Archive - 2009 - Article

Another time, another world

I believe that the trip we took around Iran was a common itinerary for foreigners in Abadan like ourselves who had one two-week "annual leave" during which to see the rest of the country. There's probably no need to identify each photo. The itinerary and particular views are largely in this order: train to Tehran with views of Qom; Tehran railroad station, Majlis, street scenes, American embassy, bazaar, Darband, Golestan Palace, carpet cleaning at Cheshme-Ali, Rey, railroad to Babol, Babolsar, Ramsar, Rasht, bus to Tehran via Qazvin, Esfahan, Shiraz, Persepolis>>>

Like it or not

While the western media along with Israeli Security Forces continue to make all kinds of noises and objections about “successful tests” at the Bushehr nuclear reactor, Iran reiterated its right of peaceful pursuit of developing nuclear energy, being a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and monitored under the supervision of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The high degree of hypocrisy reflected in the outcries by officials in the United States and the European Union Trio (France, Germany and Britain) can be accurately measured with just a brief glance back into the history of nuclear technology in Iran>>>

We are not spies

Dear Number One, As ordered, I went to see the play We Are Not Spies in Berkeley this past weekend for the purpose of discovering the true identity and purpose of its Bahai author, Mansour Taeed. Disguised as a drama critic, I gained admission to this show despite the fact that the theater was sold out and people were being turned away at the gate. This report omits details regarding the beautiful agent I seduced in the line duty to get my ticket. First, my assessment of Bahai spy technology: it sucks. At the beginning of this one-man show, Taeed said the play would self-destruct soon after the performance ends. He even played the Mission Impossible theme. The play hasn’t self-destructed!>>>

بازی در بازی

به تاریخ زندگی ام که نگاه می کنم این زن را می بینم که "من را" — اگرچه نه هستی مرا — بازی کرده است. در یک صحنه او با یک سینی چای به اتاقی که پر از مهمان است وارد می شود و اول چای را جلوی مردها می گیرد و بعد جلوی زنها و بچه هایشان. این زن فکر می کند این جریان طبیعی بازی است چون همیشه اینطور بوده؛ زنهایی که او دیده ران مرغ را جدا کرده اند و اول توی بشقاب پدر گذاشته اند و عاشوراها و یا مراسم غدیری در خانه عمویش همیشه اول به مردها در اتاق دیگر غذا داده اند و بعد آورده اند این یکی سالن جایی که دختر بچه ها از گرسنگی بی تاب شده بودند و زنها از گرما هی خودشان را باد می زدند. و در صحنه ای دیگر این زن تا هنوز غذا تمام نشده و لقمه از گلویش پایین نرفته همراه دختربچه ها و زن های دیگر تند بلند می شود تا سفره را جمع کند در حالی که پسرها و مردها کون خیزه می روند و از سفره عقب می نشینند و منتظرند که چایی و میو ه شان را بیاورند.>>>

Cursing Bahais is cursing Islam

How interesting it is to see that contradictions are boiling in Iran in all matters. Bahais are the largest religious minority in Iran with an official population of 300,000 members and many many more who have become Bahais but, for their own safety, have not registered. In other words, any individual who believes Bahaullah is the Manifestation of God for today and believes in all the other past religions and believes that the teachings that Bahaullah has brought to humanity are the healing message to the world is actually a Bahai>>>

The Tyranny of Dead Ideas

We Iranians are obsessed with many things; the healthier obsession is with our kids. We often brag about them stridently. We take pride in their success particularly in education and in their careers. We claim, for instance, that they earn more than we do. But do they really? Not according to Matt Miller, the author of a very intriguing book entitled The Tyranny of Dead Ideas. In this book, he explains how the current economic crisis has changed our collective perception of many axiomatic ideas that we have believed in for so long, albeit erroneously>>>

از شب و جیرجیرک ها و....

هزاران هزار
جیرجیرک ِ خواننده
حجم شب را می درند
و پوست قیرین و برّاق ِ آنرا
با ارکستر ِ صداهای خود
تا بی نهایت
جر می دهند >>>

Dangers Ahead

In conversations with some of my friends in Iran, I find myself bewildered by the extent of their credulity and naiveté about the whole Obama fanfare. Much to my dismay, I find that they are not alone in this. After eight years of suffering at the hand of George Bush’s America, a large majority of the people around the world have psyched themselves into believing that Obama is a qualitatively different president, and that a new era is about to begin in the U.S. under his leadership. It seems to me that a lot of people around the world, especially the younger generation in the developing countries, have become intoxicated -- or to put it bluntly, duped -- by the Obama euphoria>>>

