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Cover story
Wake-up call
The student protests of July 1999
By Ali Akbar Mahdi
July 3, 2000
The Iranian
Excerpt from Ali Akbar Mahdi's "The Student Movement in the
Islamic Republic of Iran" published in the Journal of Iranian
Research and Analysis.
Writing about current affairs is a risky adventure. One may not be sure
whether the finger is truly on the pulse of events or only on a flutter
resulting from turbulent storms in distant waters. The more one reads about
the those events, the more it becomes clear that much of what is being
written is filled with either wishful thinking or calculated reporting
>>>
GO TO FEATURE
Outlook
Iranian Jews' jailing 'will hit growing ties with west'
By GUY DINMORE and AVI MACHLIS SHIRAZ and JERUSALEM
Financial Times (London)
July 3, 2000
As a stern Revolutionary Court official read out the 70-page ruling
by the judge who had just jailed 10 Iranian Jews for spying for Israel,
trays of ice-cream and soft drinks were handed out to foreign envoys and
reporters sweating in the heat of a Shiraz Saturday afternoon.
But despite such typical Iranian hospitality and well-meaning attempts
to respond to international concern over the conduct of the closed trial,
diplomats yesterday said the case would continue to impede Tehran's hesitant
rapprochement with the west >>>
FULL TEXT
Thanks to Laleh Khalili
Sanctuary turns sour for army of Afghan exiles
By Justin Huggler
The Independent (London)
June 30, 2000
MOHAMED ARIF remembers the day the police caught him. He was walking
along a central Tehran street when some officers asked to see his identification.
"I was begging them to forgive me," he says. "I managed
to break free and I ran, but they caught up and started beating me. Eventually
the locals saw me crying and asked the police to have pity. They said I
had to give them a bribe so I gave them everything I had in my pocket."
Mr Arif is not a criminal, he is a refugee. His "crime" was
to be born a citizen of one of the world's most war-torn countries, Afghanistan,
and to flee to Iran in search of safety >>>
FULL TEXT
Thanks to Laleh Khalili
Iran Opens Key Isle to Iraqi Oil Smugglers, U.S. Says
By ROBIN WRIGHT
Los Angeles Times
July 3, 2000
WASHINGTON--To aid Iraq's largest sanctions-busting operation, Iran
has opened its strategic Qeys island for secret transfers of illicit Iraqi
oil to ships that can evade a United Nations blockade, according to Clinton
administration officials. Traffic has become so heavy in recent weeks that
the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is smuggling as much as 100,000
barrels of oil a day, netting as much as $42 million a month that is being
used in part to rebuild Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, U.S. officials
say >>>
FULL TEXT
Thanks to Reza
I have come
Nasary writes: I'm
from Saudi Arabia and I have listened to Googoosh songs since I was child
. Her style is something else. I have one request if you could help me:
How can I get her songs -- especially "man
aamadeh-am" -- translated into Arabic or English? I need the translation
of this song urgently, if you don't mind . I'll be so glad for your help.
More Letters
* We'll never know
I. I. Rahmim writes:
I write concerning the recent article by Mr. Moallemian ["Let's face
it"] and the reply by Mr. Rismani ["Can't
a Jew ever be a spy?"]
The original article makes several valid points, which I will not repeat,
and makes a strong and accurate case for true justice. The comments in
the follow-up letter by Mr. Rismani, however, deserve comment.
The writer asks, rhetorically, whether a Jew can ever be a spy. The
answer is clearly yes. However, in this particular case, we likely will
never know the answer as the detailed accusations have not been made public,
the trial has been behind closed doors, the defense attorney's hands have
been tied in various ways including limited access to the defendants, the
"confessions" have been made under suspect circumstances, etc.
On top of all this, the same person has acted as investigator, prosecutor,
and judge. No reasonable person can expect that such a set-up would have
justice or truth as its outcome >>>
FULL TEXT
* Cosmetic concessions
Reza writes:I
would recommend that Mr. Yektafar ["Tried
Baba Karam?"] and others interested in the development of Iran-US
relations to read the book "At the highest places". This book
co-authored by Strobe Talbot, the U.S. assistant secretary of state, covers
the development of US-Soviet relatons during the Gorbachev Administration.
