Shahristani's exact words were "Are you crazy? I'd rather keep breathing."
Heh! Probably so.
Right you are. That job is a death sentence.
Exactly. Like in the story of one ancient Chinese sage :)
The king of the State of Ch'u wanted to enlist Chuang Tzu's services. He dispatched two envoys with a letter that stated: "Hereby I appoint you my chancellor." The envoys delivered the message to Chuang Tzu as he stood knee-deep in Pu river, fishing with a bamboo pole.
Still holding his pole and looking speculatively at Pu river, Chuang Tzu said:
"I believe there is a sacred turtle, offered and canonized three thousand years ago, which is worshipped by the king. Wrapped in silk it lies in a precious shrine on an altar in the temple.
What do you think?
If you were a turtle, would you prefer to lose your life and leave your dead shell to be an object of worship shrouded in incense for three thousand years?
Or would you prefer to live as a plain turtle that drags its tail in the mud?"
The envoys replied:
"The turtle might prefer to stay alive and drag its tail in the mud!"
"Precisely", Chuang Tzu replied. "Go home. Leave me here to drag my tail in the mud."
(JOHN WIJNGAARDS, God Within Us, Fount Paperbacks, London 1988; Templegate, Springfield, Illinois 1990.)
BTW, looks like Mr. Shahristani is one of the few fit to be in government.