The Pearl Cannon

By Iraj Bashiri

Copyright 1986 by Mazda Publishers

Footnotes

¹ A brief history of Spain is pertinent here. Explored by Phoenician seafarers, colonized by the Carthaginians, and occupied by the Romans and the Visigoths, Spain was conquered by Muslim invaders from Africa in 711 A. D.

The several centuries of Moorish dominion not only made medieval Spain a place of high culture, but it also produced a wide array of scientists, philosophers, writers, and engineers. Slowly, however, the Christian kingdoms in norther Spain, where Muslim power was weak, broke away from Muslim rule so that by the late 13^th century, only granada was left to them. The Muslims were driven out in 1492, the same year Spain launched its worldwide colonial empire by sending Christopher Columbus on his first exploratory voyage.1

² Carthage and Ctesiphon have much in common. The former, with its formidable navy, challenged Rome (mid-3rd to mid-2nd century B.C.) while the latter with its wealth and the sheer number of men-at-arms prevented the expansion of Islam into Central Asia and India (mid-6th to mid-7th century A.D.). Without a total dismemberment of these centers, the Roman and the Islamic Empires could not have been established and, thereby, could not have prospered as they did. The phrase "Delenda est Carthago," in The Pearl Cannon bespeaks the Iranians' dim view of the barbaric actions of the bedouin Arabs who destroyed Ctesiphon and with it the culture of ancient Iran. Furthermore, the invaders put a similar curse on Iranian culture that the Romans placed on the ruins of Carthage. This curse has worked so well that, after centuries, Iranians still fail to recognize Zoroastrians as Iranians who fought for their beliefs. 2

³ Shi'ism became the official religion of Iran under the Safavids. It remained forceful until the end of the Qajar period. Indeed some Qajar Shahs "did not drink water" without afatwa (formal opinion of a canon lawyer) from the Mojtahed (doctor of Islamic law). The Constitution resulting from the 1906 Revolution testifies to the power of the clergy at the time. 3

By the 1930's, however, the clergy had lost their clout. They were criticized harshly by Reza Shah whose propagandists portrayed the clergy as reactionary fanatics. The more the clergy tried to stem the tide of Westernization by opposing music, dancing, and the theater, the more credible the government's claim that the clergy intended to drag Iran back to the 13th century, became. This part of the book reflects the "tug of war" between the traditional views of some and modernist views of some other Iranians.

⁴ A careful reading of Hedayat's account of Columb's arrival in the Americas informs the Persian reader that there is more to the story than meets the eye. For instance, it becomes evident that the "redskins" are indeed the Iranians of the late 1940s, that the riches enumerated are the mineral resources of Iran, and that the Aztec ruins are none but the illiterate masses who could, and still can, be exploited from every perceivable vantage point. Indeed, everything that the chief of the "redskins" says reflects some aspect of America's involvement in Iran after World War II. Thus viewed Hedayat's version of the Columb discovery unfolds Americas' efforts as it sought a firm foothold in the Middle East. Without a proper interpretation of the events in the book, phrases like "The Bridge of Victory," the hope-inspiring phrase that emerged from the Tehran Conference at the time of the writing of The Pearl Cannon, would have no import. Neither would Aztec ruins point to Persepolis and further to educational exploitation based on patriotic feelings. 4

⁵ This part of The Pearl Cannon reflects the helplessness of the "third world" nations of the time vis-a-vis the power of the industrial nations who, seeking raw material for their factories, imposed themselves on the predominantly illiterate, poverty stricken inhabitants of backward nations. 5

⁶ The Treaty of Tordesillas, signed on June 7, 1494, settled all conflicts arising from the distribution of lands explored by Columbus and other late 15th-century voyagers. According to this treaty, sanctioned by Pope Alexander VI, in 1493, Spain was given exclusive rights to the region west of the Cape Verde Islands, Portuguese expeditions were to keep to the east. Neither power was to occupy any territory already in the hands of a Christian ruler. No other European powers facing the Atlantic ever accepted this papal dispostion or the subsequent agreement deriving from it. 6

⁷ In Persian the word for Portugal is the same as the word for sweet orange: portaqal. Hedayat satirized Portugal's hegemonic attitude but, more so, the presumption that new Portugal, i.e., Portugal as a Jesuit worldnation, could dispense equality and justice for all. This is not to mention the more preposterous presumption that the people of the world would allow Portugal to proceed with its exploitative plans. 7

⁸ Refers to the 1514 Portuguese takeover of the island of Hormuz (see note 10, below). 8

⁹ The Age of Discovery was motivated by the search for gold and silver to pay for goods imported to Europe from the Middle and Far East. Building merchantmen as large as men-of-war, the Portuguese opened the sea route to India and established trading posts in India, South China, and East Africa. Defeating Arab trade in the area, the Portuguese created a century-long (1500 to 1600) monopoly of trade with the Orient. For instance, the Jesuits shipped large amounts of Japanese and Chinese goods, especially raw silk, to Portugal. To keep their hold on the trade routes, they created disputes among warring clans, disputes that they later mediated, acquiring concessions from both parties. 9

¹⁰ Afonso de Albuquerque, also known as Afonso the Great is the Portuguese conqueror of Goa and Malacca, and the organizer of the Portuguese hegemony in the Orient. His early military career was spent in fighting Muslims in North Africa. He then was sent to the Orient. Among other places, he captured the island of Hormuz on the Strait of Hormuz between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman in 1514. Here he built a fortress that became one of the major posts for guarding the sea routes from Japan to Portugal. The century-long occupation was terminated by a joint AngloPersian assault on the island in 1622. It should be noted in passing that Hedayat uses Albuquerque's personality, definitely a decisive leader, to parody Reza Shah. This is true also of Hedayat's choice of other famous figures like Nader Shah and Shah Abbas. 10

¹¹ Character names are of particular importance in understanding Hedayat's use of symbols. Sebil (mustache) Ali Shah, Nazar (opinion) Qoli Shah, and Maharajah Kaput (condom) Wala are examples of his witty yet expressive approach in revealing a particular character's strength or frailty. 11

¹² Here Hedayat pooh-poohs the mullahs' empty promises of paradise from the pulpit, promises that the illiterate faithful believe and strive to realize. According to the mullahs, the Imams are capable of changing man's destiny. They claim, for instance, that on the Day of Judgment the Imams can intercede on behalf of the faithful. Hedayat's question is this: Why don't the all-powerful Imams perform a feat that would yield a tangible result; why don't they transform a hag into a young woman! 12

¹³ Reference to the battle at Karbala (680 A.D.) in general and to Imam Hossein in particular. In the course of this battle Imam Hossein was killed and his family was taken captive. 13