Insideofiran/2011-01-27 - The translation of the letter by World Association for Protection of Human Rights in Iran to Rahim Mashahi:

World Association for protection of human rights in Iran:- Open letter to Esfandyar Rahim Mashai:-

Mr. Mashahi

Iranians abroad for sometime have been witnessing you’re growing activates and trips to western countries. It appears that your rigorous action is aimed at reassuring and recapturing the ‘wounded hearts’ of fellow compatriots abroad, through inviting them to conferences and speaking to them on both Iran’s full tourism potential as well as the Iranian school of thought, based on Cyrus the Greats  Cylinder  on “ Human Right Protection” .

But on the other hand your deceptive actions inside of Iran are cause for great terror and panic amongst many Iranian citizens.

Mr. Mashai it is evident that our actions contradict you speeches. As a result people view your work with suspicion and disbelief.

If you’re main objective is to attract the hearts of Iranians outside of the country, then one need to question to what extent you have been successful in your mission?

The observers of you recent activities, such as the commemorating Hafez , have one question and that is: Why have your programs abroad have had an adverse effect?

For example, the last trip you made to Hamburg ,Germany, for opening the Cultural Centre dedicated to “Hafez – Goethe” . You Invited experts on eastern cultures, German professors, and Berlin sociologist.. Then you opened dialogue on Hafez and the culture of Iranian Sufi mysticism. Although this event was supervised and monitored by you in all its aspect, and was compliant to  your wishes, the outcome did not provide the results you expected.

Even your speech on music and rhythms from the poetic words of Sufi master’s, and your explanation on the greatness and depth of their music, was attacked by clergies’ in Iran, and moreover it did not even gain any support of Iranians abroad.

How can one assess the reason for these negative responses?

It seems that the growing resistance to your views that has been directed against you inside of Iran has resulted in your plans being under constant challenge or abolished all together. An example of this is your recent ceremony in Tehran for publishing a new copy ‘Divan Hafez Shirazi’ . Of course one fully appreciates your work on raising public the awareness on importance of Hafez and working on Iranian culture and literature. But what is the final result of this work?

Who actually in Iran follows and practices the advice and guidance of Hafez?

Hafez says:-

Sultan, thought’s and dream’s are on army, crown and jewels,

Sufi in a safe corner, is king of Qalandari

Allow me to give a Sufi advice, May I?

See the light, and fight for peace over war and struggle

Mr. Mashai, you with all the amenities’ of presidential office, travel around the world, to invite three to four hundred compatriots who have been for years displaced from their homeland, then you invite them for a week in Iran, and try to sweetening them with dinner and high-class hotels in Tehran, shiraz and Esfahan. You dine them as your guest, and bow down, and kiss the three colours of the Iranian flag. All in order to paint a new image in their mind, of yourself as a new man, who loves his home country, but one has to ask of you, do you achieve the result you strive for? Certainly NOT!

Why?

Because suddenly all your hard work is washed away by a storm from the shameless men in black masks. Anarchists, who at night break into an elderly Sufi master’s house in Esfahan; then use pepper spray, as well as severely beating, in an inhuman fashion, all inhabitants including the seventy-year old Sufi master with his entire guest’s. After which they kidnap them to Central prison of Esfahan. The  men responsible for these acts have no dignity or respect for other men, women, young or old.

Mr. Mashahi, here you inviting people around world to Esfahan, charming them with your hospitality, on the other hand in the same city of Esfahan , some gangster in black mask , with fatwa of people such as Ahmad Janati, attack and kidnap Sufis and their guests in Esfahan.

Such a disgraceful action brings international shame on Iran political policies.

Mr. Mashai, let us recall the time when ‘Mr. Richard Frye, an American scholar of Iranian and Central Asian Studies and an Iranian devotee’ who was gifted a house in Esfahan, was accused of being spy in support of ‘international Zionism’ by head of Kayhan editorial paper. Mr. Frye reacted to this false accusation by saying, “Iran is a great country with rich history, in the past Iran has experienced many invaders, but always prevailed over its enemy, thus it will do so again.”

Mr. Mashai,

If the same gangsters with black masks who invaded house of one of the Sufi masters in middle of a night in Esfahan, and kidnapped him and his house guests are allowed to operate can you imagine what they will do Professor Frye. These gangsters have no fear of being ashamed especially when it comes to humiliating your honour.

Is it not better that you firstly put stop to all these extremist forces that have no concept for human rights and attack defenseless people and cross their personal boundaries; before you go aboard and talk about greatness of Iranian culture and Sufism? Clearly all these extremist forces not only undermine your work but destroy all your hard work and plans and place a worldwide shame and disgrace to your international image.

Nevertheless ‘ the international Organization to preserve Human Rights in Iran” in defense of continued violations to the human right’s of Sufis has ask the head of judiciary system Mr. Sadeq Larijani to conduct an official investigation into the recent incident in Esfahan and identify, arrest, prosecute and punish those extremist disruptive factors deemed responsible.

However it seems that Mr. Larijani’s judiciary hat, has lost its power or he is too busy in front of his home mirror grooming his beard, instead protecting the rights of innocent and defenseless people .

World Association for protection of human rights in Iran

Berlin, Toronto, Washington

Nordic branch Oslo