From: "diamondsouled" Subject: Re: My Response to Moojan Momen's Slanderous Vilification Date: Monday, January 28, 2008 5:55 PM Hi Jim, Good to see you as well. I posted a clarification of what I believe Fred's site is about. I agree that it is not a site supporting factions but is a site supporting reformation of Baha'i. There is a different. Of course if you are of the belief that Baha'i as a religion is in no need of reformation it is easy to begin to paint those who see a need for reformation as a faction when in fact they may not even represent themselves as such. This brings to my mind the whole issue of Moojan Momen's paper from Religion journal and his marginalization of those he stereotyped as being Baha'i apostates; there is the ever present danger that such dehumanization of those who religious interpretations are diverse from individuals such as Moojan will at some point in time become victims of abuse of human rights as outlined by Dr. Philip Zimbardo: The recipe for behavior change isn't complicated. "All evil begins with a big lie," says Zimbardo, whether it's a claim to be following the word of God, or the need to stamp out political opposition. A seemingly insignificant step follows, with successive small actions, presented as essential by an apparently just authority figure. The situation presents others complying with the same rules, perhaps protesting, but following along all the same. If the victims are anonymous or dehumanized somehow, all the better. And exiting the situation is extremely difficult. Abu Ghraib fit this type of situation to a T, says Zimbardo. The guards, never trained for their work helping military interrogators, worked 12-hour shifts, 40 days without a break, in chaotic, filthy conditions, facing 1,000 foreign prisoners, and hostile fire from the neighborhood. They operated in extreme stress, under orders to impose fear on their prisoners. Zimbardo believes the outcome was perfectly predictable, and while never absolving these soldiers of personal responsibility, believes justice won't be done until "the people who created the situation go on trial as well: George Tenet, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney and George Bush." https://mitworld.mit.edu/video/459/ Yours Larry Rowe