VIEW

With Mr Khamenei in the Shah’s Dungeon -By: Hushang Assadi

YOU ALL GENTLEMEN WHO ARE SO PROUD OF THE GLORY OF THE IR, LOVE YOU GUYS ALL READ ALSO THE BELOW BY HUSHANG ASSADI WHO HAD BEEN IMPRISONED BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER THE IR-GLORY SPECIALLY SHARED THE RPE-GLORY PRISON CELL WITH THE PROVIDER OF HIS AFTER-GLORY PRISON SERVICES, KHAMENEI... A LOT MORE TO LEARN AND BE PROUD OF!!! DON'T MISS IT!

I read about Mr. Khamenei’s recent visit to a security prison from the days of the ancient ‎regime, then called the Komiteh Moshtarak (joint committee). Memories of 33 years ago ‎inadvertently came to my mind when we were cell mates in that prison. I have written the ‎details of those days in my memoirs, which I hope to publish soon.‎

The prison guard showed me into the cell and loudly shut the door behind me. When I got ‎up, I picked up my jacket and put on my glasses. I saw a very think man with a long ‎black beard and wearing glasses sitting on the black blankets piled up in the corner of the ‎cell. From the turban that he had made from his prison shirt I understood him to be a ‎cleric. On seeing me, he got up and welcomed me with a smile. He extended his hand and ‎told me his name: “Seyed Ali Khamenei.”‎

This was the first time I was in such proximity with a cleric. To me, a cleric was someone ‎who would always be on his pulpit with a mind that was thousands of years away from a ‎communist like me.‎

I extended my hand and involuntarily said: “I am a communist and my name is … ”‎
My new cell mate smiled and made me sit next to him on the blankets. When it was our ‎turn to go to the bathroom outside the cell, he would firmly position his turban and wait ‎for a guard to lead him out. The guards on the other hand would remove the turban – as if ‎they were carrying out special orders - and offensively lead him out of the cell. On one ‎occasion, Sagh Bad One (a pseudo name for a guard that I call “bad dog number one”) ‎would grabbed his hair and pulled him out of the cell to the end of the corridor. Most of ‎the evenings, my cell mate would face the small window, whisper passages from the ‎Quran, recite his prayers and read blessings. He would these things while crying, bitterly ‎and for a long time. It was this religious behavior that would sit well in my heart. ‎Whenever sadness took over me, I heard a voice: “Get up Hushang, let’s go for a walk.”‎

With my imprisonment, I had left behind the biggest love of my life. In prison, I did not ‎know for a long time that soon after my arrest, she had left for the UK to continue her ‎studies. I had been forfeited of my love. When I spoke of her, my cell mate spoke up and ‎told me of his love encounter and marriage.‎

My knowledge and interest in literature, and particularly poetry, was a good basis for our ‎long talks. It was through this that I learned that he has a special expertise in modern ‎literature, particularly poetry. Sometimes I sang the revolutionary hymns that I had ‎learned from my prison days in Ahvaz, which he enjoyed listening to. On a number of ‎occasions I passed on my journalistic knowledge to him. He always listened with interest ‎and asked very specific questions. One of the lessons that I narrated to him was this.‎

Don’t pay attention to the headlines. In the body of the text, look for words which are ‎used in special ways, etc.‎

He listened carefully and learned. He was deeply attached to smoking. Every prisoner got ‎one single cigarette for the day and since I was not a smoker, I gave him my quota. He ‎would carefully split the two cigarettes into six pieces and light each piece with absolute ‎passion. ‎

We also exchanged jokes sometimes. He welcomed the good ones and laughed with a ‎loud voice. On one occasion Sagh Two (dog number two) heard us laugh. He rushed to ‎the cell, opened the door and slapped each one of us. He did not like dirty jokes. He too ‎told me some jokes and … .‎

The cell that we shared witnessed this atmosphere for about a month. Mr. Khamenei was ‎taken out of the cell on one or two occasions, during this time and I too was interrogated ‎once.‎

Three months passed. A passage that seemed longer than three years. I did not again ‎experience such attachment or closeness to anyone in such a short time. One day, the ‎door of the cell opened and a guard called out my name: “Pick up the blankest and be ‎ready … .” This meant that my cell was being changed.‎

Khamenei and I hugged and cried. I felt my cellmate shaking. I thought it must be ‎because of the winter. I took off my jacket and insisted that he take it. He wouldn’t. But ‎he did and put it on. We hugged again. I felt warm teardrops and he said: “In an Islamic ‎republic, no teardrop will fall from an innocent … .”‎

So when I heard, after 33 years, that Mr. Khamenei had visited the former detention ‎center where we both were prisoners, I really wanted to ask him, “Do you remember ‎those days?” I would then tell him that when the Islamic republic came to power and you ‎became its president, agents of your regime came and arrested me again, and even took ‎me to the same prison.‎

Have they told us what they did to me and to others like me? The things that the ‎interrogators of the Islamic republic did to us paled what the torturers of the Shah’s ‎regime had done to us. They kept me in solitary confinement for 666 days. They hanged ‎me from my hands or feet for nights. I attempted suicide three times.‎

