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Rumi
Iran
New is good
Hunger for modernity discards of history
By Laleh Khalili
September 9, 1999
The Iranian
In Mashhad, a large diameter around the Imam Reza shrine has been cleared
for a vast cement park in order to accommodate the millions of pilgrims
who are the bread and butter of the city. In Shiraz, I saw the remains
of gorgeous old homes demolished between the shrines of Shah-Cheragh and
Astaneh to make room for a gargantuan mosque complex which I can't even
begin to imagine whether and how would ever be filled by human bodies.
On my visit, the sensuous arches and old brickwork of the scarce walls
that remained were sad reminders of all that once was and no longer is
... GO
TO FEATURE
Outlook
The beat goes on
The moderate Neshat newspaper is back on Iran's newsstands, but
under a new name after it was banned just a few days ago. It is now called
Akhbar Eghtesad (Economic News), with an emphasis on economic news.
But it still carries a good amount of political commentary, as well as
the stinging satire of Ebrahim Nabavi. Here are two columns from the first
issue explaining the paper's goals (in Persian):
-- Reza Jalaie-Pour ... Civil
society & the economy
-- Ahmad Safaie-Far ... Words
on our first day
Let's play
Hi! My name is Nazilla and I run a mixed doubles tennis team in the
SF Bay Area. I am trying to attract more Iranian (female) players to our
team. I wonder if you could help me come up with new ways to reach Iranians
in the Bay Area.
Regards,
Nazilla
More Letters
* Ten years from now
Lobat Asadi writes: Your piece
was amazing ["I
was once an Iranian"]. It was as though you articulated everything
that I suspect I will be thinking ten years from now, or something like
that. I too, am a product of two cultures. I am Iranian, but was raised
in the U.S.-- we came here beofre the revolution, but stayed here through
it as a consequence of it.
I grew up sort of on the other side of you, where I always wondered
why, in America, they hated Iran so much. So, I took it upon myself in
the midst of my American eduation to discover my roots and decide for myself.
I think you are right in that you don't need roots in America, but because
of my "dream-like memory of the past" I wanted to undnerstand
so badly that I sought out my roots. I think this saved me, and today helps
me define who I am. Even if that is a juxtposition of many things.
Your article was very thought-provoking and made me reflect on similar
things. But, you know, not all Iranian-Americans seem to think this deeply
about bi-culturalism or take the tinme to define who they are. They seem
to stick to one culture or the other, or rather they take the bad parts
of American culture and exploit them, merely because they can.
I have a hard time finidng Iranians I can relate to in all levels. As
a result, it was promising to read your piece.
* So true
Behnam Farahpour writes:
I was going through The Iranian and I read the article "After
all, I am Iranian". It was writen so nicely and so true. Even
though I have only been here for five years I have grown a lot here. Still,
I don't dare call myself Iranian-American cuz I am still an Iranian. I
feel the same pride.
This was so obvious that my roommate this past year called me a complete
Iranian nationalist. He was telling me how excited I got about every news
or event about iran. I guess we all have that pride and invaders have not
had the power to take it away.
I was also moved by the couple of articles you had of Hadi
Farahani and very simple yet so pleasant Sadaf
Abbassian. Really awesome.
* Poetry: Rumi & music in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES, CA. - Master musician, Manoochehr Sadeghi, will sing Rumi's
renowned Sufi poetry in Persian in a concert entitled, MYSTIC VOICES: MUSIC
OF DEVOTION IN ISLAM AND HINDUISM on October 12, 1999. The other artists
performing in this extraordinary event are master musician Ali Jihad Racy
on the ney reed-flute, the divine vocalism of the renowned Lakshmi Shankar,
and the passionate evocations of Amy Catlin-Jairazbhoy ... DETAILS
HERE
Books of the Week
* Do
gharib (1998)
Letters from two friends in Iran and abroad
By Farideh Golbou
* Yek
ruz maandeh beh eid-e paak (1998)
Novel
By Zoya Pirzad
* Istgaah-e
aabshaar (1999)
Back when we were just kids...
By Parviz Davaie
* Talkhaak
(1998)
Love story, best selling novel
By Nasser Karami
See more
Iranian books for sale
THE IRANIAN
Bookstore
Video of the Week
Ejaarehneshin-haa
Dariush Mehrjuie's post-revolution parody of Iranian society. A great
comedy that also makes you think.
