IRAN: Choice of Egypt a mistake, says scholar

Even as the Muslim world eagerly awaits President Obama's address to them Thursday from Cairo, some say he's already dropped the ball in his choice of venue. 

At least one Iranian critic says Obama made a mistake by making his speech in Egypt, which has a peace deal with Israel and was widely criticized during the recent war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip for failing to do enough to support Palestinians. 

"I think that he probably made the worst possible choice to choose Egypt as a place to make a speech," said Mohammad Marandi (pictured), head of North American studies at Tehran University and an American-born U.S. citizen.

"If you’re going to Indonesia, if you’re going to Bangladesh, if you had gone to Turkey, if you had gone to any country, it would have been better than going to Egypt," he said.

It's not the country of Egypt itself that's the problem. In fact, Marandi says he's got tremendous respect for the people of Egypt. 

"The issue is that the Mubarak regime is completely discredited both in Egypt and among Muslims throughout the Middle East," he said. "When you’re speaking of his major speech where all of us in the Muslim world are supposed to sit down and listen and enjoy and feel that the world is going to change for the better, I think the very fact that it's taking place in Egypt is going to cause it to lose almost all of its effect."

Not all Iranians take as harsh a view. 

Ali Khorram, a former Iranian ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva who is now based in Tehran, said he warmly welcomed the speech but hoped it would be followed by action.

"I think this is the first element in the reconciliation between Muslim countries and the United States," he said. 

Still, "Is it enough for normalization and reconciliation? It’s not enough."

People and governments in the Middle East, even those staunchly pro-American governments in Cairo, Riyadh and Amman, want to see action, he said. 

"We need something in practice and the first indication should be in the case of Palestine and Israel," he said. "Even we don’t attach so great an importance to the question of Iraq. If Mr. Obama is able to make a change in his position toward Palestine-Israeli conflict, then it could be a good omen."

But if he says something positive but in practice continues the same policies of the previous administration, people will say, " 'OK, it was just a lip service, nothing more than that.' "

-- Borzou Daragahi in Tehran

Photo: Mohammad Marandi. Credit: Borzou Daragahi /  Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Mr Nosy in Brampton]

I had no idea that Mr Obama's choice would have made more of an impact if he had spoken in Indonesia or Turkey. Turkey denies the Armenian genocide of 1915. Maybe that wouldn't have been a good choice. By speaking there he would have been legitimizing Turkey's denials even though a guy at my work has a book about it with photos and statistical evidence including sworn testimony from survivors of the brutality that took place as Turkey systematically slaughtered over 1 million Armenians.

[rezasantorini]

Nothing short of promising to destroy Israel, even by rendering it a Muslim dominated country, will satisfy most Islamics.

[melodylane]

Yep, Obama made a mistake by going to a Islamic country that has managed to make a peace arrangement with Israel, rather than one that has sworn to blow it off the face of the earth, along with other Western countries.

Big mistake.

[Ashin]

Since 1800s Iran's clergy are used to have cozy relationships with Britain. This relationship is deep and profound. Both sides so far have done thier best to conceal this issue which at the same time has kept Iran backward in every aspect. The ulama (clergy) at the times of need have always been amiable to the British demands and this is also true the other way around. The American problems with Iran can be resolved only when Britain cuts its support for the ulema. Looking at the things through the prism of clerics in Iran Britain has usaully been more conservtive and culturally less threatening than the US, at least since appearance of TV: And also, British have always been more corrupt who seek their advantages without any moral regards.

[Afshin]

Iran's problems at the present, or rather since the inception of the Islamic Revolution, seems to the result of supremacy of religion over politics. To understand why this ascendancy and domination of the religion over everything elde would lead to obvious or unforeseen difficulties, one has to consider, to some extend, who as a child or a young person wluld choose to be a future member of the clergy. In old days, before universal access for every kid to public education in the country , it was an established and commen practice for the child to follow the foot steps of his father. But at present this practice is still commen for the clergy. There is nothing wrong with it except that this business of becoming a cleric is failure proof. If the student fails lots of classes, whereas in a normal school he would be unable to continue, he will still be able to reach some decision making positions in the future. For most, becoming a cleric has nothing to do with having a relative degree of intelligence, originality, expressiveness, creativity and so on. Actually, it is a commen knowledege in Iran that attending a religious school is the only way for those who wouldn't succeed in a normal school or wouldn't be able to learn any craft, considering the human nature itself. It is not a shame or a hindrance to become a cleric. There have always been some brilliant and highly intelligent members of clergy in Iran. But, it could be davastating for a country or a people when some less bright individuals consistently throughout the country become decision makers. In last couple of decades the prospect of wealth and riches has been very encouraging for lots of families to send their kids to religious schools. This is very sad and unfortunate. But sooner or later the people will realize that religion is something private. It is supposed to be a guidance to a better life and nothing more.