My interrogator wanted me to confess that I was a spy for the British. Then confess that I ‎was a spy for the Soviets. And he succeeded in forcing me to such coerced confessions. ‎They hung me from the ceiling, and forced me to eat my excretes.‎

I do not know whether the workload of the leader of the regime allows Mr. Khamenei to ‎read the tale of his former cellmate. I can even provide some specifications of the ‎interrogator. In those days, I think he was the deputy minister of intelligence and then ‎became ambassador of Iran in Tajikistan. Yes, I am talking about Nasser Sarmadi Parsa. ‎You can ask him what he subjected me to.‎

But it was not just me. Thousands and thousands of other women and men found ‎themselves in the same predicament as me. In fact I was one of the lucky ones to escape ‎death. Thousands of others, mothers, adolescents, crouching old men, etc were hanged. ‎

How I wish that as you walked in the corridors of the old detention centre, I could tell ‎you that those who created the “correctional” centers are among the same people whose ‎history of cruelty has been turned into museums for people to see.

A Letter from Prison -By Majid Tavakoli -01.21.2008

I JUST WANT YOU AS HUMANBEING READ THIS PAINFUL LETTER BY MAJID TAVAKOLLI, ONE OF THE MANY IRANIAN IMPRISONED STUDENTS AND SEE HOW YOU CAN BE PROUD OF IT:

In the name of God,

General and Revolutionary Prosecutor for Tehran,

Greetings,

At about 3.30pm on Wednesday, November 21st, 2007, Mr. Reza Ziayi, deputy of Ward ‎no 8 of Evin prison along with other prison staff and in the presence of the warden of the ‎Ward (Mr. Bozorgnia) attacked and assaulted me, Majid Tavakoli and brutally beat me ‎up while yelling all sorts of insults at me.‎

Furthermore, following the announcement of the transfer of Ahmad Ghasaban to Ward ‎number 7, when Ghasaban returned to the ward to pick up his personal belongings and ‎bid farewell to other inmates, he was interrupted and verbally insulted by a security guard ‎named Abbasi who had followed the prisoner to escort him out, and then dragged him in ‎a despicable manner all the way out of the ward to the guard, depriving him of collecting ‎his belongings such as a blanket, clothing, and cup. With this site, Ghasaban, I and a few ‎other prisoners verbally protested this behavior by the guards. This in turn led to a sudden ‎and unprovoked assault on Ghasaban by Reza Ziayi, the deputy of Ward number 8, who ‎kicked the prisoner, hit him in the face, head, chest and other parts of his body and then ‎dragged him from the guard’s office all the way outside ward 8.‎

I who had been standing behind the railings outside the guards’ office while these events ‎unfolded, verbally protested to the guards and approached Ziayi, extending my hand ‎towards him in an effort to stop him from continuing his blows on the prisoner. Ziayi ‎however turned towards me and began beating me, while continuing his verbal assault on ‎me. We were separated and I again protested to the head of the ward, saying “What is ‎going on here?”, “Why are you beating a prisoner”, and “You have no right to beat any ‎one.” At this time Ziayi again attacked me while Hamid Manazahian (head attorney of ‎the ward) pushed me downstairs towards the guard’s room, where a guard eventually held ‎me and ordered that I be returned to my ward. Manazahian however, pushed me towards ‎Ziayi and hit me several times in my ribs and back while I stood there. Now Ziayi began ‎hitting me with full force as well while pushing me outside the ward. Outside, at the door ‎to the ward, a number of prisoners who worked for the prison guards, Shahrokh Tabidi ‎among others including Mehdi Maarufi, helped Ziayi to throw me down in front of ward ‎no 8. Then they dragged me on the ground, while I was wet, and continued to strike me ‎with their fists and legs and pulled me all the way to the left side of the ward where he ‎threw me onto a lower level, all the time beating me and cursing me with the most ‎derogatory language.‎

While standing at the entrance of the ward, Ziayi appeared and seeing that I was ‎threatening to take up his behavior with prison and judiciary officials, he again began ‎assaulting me physically and hit my face against the wall of the building. His slaps at my ‎face were so loud that other prisoners said they had heard the sound of slapping. Ziayi ‎again threw me down and continued to strike me with his legs, at the same time ridiculing ‎judiciary officials to whom I said I would complain about his behavior. He yelled that he ‎was in charge of everything while continuing to strike me. He stopped only when it began ‎to rain and I was completely soaked. An hour later, Mr. Bozorgnia who had been present ‎in all of these beatings and kept giving orders to the prison guards, and who had also ‎pushed me violently, now took me to the office of the guards and the head of the ward ‎and through lengthy talks tried to explain that all of this was a misunderstanding and ‎asked me to remain silent about the incident. I refrained from relating any of this to the ‎other prisoners. ‎

Now, while presenting this complaint which describes in detail the unlawful behavior and ‎brutality that I was subjected to by the deputy prison warden and which are in violation of ‎prison rules and regulations, I request that this matter be immediately, justly and legally ‎investigated. I declare that I shall present the details of the behavior of those involved and ‎the names of witnesses to these incidents in a court of law as be required.‎