THE IRANIAN
Video Store
Copyright © Abadan Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
May not be duplicated or distributed in any form
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More
news
New justice chief faces reform battle
TEHRAN, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Iran's new justice chief has purged
the judiciary of leading hardliners but legal analysts say he faces an uphill
struggle to fulfil his pledge to pull judges out of politics and refashion
the courts as an independent branch of government. Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi
Shahroudi, a little known but scholarly cleric, inherited a judiciary seen
by many Iranians as more interested in furthering the conservatives' political
agenda than in dispensing justice ... FULL TEXT
Reformist Iranian editors produce new daily
TEHRAN, Sept 9 (Reuters) - A team of maverick reformist editors
on Thursday brought out a new pro-reform newspaper, their fifth in less
than two years, after hardliners closed their latest popular daily ... FULL
TEXT
Neshat director summoned
TEHRAN, Sept 9 (AFP) - Iran's conservative-controlled press court
has summoned the director of a pro-reform daily, banned this week on charges
of publishing "anti-Islamic" articles, press reports said Thursday
... FULL TEXT
Iran Jewish body questions spying charges
TEHRAN, Sept 9 (Reuters) - A Jewish community group in Iran has
questioned espionage charges levelled against 13 Iranian Jews arrested for
allegedly spying for Israel, a newspaper reported on Thursday. The daily
Entekhab quoted Tehran's Jewish community council as saying in a statement:
``Spying requires certain capacities and equipment, a condition not fulfilled
by the accused, according to the knowledge that we have about most of them.''
... FULL TEXT
U.S. studies religious persecution
Sept 9, 1999, WASHINGTON (AP) - A U.S State Department report released
Thursday found evidence of widespread religious persecution in Iraq, Iran
and Afghanistan, all under varying degrees of authoritarian rule, and also
uncovered religious discrimination in some democratic countries, including
Israel and Indin ... FULL TEXT
CIA wary on N. Korea, Iran missiles
September 9, 1999, WASHINGTON (AP) -- Over the next 15 years, North
Korea and Iran are likely to develop missiles potentially capable of killing
millions of Americans, the CIA said Thursday ... FULL TEXT
Canada will not sell nuclear fusion program
to Iran
OTTAWA, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Canada said on Thursday it had blocked
a plan to sell its experimental nuclear fusion programme to Iran because
it feared Tehran might be able to use the technology to obtain atomic weapons
... FULL TEXT
Saudi, Iran stay on course for scrap over
OPEC job
DUBAI, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Oil giants Saudi Arabia and Iran remain
on course for a showdown later this month when OPEC ministers meet in Vienna
to decide who will assume the group's top job as secretary-general ... FULL
TEXT
Iran moves cautiously on Asia oil demand
DUBAI, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Iran expects a strong turnaround in Asian
demand for oil in 2000 but will focus on its traditional customers when
production cuts are lifted, a senior Iranian oil marketing official said
on Thursday ... FULL TEXT
New books
Tehran (Iran) -- New books: Collected short stories of Mahmoud
Dowlatabadi; Gholam-Reza Nejati's history of contemporary Iran from the
1953 coup until the revolution; the fifth volume of an encyclopedia for
children; and ... FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN
Cartoonists awarded
Tehran (Iran) -- Cartoonists from the Ukraine, Poland and Iran
took first, second and third place in the first international soccer cartoons
exhibit in Iran ... FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN
Musavi: No place like home
Tehran (Akhbar Eghtesad) -- National soccer team forward Ali Musavi
talks about life in the German soccer league. He plays for a second division
team but has been getting more time on the field ... FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN
Iran matures
Tehran (Hamshahri) -- Wednesday's game against Japan showed that
Iranian soccer has in fact greatly matured and that other major continental
teams will have to take it very seriously ... FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN
BBC
Persian Service
For the latest news,
interviews and features on Iranian current affairs ... LISTEN HERE
$ Rate
Updated September 8
Buying: 880-892 tomans per dollar
Selling: 895 tomans per dollar
Source: Sehaty Exchange (U.S.) Tel: 480-595-0777
Mention this code for a better rate:
FA 37 B
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Inventors in History
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Quote Unquote
Revulsion
This revulsion for the past is perhaps exacerbated by the coercive forcing
of history and tradition upon the population to the exclusion of all else.
-- Laleh Khalili
"New
is good"
The Iranian
September 9, 1999
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