Part of it also comes down to like what can the protesters hit, structurally, to make gains in their movement with minimal risk to their own lives. That house is probably pretty close to optimal, I’m guessing. I would assume a lot less security than more active buildings of the current regime, but still striking a pretty big blow against the regime.
Do you think that these things lie on a spectrum? Or it’s just black and white?
It‘s just a house. It‘s historical value is very debatable.
@Rugby & @LouisCyphre tagging you both so I don’t have to do the multi-quote forum litter.
Of course it’s not black and white, and it’s probably correct that the house itself isn’t historically or architecturally significant. But it is also a museum, and the whole point of a museum is that they’re filled with stuff some people think is important, valuable, and worth preserving.
If the house is just a collection of old clothes and Ayatollah Khomeini bobble heads then there’s not much of a loss. But what if it contains handwritten journals from 1963 to 1979? That’s exactly the sort of thing you might keep in a place like that, and they could all be ash now.
I would not have expected Iranians to shout Allahu Akbar.
From what I understand it’s common all over the Muslim world.
Why not?
I could be mistaken, but I thought it sounded roughly the same in Persian. I don’t suppose we have anyone who knows for sure.
The phrase is Arabic but it’s used as a loaned phrase in Islamic cultures in general irrespective of the native language. (i.e.) Persian speakers would recognize the phrase as being Arabic not unlike several Latin phrases that are used in English but recognized as being Latin.
The phrase literally means God - he is greater/est (Arabic doesn’t have a separate comparative and superlative form).
Thanks. I have no doubt they would recognize it. Even I recognize it.
But would a Persian speaker use it (as default) or do they say something else for that?
Disclaimer: not Persian or a native persian speaker.
Islam forbids the translation of God’s word into other languages, as a result words and phrases of religious origin are commonly not translated by non Arabic speakers. The Arabic phrase therefore would be idiomatic even to a non Arabic speaker.
Thanks again. That’s exactly what I was after.
There are translated Korans though. Are those an exception or are they generally frowned upon?
They are considered necessary for the spread of Islam, but are usually considered to be interpretations rather than translations.
Technically they aren’t qurans … In the sense that specific religious law/customs around their storage, handling etc generally don’t apply. (These are extremely detailed rules)
police should have made the protesters stand there and suffer through it. that would really send a message