Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 595 The Frenzied Parliamentary Debate

The debate between the courts went all the way to the Supreme Court, and the proposal also sparked heated arguments in Congress, even more so than before.

Although only the Ministry of Religious Affairs uses the Vakoff, conservative religious scholars also need to be taken into account, especially since some of them are members of the Senate and have directly stated that they will resign if the bill is forced to pass.

Educated students and workers naturally support the establishment of the mutual aid association; they need a guarantee so they can work with peace of mind.

Devout believers, on the other hand, claim that they can make their families wealthy simply by using their own hands. Mutual aid societies are merely a means to eliminate diligence.

The conflict between the two sides erupted in parliament on August 18, with Mousavi once again campaigning for the bill.

"Gentlemen, our nation is in peril, and we need a bill to protect the lives of our people. They pay the majority of our taxes and serve in the military to defend the country; we cannot let them down."

If they knew their families were struggling to find food and work, they would lose faith in parliament and the government.

As soon as he finished speaking, two voices erupted in the parliament: one supporting him and the other opposing him.

"Silence! Silence!"

Speaker Karim worked tirelessly to maintain order, his voice nearly hoarse from shouting.

“Everyone has the opportunity to speak, but we need to respect MP Mousavi’s remarks!”

Member of Parliament Abdul Muaviyeh!

Ba'ath Party MP Muaviyeh stepped forward to question the proposal.

"Your Excellency Speaker, we know that the nation is in peril, and it is precisely in peril that we must adhere to our fundamental principles! The Liberals always love to make empty promises—where will this 'perpetual capital' come from? Are you going to siphon it from the military budget or divert it from the railway funds?"

He abruptly ripped off the white headscarf, revealing a black inner ring symbolizing erudition.

"Blasphemy! This is blasphemy against the holiness of Vakhf! The prophet said that clean resources are given only to the clean, yet you are using the donations of the pious to feed those who toil beside machines!"

Members of Parliament clapped their hands in unison, and the chanting nearly lifted the roof off. Conservatives were not only present in the Revival Party, but also in the Progressive and Liberal Parties; only the most radical Whig Party remained unmoved.

Mousavi clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the force. He took a step forward, his black leather shoes clicking crisply on the marble floor, drowning out the rising and falling chants. "Member Muaviyah, you say the people around the machines are unclean? Last month, when the Tehran textile factory caught fire, it was those 'unclean' workers who rushed into the flames and rescued Persian carpets destined for Europe—goods that could bring the country tens of millions in exchange! The black turban you wear is stained with ink, but the calluses on their hands are stained with Persian blood!"

The parliamentary chamber fell silent instantly, save for the occasional cooing of pigeons outside the window. Mu'awiya's face flushed crimson. He slammed his fist on the table, spilling ink from the brass pen holder onto the parchment, creating a black smudge. "You're trying to mislead us!" he roared. "The Prophet's teachings never mentioned using Waqf's money to support idlers! Those who are unemployed are unemployed because they are not hardworking enough. God's blessings only fall upon those whose hands are stained with sweat!"

"Then let me ask you, why are the textile workers in Isfahan unemployed? They work fourteen hours a day, their hands worn raw by cotton yarn, revealing the bones." Whig Party MP Amor suddenly stood up. "They are unemployed not because they are lazy, but because the world simply doesn't give them the opportunity to work hard!"

"Silence! Silence! Silence!"

Karim tried to maintain order again, but the members of parliament almost came to blows.

“Member Amor, please respect Member Muaviyeh’s rights. Everyone has the opportunity to speak. Now, please continue!”

"How Waqf's money is used is none of your business! Those mosques are God's palaces. The more magnificent they are, the more God will bless our country! You want to use Waqf's money to run mutual aid societies, which means you want to turn our faith into a tool for you to curry favor with the workers!"

Musawi took a deep breath, pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, and held it high. "These are the accounts of the Basra Mutual Aid Association!" he exclaimed, his voice trembling with excitement. "Over the past six months, we've invested our Waqf money in date palm plantations and the docks. The profits we've used to hire doctors for thirty sick workers and buy food for fifty unemployed workers. Now, some of those workers have found new jobs, some have opened small shops, and last month they even donated fifty dinars to help even more people! This isn't flattery; this is mutual aid! It's what the Prophet said: 'Help one another like brothers!'"

“Those are fabricated accounts!” Muaviyeh rushed forward, trying to snatch the papers from Musawi’s hand. Speaker Karim quickly stopped him, his forehead covered in sweat, his voice hoarse from shouting. “Don’t lay a hand on him! Parliament has its rules! Now, please leave the chamber!”

Muaviyeh was asked to leave, and Karim returned to his seat. "Next, Representative Reza, please speak regarding the proposal!"

Independent Ali Reza, known for his neutrality, began to speak. "Gentlemen," he said, his gaze sweeping over both factions of parliamentarians, "I agree with protecting workers, but I oppose using the Waqf. Shah just approved the Commercial Law last month, allowing businesses to form joint-stock companies. We can have these large enterprises contribute a portion of their profits to jointly establish a fund with the government. Why must we touch upon the sensitive topic of the Waqf?"

“Easy for you to say!” Mousavi retorted immediately. “Those companies are still laying off workers! How could they possibly use their profits to help the unemployed? Waqf has at least a billion rials in assets stored in the Inquisition’s cellar. Just a tenth of that could feed all the unemployed workers in Tehran!”

“That’s blasphemy!” Another member of parliament, Hassan Iskandar, slammed his fist on the table, veins bulging on his forehead beneath his black turban. “Every riyal in Waqf is to be used to build mosques and fund religious schools! You want to take God’s property to pay workers? Aren’t you afraid of going to Hell?” Several religious scholars and members of parliament around him nodded in agreement, and some began to quietly recite the chapters in the Quran about “abstaining from ill-gotten gains,” their voices growing louder and louder, almost drowning out the entire debate.

“You are confusing the concepts. Vakoff is a tool for achieving good social governance. Its ultimate goal is social stability and national strength in this world. As long as it benefits the people, its management style can be adapted.”

Parliament eventually turned into a marketplace, and at one point there was even a tendency to take action. Karim had to ask Parliament to temporarily suspend the session so that everyone could clear their heads before proceeding.

(End of this chapter)