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Persia is under attack!
First came the 300 Spartans; and now the Spiegel article! The 300 were bunch of good looking and brave guys who fought this vast army of nasty looking and savage Persians. Ok. I can take that; even though from that savagery not much is left in me. In fact I could've really used a bit of that when confronting my neighbors, kids, manager, lender, ..., and above all my wife! But all that looks a distant dream now 
But what has kept me going in the last few decades is the fact that the first human rights charter has been attributed to Persians. The Cyrus Cylinder, which is a magnificent ancient piece if nothing else, is supposedly inscribed with the human rights charter as decreed by the king of Persia, Cyrus the Great. In fact whenever someone makes too much noise about Iran, that's one of the tricks that I pull out of my hat to conquer them: "See, long before you could say human, we had established his and her rights!"
But that illusion too was shattered into pieces yesterday when I read the article by Matthias Schulz in Spiegel. Not only Schulz rules out Cyrus as a human rights advocate, he labels him as a despot who is responsible for death of millions. He also claims that the whole affair around the Cyrus Cylinder has rather been a hoax!
UN Treasure Honors Persian Despot
By Matthias Schulz, Spiegel, Germany
A 2,500-year-old cuneiform document ceremoniously displayed in a glass case at the United Nations in New York is revered as an "ancient declaration of human rights." But in fact, argue researchers, the document was the work of a despot who had his enemies tortured...
But the Shah knew better. Cyrus, he announced, was a very special man: noble and filled with love and kindness. The Shah insisted that Cyrus was the first to establish a right to "freedom of opinion."...
Art historian Klaus Gallas, who is preparing a German-Iranian cultural festival to take place in Weimar next summer, has now brought the matter to the public's attention. During his preparations for the festival he discovered the inconsistencies between the Shah's claims and the Cyrus decree. "The UN made a serious mistake," says Gallas>>>
But I really think Schulz is misinformed here. First, he doesn't have enough data to prove his claims. For one thing, he hasn't provided any incriminating photos or videos! We on the other hand have the Cylinder!! Second, Schulz doesn't understand what it takes to spread human rights and democracy. Case in point: Iraq. In his attempt to spread democracy in Iraq and to drag the Iraqis into civilization, President Bush has had to make some difficult decisions. As a result, over one million Iraqis are dead and few millions are homeless. And the country has been declared a disaster zone. The cost to Americans has been very high too; millions of people have been deprived of essentials in order to pay for the cost of the war. But even then, Mr. Bush is still recognized as the leader of the free world. No one is calling him a despot. In fact he sits at the table with the heads of the civilized states such as Germany and continues to ask for more troops from these countries for expansion of his "democratic" rule. And no one asks him about the human rights violations that have been sanctioned by him.
So why is Schulz attacking Cyrus? Why not go after a living King instead? Perhaps it's because he thinks the dead cannot defend themselves. But believe me that's an incorrect assumption. In fact the demise of the army of Cyrus has been greatly exaggerated! Soon enough you'll see his faithful disciples pouring over the internet giving Mr. Schulz a good lesson in history. And by good we mean the way it will be taught
Of course we cannot deny that millions of people have died as a consequence of the wars of ancient times. But does that mean Cyrus was a despot? One perhaps has to recognize that being tough was the norm in the old times rather than the exception. It was a fact of life that only the strong survive (I wonder how different it is today?). So even if Cyrus had a little soft side that will perhaps qualify him as a human rights advocate!
Another surprising thing is the way Schulz with a stroke of a pen writes off the claim that Cyrus has been the savior of the Jews, even when so much has been written about this:
The Bible describes him as the "anointed one," because he supposedly permitted the abducted Jews to return to Israel. But modern historians have long since debunked such reports as flattery.
But as bad as Schulz's article was, the day wasn't wasted. By the end of the day another article came out, this time by National Geographic, that paints a very different picture of the old Persia. In particular, a line in that article caught my unbiased eyes: "Mainly you see emblems suggesting that something humane went on here." I think that's all I needed to hear!