One can not, should not, carry the parallels too far, but the following
two similarities I believe are important:
- Gorbachev, like Khatami, promoted glasnost and perestroika,
- The motivation for the policy changes were the utter bankrupcy of previous
policies and the hard economic times this failure brought about.
- Gorbachev did not want to preserve the communist idealogy, and Khatami
does not want to maintain the theocracy.
It is clearly outlined in the book that the U.S. did not want to give
any concessions to Moscow because the Soviets, under internal pressures,
had to do what the American policy makers were looking for any way. So
they resorted to cosmetic gestures so as to not make Gorbachev seem to
be always on the giving end. The relaxation of pistachio imports to the
U.S. is of similar nature.
* Online radio, at a cost
Bill Phillipson
writes to KIRN radio: Dear Mr. Paley, Some months ago, through a link
provided by the on-line news magazine THE IRANIAN TIMES I read the story
about your station in a LOS ANGELES TIMES article by Dana Calvo, and I
must say that on behalf of my Iranian friends and relatives in Southern
California I was pleased to hear of your endeavor, and not the least bit
surprised by your success and popularity as evidenced in the article. Your web page gives further proof
of your growth in the intervening months since the article was published.
It is noted from the KIRN-AM web page that your company requires an
annual payment of US$60 for access to the streaming broadcast of your radio
station content, KIRN-AM, over the web... While most of your fellow public
airwaves colleagues are doing this without charge, your requirement for
payment may generate some unwelcome scrutiny >>>
FULL TEXT
Community: Iranian-Americans seek to
end fingerprinting
Orange County, Jul 1 (CyberIran Press) - The Iranian-American Anti-Discrimination
Center, in a move to stop the "unneccessary, humiliating and discriminatory"
policy of fingerprinting Iranian travelers has launched a petition to bring
an "immediate cessation" to this policy >>>
DETAILS HERE
Books
THE IRANIAN
Bookstore
Music store
Translation of today's poem by Zara
Houshmand:
If I hold you in my heart, you'll turn into a thought,
Or a thorn, if I hold you in my eyes.
No, I'll make a place for you within my soul instead
So that you'll be my love in lives beyond this life.
-- Rumi
Previous
translations
Copyright © Abadan Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
May not be duplicated or distributed in any form
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More
news
Students to mark anniversary of unrest
with flowers
TEHRAN,
July 3 (AFP) - Pro-reform Iranian students said Monday they will mark the
one-year anniversary of a police assault on a Tehran University dormitory
by handing out flowers at major intersections throughout the capital >>>
FULL TEXT
Prominent reformists denounce Sahgabi's
arrest
TEHRAN,
July 2 (AFP) - Nearly 300 Iranian political figures and academics have drafted
an open letter denouncing the recent arrest of Ezzatollah Sahabi, a leader
in Iran's progressive opposition >>> FULL TEXT
Jewish leaders fear emigration
SHIRAZ, Iran (AP) - Iranian Jewish leaders said Sunday they fear
a wave of Jewish emigration from Iran following a court's decision to convict
10 Jews of spying for Israel and sentence them to prison terms >>>
FULL TEXT
Iran nixes new ties with Egypt
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iranian-Egyptian communications have improved
considerably, but formal restoration of diplomatic ties is not imminent,
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said Sunday >>> FULL TEXT
Jordan's Queen Rania arrives in Tehran
TEHRAN,
July 3 (AFP) - Jordan's Queen Rania arrived in Tehran Monday for an official
two-day visit at the invitation of Iran's first lady, President Mohammad
Khatami's wife Zohreh Sadeghi >>> FULL TEXT
Clinton 'deeply disturbed' by Iran Jews
sentences
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Clinton said on Saturday he was
