaria, former host, once commented that Iran has a young vibrant population who should not be confused with the ruling clergy and government, who are less open minded in their view of things Western.

http://iranwrites.blogspot.com/2008/08/hooman-majd-ayatollah-begs-to-dif...

(beginning of blog excerpt)
“This stylish, witty, and enlightening portrait of contemporary Iran brilliantly captures the too-often-misunderstood character of the people and their complex, paradoxical, and changing nation.” So says one of the book’s blurbs.

Hooman Majd introduces the book to us as a result of his personal experience. “In 2004 and 2005 I spent several weeks in Iran as a journalist, and in 2007 I spent almost two months in Tehran, working on what was to become the manuscript.” He, of course, has been in touch with whatever and whomever is marked “Iranian” to make sure he is as informative and as accurate and as objective as possible. In his book, and also a letter to his publisher (I have used the editor's copy of the book issued prior to its publication), he writes that his friends consider him 100% Iranian and 100% American which puts him in a unique position.

Being the son of a diplomat and the grandson of an enlightened ayatollah, Hooman seems pretty well connected to all sides, secular and religious, Western and Eastern, modern and traditional, all in one package. Knowing a little of his family, I’m sure that, if it would have been necessary or relevant, he could have pulled a few more social connections, in England for instance, in additions to one with president Khatami.
(end of blog excerpt)

Those of you know about me at all know that I have attempted to communicate here for the past 2 years or so. I find that I am usually ignored, which is OK, since I have been ignored in better places than this (as Groucho Marx might quip).

I sense a serious reluctance in the Islamic world to engage in dialogue. The notion seems to be that the only sort of dialogue imaginable is disputation.

I have raised some good points in the past two years. One is my recent question regarding how the Islamic world sees the financial crisis, given the fact that Islam forbids lending on interest. Daljit Daliwal's interview with Hooman points out that Iranians use very little credit, deal mostly with cash, and have a very small stock exchange.

Another question I have posed is why a devout person would seek to earn a degree in a Western institution of higher education. I find that the response I most frequently encounter is one of silence. I personally do not require recognition or validation, although I feel it my duty to try to communicate with a diversity of opinions. But I feel that silence and isolation is something which can harm all sides, all interests in the long run.