what is your view about iran?

[SS-18 ICBM]

Nice country with a lot of history. Shame about the Islamist influence and blatant anti-Western and anti-Israel attitudes. I've heard that the rulers of the Persian empire allowed multiculturalism and freedom of religion. Can someone confirm this?

 

[Dachs]

Nice country with a lot of history. Shame about the Islamist influence and blatant anti-Western and anti-Israel attitudes. I've heard that the rulers of the Persian empire allowed multiculturalism and freedom of religion. Can someone confirm this?

Uh, what exactly do you mean by "allowed multiculturalism and freedom of religion"? (Not to mention which Iranian state you mean; Achaemenid? Sasanian? the Pahlavan?) The Achaemenid state wasn't particularly harsh on its non-Iranian subjects as a whole, and generally it didn't interfere with religion, but that's true of a great many imperial entities of the time.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

The Achaemenids, particularly Cyrus. Was that attitude unique at that time?

 

[choxorn]

Well, there were no other empires that big in Cyrus's time, so yes, it probably was. Of course the idea was picked up by the Macedonians (and the later kingdoms Alexander's Generals made), the Mauryan, the Gupta, and the Romans, so it's probably just a big empire thing.

Anyway, like everyone else in the thread, I say that Iran itself is fine, but the government sucks.

 

[Dachs]

Roman 'tolerance' of others' beliefs and practices was...inconsistent. Really inconsistent.

The Achaemenids, particularly Cyrus. Was that attitude unique at that time?

It wasn't universal by any stretch, but other contemporary or near-contemporary states did share it - for instance, the Euthydemoi of Baktria. In general, classical states in control of the Iranian peoples in both Iran proper and Central Asia, which usually extended some measure of hegemony over northern India, were more inclusive and tolerant of others - the Seleukid and Kushan attitudes towards native languages and beliefs in the region were much the same as those of the Euthydemoi and Achaemenids.

Anyway regardless of whoever else did it, there's little argument that the Achaemenid treatment of conquered peoples was usually rather exemplary.

 

[Imrahil91]

I think Iran is a beatiful country, and that Iranians are often an extraordinary good people. You have an interesting and special history both B.C. and A.D.
I have also heard many places that Iranians are very hospitable and polite people, so respect for that.

The negative is that I think that Iranians generally don't have the freedom and equality they are ready for in Iran. I think extreme versions of your religion are destroying the country and its values from the inside, too. I think your foreign policy towards Israel is stupid.

I also think Iran is ready for a moderate revolution for liberty and equality, and that it will make Iran a prosperous beacon of freedom for a long time.

 

[Neomega]

I hope Iran finds a way to get nukes soon. I also hope they have smuggled lots of Russian anti-air missiles.

 

[hossam]

i hope iran nukes israel.

 

[TheJ0K3R]

I hope Third World War begins.Just a boring world.

 

[Phlegmak]

i hope iran nukes israel.

I didn't know you hated Israel.

 

[Joecoolyo]

The Achaemenids, particularly Cyrus. Was that attitude unique at that time?

From Wikipedia (on his religious policies):

Religious policy of Cyrus is well documented in Babylonian texts as well as Jewish sources. Cyrus initiated a general policy that can be described as a policy of permitting religious freedom throughout his vast empire. He brought peace to the Babylonians and is said to have kept his army away from the temples and restored the statues of the Babylonian gods to their sanctuaries.[14] Another example of his religious policies, as evidenced by the Cyrus cylinder (see below), was his treatment of the Jews during their exile in Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed Jerusalem. The Jewish Bible's Ketuvim ends in Second Chronicles with the decree of Cyrus, which returned the exiles to the Promised Land from Babylon along with a commission to rebuild the temple.

'Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD, the God of heaven, given me; and He hath charged me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whosoever there is among you of all His people--the LORD his God be with him--let him go up.' (ezra 1:1-4)

This edict is also fully reproduced in the Book of Ezra.

“In the first year of King Cyrus, Cyrus the king issued a decree: ‘Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the temple, the place where sacrifices are offered, be rebuilt and let its foundations be retained, its height being 60 cubits and its width 60 cubits; with three layers of huge stones and one layer of timbers. And let the cost be paid from the royal treasury. ‘Also let the gold and silver utensils of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be returned and brought to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; and you shall put them in the house of God.’ (Ezra 6:3-5)

As a result of Cyrus' policies, the Jews honored him as a dignified and righteous king. He is the only Gentile to be designated as a messiah, a divinely-appointed king, in the Tanakh (Isaiah 45:1-6).

So to answer you question, yes, Cyrus is considered the first person in history to spread the idea of freedom of religion. He was truly a great man.


And to answer the OP's question, I don't know any Iranians, though I've heard their nice, so I'll assume they are. But your leadership, with Mr. Achmencrazyihad, I really, really dislike. Anyone who denies the holocaust and openly suggests "removing Israel from the map" is crazy and in no way deserves to be in control of a nation which (while under the shah) was one of Israel's first allies.

 

[Cutlass]

I think the Iranian urban educated middle class are probably a people we could get along with pretty well if they were free of the radicals and the theocratic rule.

 

[Bill3000]

Good country, bad leadership.

Pretty much.

 

[Great Cyrus]

I hope Iran finds a way to get nukes soon. I also hope they have smuggled lots of Russian anti-air missiles.

thank u!!!!!!
i read all sentence. my view about that is: most of american hate from iran.
we have good proverbs for answer your work as "Everyman has his price".

 

[Great Cyrus]

It doesn't matter who your president is.I always like Iran.For religious and historical reasons.

3 question.
1. you are muslim
2. what is your mean about arabs and what is your mean about world war 3?

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

I have an irrational hatred of Islam, therefore, I hate Iran, and all the other middle east countries.

 

[bigdog5994]

Are you guys daft? His internet could be tapped by Revolutionary Guards or something!

i think he is Ahmadinejad

 

[Terxpahseyton]

Are you guys daft? His internet could be tapped by Revolutionary Guards or something!

So maybe his second post was a satire. Let's hope the guards don't know sarcasm.

 

[Formaldehyde]

hi my friend. i want to learn what is your view about iran in B.C and A.D and your view about iran now? president ahmadinezhad and our last president: president mousavi, khatami and rafsanjani.

Hello Great Cyrus,

As I'm sure you know, there are a lot of Americans and others who hate and distrust Iran due to the history of our two countries since WWII. But there are also a lot of us who don't who can see both sides of what happened. Hopefully, we can help clear away some of the ignorance and suspicion that causes such enmity and distrust by having more Iranians post on forums like this.

Iran has a great and noble history that extends back many millenia. Most of the CFCers who play Civ should have at least a passing knowledge about the original Cyrus the Great and the history of the Persians. It is certainly one of my favorite roles to play in the game.

From what I've seen, Ahmadinezhad seems to really care about the common man in Iran. But some of his rhetoric towards Israel only provides ammunition to those who want to find any excuse to vilify him and your country. I think this is unfortunate because I think it is long overdue for our countries to become friendly again as we were back before the CIA overthrew our government.

I really think Obama can change a lot of that, so I have great hope at present that relations between our two countries can get much stronger in the next few years. Under Bush, I had little or no hope at all. For a while I even thought Iran might very be the next country we invaded, all under a pretext of lies of course.

Now I have a few questions for you. What do you think about the last presidential election? Do you think there was massive voter fraud that could have influenced the outcome? That the wrong man was elected president? Do you think Mousavi was right, or did he try to lead a revolution to overthrow the legitimate goverment by fomenting violence and rebellion?

 

[choxorn]

Well, he doesn't seem to have a very good command of English, so it's probably someone a little farther down.