Over the last few days, the decision of San Francisco School Board to destroy the mural at the George Washington High school on one hand, and objection of a group of university professors, artists and writers on the other, have reminded me of stories from my motherland, Iran. For the last forty years, a fanatical and oppressive government has been on a campaign of destroying art, history and culture which is not Islamic and/or is from pre-Islamic time in Iran. The Islamic regime while celebrating their brand of Islam, has attempted to destroy anything that is not religious and/or belongs to a different religion in different ways; destroying some while deliberately abandoning others and allowing them to be destroyed by nature, many times in a state of disrepair and exposed to wind and rain resulting in their destruction over time.
As advocates of preservation of cultural heritage, historical sites and art, my colleagues and I regularly make declarations and protest, and send letters to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) asking them not to let history of Iran to be destroyed. Through a not-for-profit organization, World Cultural Heritage Voices, I founded, we work on maintaining a cultural heritage record and focus on preservation of world heritage sites especially in the areas of the world suffering from war, poverty and conflict and especially in the hands of negligent governments.
I am an Iranian-American, who strongly believe in non-discrimination based on race, religion, and cultural background, I strongly object to the upcoming destruction of George Washington mural by San Francisco Education Board. According to the basic text of 1972 World Heritage Convention, “Considering that deterioration or disappearance of any item of the cultural or natural heritage constitutes a harmful impoverishment of the heritage of all the nations of the world”, therefore, cultural heritage of anywhere (any location) in the world is considered a universal heritage of all humans living on Earth, and destruction of any one heritage site or item would have universal adverse impact.
While I understand and recognize the suffering and anguish that African slaves (and ancestors of many today’s African Americans) and Native Americans experienced in our common history, I have to also acknowledge that history is not just full of positive and good experiences. We cannot just focus on preservation of “good” cultural heritage. If that was the case, then we should destroy half of our museums and many historical monuments of the world. Over the last few decades we have seen how the
so-called Islamic State destroyed “un-Islamic” monuments and world heritage sites in Syria and Iraq. We saw how Taliban destroyed the world heritage designated Buddha carved on the side of mountain in Afghanistan. We have seen how the Islamic government in Iran has even destroyed the cemeteries of people from other religions in addition to several thousands of Zoroastrian temples. While the founding fathers of our nation including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson lived during times that many land owners were also slave owners, we should not forget the sacrifices they made in order to create and build our country. Let’s remember history and learn from it.
Even if we were so naïve to think that our 21 st century children are so gullible and impressionable that seeing a mural on the wall could have a long lasting impact on their lives, would it not be better if these murals could be used as a way of teaching them about history, our country and the world? And suppose that instead of destroying the mural, we could add a large panel with the following text inscribed on it: “We Americans are proud that in the last two centuries we have made major progress towards equality that today, people of any color and background has equal rights under our constitution. And we will keep these paintings to be reminded every day of the courage and sacrifice that many have had to make so that we could live as free citizens of this country.”
Shokooh Mirzadegi
First published in World Cultural Heritage Voices.
Please name the monument, or more broadly the symbol of mullahcracy which you would be willing to preserve after the fall of IRI.
A great question, North. I had not thought about this one. Perhaps, because I have never thought about the current regime’s departure. At least, not anytime soon.
The only symbol of Akhoonds that not only should be preserved but also fundamentally transformed is Khomeini's shrine in Ghombolazeem.
Upon the collapse of the IRI regime and re-establishment of the Imperial Iran under the kingship of Mr. Cyrus Pahlavi and renormalization of the relations with the US of A, President Trump should assure investments in converting Goor'e Pedar'e Ahamd into the largest and swankiest combo casino-chicken ranch in the world.
And they should hire all the dilapidated poets, writers, bloggers around here including the editor in chief himself as the dealers, operators, and staff of that conglomerate!
By the way, on a not so unrelated note Shomalli jaan, why were you kissing the next king's hand in this photo and then you come here bashing his father left and right!?
The argument here is between the educational values of such art vs. the emotional trauma that could be experienced by the young minds who may be the ancestors of the people depicted in the murals.
I believe that moving the murals to a more proper venue, regardless of the cost, is probably the best course of action here. I have the same opinion about the Civil War statutes like the controversial Robert E. Lee’s statutes.
“Over the last few days, the decision of San Francisco School Board to destroy the mural at the George Washington High school on one hand, and objection of a group of university professors, artists and writers on the other, ...”
I wonder how many of these artists, professors and writers would want somebody to paint the exterior of the walls of their homes or the walls of their living rooms with murals similar to those at the GWHS or any other murals.
Good blog. Yes, we should all learn from history.
Taklking of history...this weekend is the fourth aniversary of Obama and iran's ayatoola khamenei Nuke deal .Obama gave iranian ayatolas 200billion dollars and thousands of green cards. Ayatoolas had lots of momney to spend..everyone was so happy ..
Is anyone here celebrating the 4th anivarsary of barjam this weekend?
:)
Trouble is Iranians do not know their pre-eslamic history, don't care about it and don't value it. Instead of cherishing our heritage, they are indifferent about the historic jems that dot the Iranian landscape, but are hungry to visit the shrines of dead arabs and made-up emaam zadehs from Ghom to Mashad to whereever else. All of the historic and ancient sites in Iran have fallen to neglect and disrepair.
Iranians are, and have always been, their own worst enemy. The preservation of the current regime is the perfect example when they expect outsiders to free them from the very jail they helped create!
@Ex_CoP,
All that can be explained in few words…We, Humans, are afraid of dying and eternity…and mistakenly think religion is key to the eternal life. The only feasible solution/explanation that one sees, and can be explained in one-word, is EDUCATION. It is EDUCATION that fights superstition caused by ignorance and succeed…also, proves that Heaven and/or Hell is nonsense, and Imam Hussein was a brutal character! There are shrines in Iran with no name or identification. In fact, my father knew of one that was called “Immamzadeh Gole Zard”, or Yellow Flower Shrine, yet people visited this place and made donations.