Mamoun Fandy doesn't discuss the Koranic roots of taqiyya (3:28; 16:106), which make this something that is sometimes used by Sunnis as well as Shi'ites, and he seems to continue to be a bit naive about trusting Iran, but this is nevertheless an unusually full discussion of a concept that the mainstream media usually ignores or denies outright.
"The real reason Iran can't be trusted: As they confront Iran's nuclear aims, negotiators must mind the Shiite doctrine of deceit called 'taqiyya,'" by Mamoun Fandy for the Christian Science Monitor, November 20 (thanks to Joseph):
Can Iran be trusted?In Iran, the teachings of Shiite Islam govern all aspects of society. And taqiyya - dissimulation and concealment - is one of the key elements of the Shiite faith. While many outsiders are surprised by Iran's concealment of its nuclear installations, those who study the Shiite faith and recognize the signs of taqiyya are not.
Many governments lie about strategic secrets, especially secrets about nuclear weapons. Witness Israel's concealment of its nuclear capabilities. And former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping counseled his country to "hide its brightness" - for strategic reasons.
Iran's approach to its nuclear ambitions, however, is a different form of deception and denial. Certainly states do not need a religious edict to lie or obfuscate. But it helps if a state has one already in place.
What can the West do?
Western negotiators must be mindful, not only of the technical side of Iran's nuclear program, but the historical evolution of taqiyya. Such context sheds critical light on the insecurities of the Iranian regime and that of the Shiite community at large.
Taqiyya doesn't mean the West should give up all negotiations with Iran, or that Iran can never be trusted. Tehran's concealment is a means to an end: It wants nuclear weapons to provide security for the clerical regime and the Shiite community. So long as Iran feels threatened, it will deceive. But if the West can ease Tehran's anxiety with strong assurances, then negotiations will be more truthful.
How a doctrine of deceit developed
Taqiyya requires the faithful to be deceitful at times of weakness. The history of Shiites in their conflict with Sunnis is a history of the downtrodden. They have been the underdogs in Islamic history, and have had to protect both their communities and their faith from being overrun by the more numerous Sunnis. Taqiyya emerged as a response.
Taqiyya offers a license to violate the strict rules of the faith in cases of extreme pressure or threat of extinction - something not unusual in Sunni-Shiite history. The doctrine allows dissimulation in the service of self-preservation, practiced by the faithful.
It's not just Iran...and it's not just Muslims.
When American high school text-books celebrate Cuba's socialist system by touting things such as that communist country's remarkably low infant immortality rate, it never occurs to our educators, much-less the compilers of such data that a totalitarian regime which derives its legitimacy from ideology cannot be trusted to convey accurate statistics on economic, health or other quality-of-life indicators.
How did we become so naive?
It wants nuclear weapons to provide security for the clerical regime and the Shiite community. So long as Iran feels threatened, it will deceive.
Oh, silly me. I thought Iran wanted to acquire nuclear weapons to "wipe Israel off the map" and, then, to attack the Great Satan, Amerika. Turns out they just feel threatened and, naturally and reasonably, want security. Oh, but then on the other hand, they say publically they don't want a bomb at all but just need the bomb-grade uranium for "peaceful" purposes.
Gee, I'm just all confused. Must have mistakenly listened to some hate-sowing Islamophobe; I'm going to have to be more careful whom I trust.
But if the West can ease Tehran's anxiety with strong assurances, then negotiations will be more truthful.
So as long as we assure our enemies that we will not oppose them in any way they will be more forthcoming with us about their intent to destroy us and our allies. Sounds like a winning strategy.
As Robert says, the Koranic roots of taqiyya are not discussed.
From the article:
"Taqiyya requires the faithful to be deceitful at times of weakness. The history of Shiites in their conflict with Sunnis is a history of the downtrodden. They have been the underdogs in Islamic history..."
Well, merely Number 2 actually. Conquered non-Muslims have been the true underdogs. Taqiyya was always there for all Muslims, as ratified by the Koran and Mohammed. The Shiites took it up ahead of the Sunnis because they were in a minority and thus under pressure.
JW bibliophiles who can access The Captive Mind by Czeslaw Milosz will find Chapter 3, "Ketman", a fascinating account of how many Soviet citizens practised this variant of taqiyya as a means of physical and mental survival.
Those wacky Muslims! All this muss and fuss about taquiyya and kitman! It's just a big joke! I mean, who you gonna believe - your lying eyes or some nice spokesman from CAIR?
Forbidden Rituals At The Hajj
Note Taqiyya reference towards the end of the piece.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/betwa-sharma/forbidden-rituals-at-the_b_366969.html
Our boy Dylan Boyd was practicing taqiyya as well.
"Dylan Boyd, who is in his early 20s, told agents that Muslims must be ready in case they are attacked, claiming that the U.S. Army is overseas raping and killing "their" Muslim sisters. He repeatedly called the FBI agents questioning him "kuffar" - meaning nonbelievers - and said the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were an "inside job," according to a summary of the interview."
http://screwloosechange.blogspot.com/2009/08/troofer-is-terrorist.html
Not only a jihadist but a 9/11 truther as well.
Did you see the new Iranian ads featuring the Taqiyya Bell dog? :)
http://go.to/islamhistory
The above article makes it look like taquiyya is a Shi'ite only tactic. On the contrary, it applies in a big way to the Sunnites as well.
In other words, this article is taqiyya about taqiyya.