> Practising a millennia-old religion that had been the faith of a majority of Iranians prior to the advent of Islam, the small Zoroastrian community now faces many restrictions in its home country. [...] Zoroastrian students are frequently disciplined if they display any signs of their religion like a [...] Fravashi necklace.
"Funny", isn't it? How minorities are treated the same everywhere, whether in Iran or Europe.
The book also talks about the experiences of Afghan refugees in Iran, and it's all so terribly familiar-sounding. Yes, the Iranian regime is particularly shameless in its brutality, but it's eye opening just how much we really have in common when we dare look at other people not as "others" but as "people like us". Humans are the same everywhere, both good and bad. We are not better, we're all very much alike.
I think I can say with confidence that what's happening in Iran today is very far from what Iranians want, and it's depressing how much is lost in the pointless fires of all this hate, prejudice, and ignorance.
Here's another quote from the book:
> There's no sense in living except for a great ideal.
I hope one day we can find a greater ideal than "hate thy neighbor" and "bomb thy neighbor".
S.T. Veje