Friday, 15 March 2013

Buddha, Barbie and Bart

Its always a surprise that the militant religion of peace, is so insecure .....

Hijab Barbie - Banned
Hijab Barbie - Banned.

..... it never allows proselytising by other religions for fear of losing adherents.
 
In Iran it generally recognises Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism - which was the native religion in Persia when invaded by the Arabs, and which now is almost eradicated in Iran, whilst demanding the right to heckle and preach in non Islamic countries.

However its only when you see what's been banned in Iran, that you realise that they will never feel safe until there are no alternative ideas left ..... apparently 'Buddha Statues' have joined 'Barbie Dolls' and all the characters from 'The Simpson's' on a list of banned items. In 2010, several statues depicting prominent Iranians disappeared from Tehran city’s streets and squares. Their disappearance was blamed on an unnamed group, with a strict interpretation of Islam that bans the depiction of the human form in art and that felt that the statues of Iranians were actually a short step from idolatry ..... 'Barbie' and her multicultural friends are apparently promoters of western imperialism and values!.... not sure what's wrong with the Simpson's, except Homer drinks too much.

Homer Meets The Middle East
Homer Meets The Middle East .....

However, poor old Buddha is actually deemed a threat to the whole edifice of Islam in Iran, even though it appears his likeness is considered just a 'good luck' statue in most of Iran. Reza Sanaei, a shopkeeper who sells the statues said that ‘As I understand, none of the customers cared about Buddhism, they only bought it for decoration’. One of his customers, Marjan Arbabi, said she personally did not like the statues. ‘But my parents have set of five Buddha’s statues at their home simply because they think the statues are beautiful’.

Buddha in Persia
Buddha in Persia

An Iranian government spokesman said that Buddha statues are symbols of "cultural invasion" .... a bit like the Arab invasion of Persia 642–644 AD .... Oddly Buddhism in Iran goes back way before Islam, and in fact is not a 'cultural invasion, whereas Arab Islam is.

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