The ‘Fun’ Hoveida Years

During the great oil boom of the 1970’s, the irrational exuberance of the Iranian upper classes and the unquenchable greed of the royalty played havoc with the domestic economy. Hoveida’s half-baked plans for hasty modernization and the Shah’s expensive upgrades for the army, created a number of economical and social dislocations. That deluge of projects, which were unnaturally fuelled by the soaring oil prices, played havoc with the fledging Iranian economy and infrastructure; creating cyclic booms and busts, deficiencies and speculations, inflation and hoarding>>>

جامعهء مدنی يا جامعهء سکولار؟

در پی حدوث انقلاب 57 و تبديل شدن حاکميت ايران به استبداد مطلقهء مذهبی و برقراری سلطهء شرع بر جامعه، و ظاهراٌ بمنظور کوشش برای درک موانع رشد دموکراسی در ايران، يکی از مفهوم های کهن علم سياست که در دههء دوم انقلاب بشدت مطرح شده و مورد بحث متفکران ايرانی قرار گرفت مفهوم «جامعهء مدنی» بود. ما اوج سلطء فکری اين «گفتمان» را در انتخابات دوم خرداد 1376 و بقدرت رسيدن «اصلاح طلبان خودی» مشاهده کرديم. در واقع، دههء 1370 را می توان دههء پيدايش مفهوم سحرآميزی به نام «جامعهء مدنی» دانست که قرار بود پاسخگوی همهء حرمان ها و شکست ها و براندازندهء همهء موانع استقرار دموکراسی باشد. >>>

نگاهی به درون

آشفته ام، در هم ریخته، و مثل کسی که پول زیادی را گم کرده باشد، مرتب سوراخ سُنبه های مغزم را می گردم. می دانم که خودم بانی بودم، و فقط بخاطر یک پُز و یک اَدا، که نه، نباید زود وا داد. باید مقاوم بود. باید طرف را اگر تشنه هم هست تشنه تر کرد، رهایش کردم. و شاید بیشتر به خاطر خودش بود که نمی خواستم گرفتار من بشود که فکر می کردم وصله مناسبی نیستم. و راستش بیشتر بخاطر کم شهامتی خودم بود. مردی بزدل که از عشق و از زندگی فرار کرد. این همه واهمه برای چی و از چی بود؟ و...باختم. من از آن آدم هائی هستم که اگر شانس هم در بزند، نه تنها گوش سنگینی دارم، که حتمن سرشاراز کندی هم هستم. و حالا پریشانی دائم خورده است دست افسردگی گه گاه و دارد کلافه ام می کند>>>

Simple red dots

Like the weight of frost
On a thin branch,
Or,
Simmering water in
A Kettle on hot fire  –
A breaking point shall
Break my torso in half,
Spilling blood splattering
All over on ground. >>>

Revolution within a revolution

The Iranians belong to the most busy users of the Internet worldwide. Seven million people surf regularly, there are about 80,000 private Internet sites. Only in Teheran there exist 5.000 Internet cafés. "Today the Iranian Internet diaries make Farsi to the fourth-most frequent language, in which the sites are written", writes Nasrin Alavi, author of "We are Iran". Her book shows a picture which isn't similar to the official Iran. In the net there are no taboos. One writes about everything what is hidden, otherwise, in the Iranian republic with pleasure. The Blogger discuss drugs and sex, about the Mullahs and their power avarice, about war, torture and prison, about religion and the custom guards>>>

A Bomb for Everybody

They’re in the news often enough, but Iran’s relationship with the world hasn’t actually changed for nearly a decade. The sticking point is the nuclear bomb and no progression or regression is possible in Iran’s relations with the world until a genuine conclusion is reached. It’s hard to read the scorecard, but if the Iranian government’s desire was to win time they have won admirably. A conclusion will arrive in one of three options: Iran will get the bomb, Iran will be bombed for trying to get the bomb or Iran will renounce the bomb. The best result for everyone, perhaps surprisingly, is for Iran to hurry up and get the bomb. The sooner they do, the sooner Iran can begin to believe what much of the world already knows: Iran has become a major power>>>

Think big

Only 15 minutes into his term as president, Barack Obama did what his predecessor had refused to do for eight years. He reached out to Iran. By calling for a new approach to the Muslim world based on "mutual respect," Obama signaled Tehran that a new dawn in U.S.-Iran relations may be in reach. His outreach was stronger and swifter than many had expected. It was a wise move, but there should be little surprise that Tehran has yet to fully respond. It won't. While small steps like these are necessary to set the stage for diplomacy with Iran, they will not break the gridlock between the two countries. To get the Iranians to respond, Obama must start with the end in mind>>>