Archive - Jul 2009 - Article

Who are they?

As against all the myths circulating among analysts of all persuasions, I dare say that the main body of this movement consists not of the upper-middle class and the bourgeoisie, but the lower-middle class and “working class individuals” and the poor. (Later, I will explain why I say working class “individuals.”) I don’t deny that a middle class leadership initiated the protest movement. But the body of the movement consisted of working class “individuals” and the poor. And as time passed, the movement consisted more and more of working class “individuals” and the poor, and moved toward south Tehran neighborhoods>>>

جمهوری خامنه‌ای

در طول بحران اخیر، اصلاح طلبان عموما از کودتای خامنه‌ای/احمدي‌نژاد تحت عنوان از دست رفتن «جمهوریت» نظام یاد کرده‌اند. این نظر بر این ‌پیش فرض بنا شده است که در درون نظام، جمهوریت وجود داشته و اکنون به خطر افتاده است. در نوشته هفته قبل اشاره شد که جمهوری اسلامی مفهومی در خود متناقض است و بر اساس مواد قانون اساسی این نظام و اظهارات و مواضع صریح سخنگویان آن و به خصوص شخص آیت الله خمینی، رأی جمهور مردم همواره فرع بر و مقهور رأی ولی فقیه و روحانیت حاکم بوده است. ولی دست کم این را می توان ‌پذیرفت که مقام ریاست جمهوری اسلامی ایران از موقعیت و قدرت خاصی برخوردار بود و شخص رییس جمهور در زمینه های اجرایی اختیارات نسبتا وسیعی داشته است>>>

There with Neda

Behesht Zahra is about a one hour drive south of Tehran and as we neared the cemetery, about five police cars and officers were directing traffic. Waiting to enter the cemetery compound in the traffic, one of my companions pulled down the window and half jokingly asked the police officer what was going on. He smiled back and said, "nothing, just go towards row 257." For those not familiar with Behesht Zahra, it's an enormous cemetery with wide avenues and squares. Knowing it would take us a while to find our destination, the police officer decided to help by telling us in which row we could find Neda's grave (others in Behesht Zahra would help lost drivers by directing them to Neda. That's all people said: "Neda ounjast" (Neda is there), pointing in the direction of her grave)>>>

Starving for Justice

I was among those who participated in the 3-day hunger strike in front of the United Nations July 22-24 in support of the Iranian people’s struggle for justice and liberty. I must admit I had doubts such action would have sufficient impact on the Islamic Republic’s attitude or behavior to make it worth the sacrifice. I found out fast I was placing emphasis on the wrong players, the Islamic Republic’s leadership instead of the Iranian people. It was an amazing gathering, full of emotions and compassion, love and determination, young and old alike, men and women, strong and weak taking part>>>

گربه های عابد!

پس از نزدیک به پنجاه روز که از انتخابات می گذرد، بنظر می رسد هر دو طرف در "وحشت از قدم های بعدی" تلاش می کنند خود را سر پا نگهدارند. یک طرف، رژیم، از وحشت رهبران مخالف کاملن آگاه است و از آن چون مهره ای در تحکیم پایه های قدرت خویش، استفاده می کند. طرف دیگر اما، رهبران مخالف، بنظر می رسد که یا در چنبر حقه بازی های عوام فریبانه ی حاکمیت گرفتار شده اند و به دام ملاحظه کاری و محافظه کاری افتاده اند، و یا هیچ راهکاری برای استفاده از وحشت رژیم ندارند. با وجودی که مردم هنوز هم برای خواسته هاشان می تازند، جنبش اما سخت نیازمند یک راهنمایی و رهبری ست که موقعیت را بشناسد و بداند مهره ها را چگونه بچیند و چطور از ضعف و ترس طرف مقابل سود ببرد>>>

These Hands

Shhhhh…
she whispered through the crack in the wall
Listen!
Do you hear me?
I am still here!
I am still here!
Do you hear?
She stretched her hands outside…
Less than 5 minutes >>>

مرد فقیر

لعنتی باز آمد این سرمای وحشتناک و سوزان
کوچه‌ها پر شد دوباره از لجن از آب و گل از برف و باران
باد چون شلاق دژخیمان زندان
می‌ نوازد صورت مهتابی و زرد فقیری
کز پی یک لقمه نان
سگ دو زند در طول و پهنای خیابان >>>

Fereydoon and Zahak

Skeptipedia Iranica describes Fereydoonism as the expatriate urge to commandeer an uprising once it has already been started in his country of birth. Characteristic of this condition is the false sense in the expatriate that he/she represents the authentic native, having escaped the cumulative cultural and political mutations affecting those who stayed behind. The nomenclature has its origin in the story of Fereydoon and Zahak. Still unborn, Fereydoon was being hunted by Zahak, the Arab usurper of the Iranian throne. Zahak started the chase after he had a dream that someone named Fereydoon was going to bash his head in with a cow-headed mace, then flay him head to foot and chain him to Mount Damavand.>>>

So, can you take some criticism?