The following are the injuries that I have suffered because of this incident:‎

The left part of my tongue has been torn because of the beatings that I suffered on my ‎face

Severe pain on my face and cheeks, which now have inflammations, because of the ‎slaps and fist-beatings

Severe pain in my jaw and the inability to move my jaw for 24 hours which has ‎prevented me from eating my food

Several cuts and bruises on my throat and back of my hands
‎
Intense coughing with blood in the first 24 hours after the incident, which were caused ‎because of being hit in the ribs by the knees of the assailants

Severe pain in my stomach and groins because of the kicks that I was subjected

Muscle pain in the hands and legs and the wait because I was violently thrown on the ‎ground, table, and stairs
‎
Severe headache because I was pushed and hit against a wall

Severe neck pain, particularly on the back because of the strikes that I was subjected to

Continued body pain that I experience because I was kept under the rain for a ‎prolonged period of time (about 2 hours), without any sandals while all of my cloths ‎were completely wet

Being subjected to very derogatory verbal abuse, each of which qualifies for statutory ‎punishment, but which I cannot even mention or write down
‎
Repeated insults and humiliation which are against any human treatment of a person or ‎a student

Mentioning issues from my interrogations while I was subjected to this violent physical ‎abuse, which is indicative of the premeditative aspect of the behavior of the prison ‎warden and guards. “So you thought this is a university,” “You thought this is a ‎tribune”, “So you thought you could threaten national security”, “Mr. Anvari is our ‎friend and had asked us to confront you, but we had refrained”, etc are some of the ‎remarks that were yelled at me during the beatings

In conclusion, I expect the appropriate authorities to deal with Mr. Ziayi and others who ‎had a hand and a responsibility in these events to the fullest extent of the law because of ‎their inhuman behavior which taints the judiciary so that such behavior is not repeated ‎again in the future.‎

The various events that have taken place over me in prison are so severe that I request ‎special attention be paid to the security of my life as the first duty of any prison is to ‎protect the life of the prisoners.‎

I thank the efforts of every one who seeks justice, and prey for the accomplishment of ‎your efforts to attain justice and prevent unlawful acts and injustice.‎

Majid Tavakoli
November 23, 2007‎

Progress in IRAN...I say lets international statistics talk!

