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Obayd Zakani
Hostage
Go Big Red!
"Ayatollah, why don't you go back where you belong?"
By Ali Hosseini
November 12, 1999
The Iranian
It was a week after the U.S. embassy was seized ... The wind blowing
over the early snow cut into my bones as I left the engineering building.
This Midwestern chill is going to be hard to get used to, I thought, walking
into the school cafeteria. The kitchen heat warmed me as I put on an apron,
wrapping its strings around my waist. I punched my time card and walked
to the Big Red dining room, an exclusive cafeteria for Nebraska Cornhusker
athletes. A group of football players were at their three-inch steak dinners.
I cautiously walked through the dining room, feeling the gaze of one of
the star football players at my back. It took only a few seconds before
he shouted at me, his mouth full.
"Hey, what did you do to your beard, Ayatollah?" Then he turned
to his friends, "Look at him," he said pointing at me. "Now
he's trying to look like Stalin." ... GO
TO FEATURE
Outlook
Protester into prisoner
The Economist
November 13, 1999 , U.S. Edition
Tehran - LAST summer, Tehran was rocked by students demonstrating for
reform and democracy. The Economist, writing about these events, carried
a photograph on its cover of a demonstrator holding up a bloodied T-shirt,
which looked (though there is no proof of this) as if it might have belonged
to a fellow-protester beaten by the police or vigilantes. Other newspapers,
including Iranian ones, used the same dramatic photograph. The publicity
did the student, Ahmad Batebi, no good. Last month, he was punished by
a revolutionary court which sentenced him to ten years in prison. ... FULL TEXT
How dare you?
The conservative Tehran daily Kayhan blasts a modertate magazine
for putting flowers in the hands of Imam Ali, instead of the traditional
sword ... FULL
IMAGE & TEXT
Thanks to p.m.
More Letters
* Think first
Pejman Asgarpour
writes in response to Mr.
Beeler's letter : I read your letter on "Thinking
small" and I wonder is it Iranians who are thinking small or is
it you that can not see the big picture. The scenes and the stories that
you see and you hear from those who take actions against America in Iran
or other countries should not be a reason for people like you to make any
judgement toward a whole nation.
I am sure that you are not aware of the political situation that is
currently taking place in Iran because you would have known why or who
are those groups of people that are burning flags and yell "Death
to America". My suggestion to you is that next time, before you make
any decision with your educated mind, do a little research.
Should I call all Americans a bunch of racists when KKK members burn
crosses and show hatred toward other human beings just because of their
skin color?
* Shame on us
Bob Mani writes:
I read the article "Curzon's
last laugh" with sorrow and disgust. This is yet another example
of wanting to blame things on others. Poor us - they did this to us and
they did that. How much longer are we going to sit on our butts and blame
all of our shortcomings on others? What is that going to solve or accomplish?
First, shame on us for letting foreigners take advantage of us. Here,
the Ghajar dynasty is more to blame. Their fascination with sex and corruption
and pleasures let them lose sight of things, letting foreigners come and
take advantage of our poor country - the same country that was once powerful
and did unto them (remember Nader Shah and his multiple invasions of India)
what is being done to it!
Second, while we are sipping our tea and trying to find causes for our
miseries, the progressive world is advancing at a very fast paste. Iran
is at least 200 years behind in social standards of living, economy, technology,
education, etc. The gap is widening at an exponential rate and soon there
will be no hope of a decent future for our country and people.
You go ahead and dig into stuff hundreds or years old while others are
envisioning and planning for the upcomming century!
