"For hundreds of years Iranians have been migrating to many parts of the world. They took Islamic culture to other parts of the world and established it there"
About this Quote
A migration story is rarely just a migration story, and Ahmadinejad knows it. By reaching back "for hundreds of years", he tries to launder a modern, politically loaded claim through the calm authority of deep time. The move is strategic: if Iranian movement across borders is ancient, then contemporary Iranian influence looks less like interference and more like historical continuity.
The second sentence does the real work. "They took Islamic culture" reframes diaspora not as flight, exile, or economic necessity but as civilizational delivery. It’s a soft-power boast dressed up as heritage, turning migrants into emissaries and making religion the export. That choice of emphasis matters coming from a statesman who governed under the banner of the Islamic Republic: it collapses Iranian national identity into an Islamic mission, implying that Iran’s reach is naturally religious, not merely geopolitical.
"Established it there" is an especially revealing phrase. It’s not about cultural exchange or mutual influence; it’s about implantation and permanence. The subtext is a rebuttal to narratives that cast Iranian transnational networks as suspicious or destabilizing. Instead, he offers a counter-myth: Iranians as founders, builders, carriers of legitimacy.
Contextually, it sits inside Ahmadinejad’s broader project of asserting Iran as more than a sanctioned state on the defensive. It’s an attempt to claim a civilizational mandate - one that flatters the diaspora, justifies influence abroad, and positions Iran as an origin point rather than an outlier.
The second sentence does the real work. "They took Islamic culture" reframes diaspora not as flight, exile, or economic necessity but as civilizational delivery. It’s a soft-power boast dressed up as heritage, turning migrants into emissaries and making religion the export. That choice of emphasis matters coming from a statesman who governed under the banner of the Islamic Republic: it collapses Iranian national identity into an Islamic mission, implying that Iran’s reach is naturally religious, not merely geopolitical.
"Established it there" is an especially revealing phrase. It’s not about cultural exchange or mutual influence; it’s about implantation and permanence. The subtext is a rebuttal to narratives that cast Iranian transnational networks as suspicious or destabilizing. Instead, he offers a counter-myth: Iranians as founders, builders, carriers of legitimacy.
Contextually, it sits inside Ahmadinejad’s broader project of asserting Iran as more than a sanctioned state on the defensive. It’s an attempt to claim a civilizational mandate - one that flatters the diaspora, justifies influence abroad, and positions Iran as an origin point rather than an outlier.
Quote Details
| Topic | Faith |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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