Iran’s
unapologetic self-determination, including its ballistic missile and
nuclear energy program as well its resistance to economic
imperialism, make it a constant thorn in Washington’s side
by
Randi Nord
Part
4 - Iran is not a “Shia” Saudi Arabia
The
barrage of negative press surrounding Iran serves two purposes:
defaming Tehran and normalizing Riyadh.
Yet the
Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are nothing
alike — even before considering the obvious religious differences.
Iran is
a theocratic republic with a constitution containing democratic
elements. Citizens, both male and female, elect leaders and
representatives into office through a well-defined electorial
process. Despite media portrayal to the contrary, Iranians are
guaranteed human rights through their constitution, including the
freedom to practice any religion, freedom of assembly, and a legal
presumption of innocence.
Iranians
also enjoy a robust social welfare system which either provides or
subsidizes housing, higher education, food, healthcare, unemployment
insurance, and physical training. Many of these benefits are
constitutionally guaranteed: a constitution designed on the Islamic
principle of a fair and just economic system.
The
same, unfortunately, cannot be said for citizens of the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia.
It’s
true that a subset of Saudi citizens enjoy social welfare benefits on
the back of a lucrative oil economy, and do not pay taxes, benefits
which have kept the Saudi population relatively docile. This,
however, will likely change soon as Riyadh moves towards pervasive
privatization.
Saudi
Arabia does not have a constitution nor does it guarantee even basic
human rights. Instead of a constitution, the Kingdom employs “basic
law,” a concept that’s typically utilized on a temporary basis.
In the Kingdom, basic law is determined by the country’s hardline
Sunni interpretation of the Qur’an and the Salafist interpretation
of Sharia (Islamic law) and Sunnah (traditions).
Citizens
are not free to practice any religion — even Shias, and Sunni
Muslims who do not adhere to Wahhabism or Salafism, face persecution.
In Saudi Arabia there are no synagogues as all religions other than
Islam are banned. Iran, on the other hand, has about 60 synagogues
for its Jewish community, the largest in the Middle East outside of
Israel.
Perhaps
the most striking contrast between the two countries is the status of
women. Women comprise 70 percent of Iran’s science, tech, and
engineering students. In fact, Iran enrolls more women in
manufacturing, engineering, and construction than any country in the
world — nearly double that of the United States, despite having a
much smaller population (323 million total population in the U.S. and
80 million in Iran). As of 2012, 476,039 Iranian women were enrolled
in higher education in these fields compared to 262,840 women in the
United States.
Women in
Saudi Arabia may not leave home without a male guardian’s explicit
permission at the risk of draconian punishments such as beheading or
stoning. Adultery is a death sentence for Saudi women, who won’t
have the right to drive until recent reforms are enacted later this
summer. The rights of women are mentioned 12 times in Iran’s
constitution, while Saudi Arabia’s basic law fails to mention word
“women” even once.
As Osman
told MintPress News, the Iran depicted through popular media tropes
is a far cry from reality: “The reason behind this behavior is
that the Western mainstream media knows that the easiest way to gain
support with their audiences back home and abroad for all the
hostilities against independent nations that are opposing them, is to
smear and demonize them. In the eyes of many people, Iran is a nation
of Islamic fundamentalists with a sole purpose of destroying
‘Western’ and ‘civilized’ values. … News stories about the
country are often accompanied by photos of burka-clad women walking
past a graffiti illustrating the Statue of Liberty with the face of a
skull on the wall facing the former U.S. Embassy. But this is not the
real Iran. I have been to Iran and have one thing to say about it:
Pack your bags and go see it, you can thank me later for the great
experience you will have, the amazing and generous people you will
meet and the astonishing history you will learn about the country.”
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