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Opinion
Due process
The Sherman proposal is anemic
By Guive Mirfendereski
July 20, 2000
The Iranian
During the "trial" of the "Shiraz 13," the rule
of law, or its misrule, was evident in a variety of ways, but nothing was
as ludicrous as the charge against a few of the accused for travelling
to Israel. The Iranian Constitution guarantees freedom of worship to the
Jew, and Jews are allowed to elect their own representative to the Iranian
parliament. The Constitution also permits freedom of travel, but unless
prohibited by law. A Jew therefore is brought up on charges of treason
if he or she travels to the holy sites presently located in Israel. Does
not a Jew have the same right to travel to places of pilgrimage as does
a Moslem yearning to travel to Mecca or Medina in Saudi Arabia, or Najaf
or Karbala in Iraq? >>>
GO TO FEATURE
Opinion
Just think about it
Iran's irrational judicial system
By Babak Yektafar
July 20, 2000
The Iranian
"I wouldn't want to belong to a club that would have me as a member,"
the Groucho Marx once said. This type of self-mockery along with playing
multiple personalities was the hallmark of the Marx Brothers comedy team.
The Marx Brothers are long gone, but I am glad to see that their comic
spirit is alive and well in the city of Shiraz, in the Islamic Republic
of Iran.
This spirit manifested itself recently in the controversial trial of
13 Jewish Iranians, accused of spying for the state of Israel, where the
prosecutor of the case was also the Judge. True, I am not an expert in
Islamic law. But I do consider myself a rational man and as such felt comfortable
with the idea that the whole point of a justice system was to allow an
impartial arbitrator with no connections to either side of a dispute to
sit in judgement of the opposing views in a given case >>>
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Outlook
Iran's reformers seek to forge political party
By Jonathan Lyons
TEHRAN, July 20 (Reuters) - Iran's leading reform movement gathered
on Thursday to lay the foundation for a true political party that its supporters
say could take on the conservative establishment
The Islamic Iran Participation Front, led by the president's brother
Mohammad Reza Khatami, opened its first congress with an ambitious plan
to forge a disciplined political machine from its loose network of pro-reform
activists>>>
FULL TEXT
Congressman Sherman on Iran
Payvand.com -- Like General William T. Sherman's famous death march
to the sea during the American civil war, where he left a trail of destruction
and ruin, Rep. Sherman's march to the election ballot, with strong support
from the Jewish lobby, is marred by unwavering, often unfounded, attacks
on everything Iran and Iranian. Here is a synopsis of his recent statements
in the U.S. House of Representatives in regards to Iran >>>
FULL TEXT
Khatami Brother Questioned in Iran In Reported Plot
By Geneive Abdo
International Herald Tribune
July 20, 2000
TEHRAN - A brother of President Mohammed Khatami was summoned to court
on Wednesday in a growing controversy over allegations that a vigilante
had confessed to conspiring with senior clerics and security forces to
attack leading reformers.
Mohammed Reza Khatami, who is deputy speaker of Parliament, was questioned
along with a fellow pro-refom legislator, Mohsen Mirdamadi >>>
FULL TEXT
New Iran discussion forum
Iran Forum -- The role and impact of intellectuals in contemporary Middle
East is a theme that underlies virtually all cultural analysis and criticism
in this region of the world. At a time when the social and human sciences
are searching for alternatives to traditional political views of the Cold
war period in the Middle East, the question of the responsibilities of
the intellectuals and their role as supporters of certain humane universal
values has become a persistent theme in the process of production of knowledge
>>> FULL
TEXT
Kish kish
Another Friday prayers leader, this one in Kish, says it is nonsense
that foreigners come to Kish to have good time; they can do that in their
own country! >>>
READ HERE
Thanks to Sourena
More Letters
* Double standards
Wendy Vanstone writes:
Mr. Pollack, Your
letter was sincere and interesting; however, it did not deal with the
double standards and inconsistencies in treating human rights violations
in Israel and Iran. Over the years Palestinians born in Palestine (now
called Israel) have not been able to go and see their place of birth or
check their old properties. However, any Jew, anywhere in the world (ie,
Brooklyn) can automatically become Israeli citizen. This is one moral issue
that over the years has not received Mr. Sherman and his colleauges' attention
in the House. Too convenient >>>
FULL TEXT
* Typical Iranian male behavior?
Bernace Charles
writes: A young American woman gave birth to a baby boy. The boy's
father is Iranian and in America on a work visa. The baby is five weeks
old and the young man fathering the child has not made a single attempt
to see his son and stalling getting the paper work needed done for child
support payments. Is this typical Iranian male behavior?
Damn sad if it is. How can such behavior improve any one's understanding
of the Iranian people. The young woman was pretty much referred to as a
tramp by an Iranian aunt when she was told of the child which the father
wanted hidden away or aborted. Is typical Iranian male behavior to always
blame the female? >>>
FULL TEXT
* Depriving women of dignity
Shireen A. writes:
Your caption under Farhad's
fashion show reads, "A model wears a wedding dress part of Iranian
fashion designer Farhad's 2000/2001 fall-winter high-fashion collection
that was unveiled." It SHOULD have read "Overrated designer responsible
for depriving women of dignity and self-respect-PURDAH with a TWIST",
or "Does that wedding veil come with a dress?"
Really, is it necessary to give exposure to every person who is on the
one hand lucky enough to be born Iranian but on the other unfortunate not
to inherit the taste and refinement for which that culture is renown?
