Archive - Jan 18, 2011 - Article

Collision Course?

We know from history that whenever Israel saw that WMD were acquired by its enemies it took it as a threat to its existence and hunted down those involved very vigorously. For example, Israel took direct action against German scientists who worked to develop radiological weapons in Egypt in the early 60’s. It also took action against scientists who were involved in Iraq’s WMD pursuit in the 80’s, including allegedly the assassination of Gerald Bull who was a Canadian scientist working for Iraq>>>

We Hardly Knew You

To understand the reaction many of us had to Alireza’s death, you need only look as far back as our history over the last century. I am not a monarchist. I am also not religious. I was still a child when the Shah of Iran packed his bags and left, replaced by the Islamic regime that has been in power since the revolution in 1979. Had I been an adult at that time, I believe I would have been in support of opposition to the throne, but only in so much as to support secular democracy in my country>>>

The Good Daughter

SOME years ago, when I was in my early 20s, I found a photograph of my mother as a bride. That the man beside her was not my father, that she’d kept this marriage a secret from me, that she had been disturbingly young — none of this unsettled me as much as her expression. Eyes downcast and lips pouted, she looked as if the next shot would have shown her crying. In that moment I thought: That is not my mother. My family left Iran during the 1979 Islamic Revolution. My parents bought a roadside motel in California and set out to make new lives for us>>>

نشست‌های شنبه

آزادی اندیشه و سخن بدون آزادی انجمن امكان‌پذیر نیست، زیرا فرد برای اندیشیدن و بیان آن نیازمند مخاطب است و به علاوه برای پیاده كردن نیات خود به یاری هم‌‌فكران احتیاج دارد. بیهوده نیست كه در دوران جدید، اشاعه فكر آزادی همیشه همراه با تشكیل انجمن‌ها است. انقلاب مشروطیت، جنبش‏ ملی كردن صنعت نفت و قیام بهمن بدون وجود احزاب سیاسی، هیات‌های مذهبی، گروههای مخفی و كانون‌های ادبی، قابل تصور نیست>>>

دونده

طبق برنامۀ هر روز صبح، لباس دویم را پوشیدم و برای ورزش از خانه زدم بیرون. به جادۀ خلوتی رسیدم که همیشه در آن تمرین می کنم و شروع کردم به دویدن. بعد از مدتی حس کردم جاده داره انحنا پیدا می کنه و این حالت انحنا هی بیشتر و بیشتر می شه. انگار داشت اتفاقی می افتاد. حواسم را خوب جمع کردم و با دقت به اطراف نگاه کردم؛ دیدم زمین زیر پایم به اندازۀ یک توپِ بزرگ شده! خواستم بایستم، گفتم امکان داره از روی این توپ پرت بشی پائین>>>