I don't think one can claim everything was ideal in ancient Persia. But one also has to realize that ideal is a relative term. Even now, in the 21st century, things are far from ideal. For example we have a sacred piece of document here in the United States, and that's the constitution. But does that mean there are no despots here? No wrongs happen here? Human rights are not violated? Racism has been eradicated? And so on and so forth... Of course not. But that doesn't reduce the value of the constitution.
Now based on this I'll argue that the Cyrus Cylinder, even with all its shortcomings, can be treated as the first declaration of human rights. And Cyrus the Great will obviously get the credit for it. I'll of course leave it to the historians to come out and make the authoritative arguments. But no matter what the outcome of those arguments, for me, and I'm sure for most Iranians, Cyrus Cylinder will always be a sacred piece of our ancient history. And we will continue to praise it as an achievement in the history of mankind.
I do want to point out that I don't think Schulz has anything in particular against Persia. I found another article of his where he had bashed the Italians for fantasizing about the birth of Rome:
Is Italy's Spectacular Find Authentic?
Matthias Schulz, Spiegel, Germany, 11/29/2007
Italy has been rocked by soccer violence, the government is divided and the economy is sluggish. Now archaeologists have entered the scene to save the country's national pride. On a hill in the center of the nation's capital, they have allegedly found the sacred cave of the founders of Rome...
In modern Italy, which loves to bask in the glory of ancient Rome, every child knows the legend. All nations have their myths and symbols. While the French have their Gallic Rooster, the Greeks revere Mount Olympus and the British tell the tale of King Arthur, the citizens of that Mediterranean country south of the Alps venerate two infants -- fathered by Mars, the god of war -- who were set adrift in a basket on the Tiber...
But the legend is simply too fabulous to die. It is recounted in school textbooks and displayed on banners. There are stamps that portray the kindhearted wolf and tourist offices that attract visitors with the famous mythical tale>>>
After reading the above story, one will realize that Schulz is really just a legend killer His stories are obviously interesting to read. But somehow I cannot appreciate his attempts at killing the legends of nations. Legends are best left alone. Why ruin a good story like that of Santa Clause or Rostam and Sohrab? Why ruin the magic by unraveling a good illusion?
Moral of the Story: When Schulz attacked the Birth of Rome legend, the British, the French and the Persians stood by. When he went after the Cyrus Cylinder, the British and the French remained silent. By the time he got to the tale of King Arthur, there was no one left standing Time to stop this legend killer now!
But what has kept me going in the last few decades is the fact that the first human rights charter has been attributed to Persians. The Cyrus Cylinder, which is a magnificent ancient piece if nothing else, is supposedly inscribed with the human rights charter as decreed by the king of Persia, Cyrus the Great. In fact whenever someone makes too much noise about Iran, that's one of the tricks that I pull out of my hat to conquer them: "See, long before you could say human, we had established his and her rights!"
But that illusion too was shattered into pieces yesterday when I read the article by Matthias Schulz in Spiegel. Not only Schulz rules out Cyrus as a human rights advocate, he labels him as a despot who is responsible for death of millions. He also claims that the whole affair around the Cyrus Cylinder has rather been a hoax!
UN Treasure Honors Persian Despot
By Matthias Schulz, Spiegel, Germany
A 2,500-year-old cuneiform document ceremoniously displayed in a glass case at the United Nations in New York is revered as an "ancient declaration of human rights." But in fact, argue researchers, the document was the work of a despot who had his enemies tortured...
But the Shah knew better. Cyrus, he announced, was a very special man: noble and filled with love and kindness. The Shah insisted that Cyrus was the first to establish a right to "freedom of opinion."...
Art historian Klaus Gallas, who is preparing a German-Iranian cultural festival to take place in Weimar next summer, has now brought the matter to the public's attention. During his preparations for the festival he discovered the inconsistencies between the Shah's claims and the Cyrus decree. "The UN made a serious mistake," says Gallas>>>
But I really think Schulz is misinformed here. First, he doesn't have enough data to prove his claims. For one thing, he hasn't provided any incriminating photos or videos! We on the other hand have the Cylinder!! Second, Schulz doesn't understand what it takes to spread human rights and democracy. Case in point: Iraq. In his attempt to spread democracy in Iraq and to drag the Iraqis into civilization, President Bush has had to make some difficult decisions. As a result, over one million Iraqis are dead and few millions are homeless. And the country has been declared a disaster zone. The cost to Americans has been very high too; millions of people have been deprived of essentials in order to pay for the cost of the war. But even then, Mr. Bush is still recognized as the leader of the free world. No one is calling him a despot. In fact he sits at the table with the heads of the civilized states such as Germany and continues to ask for more troops from these countries for expansion of his "democratic" rule. And no one asks him about the human rights violations that have been sanctioned by him.