Such designs are uninspired and stupid attempts to be on the "cutting
edge" by being shocking perhaps. If it were shocking it would have
been interesting, but it was instead banally minimalistic past the point
of both reason and beauty, and therefore unforgiveable.
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Translation of today's poem by Zara
Houshmand:
My love, my life, you ask why I'm so hard.
Go ask your eyebrows, ask your wild hair.
Your tight lips will tell why my heart feels no peace.
Your magical eyes will explain my disease.
-- 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
Remaining three Iranian Jews convicted
of espionage submit appeals
TEHRAN,
July 20 (AFP) - All 10 Iranian Jews sentenced to prison earlier this month
for involvement in an alleged Israeli espionage ring have now submitted
appeals after three of them filed motions Thursday, chief defence lawyer
Ismail Nasseri told AFP. The legal requests will be forwarded to an appeals
court within a week, he said >>> FULL TEXT
Reformers aim to change political climate
TEHRAN,
July 20 (AFP) - Reformers in Iran close to President Mohammad Khatami served
notice on the country's conservatives Thursday that they will not take attacks
on them lying down. "We must change the political climate in the country,
which is why the various reformist parties and other groups must adopt a
new strategy," Mohammad-Reza Khatami, head of the Islamic Iran Participation
Front (IIPF) and President Khatami's brother told a congress of the Front
here >>> FULL TEXT
Iran challenges Baghdad's figure of 29,000
Iraqi POWs in Iran
TEHRAN,
July 20 (AFP) - Tehran is contesting Baghdad's assertion that 29,000 Iraqi
prisoners of war remain in Iran, the government newspaper Iran said Thursday.
"Iraqi officials should take into account the number of freed prisoners
when they make their estimates," said Mohammad Balar, a spokesman for
the government's commission for prisoners of war >>> FULL TEXT
US Cuts Funding to World Bank Over Support
to Iran
Washington,
DC (African Eye News Service, July 19, 2000) - African HIV/Aids programmes
have benefited from a US House of Representatives amendment to cut funding
to the World Bank in protest against its resumed funding to Iran. The cut
in funding comes after the World Bank announced in May it would resume lending
US$231 million to Iran, which has been widely condemned for its prosecution
of 10 Jews charged with spying >>> FULL TEXT
Iranian 'tollgates' cash in on Iraqi oil
smuggling
By
Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, July 20, 2000, TEHRAN, IRAN
-- Iran's flip-flopping "policy" toward Iraqi oil smuggling -
in violation of United Nations sanctions - is proving enigmatic even in
diplomatic circles. American officials say that after two months of strictly
enforcing the UN embargo, Iran's Revolutionary Guards are now allowing,
for pay, scores of sanction-busters to use Iranian waters to evade American
and other craft monitoring the area. "Nobody really knows who is in
charge," says Mohammad Hadi Semati, a political scientist at the University
of Tehran >>> FULL TEXT
Golshiri's wish comes true -- after death
Tehran
(Goonagoon) -- Authorities have finally allowed the reprinting of Houshang
Golshiri's masterpiece, the novel "Shazdeh Ehtejab" -- more than
a month after his death >>> FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN
Top of the music charts
Tehran
(Goonagoon) -- Hossein Zaman's new album "Qesseh-ye shab" is in
first place and Farman Fathalian's "Moqim" -- a "superficial
mix of pop and Indian music" -- is in the number 2 spot >>>
FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN
TV: Stop bad mouthing us
Tehran
(Bahar) -- Iranian state TV responds to accusations by the deputy culture
minister that it is not cooperating promote Iranian movies >>>
FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN
Iranian cycling wins gold medal
(Iran Sports Press) -- The Iranian Cycling Team managed to win
its first gold medal in its history in the Asian Cycling Championships being
held in Shanghai, China >>> FULL TEXT
Esteqlal loses second match
(Iran Sports Press) -- Tehran's Esteqlal Club were defeated
by Yugoslav side Meletseenar 4-2 on Wednesday in a friendly match. Esteqlal
club return to Iran after taking part in two friendly matches against Yugoslav
club sides. Esteghlal managed a 1-1 draw against Naprdac on July 17.
Remembering a tragic accident
(Iran Sports Press) -- The heart breaking story of Mohammad Parsa,
former player on Payam football team, stresses the need for sporting organizations
within Iran to provide insurance coverage for their players to protect them
in event of a tragic accident. Accidents, such as the one from which Parsa
lost his youth to, must be reviewed regularly to remind and pressure Iranian
sports officials to provide health insurance coverage to all athletes >>>
FULL TEXT
BBC
Cabinet reshuffle
Some 212 parliamentarians wrote a letter to
President Khatami calling for ministerial restructuring. The Majlis deputies
stressed that in order to put an end to administrative problems, the government
should urgently present a plan to the Parliament >>>
LISTEN HERE
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Beyond Iran
Alcatraz
History
Alcatraz. The Rock. Al's Place. Call it what
you want, Alcatraz Island continues to draw thousands of devout pilgrims
to its rocky shores. Adorned with malfunctioning audio headsets, their bellies
full of Fisherman's Wharf crab cocktails, these timid souls are shepherded
through the notorious halls of Cell Block D by grim federal employees, where
they become dutifully creeped out.
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Quote Unquote
Party
We must change ourselves into a political party, a real
party. We must change from a party that has plans and policies to a party
of real action.
-- Mohammad Reza Khatami, leading reformist MP
Reuters
July 20, 2000
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