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.

Akbar Ganji

Categorized in : Views Rights Islamic

You cannot bring democracy to a country by attacking it.

Akbar Ganji

attacking democracy country

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

Akbar Ganji

weapons war way

When there is a crisis, the first thing that gets damaged and gets harmed is democracy.

Akbar Ganji

crisis democracy firsts

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.

Akbar Ganji

example talking giving

The modern infrastructures that exists in the world all contribute to the advancement of human rights and democracy.

Akbar Ganji

democracy rights world

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

Akbar Ganji

nuclear-disarmament should talking

Revolutions invariably don't solve the issue of justice, and in its place, suppression and limiting freedom replaces that idea.

Akbar Ganji

issues justice ideas

We must struggle for creating a democratic system that is dedicated to democracy and human rights.

Akbar Ganji

creating struggle rights

Would Americans accept if we decided to come here and decide who your rulers should be? So why do you expect us Iranians to accept the idea that the United States shall come in there and decide who shall govern us?Of course, everyone knows that I'm also opposed to the Iranian regime and I have said that we must change the regime. But it is us, the Iranians, that must change the regime.

Akbar Ganji

united-states accepting ideas

The lower strata are suffering all kinds of oppression and the injustice that is inflicted upon them has many faces and many facets. Well-to-do classes are using all kinds of obvious and not-so-obvious benefits that this regime has created for it.

Akbar Ganji

suffering faces class

We've had 60 years of intellectual development in Iran. How can we have the same system? Even theories of secularism are constantly being revised and changed.

Akbar Ganji

iran intellectual years

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.

Akbar Ganji

atheist expression ideas

Religion is separate from the institution of the state.

Akbar Ganji

institutions states

I am only speaking of my own behalf.

Akbar Ganji

behalf my-own

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.

Akbar Ganji

iran wife believe

I, too, am against the dismantlement of Iran.

Akbar Ganji

iran

I have spent six years in prison, the last six years. Even if I was outside the prison, how much actual space was there for an investigative journalist to do his work in Iran? But I know one thing for sure: That we, the Iranian people, are much more in line of danger than the West.

Akbar Ganji

iran space years

What I'm worried about is that, in case that happens [nuclear explosion], then the Iranian people are the ones who are going to pay the heaviest price. But none of the Western countries have seriously talked about this.

Akbar Ganji

nuclear country people

Why did the regime put me in prison in the first place? I was put in prison for six years and it has been all illegal.

Akbar Ganji

six years firsts

It was universal pressure on the regime to secure my release. International pressure was certainly helpful in my release.

Akbar Ganji

release helpful pressure