Akbar Ganji Quotes, States Quotes

Religion is separate from the institution of the state.

6 years ago

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Tags : Akbar Ganji Quotes , States Quotes

I am against revolution and am proud of it. Democracy cannot be created through revolutions. The most important dichotomy that I make for a society is between those who support democracy and human rights, and those who oppose it. In a totalitarian state, the state views any act of an individual to be political in nature. For example, the clothing that a person wears in a modern state is a private affair whereas in the Islamic Republic all women are forced to wear the hijab (Islamic attire). When women push their headscarf back an inch or two, this is interpreted to be a political act.

6 years ago

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Tags : Akbar Ganji Quotes , Islamic Quotes , Rights Quotes

The Revolutionary Guard was created to help defend the revolution, but it soon was diverted from its initial path.

6 years ago

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Tags : Akbar Ganji Quotes , Path Quotes , Revolution Quotes

The difference between us and the other side is that they use populist and...kind of slogans that are...they fool the people. They are the kind of dishonest and populist slogans that we are not willing to use.

6 years ago

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Tags : Akbar Ganji Quotes , Differences Quotes , People Quotes

Supporters of the national front, Mosaddeq, believe that in Iran, we don't have a nationalities problem, we don't have an ethnic problem. It is like living with your wife, with whom you are in love and you are intensely involved in, but you also have tensions. And their position is that they want to deny that these tensions exist.

6 years ago

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Tags : Akbar Ganji Quotes , Believe Quotes , Iran Quotes

We should put away the militaristic outlook. The U.S. should start talking about disarmament, nuclear disarmament, of the region.

6 years ago

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Tags : Akbar Ganji Quotes , Talking Quotes , Nuclear Disarmament Quotes

The regime kept saying that all of my opponents are lackeys of the United States. We used to say that this is all lie, that we are lackeys of the United States.

6 years ago

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Tags : Akbar Ganji Quotes , Lying Quotes , United States Quotes

The solutions to the problems of the distraught lower strata of society are problems that can only be solved in the context of an overall political, cultural, economic development.

6 years ago

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Tags : Akbar Ganji Quotes , Political Quotes , Development Quotes

Let me begin by saying not only you can't have democracy with $75 million. You can't even have it with $750 billion.

6 years ago

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Tags : Akbar Ganji Quotes , Democracy Quotes , Let Me Quotes

When I talk about secularism, I'm talking about theories today. To give you for example, one example: Those who consider themselves followers of Mosaddeq today are adamantly against federalism.

6 years ago

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Tags : Akbar Ganji Quotes , Talking Quotes , Giving Quotes

[In] every revolution, there is a great divergence between what the revolutionaries expect and what the revolution actually accomplishes.

6 years ago

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Tags : Akbar Ganji Quotes , Revolution Quotes , Revolutionary Quotes

There is no possibility of a public demonstration [in Iran] of such defiance, but these defiant acts are certainly going on.

6 years ago

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Tags : Akbar Ganji Quotes , Iran Quotes , Possibility Quotes

Negotiation talks are the best way to solve anything. We must replace wars and weapons with negotiations and talks.

6 years ago

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Tags : Akbar Ganji Quotes , War Quotes , Weapons Quotes

All manners of freedom, including freedom of expression, freedom of conscious, freedom of thought...it accepts tolerance. But it is not an atheist society. Religion is the private affair of an individual...be present in the public domain, but state has to be clearly separated from religion. When I'm speaking, I'm speaking only for myself. At the same time, I know that these ideas have wide support among the Iranian population.

6 years ago

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Tags : Akbar Ganji Quotes , Atheist Quotes , Expression Quotes

I am only speaking of my own behalf.

6 years ago

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Tags : Akbar Ganji Quotes , Behalf Quotes

If you look at the discourse before the revolution, whether it is the left communist, whether it is the right secularist...the entirety of this discourse was such that it encouraged the kind of ascendancy for a man like Ayatollah Khomeini.

6 years ago

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Tags : Akbar Ganji Quotes , Men Quotes , Revolution Quotes

We have two kinds of oppression. Oppression that is universal - everyone in Iran is subject to it. But everyone has also their own, unique way of experiencing this oppression.

6 years ago

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Tags : Akbar Ganji Quotes , Unique Quotes , Iran Quotes

There's all kind of evidence that there is enormous corruption in the distribution of that money. For example, they gave about $100 to $150 dollars to each of the teachers. They gave about $500 dollars to those who were getting married. Through this process, they obviously collected a lot of votes, but these monies could not solve the structural problems that these people face. But the only result, the only consequence, was that a big sum from the budget was wasted this way.

6 years ago

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Tags : Akbar Ganji Quotes , Teacher Quotes , People Quotes

It began early in the revolution. It was a process that was unfolding on a daily basis. We expected the system to be dispensing justice, but every day that passed by, we recognized that the justice we expected and hoped for was not about to be achieved.

6 years ago

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Tags : Akbar Ganji Quotes , Justice Quotes , Revolution Quotes

When I say that I am opposed to this budget, everyone says, "Well, what do you think the United States should do?" My response is, "Why should the United States do anything?"

6 years ago

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Tags : Akbar Ganji Quotes , Thinking Quotes , United States Quotes