Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - December 20, 2000 - The Controversies Surrounding Behrooz Afkhami's Pre-Order Speech in the Sixth Parliament

Hashemi recounts the discussions that followed Behrooz Afkhami's speech, a known filmmaker and representative of the Sixth Parliament, which highlighted the influence of pressure groups within the cultural and political landscape of Iran. His speech generated considerable controversy, particularly when he shared a personal anecdote about his ten-year-old son persistently requesting to go to America.

In response to his son's repeated requests, Hashemi said he eventually asked why they should go to America. The child replied, "Because the essence of everything is there." He further explained that this is something that the nation's heroes did not know and that no one dared to tell them. Over the past decade, the majority of children and adolescents in the country—the generation meant to be shielded from cultural invasion and the first product of the revolution—spent their leisure time without purpose.

Afkhami openly criticized the younger generation's inclination towards the West and the failure of the Islamic Republic's cultural programs.

Complete Daily Entry:

Mr. Jalil Basharti, head of the Office for Underdeveloped Regions, came to report on this year's performance and a program aimed at creating jobs, pending budget approval. Mr. Reza Amrollahi, president of Khajeh Nasir University, expressed complaints about pressures from the Ministry of Science regarding allegations of cheating by several students.

Mr. Mohammad-Reza Abasi-Fard, executive assistant of the Expediency Council, and Mr. Hassan Danaiifar, assistant for support at the Secretariat of the Council, discussed budgetary matters for the current and next year. Dr. Hadi Manafi raised concerns about the state of healthcare and hospitals.

In the evening, a group of managers and researchers from the Islamic Propagation Office in Qom, working on Quranic programs based on notes and interpretations, arrived and stated that the Quranic interpretation work would be completed in two months. They presented the recently published Volume 12 of the "Guide Interpretation." The indexing work is set to be completed next year, and three more volumes of the Quran Encyclopedia will soon be ready. The second edition of the first volume of the Quran Encyclopedia is also underway. They consulted about the drafts for an encyclopedia and thematic interpretation of the Quran. They stayed for iftar, and our discussions continued until 7 PM.

In the parliament, today, Mr. Behrooz Afkhami praised aspects of America, which drew objections from both left and right representatives; the left out of fear of being accused, and the right, as usual.