Friday, October 4, 2013

Yazdgird's Letter to the Muslim Caliph

• EastAsianToday 1 day ago


With Muslims’ invasion of Persia under way, Umar wrote an ultimatum to Yazdgird III, who replied “Tell me truly who is to blame for your misdeeds? Your god who orders genocide, plunder and destruction, or you who do these things in his name? Or both?...[My people] are being forced, at the point of the sword, to convert to the god by the name of ‘Allāhu Akbar.’ And are forced to offer him prayers...in Arabic; since your ‘Allāhu Akbar’ understands only Arabic”

That reply is in the Museum of London

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Jane Dughatir 1 second ago

just a thought, maybe it was his own propaganda?

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Why should we read history? (Much of) it is after all unverifiable. (Some people say the same thing about God and an afterlife).

I opened a book and started reading recently, out of curiosity, and because I had some time on my hands. The book was, “Masters and Commanders: the Military geniuses who led the west to victory in WWII”. It is written by Andrew Roberts.

What did it have, if anything to do with Yazd gird III, the Persian King, who I am guessing was a Shia (of some power and/or influence) in what is Iran (or it could be Iraq, Basra)today?



Part of a poem reads, on page xxxvii of the book,

“And so while the great ones depart to their dinner,

The secretary stays, growing thinner and thinner,

Racking his brains to recall and report

What he thinks that they think they ought to have thought.8” 1

Interestingly, it was a professional practice of the secretary that the minutes were recorded at Cabinet meetings, with “euphemism[s]” or as the author further explain, similar to “a form of code…” (Andrew Roberts, 2008).

He also tells that Conrad Black owns President Roosevelt’s “private correspondence” (Andrew Roberts, 2008).

Many people have kept diaries at some point in their lives; whether or not these accurately describe reality is questionable; definitely some writings or recorded speeches are well considered and serious, but more importantly, they seem to hold water. There is no reason to doubt what some people have said. On the other hand, some texts and recorded materials are deliberately misleading or even propaganda, therefore, not the truth. It isn’t always easy to find the grain of truth in a vast desert of lies.

At one time I wanted to write about the Nobel winner in science, a Chinese scientist who turned out to have faked his research. It came to light and he was stripped of his prize. This goes to show that there are people who will do anything to achieve their goals.



Notes

1. Page xxxvii, Andrew Roberts, Penguin Books, 2008.

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