While reading the bellow listed to this music too: //youtube.com/watch?v=Oi0egvuCRCo&feature=rel...
Iran
* Rank: 151
* Regional Rank: 16 of 17
Iran's economy is 44 percent free, according to our 2008 assessment, which makes it the world's 151st freest economy. Its overall score is 0.1 percentage point lower than last year, mainly reflecting a worsened score in freedom from corruption. Iran is ranked 16th out of 17 countries in the Middle East/North Africa region, and its overall score is extremely low—almost one-third below the regional average.
Iran has no strong economic institutions and scores better than the world average only in terms of government expenditures, which are low in formal terms, although this is likely a sign of government weakness, not efficiency. Examples of self-defeating statism include protectionism and price controls that have led to double-digit tariffs and double-digit inflation.
Iran's economy is unfree in many ways. Trade freedom, monetary freedom, investment freedom, financial freedom, property rights, and freedom from corruption are all weak. Business licensing and closing are regulated heavily by an intrusive and highly inefficient bureaucracy. High tariff rates and non-tariff barriers impede trade and foreign investment alike. Corruption is rampant, and the fair adjudication of property rights in a court of law cannot be guaranteed.
Background:
Iran's economy, once one of the most advanced in the Middle East, was crippled by the 1979 Islamic revolution and the Iran–Iraq war and still suffers from long-standing economic mismanagement. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became president in 2005 and halted tentative efforts to reform the state-dominated economy. Ahmadinejad has promised the poor a greater share of Iran's oil wealth, greater subsidies, and greater state control. High world oil prices have raised export revenues and helped to service Iran's large foreign debt, but the economy remains burdened by high unemployment, inflation, corruption, costly subsidies, and a public sector that is both bloated and inefficient.
Business Freedom - 55%
The overall freedom to start, operate, and close a business is restricted by Iran's regulatory environment. Starting a business takes an average of 47 days, compared to the world average of 43 days. Obtaining a business license takes 670 days, compared to the world average of 234 days. Closing a business is difficult.
Trade Freedom - 57.4%
Iran's weighted average tariff rate was 13.8 percent in 2004. Import bans and restrictions, high tariffs and import taxes, export licensing requirements, restrictive sanitary and phytosanitary regulations, burdensome customs procedures, government control of imports, tariff and tax schedules that change frequently, and weak enforcement of intellectual property rights add to the cost of trade. An additional 15 percentage points is deducted from Iran's trade freedom score to account for non-tariff barriers.
Fiscal Freedom - 81.1%
Iran has a high income tax rate and a moderate corporate tax rate. The top income tax rate is 35 percent, and the top corporate tax rate is 25 percent. Other taxes include a tax on check transactions and a tax of property transfers. In the most recent year, overall tax revenue as a percentage of GDP was 6 percent.
Freedom from Government - 84.5%
Total government expenditures, including consumption and transfer payments, are moderate. In the most recent year, government spending equaled 22.7 percent of GDP. More than 500 companies are state-owned, and around 1,000 are semi-public.
Monetary Freedom - 61.3%
Inflation is high, averaging 14 percent between 2004 and 2006. Relatively unstable prices explain most of the monetary freedom score. The government controls the prices of petroleum products, electricity, water, and wheat for the production of bread; provides economic subsidies; and influences prices through regulation of Iran's many state-owned enterprises. An additional 15 percentage points is deducted from Iran's monetary freedom score to adjust for measures that distort domestic prices.
Investment Freedom - 10%
Foreign investment is restricted in banking, telecommunications, transport, and border control and banned in defense, oil, and gas. The government allows the sale of 65 percent of the shares of state-owned enterprises, except for defense and security-related industries and the National Iranian Oil Company. President Ahmadinejad has fired several public and private banking leaders who supported privatization. Political unrest and uncertainty over international sanctions further deter investment. The parliament can veto projects in which foreign investors have a majority stake and has blocked two proposed investments. Most payments, transfers, credit operations, and capital transactions are subject to limitations, quantitative limits, or approval requirements.
Financial Freedom - 10%
All banks were nationalized following the 1979 revolution and reopened under the principles of Islamic law, which prohibits functions like interest. There are six state-owned commercial banks and three state-owned specialized institutions. State banks account for 98 percent of banking assets. Six small private banks operate under strict restrictions regarding de facto interest rates and capital requirements. Credit is often supplied by traditional money lenders in the bazaar, which encourages Iranians to invest in cash-based businesses. Foreign banks are legally permitted to operate in free trade zones. The government directs credit allocation. All insurance companies were nationalized during the revolution, and the sector remains dominated by five state-owned companies. The stock exchange is very small.
Property Rights - 10%
Resort to the courts is often counterproductive, and finding an influential local business partner with substantial political patronage is a more effective way to protect contracts. Few laws protect intellectual property, computer software piracy is extensive, and infringement of industrial designs, trademarks, and copyrights is widespread.
Freedom from Corruption - 27%
Corruption is perceived as widespread. Iran ranks 105th out of 163 countries in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index for 2006. Graft is extensive and viewed as growing worse by the day. The anti-corruption agency has less than 1,000 inspectors to monitor the 2.3 million full-time civil servants and numerous government contractors who control most of Iran's economy.
Labor Freedom - 43.8%
Restrictive employment regulations hinder employment opportunities and productivity growth. The non-salary cost of employing a worker is high, and firing a worker requires approval of the Islamic Labor Council or the Labor Discretionary Board. The difficulty of laying off a worker creates a risk aversion for companies that would otherwise hire more people and grow. Regulations on the number of work hours are very rigid.
BY HERITAGE FOUNDATION

Here is why..

I am here for one reason, like everybody else:
I love my homeland Iran. Calling Iranian society degenerate, or describe it as what I see does not mean "hopelessness". It does not mean we can never get out of this condition. We have been here before, we have to point and identify the problems, call them what they are, and try to solve them.

I seem to be doing ok with common sense with everyone I have interacted so far, but you are entitled to your opinion.

I won't address the issue of Mexico, and India. First, I don't compare Iran with those societies, and I would never want to use those countries as my standard! Second, your comparison of Iran to those societies seem to lack "common sense". The biggest difference being that we had this huge revolution, lost many innocent lives just to eliminate some of these injustices, yet now we need to compare ourselves to India, and Mexico just to feel better. Don't look at our society in a snapshot, look at the trajectories. We are looking at a society in Iran that is rapidly declining on all levels. You certainly can not say that about Mexico, or India(looking at the past 30 years).

re: Jesus

Let's assume you are right and we ALL are degenerates, then why are you wasting your time here?
I have read many of your posts (and I have pissed you off many times), and I very well know that you are an intelligent guy but you don't seem to be doing well in the common sense department!
BTW I agree with existence of all those problems in Iran that you mention, however I disagree with you that they are specific to Iran. There are many other countries including some democratic countries such as India, Mexico, ... that have the same or worse level of corruption, prostitution, poverty .... etc ...
And BTW Hossein also mentions those in a more compact form, he says: "... and with it, the gloomy consequences started to wane in too: corruption, incompetence, and socio-economic inequality." (in IRI)

what is with this personal attacks? (To Ben Madadi)

Ben says: "..such a very very unpopular person like hoder find so many anonymous supporters all the sudden"

You just confirmed what a big bobo you made with your personal attacks! Attacking someone's ideas because they eat pork! (hahah hahhah).
Ben, You need some madad to come out of this! :)

Anonym7

I did not categorize Iranians. I called us ALL degenerates. Here is why:

-Did you ever go to Iran, and paid your way out of a traffic ticket?
-Did you bribe somebody just to get the simplest paperwork through the bureacracy?
-Did you ever bribe the so called most religious, the men of Allah, the basij, and Pasdars?
-Did you witness the rampant prostitution, and drug use in our "divine" society, while pretending to have the most Allah fearing society? Did you ever notice the hypocracy of our Iranian lives, a private life vs the public life? Did you ever notice how we even lie to ourselves about those lives, and make it seem consistent for ourselves so we don't feel guilty?
-Did you notice how much cheating goes on in our society, coming all the way from the top of the religious leadership, yet they call western countries decadent, etc?
-Did you ever notice many gather to witness people hanged, and whipped, while rest of us remain silent?

