It is all about fear of going to Hell

The fear of the ruling class, felt by defenceless ordinary people, is parallel to another fear instilled by religious clerics.

Near the polyclinic where our family doctor was located in Toronto, there is a Subway restaurant. Once my wife and I had finished our check-up, we entered the franchise. Because we weren't familiar with the various ingredients and toppings at Mr. Sub, the woman in charge noticed our hesitation when we placed our orders.

"If you don't eat pork," she said, "I can serve you tuna?"

"But we do eat pork," my wife replied. "We are Christians!"

"I am an Iranian Christian too."

Since we had visited Iran and knew there were relatively strong Armenian and Jewish communities there, I said, "You must be Armenian?"

"No! I am Persian but converted to Christianity here in Canada."

I jumped at what seemed to be a new opportunity to understand new things:

"Why did you do so, if I may ask you?"

She looked furtively at a man cleaning a table, apparently her husband, and said: "I want to tell you something you don't know. Fear pervades our lives. Anything you do that is not in accordance with the Quran and what our Mulla says, you go to Hell. If you don't wear a scarf, if you don't sleep with your husband, if you don't wake up early to pray, if you don't fast, if you drink alcohol (…). It is all about fear of going to Hell!"

As she noticed my increasing interest in her views, she added:

"When I was young, I was afraid of God! My mother was too religious. I was trembling. I had to learn the 99 names of Allah when I had hardly started talking."

"Perhaps the Mullahs impart an ancient and conservative form of religion?"

"I don't know, but Mullahs are the ones who speak in the name of Allah in Iran."