Taxi Cab Confession

If you're new to this blog, let me tell you a little about myself. I enjoy Slate and I enjoy NPR. Speaking of NPR, the other day I was able to catch a CFR (Council on Foreign Relations) lecture by an insightful IR expert on his recent trip to Iran. He was of Iranian descent himself and therefore was able to easily chat up the local people. To end his lecture he mentioned a conversation he had with an Iranian cabbie. I'd like to share that anecdote with the blogosphere:

I'm paraphrasing but this is the gist of it.

The IR Expert was heading for a lecture and was studiously going over his notes in the back of the cab. The Cabbie, an extrovert, began to pepper him with questions about his nationality and the work he was here to do. After finding out the IR Expert was American and en route to a lecture and discussion on US/Iran/World relations, the Cabbie became very talkative. The Cabbie started out by saying the US was a bit of a bully on the world stage but that the Iranian government was rampantly bullying its own people. The Cabbie began to barrage the Iranian government with a string of non-stop curses. After a while, the IR Expert could no longer take the Cabbie's boisterousness and asked the Cabbie to tone it down and let him study his notes. The Cabbie complied. After a few minutes the Cabbie began to speak again, but in softer, calmer tone. He asked the IR Expert if he liked melon (by which he basically means a sweet honeydew type melon). And the IR Expert said yes. Then the Cabbie asked the IR Expert if he likes honey (which is usually eaten warm or hot in Iran). Once again the IR Expert said yes. The Cabbie responded with the warning that while both melon and honey are very enjoyable one shouldn't eat them together because something sweet and something hot eaten together will cause an upset stomach. This is apparently a very old wives' tale in Iran (the IR Expert explains to his lecture audience). And after mentioning the wives' tale the Cabbie says that the melon/honey mixture is akin to the mixture of politics and religion; that politics and religion do not mix and this is Iran's major problem.

Now the Cabbie might not be a medical expert but he has a very unique point of view. He lives in country ruled by a religious oligarchy. And he is strongly advocating a separation of Church/Mosque/Temple and State.

This is not to say that religion isn't important, nor that religion should not be protected by a legitimate government. But, they are two separate entities and there's a good reason why the great forefathers of this nation choose to keep them separate.