Do you see the same things in the unholy, and ungodly lands of the west? Do you see the same corruption and hypocracy in lands where there is no pretense of "government of god"?
If those things don't make us a degenerate society, I don't know what does? Look up the meaning of the word degenerate! It fits Iranian society very well, and we are all part of that society.

You can go around, with you blind nationalism, or blind love of Iran that leaves no room for criticism, but than again, you might be like Hoder, living in a fantasy world!
-

Re: Anonym7

It is interesting that such a very very unpopular person like hoder find so many anonymous supporters all the sudden ;)

I don't think my texts can be seen as personal attack.

what is with this personal attacks? (To Ben Madadi)

Ben, you are changing the subject. I objected to your personal attacks and you just added more of the same. You topped those personal attacks with many assertions such as "And Iran is NO challenge to the US, but a simple annoying elemen"! If I want to follow your method of debate I should just add a Hahaha Hahhah Hahhah and call you a member of this club and that club ....
Who are you to say that since Hoder drinks, and eats pork he should or should not say this and that? I could care less what he eats. He has a very good point in his article that is VERY relevant to the current situation in Iran and I re paste it here again:
Hoder says: "... and with it, the gloomy consequences started to wane in too: corruption, incompetence, and socio-economic inequality." (in IRI)

RE: Ben biMadadi, a member of "$75M Club"

In stead responding to his point of view like all fascists all you guys do is the same: LABELING!

IT WONT CHANGE THE TRUTH... let me say it again:
IT WONT CHANGE THE TRUTH... let me tell you the impact:
IT MAKE ME BELIEVE HIM MORE...

You guys are all bunch of people who tries to manipulate fallacies to distort the truth.

WHERE HODER GETS HIS MONEY IS A BIG QUESTIONS!!!

Ben biMadadi, a member of "$75M Club"

Don't worry abou the Ben guy. The club pays his bills. He has to attack whoever writes against the interest of his masters (zionists, CIA, etc.)

__/\__

Re: Anonym7

First of all, it is incorrect to call what happened in Iran a REVOLT, or an uprising. Just for the record! The guy is studying in the UK so he needs to speak better English. Mine isn't perfect either but I don't make such terrible errors like him. Iran had a revolution, but Iran had had many revolts and uprisings before and after the revolution that did not turn into a REVOLUTION. Other smaller errors are okay and reasonable! I make them too! But I think the guy used the words revolt or uprising, and not reovlution (because the whole system changed), because he's so desperate for attention that he wants to be different, to be cool, even with the cost of using errors!

Anyway...

Yes, I know he has some bla bla criticism too, but let's move to the main things that are REVOLTing (not revolution, but revolt):

1) "Twenty nine winters later, the Islamic Republic of Iran is more
independent, stable, confident and technologically advanced than ever,
while it has remained as the most serious and continuous challenge to
the U.S. hegemony in the world."

>> More independent, stable, confident, and technologically advanced???? Hahahaha! He's such a little kid! Does he know technology? Why is that country independent? Iran is totally dependent on crude oil. Iran is totally dependent on US-EU, new world capitalism because otherwise they could not sell the crude oil. Is Iran confident? I agree with that. Is Iran stable? So and so, under a regime which hangs people in public in order to make people fearful. Iran is the MOST SERIOUS and CONTINUOUS challenge to the US? Hahaha, such a joke this boy is! Iran, a challenge to the US? God, he's killing me. He is complete comedy. Where does Iran challenge the US? Iran is only annoying Israel. Iran is not challenging the US for real. And Iran is NO challenge to the US, but a simple annoying element and the only reason the Iranian regime is taken seriously is because Iran lies above a vast quantity of oil in an oil-rich region. Iran of today is a weak, corrupt, poor and irrelevant country thanks to its incompetent leaders.

2) "As a post-revolutionary Iranian, who is not religious a single bit, I
am proud of what my parents' generation did in 1979 and I do whatever I
can to protect and improve the Islamic Republic of Iran in its promises
of independence, freedom and justice."

