"No Islamic country, now, has been closer to American interests, on being opposed first to the Taliban, then to Saddam Hussein," Amir Mahallati said about Iran in a speech yesterday evening. He views Iran as the "catalyst to bridge America to the Islamic world."
The former Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations, Mahallati challenged the myth that there is an "inherent faith-based clash" between Islam and the Western world and discussed many similarities between Iran and the United States.
"The U.S. has never been more popular in Iran as today," he said. "The U.S. is not as popular in the entire Islamic world as it is in Iran." He blamed past troubles between the two nations on Cold War tensions and the interference of the U.S. and the Soviet Union in Middle East politics.
Addressing the rapid growth of Muslims in the world " he cited statistical predictions that it will be the most adhered-to faith in the world by 2023 -- Mahallati said that Muslims, of whom there are more in the United States than Jews or Episcopalians, must be integrated into American society without prejudice. He hoped that there would soon be a Muslim senator, and a Muslim cabinet member.
He applauded the culture of Iran, and the efforts of the youth to democratize their country.
"The younger generation aspires to and wants an American lifestyle. This does not mean that they love American foreign policy," Mahallati continued. When asked about the apparent hypocritical nature of Iranian disapproval of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East with Iranian support of the Lebanese militia group Hezbollah, he said that the situation is a vicious circle: The United States gives "blanket support" to Israel, so Iran does the same for Hezbollah, and so the cycle continues.
Mahallati said that he would support American intervention in Iraq on the conditions that the United States were to leave a non-military legacy behind -- something like the Marshall Plan in Europe after WWII that would constitute a definite plan for the reconstruction of Iraq following the deposition of Hussein, without which the chances for another despotic regime would be very high.
He spoke extensively on mysticism -- "basing your faith on love" -- a form of religion which many Iranians practice. Combined with the critical approach to holy texts that Mahallati said is inherent in Iranian/Persian culture, mysticism has created a nation of progressive individuals who are ideal to lead the Islamic world in molding a better relationship with the West.
Mahallati cited historical evidence that nations composed of a majority of Muslim people have not been at odds with Western countries for religious reasons. He listed over a dozen conflicts among Islamic countries, and only a handful of wars between Western and Islamic nations.
"The clashes between any token Islamic country and others has nothing to do with faith," Mahallati concluded from his argument, saying that most inter-religious occurrences of hostility have been more about politics and economics, not about theology.
"Give an excuse to the war of 72 nations. They fell into war because they all missed the truth," he said, reading poetry written in his hometown of Shiraz seven centuries ago.
He reminded the audience that, "Every nation has adapted Islam and given it its own color," mentioning the different sects of the religion -- as in Christianity and Judaism -- and the different types of governments established by Islamic nations.
Some politicians, such as Saddam Hussein, have taken on the faith of Islam as a political tool to help them rise to power in the Middle East, he said.
Mahallati focused much of his speech on the inclusiveness of Islam as a faith. He informed his attentive listeners that the Koran contains a whole chapter on the Virgin Mary, uncountable references to Moses, 25 to Jesus Christ, 60 to Abraham and only three to Mohammed. The Koran, he said, makes no division between the prophets.
Mahallati adheres to the Shiite sect of Islam, which "believes that Mohammed, our Messiah, will come back to the earth to bring peace, accompanied by Jesus Christ. What kind of clash do you see in that?" he asked.
Despite the Superbowl, a large crowd gathered in Filene Auditorium to hear the former ambassador, who served a short term of office beginning in 1987 -- during the Iran-Iraq War -- and has since taught at Yale, Princeton, Columbia and Georgetown Universities.