So why is Schulz attacking Cyrus? Why not go after a living King instead? Perhaps it's because he thinks the dead cannot defend themselves. But believe me that's an incorrect assumption. In fact the demise of the army of Cyrus has been greatly exaggerated! Soon enough you'll see his faithful disciples pouring over the internet giving Mr. Schulz a good lesson in history. And by good we mean the way it will be taught
Of course we cannot deny that millions of people have died as a consequence of the wars of ancient times. But does that mean Cyrus was a despot? One perhaps has to recognize that being tough was the norm in the old times rather than the exception. It was a fact of life that only the strong survive (I wonder how different it is today?). So even if Cyrus had a little soft side that will perhaps qualify him as a human rights advocate!
Another surprising thing is the way Schulz with a stroke of a pen writes off the claim that Cyrus has been the savior of the Jews, even when so much has been written about this:
The Bible describes him as the "anointed one," because he supposedly permitted the abducted Jews to return to Israel. But modern historians have long since debunked such reports as flattery.
But as bad as Schulz's article was, the day wasn't wasted. By the end of the day another article came out, this time by National Geographic, that paints a very different picture of the old Persia. In particular, a line in that article caught my unbiased eyes: "Mainly you see emblems suggesting that something humane went on here." I think that's all I needed to hear!
I don't think one can claim everything was ideal in ancient Persia. But one also has to realize that ideal is a relative term. Even now, in the 21st century, things are far from ideal. For example we have a sacred piece of document here in the United States, and that's the constitution. But does that mean there are no despots here? No wrongs happen here? Human rights are not violated? Racism has been eradicated? And so on and so forth... Of course not. But that doesn't reduce the value of the constitution.
Now based on this I'll argue that the Cyrus Cylinder, even with all its shortcomings, can be treated as the first declaration of human rights. And Cyrus the Great will obviously get the credit for it. I'll of course leave it to the historians to come out and make the authoritative arguments. But no matter what the outcome of those arguments, for me, and I'm sure for most Iranians, Cyrus Cylinder will always be a sacred piece of our ancient history. And we will continue to praise it as an achievement in the history of mankind.
I do want to point out that I don't think Schulz has anything in particular against Persia. I found another article of his where he had bashed the Italians for fantasizing about the birth of Rome:
Is Italy's Spectacular Find Authentic?
Matthias Schulz, Spiegel, Germany, 11/29/2007
Italy has been rocked by soccer violence, the government is divided and the economy is sluggish. Now archaeologists have entered the scene to save the country's national pride. On a hill in the center of the nation's capital, they have allegedly found the sacred cave of the founders of Rome...
In modern Italy, which loves to bask in the glory of ancient Rome, every child knows the legend. All nations have their myths and symbols. While the French have their Gallic Rooster, the Greeks revere Mount Olympus and the British tell the tale of King Arthur, the citizens of that Mediterranean country south of the Alps venerate two infants -- fathered by Mars, the god of war -- who were set adrift in a basket on the Tiber...
But the legend is simply too fabulous to die. It is recounted in school textbooks and displayed on banners. There are stamps that portray the kindhearted wolf and tourist offices that attract visitors with the famous mythical tale>>>
After reading the above story, one will realize that Schulz is really just a legend killer
His stories are obviously interesting to read. But somehow I cannot appreciate his attempts at killing the legends of nations. Legends are best left alone. Why ruin a good story like that of Santa Clause or Rostam and Sohrab? Why ruin the magic by unraveling a good illusion?Moral of the Story: When Schulz attacked the Birth of Rome legend, the British, the French and the Persians stood by. When he went after the Cyrus Cylinder, the British and the French remained silent. By the time he got to the tale of King Arthur, there was no one left standing
Time to stop this legend killer now!