>> Hoder must not be proud of the "revolt" of his parents' generation as long as he is having so much fun in the West hanging out with infidel women, drinking alcohol or even posibly eating pork. He is such an obnoxious irrelevance, insulting us all. Iranians overthrew the Shah but they were very unfortunate and ended up with many broken promises. Many of those who heavily participated against the Shah were wuickly killed by Khomeini. Does this boy know about that? Tens of thousands of 15-30-year-old Iranians who sacrificed their youth for their naive dreams ended up in Khomeini's grips, in prison for years and years and many and many of them ended up hanged or shot for almost no reason. Iranians did not exactly ask for what they got. And the Iran-Iraq war united Iranians to protect their country against a much worse animal (Saddam) while Khomeini used the occasion to strengthen its base. Hoder quli, the attention you are receiving is probably enjoyable to you, but others are far better than you in receving attention. They raipe and kill (just like the Iranian regime does to Iranians) and they appear on the news more often than you do. Be a good man, you can even be a good Muslim, and respect the things you have for none of which you have worked, and you will have a brighter future, either in the West or in Iran. You are not dumb, not very dumb at least.

what is with this personal attacks? (To Ben Madadi)

Ben why so many personal attacks from you (and specially you)? In this article Hosien says: "... and with it, the gloomy consequences started to wane in too: corruption, incompetence, and socio-economic inequality." (in IRI)
Is Hossein not pointing to major issues that many Iranians, inside and outside point to. ... crazy inflation, corruption, wide gap between rich and poor ....

Thanks for great writings

Hossain
Thanks for this great writing. You are a wonderful and thoughtful person. Hope to see more of your writings. Beware of "$75M Club" members, and anti-Iranian parasites.

Regards,
A/B

Dumb and Dumber (Re: Jesus)

get off your high horse Mr. Jesus. Aren't you the same guy who said "I blame the Iranian people including us here. We are such degenerate group of people that we have allowed and abetted the destruction of our own culture." (see //iranian.com/main/2008/long-live-bomb).

I partially agree with you, your statement is perfectly applicable to you.

Some serious things about Ho-Der

1) He is DESPARATE for attention. Go to see his website and you will see it. He takes pictures of himself appearing on various publications, mostly obscure, and doing all sorts of things, no matter what, showing them to the whole world
2) I still can't understand where he gets the money to have so much fun, travel all around the world, study, read, write etc! If he's not working, then whoever is sponsoring him is giving us all some serious headache.
3) This guy is writing these things (absolute nonesense and ridiculous) to be controversial, nothing more. But he must know that there have always been people like him, and some of them actually killed for it.
4) His writing is aweful too, so in case he does have any sponsor, they/he/she must know that I am offering my services for half the amount. I don't need to travel all around the world, I don't need to rent any aparatment in London (I have my own place), and I have a much simpler life and I actually use much less electricity because I don't read so much French philosophy ar night and I don't take pictures of myself all the time. And I promise to write anything they want for half the price, with the only condition to mention their name at the name and offer my daily prays in any languaeg they desire.
Regards,
Ben

Jesus - God Bless You!

This Q character is full of Qososher. He is something else boy. And Dumb & Dumber fits very well with their persona as I read their garbage throughout this site.

Just watch a cartoon called Persepolis...

Just watch a cartoon called Persepolis... It will be fun and the same time certainly teach you some history you might not recall while advocating that brutal regime... That simple cartoon will be already beyond any sufficient response to the sci-fi / fantasy jots you carve...

I find the response to all you have been fabricating on the glory of the achievements by the regime simply within that cartoon, PERSEPOLIS...

Only people who are too naive or the opportunists benefiting from the monarchy would stand for them like that and I think guys like you are too smart to be counted as naives...

Watch that even though you had already done!

Hoder and Q, Dumb and Dumber

Watch for Dumber Q to categorize more people, over 99% of the posts here condemn this article.
We are all fascists though.
We have never been in Iran.
We all serve the neocons.
The truth is held by Q, and Hoder only.
Iran is a great country, and justice prevails in its every corner.
Those people you see get hanged are just dolls.
The drug addicts in Iran have such a easy lifestyle, so worry free that they can do drugs as they wish.
All of us out of the country are not true Iranians, we have no family there, we are out of touch, and we are driven by our hatred of islam, because we are old fossil monarchists.
We are all pseudo-intellectuals except for Q, and Hoder.
Did I mention we trample on free speech all day, yet Q, and his ilk (IR) are so wonderful, they have truly given freedom a new meaning.

Dedicated to Dossein Herakhshan, Editor of GOOZ _CHALGHOOZ

Dossein Jan,

You better take care of your precious e-mag used to called Gooz which turned to Chalghooz... That reflects the reality of your personality scorning the costly bloody struggles of a slaved nation in today of Iran...

You are nothing but a jerk ass kisser begging for attention thru your disgusting nonsense flattering scraps for the IR... This is the sign of getting raised under a monarch regime while not having any dignity and human self respect... that is the cost you are paying for what you desperately looking for to gain... youre too cheap! Shame on you bro...

I just wanted to add the dumbest president of the IR up top now- Ahmaghinejad- who is the absolute puppet of the supreme leader monarch running the game behind the curtain, has destroyed the very fundamental foundation of the micro-economical management of the country so that even the insider with all their careful conservative critics reasons that it will take the country almost another 3 decades to undo all the catastrophes he made by the rule of his master, Khamenei... .

A lot to bring but you are not worth it as you know all and just pretend...

Censorship and Freedom of Speech

JJ and other admin,
Freedom of speech/expression is an absolute right in this society.

In your site you pretend to be an advocate of it by saying nothing is scared (what a joke!). Practically you are much worse than Mullahs. They don’t know anything better, you know and with your censorship with no real reason, downgrading yourself to the same level as mullahs!