``deeply disturbed'' by an Iranian court's decision to sentence 10 Iranian
Jews to prison terms on charges of spying for Israe >>> FULL TEXT
European Jews and Chirac call for release
of jailed Iranian Jews
PARIS,
July 2 (AFP) - The European Jewish Congress (EJC) Sunday requested a meeting
with French President Jacques Chirac to lobby European Union (EU) support
for the release of 10 Iranian Jews by Iran for alleged spying >>>
FULL TEXT
Britain "concerned" over conviction
of Iranian Jews
LONDON,
July 1 (AFP) - Britain reacted with concern to the controversial conviction
Saturday of 10 Iranian Jews on spying charges, and said it would raise its
unhappiness via its ambassador in Tehran >>> FULL TEXT
Israel's Barak Calls for Release of Iranian
Jews
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said Sunday it would spare no effort
to bring about the release of 10 Iranian Jews sentenced to prison for their
part in an alleged Israeli spy ring in Iran >>> FULL TEXT
Arab papers slam foreign criticism of Iran
spy trial
DUBAI,
July 3 (Reuters) - Newspapers in two Gulf Arab states have slammed Western
criticism of the verdicts in the Jewish spy trial in Iran and lauded what
they said was a fair judicial process >>> FULL TEXT
Two reformists win in Tehran run-off elections
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Two reformists who narrowly missed winning
seats in Iran's legislative elections in February have won run-off elections
in Tehran, state-run Iranian radio reported Saturday >>> FULL TEXT
Iran announces formation of five new ballistic
missile units
TEHRAN,
July 2 (AFP) - The head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards announced Sunday
the formation of five ballistic missile units that will help keep Iran "among
the region's military powers." >>> FULL TEXT
Iran increases oil production by 104,000
barrels per day: radio
TEHRAN,
July 1 (AFP) - Iran is increasing crude oil production by 104,000 barrels
per day (bpd) from Saturday, Oil Minister Bijan Namdar-Zangeneh was quoted
as saying by the radio >>> FULL TEXT
Caligraphy in action
Tehran
(Goonagoon) -- What do Tous, Neshat, Fath, Asr-e Azadegan and Khordad (banned)
newspapers have in common? Their logos were all created by caligraphist
Mohammad Ehsaie. An interview >>> FULL TEXT
Baizaie film in a book
Tehran
(Goonagoon) -- "Goftegoo baa baad" is the title of a book about
an unfinished film by Bahram Baizaie >>> FULL TEXT
Qajar era residence to become guesthouse
Tehran
(Hamshahri) -- The Shapouri residence in Shiraz, which belongs to the late
Qajar period, will be turned into a guesthouse for tourists >>>
FULL TEXT
Iran U-17 defeat Qatar to qualify
(Iran Sports Press) -- With video: The Iranian Under 17 Team qualified
to the Asian Youth Championships to be held in Vietnam later this year following
a 2-0 win over Qatar on Saturday. Iran managed to dominate its qualifying
group by registering 4 wins from four games >>> FULL TEXT
Derakhshan: "All players are of appropriate
age"
(Iran Sports Press) -- With video: With regard to rumours that
the Iranian U-17 team consists of players above 17 years of age, headcoach
Hamid Derakhshan said such claims are "nothing but rumours", and
incorrect >>> FULL TEXT
Majidi to leave Vienna club
VIENNA, July 1: Iranian player Farhad Majidi has to leave Rapid
Vienna, according to the club management. Rapid recently bought Dutch forward
Gaston Taument >>> FULL TEXT
BBC
Private Golshiri
For the first time a journalist has filed
a complaint against a high judiciary official. Mahdavi Khorrami, Managing
Director of Gozaresh-e-Rooz daily, has challenged Tehran Court's public
relations director >>>
LISTEN HERE
NOTE: BBC link content changes every 24 hours
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Pro-reform Iranian students said Monday they will mark
the one-year anniversary of a police assault on a Tehran University dormitory
by handing out flowers at major intersections throughout the capital.
-- AFP report from Tehran
July 3, 2000
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