And as a polisci and communications major, it was also very cool to see Iranian American experts – not a decade older myself – on the air, explaining to Joe the Plumber and his Neanderthal clan as well as the more enlightened population in my beloved America the run down in Iran. Two of them are Trita Parsi and Karim Sadjadpour. I had never seen them on the same stage before, so it was pretty cool that they both were on PBS Newshour a few weeks ago. It was an awesome opportunity to compare their styles and analysis. I am a fan of both of them, so if they read this, I hope they don’t take this the wrong>>>

The Revolution Which At First, Was Not

As late as September 28, 1978, several months before one of the major revolutions of the twentieth century, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency reported that the shah "is expected to remain actively in power over the next ten years." The 1979 Iranian Revolution stunned the world dramatizing just how vast a change in government orientation could be imposed. The change seemed to move Iran from a Western-allied monarchy based on Persian nationalism to an Islamic revolutionary theocracy based on Shiite Moslem fundamentalism. Middle East revolutions are usually instigated by discontented religious, ethnic, and/or ideological forces>>>

یار هنرستانی

دوران دوران آپولو 11 بود و مسابقات بوکس محمد علی کلی روی صفحه سیاه و سفید تلویزیون مبله بلر. دوران رفتن به هنرستان شرکت نفت و عشق کارمند شدن و رویاهای دور و دراز نوجوانی. فصل راز و نیاز از راه دور با سوفیالورن بود و حسرت خوردن به مارچلو ماسترویانی و آلن دلون روی پرده سینما کارون اهواز. سالهای خرید قسطی «پیکان جوانان» و کشیدن سیگار وینستون پشت دو لیوان آبجوی مجیدیه. دورانی که اعلیحضرت هنوز دست توی جیب های جلیقه اش نکرده بود و لوله های نفت از گناوه به دل دریا فرو میرفت و از جزیره خارگ سر درمیآورد و نفتکشها، ایران را جزیره آرامش می دیدند. به عقل جن هم نمی رسید که عاقبت «دندانه هر قصری پندی دهدت نو نو». توی همین سالها بود که با اسماعیل فصیح آشنا شدم. مردی که سالهای بعد رمان نویس معروفی شد>>>

First Lesson in Freedom

I am a man
A man of yesterday and today
A man of today and tomorrow.
In my eyes, the stars fade away
And in my hands, the setting sun.
In my smile, a child is born
And from my heart, blood bubbles up >>>

گیج می رود سرم

سُر می خوری روی سَرم
دلم غنجه می رود در پاگرد و
زَهره ندارم که بگویم
که پله پیچید در خیابان و
خیابان سُر خورد توی سَرم و
سَرم هی گیج رفت از سیم های کابل
که می پیچید دور اسم تو >>>

We will never be silent

I am Mehdi Saharkhiz, Proud son of the journalist and political activist Isa Saharkhiz. He is in jail for speaking his mind in opposition to the dictators that hijacked the elections in Iran. He was kidnapped in a way that his ribs were broken, he is kept in solitary confinement in an undisclosed location. My dad dedicated his life in order to depose the Shah and help with the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran—a republic that was supposed to be free and respect peoples’ votes, voices, and opinions. My father spent years fighting Saddam whom had illegally entered Iran's sovereign land and imposed a war against the Iranian people. He fought alongside his brother, my uncle, Saeed who was eventually killed in the war, and millions of other brave Iranians>>>

Opposition's Two Heads

It is now clearer than ever that the opposition movement in Iran has two heads. One is the official loyal opposition within the regime, the reformists, and the other is the opposition movement of the people on the streets, which has its own diversity of lines of thinking. The opposition movement among the people is clearly more radical and is determined to go much farther than the Mousavi-Khatami-Karroubi faction and their cohorts will ever, EVER be willing to go. In all this, we must not forget that Rafsanjani is a third column within the regime, and has his own agenda>>>