The Iranian Press quoted him as saying, "Many women who do not dress modestly ... lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which increases earthquakes."
It is not known how the cleric came to this startling conclusion, but he did go on to offer a solution to the earthquake problem. "There is no other solution but to take refuge in religion and to adapt our lives to Islam's moral codes," he said during a prayer sermon.
Well shucks, I guess anyone with a differing set of beliefs is just plain out of luck! As the late and great Billy Mays would say, "But wait! There's more!" Sedighi also went on to say, "A divine authority told me to tell the people to make a general repentance. Why? Because calamities threaten us."
Really?! Calamities threaten us? Darn those calamities! Always picking on us! If only women would cover themselves from head to toe and stop leading us poor men astray, we may never again have to deal with earthquakes! Why stop there? Maybe if we also deny women education the world would no longer have to worry about tsunamis! Perhaps if we encased all women in plastic wrap and locked them away in steel coffins we could do away with every natural disaster mankind has ever faced. If we take it a step further and permanently lock those coffins in a secret underground bunker, perhaps we'd have world peace, cancer would be eradicated, poverty would disappear, and maybe, just maybe, milk would no longer spoil. I would love to hear Sedighi's thoughts on these ideas since it would appear that, in his mind at least, those actions and their potential benefits are certainly within the realm of possibility.
On a serious note, who's to say that earthquakes and other natural disasters aren't a form of punishment from God. I am but a single, flawed human being among billions and I do not pretend to know all the answers to every problem that humanity has, is, or will experience. I do have to say, though, that I think any divine being would have far greater things to worry about in this world than a young Iranian woman that decides to ignore Iranian law and show her hair in public. I think that if God felt that an appropriate punishment for showing hair, cleavage, or even ankle skin was a devastating earthquake, we'd all have been wiped out long ago. Surely, the first time Paris Hilton or Lady Gaga stepped onto the red carpet, the sun would have exploded and reduced the Earth to cosmic dust, if that were the case! Forget about every theft, murder, or rape that has ever occurred throughout human history. Now, if God decided to curdle my milk and deny me my morning bowl of cereal because I dropped the "f-bomb" after stubbing my toe... well, that might be fair.
I believe that every country and every nation on this planet has the right to determine their own beliefs, laws, and social norms, without interference from others, unless they directly pose a threat to another country or nation. On its own, I believe Iran has that same right. However, also take into account the fact that Iranian religious and government leaders and institutions actively suppress and harm their own citizens and make wild claims about women (promiscuous or not) causing earthquakes. Add to that the fact that the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, denies that widely documented and factual atrocities like the Holocaust or the September 11th World Trade Center attacks ever happened. These things make me wonder what Iran can be trusted with. These are the same people that want to develop nuclear weapons!
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