* Literature: Gelareh Asayesh in DC
Gelareh Asayesh, author of "Saffron Sky, A Life Between Iran and
America" will be speaking at 6:30 p.m. Thursday November 18th at the
Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Rome Building,
Room 806, 1619 Massachussetts Ave. NW, Washington D.C. ... DETAILS HERE
SELL
TICKETS ONLINE AT YOUR SITE
Books of the Week
* Ruzegaran
(1999)
History of Iran up to the Pahlavi dynasty
By Abdol-Hossein Zarrinkoub
* Zanaan
haramsaraa-ye Nasserdin Shah (1998)
Pictorial history
By Khosro Motazed and Abolghasem Tafazoli
* Baagh
(1998)
Short stories
By Parviz Davaie
* Qand
va namak (1998)
Tehrani proverbs
By Jafar Shahri
See more
Iranian books for sale
THE IRANIAN
Bookstore
Video of the Week
Divorce
Iranian Style
A new documentary that goes where Western camera s have never before
gone: into an Iranian divorce court. The film is directed by award- winning
independent filmmaker Kim Longinotto and Ziba Mir-Hosseini, an Iranian
anthropologist and writer, based in London, whose specialty is women's
rights and family law in the Mid-East.
THE IRANIAN
Video Store
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More
news
ANALYSIS-Court deals blow to Iran reform
movement
TEHRAN, Nov 12 (Reuters) - The conviction of Abdollah Nouri by
a hardline clerical jury has effectively deprived Iran's pro-reform movement
of its leading light ahead of next year's parliamentary elections. The
clerics, all from the hardline faction that dominates the judiciary, also
ruled that there were no mitigating circumstances. However, the judge of
the Special Court for Clergy must still issue a final verdict and pass sentence
... FULL TEXT
Rafsanjani calls for calm ahead of next
year's key elections
TEHRAN,
Nov 12 (AFP) - Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Friday
called for calm between the country's feuding reformist and conservative
factions ahead of key parliamentary elections next February. "We are
getting close to important elections, we need calm, and we have to give
our people the opportunity to think in peace," Rafsanjani told worshippers
at the main weekly Muslim prayers at Tehran university ... FULL TEXT
Rafsanjani accuses U.S. of lying
TEHRAN,
Nov 12 (AFP) - Iran's influential former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
on Friday accused the United States of lying following Washington's renewal
of economic sanctions against Tehran. "Let's not think that the smiles
of the global arrogance (the United States) are spreading security, they
are showing their antagonism towards us every day," Rafsanjani told
worshippers during the main weekly Muslim prayers at Tehran university ...
FULL TEXT
Rafsanjani says rows stifle investment
in Iran
TEHRAN, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi
Rafsanjani said on Friday that bitter political feuds between reformists
and conservatives were scaring away potential investors. ``The atmosphere
is not suitable for investments if we attend to our factional issues instead
of dealing with the country's problems and if officials spend all their
time fighting each other,'' Rafsanjani said in a sermon to thousands of
worshippers at mass prayers at Tehran University ... FULL TEXT
Iran says 1.2 mln cattle smuggled out each
year
TEHRAN, Nov 12 (Reuters) - More than 1.2 million cattle are smuggled
each year from Iran, a major food importer, to neighbouring countries by
traffickers seeking hard currency, an Iranian official said on Friday.
Ahmad Seyfkaran, a senior official at the Construction Jihad Ministry, said
the cattle smugglers earned $100 million a year, Iran's news agency IRNA
reported ... FULL TEXT
Home for young film makers
Tehran
(Hamshahri) - Young film makers now have their very own center in Tehran
... FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN
Second look
Tehran
(Cinema) - A second look at Mahasti Badiee's film "Tale' sa'd"
-- it's much better than originally thought and it could easily shine in
international children's film festivals ... FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN
al-Arabi 3 - Persepolis 2
Tehran (Asr-e Azadegan) - Kuwait's al-Arabi defeated Persepolis
in a friendly (read ROUGH) match in Kuwait. Two Persepolis players were
ejected ... FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN
Hejazi's sigh of relief
Tehran (Asr-e Azadegan) - After six defeats and three draws, Nasser
Hejazi's Zob-e Ahan team finally tastes victory against a quality team ...
FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN
BBC
Persian Service
For the latest news,
interviews and features on Iranian current affairs ... LISTEN HERE
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Quote Unquote
Lies
The U.S., despite the pressure from their own and European companies,
renewed the sanctions (against us) a few days ago. This cannot be very problematic
for us, but is an important sign -- it shows that they lie.
-- Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
AFP
November 12, 1999
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