This is my opinion that 'Ying Yang Paintings' in main page of Iranian.com is a trashy painting, and you don’t have any tolerance to hear it.

Go head again and delete my comment again as you did for past 12 hours.

Now is not the painting anymore it is your action and censorship that portrait you to the same low level as Mullahs.

Intellectual or Charlatan?

Half educated individuals like Hossein Derakhshan!! are the by product of centuries of trivialism by the mass. Unfortunately, his kind can be found in abundance. I have long noticed the growing rate of half educated, opportunist, egoistic yet loud mouth individuals calling themselves Intellectuals".

We are not however, the only nation faced with this phenomenon yet we have trouble dealing with them!

Why is it that Derakhshan and his kind are under the impression that they are qualified to pass judgment on anything and everything from Vigen to Ahmadi Nejad? Why is it that they believe they have everything figured out? Well my fellow stunned Iranians, we collectively as a society give them that power by indulging them, and by never reminding them that a little less talk and a little more reading would probably stop you from trying so hard to sound so elaborate while having absolutely nothing of value to say!

Just ignore this idot

This Guy looks like his getting none. So he says idiotic things to get attention and feel he is alive. Please everyone ignore him. Let him die in his solitude.

Hoder, this article is

Hoder, this article is fiction, right? Or is it a joke? It has to be one of the two. By the way, I believe a non violent revolt against monarchy was a must and justified, but in no way, shape or form is what happened in 1979 justified. One good reason is that the leading ideologies of the revolution were undemocratic and actually anti democratic to begin with: ultra leftism and Islamic fundamentalism. You wrote: “Twenty nine winters later, the Islamic Republic of Iran is more independent, stable, confident and technologically advanced than ever,”. You got to be kidding me! Iran was both under monarchy and now under this regime independent. So just because some fascist like Khomeini said we want to be “independent” , doesn’t mean we weren’t. We were and are now, a sovereign nation. The existence of 50,000 so American military advisers does not strip our country from its independence! Don’t listen to the Marxist-islamists. They tweak and twist definitions to fit their own argument. The technology argument is astonishing, just couple of numbers for you, Iran produces .05% of world technology. (by the way U.S does 46%). If that 0.5% is acceptable to you, then we have nothing to talk about. Please refer to numerously available rankings of science and technology between countries if you don’t believe me. You wrote: “But what can explain the survival of the outcome of such revolt?” .I give you an answer for that: Brutal, like never seen before, oppression of Iranian citizens. They have crushed our spirit, our confidence and our dignity. The USSR survived for 70 years in similar fashion (Less brutal I believe actually), but what happened then>? Are you proud that this regime has been built on the corpses of our people and ruins of our country? You wrote” The rise of the first non-cleric president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, can point to some answers.” You must’ve either never lived in Iran, or if you lived there, had no idea about her realities. There are non clerics whom are times more brutal and fascist than clerics themselves. They have been mesmerized by clergy and clergy rule. You wrote” Ahmadinejad, an outsider to the Iranian establishment”. Wow ! How you define establishment? This fascist has been in the “establishment” since day one. He served as a leading commander in the Pasdaran, as mayor and numerous other positions. Please get your facts right. You wrote” He simply pledged a return to the abandoned values of the 1979 uprising, with independence, freedom and justice at the centre”. My naïve or ill intended friend, there is no such thing called election in Iran. There is no such thing called Islamic “Republic” in Iran. Those 2 word themselves contradict each other. I would refer you to Iranian so called “constitution” just to look how “un-republican” this fascist medieval caliphate regime is. And as far as elections, please refer to the dictionary to find out how elections actually work and what free elections are. There are no such things called “unfree” elections. Election supposed to free, otherwise they’re not elections anymore. There are shows, kheimeh shab baazi if you will. So please refer to that to find out how the mullah regime standards apply to elections. You wrote” If Western journalist leave the Northern part of Tehran more often, they will be able to observe how much Ahmadinejad represents a passionate revival of the core values of the uprising”. You’re the first Iranian ever to claim that Northern Tehranis are pro this regime. And you know what, lets say you’re right. Does Northern Tehranis represent all Iranians? Do they even represent all Tehranis? You wrote” Like many Iranians who have lived in the West for the past 7, 8 years, the rise of Ahmadinejad (and also travelling to other parts of the Middle East) has incited a radical change in the way I see myself, relate to Iran, and view the world”. The “Appointment” of Ahmadinejhad will result in this: The regressive trend Iran has been going through since 1979 will take a more rapid pace. That’s all. Finally, I don’t think you’re an agent of the regime, but because of articles like this, the world thinks majority of Iranians are pro regime and since this regime has chosen since 1979 to fight the whole world, they will lose faith in our intentions and ability to overthrow this regime, and that means they will take matters into their own hands which will have catastrophic consequences for innocent people in Iran.

what a moron! I haven't read

what a moron! I haven't read such bs in a long time....
these mullahs are the embodiment of EVIL on earth....get your head out or the sand....millions have died at their hands....iran is the laughing stock of the world...billions have been stolen by rafsanjani and the rest of the akhoonds....
don't post this bs on this site...it's a disgrace!

