Many in the Blogosphere have talked and urged people to send aid to Iran to help the poor people of Bam who were victims of the earthquake there. The toll is approaching 30,000 people.
Well, thanks to this link from Kathy at On the Third Hand, it appears that this was partially a man made disaster!
The ancient city of Bam, the epicenter of the quake, has a long history of destruction. It was first destroyed in an earthquake almost 1,900 years ago. But such is the unexplainable magnetism of Bam that, almost eight centuries later, it had become an important trading center with a cosmopolitan population of Muslims, Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians.The city was again almost totally razed by an earthquake in 1911. But by the 1930s it had reemerged as a trading center and a producer of dates and pistachios. Then came other earthquakes in 1950 and 1966.
The Shah of Iran put two and two together, and decided:
By the early 1970s, the government had decided not to allow people to build new houses in Bam itself. The city's ancient monuments were declared part of the heritage of mankind under UNESCO and no new buildings permits were issued for almost six years.
Huh? So where did all the people come from who got killed in this most recent earthquake?
The revolutionary turmoil of 1978-79 provided racketeers with an opportunity to seize large chunks of land in Bam and use it for poorly designed and badly constructed houses and shops.
And what about those restrictions?
The racket was backed by a group of powerful mullahs who, in exchange for a cut in the proceeds, issued fatwas (religious opinions) that canceled government orders that banned house-building in the city.
The reasons behind the fatwas being?
The mullahs claimed that the shah had wished to keep Bam empty because of a secret plan under which the city would be turned into a Zoroastrian center.
The Shah, back then, was considered as evil as Bush is today, only that the former actually had a secret police force grabbing people, while the latter is, the reasoning goes, a re-incarnated Hitler who's too much of a moron to have a secret police. It appears, however, that the Shah and Bush share the same sort of idiotic opponents, who would protest an utterance that "two times two is four" with cries of Censorship, facism, and repression.
They also dismissed warnings from the National Seismological Center in Tehran that opposed the repopulation of Bam. The mullahs claimed that the Hidden Imam would protect the new inhabitants of the city against all disasters.
The chickens finally come home to roost:
Thus, more than half of those who died in the earthquake could be regarded as victims of a racket ran by mullahs and their associates with the help of religious prejudice and superstition.Most Iranians knew nothing of the racket that the earthquake has exposed. The discovery that so many people died because cynical developers and bribe-taking mullahs sought a fast buck has sent a shock wave throughout the country.
You betcha they're pissed. I got an e-mail from an organization representing the Iranian Students, which said, among other things:
It is obvious to every clear minded person but follower of disintegrating thoughts who are the victims for dissemination of superstitious and superseded thoughts that earthquake is a natural phenomenon which may occur in certain geological positions and may result in devastation of the area and neighbouring regions. Hence abolishment of such believes and contending superstitious and mainly, planning and maintaining of development and organisation of assistance supply in case of such calamities, all are among the duties of a government whose main tasks are to rescue the more number of citizens' lives and protection of national wealth and historical heritage.
The student committee finishes their e-mail thusly, also showing a damn lot more sense than their black-hat overseers:
This Committee wishes to thank all kind-hearted students and other Iranians who, inside and outside of the country, by knowing the real nature of the Islamic Republic and its incompetent and fraudulent officials, have organised assistance groups or taken to action to assist their helpless compatriots who are fallen victims for this disaster. The Committee also wishes to thank every foreign countries and international organisations who with understanding of the dept of this catastrophe are showing their sympathy and are reaching out to help the Iranian nation.Also this organisation while appreciating the proposal of
assistance from Israeli institutions and the correct point
of view of Mr. Bush, the honourable President of U.S., in
"directly addressing of Iranian people" concerning this
catastrophe, whish to remind officials of other countries
that the foremost assistance to the people of Iran is the
support of their aspirations in replacing the current
illegitimate regime of Iran with a secular, democratic and
responsible one which may with proper programs and
preparations save the more lives of its citizens in case of
any natural disasters and also to become an important and
active member of the world.May be that the near future downfall of the totality of the
Fascist-Theocratic Islamic republic regime prepares the
ground for the establishment of a popular and responsible
political structure in Iran!Long live Freedom!
Long live Secularism!
Established be Democracy!
I swear, there are three nations in the world with whom the United States should dedicate all its charitable resources to pulling up: Haiti, Poland, and post Revolution Iran. So much promise...
Reading the best-effort english in the e-mails from the Student committee brings back good memories of Grad school and sharing office space and classes with the Iranian Students: I can close my eyes and remember them talking that way. They were the majority of muslims on Campus, studied hard, prayed hard, and had utterly no patience with the Palestinians and their winging. Certainly more than I had then. I helped them with their english (written and verbal), suggested ways to pitch their message, told them what my worries were if the Shah was removed, and believed their assurances that Iran wouldn't go commie when the "religious leader in Paris" came to power. Boy, if only I, and they, had known.
Still, it was pretty cool being the token westerner in the school's Muslim Club, given my Jewish background (25%, via my maternal Grandfather).
At least it seems someone took some of my advice back there and told them, if they tossed out the Shah and put someone else in, not to bitch at the United States if things went sour. Sure enough, they haven't so far.
I wish them well.
Posted by ptah at December 30, 2003 03:11 PM