Romantic but Naive...

Having lived at what may just have been the prime of my life (I'll let you know when it's over!) during the time of the revolution, I can safely say that this observer saw nothing more than one group staying behind to fill a void left by another group who was leaving. Shah to Mullah? 3 days tops. Then the power came back on, the TV worked (albeit with different programs), and the trash was picked up.

Hameen.

The idea that this was some inspired movement, or a romantic cause, or even an era-changing moment in history is a bit more than much. All of what you creamed your jeans over came afterwards when Khomeini died and they could finally manipulate the constitution. Just look at the results.

I don't think anyone would by any means call Ahmadinejad the first non-cleric president. Semantically you are of course right, but only semantically. And barely at that.

The same goes for calling Morrissey a rocker. Even in 1984 Morrissey didn't rock. Morrissey concert in Tehran? Absolutely brilliant! But only for the sad ill-equipped Iranians in Iran/Dubai. Only these damaged children, would ever consider this a feather in their amamehs and think Morrissey Live in Tehran is advanced! Am I the only one who fears what they will do to him if they mistake his androgeny for homosexuality?

Personally, I think if you were as tapped-in as you think you are, you'd know that Iranians would more likely want to hear their own underground rock bands, who not only rock, they know what it means to rock and roll. The truth is, Morrissey's career is so far gone that a concert in Tehran is merely better than nothing. It's not a cultural coup!

You've mentioned many many more arguably weak and entirely intangible benefits of the revolution, but you don't mention that the real cost of the revolution has in fact been evolution. Iranian men have not evolved to respect women as equals, they have devolved and been trained by a charlatan of God to fear, despise, and disrespect them with outdated irrational and religiously unjustifiable laws. Apparently though, the complete oppression of over half the population through gender classification is apparently cool enough to completely leave out of this glowing report about a 20th century delusion.

I really hope the writers strike is over this time, and we can get to some better drama and storytelling than this. But actually, you have managed to craft a wonderful great tragedy.

Please go back to writing the way you used to. Often you're brilliant. This was utter IRI Choice Grade-P Pahlavan quality horseshit.

I love the way Iranians love

I love the way Iranians love to quote foreign philosophers and intelledctuals in order to justify their positions. It is as if Michel Foucault endorses the Islamic Republic then as Americans say everthing is ok. What Hoder doesn't mention is that Foucault as heavily criticized by the European Press for writing those articles in 1979. One of his opponents was the intellectual Maxim Rodison and the other was a woman who called herself Atoosa. Rodison's article warned against the rise of a Theocratic Autocracy and Atoosa feared that women rights would not protected in an Islamic Regime. Ehsahn Naraghi, the Iranian Intellectual, believes that while Foucault was a great philosopher he was ignorant when it came to Iran. Foucault himself wrote an open letter to Bazargan in mid 1979 and criticized some of the atrocities committed by the new regime including the execution of homosexuals. It's also important to note that Foucault did not write anything else about Iran after 1979 and he was silent about that issue until his death from AIDS in 1984. Perhaps he realized that that he had been too optimistic toward the Islamic Revolution.

Hoder v. Hajiagha

As i've suggested elsewher on this site I think we should vociferously lobby JJ to moderate an online cutting edge debate between Hoder & Hajiagha. The benfits are increased site traffic, enlightenment of us lesser mortals and Hajiagha's perspective on Hoder's courageous post-structuralist struggle against the white man.

Betrayal Path: Derakhshan and Shariatmadari's Alliance!!!

The Islamic Republic has many supporters. People who are respectful. People who believe in the regime's casue and are ready to sacrifice their life for it. But Hossein Derakhshan -Hussein Derakhshan- is not one of them. Hussein Derakhshan is nothing. He is an absolute opportunist who does not believe in anything. His filp flaps in the last few years, naive remarks on politics, immoral attacks on Iranian activists and politcian and supporting the most notorious elements within the Islamic republic of Iran is a part of what he has accepted to do for the security part of the Ahmadinejad's government.

It is not clear that he is doing all these mess under a sort of pressure - meaning that he has to do otherwise something about him or his family will be revealed which will destroy all his life- or he is doing it volunteerly. Whatever it is, nobody respect such a person in such a situation. Everybody will understand what is behind the scene in the coming years. Derakhshan is an updated version of Payam Fazlinejad. He operates under the leadership of Kayhan - which is notorious even among wise conservatives in Iran. Shariatmadari is playing with Derakhshan. Look at what he says about him in his blog. It's very obvious that this guy has been sold-- cheaply!

Derakhshan, it was better for you to tell the truth to the people and ask their forgiveness. Iranian people can forgive you. You have no reason to continue this betrayal path. You will never be able to come back to an honorable life, promise, if you do not stop BSing Iran. Your support of Islamic Republic does not add anything to it, but shows you poor, naive and sold spirit and mind. Shame on you man!!! You are dancing hand in hand with people -Shariatmadari- whom should be send to trail for their involvement in killing writers and intellectuals....

Dear Jesus

What would Jesus do or say? lol (kidding)