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TERRORISM
02-Jan-2009 (21 comments)
When I wrote “From Cordoba to Mumbai” criticizing Islamic terrorism and urging moderate Muslims to rise up in protest against shameful spectacles of Islamic terrorism, I fully expected to take flack from both the Islamist and anti-Islamic fringes. And, like clockwork, first the Keyhan gang of Tehran and then the anti-Islamic peanut gallery of the exile neverland have chimed in with the identical refrain, best summed up by one of my loyal detractors at the Iranian.com site: “Islam = Quran = Mohammad = Terrorism.” Usama Bin Laden could have produced that formula – indeed, his lieutenant, Ayman Al-Zawahiri occasionally does say things very close to that. But you could hear this very sentiment echoed in the studios of every neo-con-inspired shock jock and from the ringmasters of right wing radio from Rush Limbaugh to Michael Savage>>>
TERRORISM
02-Jan-2009 (7 comments)
Mr. Kazemzadeh details some terrorist attacks by Hezbollah and claims that I have attempted to “save” them from the designation of “terrorist”. I invite the reader to look at my definition of terrorism. There I specifically stated that terrorism is defined “independent of the identity of its perpetrators”. I made it perfectly clear: even Al-Qaidah, an undisputed terrorist organization may engage in non terrorist (paramilitary) activity (like its attack on USS Cole). Hezbollah of Lebanon, too, have attacked Israeli military convoys in southern Lebanon or the US Marine compound in Beirut. Those are not instances of terrorism, according to my definition, because their objectives were military in nature. Please notice that my discussion, unlike my critic’s, is precise and specific.>>>
GAZA
02-Jan-2009 (183 comments)
We have seen an unprecedented but expected propaganda attack against Israel in recent days going over to pure anti-semitic hatred every once in a while. Israel is being condemned for protecting her citizens against continuous rocket strikes and provocations by Hamas, and as usual being charged for "crimes" she has not committed. As the one-sided propaganda against Israel is being waged on all fronts, including on this website, it is important not to forget that there is another side to all this that is being deliberately ignored, silenced and covered up by the sheer amount of one sided attacks. >>>
FREE GAZA
02-Jan-2009 (6 comments)
The Free Gaza Movement (FG) aims to use the power of civil resistance (non-violent direct action) to physically break through the Israeli blockade of Gaza, in order to draw attention to the human catastrophe this siege has caused, and increase international pressure to shatter the siege once and for all. FG began in Lebanon, during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. A group of Lebanese and international activists formed an organization called the Civil Resistance Campaign, combining humanitarian projects in South Lebanon with political actions against the Israeli aggression and in support of Lebanese solidarity. After the bombing stopped in August 2006, Israel maintained a blockade against Lebanon for several weeks>>>
FOROUGH
02-Jan-2009
Two months ago I had an opportunity to see Claus Strigel’s film MOON SUN FLOWER GAME at the Iranian Film Festival in Chicago. It was a fascinating experience! I must admit that I have been deeply engaged and obsessed to learn about Hossein Mansouri's life -- a great poet living in Munich now-- since Forough Farrokhzad’s death. I wrote a review... then I decided to interview Claus... In 1962 the young poetess Forough Farrokhzad visited the lepers at the end of the earth to make a film about their world. Her film, “The House is Black”, was to become world famous, and, by and by, change a small world too: the world of a small boy who had the good fortune to meet her.
>>>
POETRY
02-Jan-2009 (6 comments)
I see you walking past
wearing the news on your feet
words of wisdom as dust in the wind
bring no mircale
war continues through the streets of dark shadows playing guns taking land, building endless walls
No pain counts, no views, no history, no beliefs, no faces of humans eating dust in the streets of disaster, >>>
wearing the news on your feet
words of wisdom as dust in the wind
bring no mircale
war continues through the streets of dark shadows playing guns taking land, building endless walls
No pain counts, no views, no history, no beliefs, no faces of humans eating dust in the streets of disaster, >>>
ISRAEL
31-Dec-2008 (107 comments)
Once again Israel has illustrated that she cares little about public opinion. Israel has shown that she has the shameless audacity to bomb civilians in her so called attempt to fight Hamas terrorists. She blames civilian deaths on the fact that Hamas uses civilians as shields. This senseless bombing of Gaza by more than sixty F16 bombers killing (until now) almost 400 and injuring thousands is as horrendous an act as if the U.S government bombed Long Island in order to eradicate the Mafia! So far only four Israelis have died. The Israelis call it a war. How can this be a war when the other side has no army?>>>
DAVID & GOLIATH
31-Dec-2008 (25 comments)
It’s hard to celebrate the beginning of 2009, a year that was to begin at least with great hopes following the election of Barak Obama, as people of Gaza are being bombed mercilessly by Israel. In the last three days, Israel’s shelling of civilians has left more than 300 dead and a thousand injured. This came in response to rocket attacks by Hamas, which killed one Israeli citizen. The enormity of the humanitarian crisis began when Israel, in its attempt to put pressure on Hamas closed its borders to Gaza even for food and basic necessities. It led many in the West to ask where the Israeli government is headed. What is their intention? The bombing is now another twist in this terribly sad saga>>>
GAZA
31-Dec-2008 (8 comments)
فلسطین باز در خاك و خون غوطه میخورد، و غزه بزرگترین تعداد تلفات را در طول یك روز در تاریخ ۶۰ ساله درگیری های فلسطینیان و اسراییل داشته است. حملات هوایی اسراییل به غزه ادامه دارد و ناظران سیاسی و نظامی این حملات را مقدمه لشگركشی زمینی اسراییل به داخل غزه میدانند. كشورهای غربی، در عین اظهار تأسف از تشدید این حملات و تلفات فوق العاده فلسطینیها، از محكوم كردن اسراییل سرباز زدهاند و تلاش زیادی برای توقف این حملات انجام نمیدهند. حكومتهای عرب در مقابل اسراییل را محكوم كردهاند، ولی كار زیادی از آنان برای پایان بخشیدن این جنگ بر نمیآید. جمهوری اسلامی بیش از هر حكومت دیگری سنگ فلسطینیان را به سینه میزند و برای اسراییل خط و نشان میكشد. ولی غرب و اسراییل ظاهرا از این تهدیدها نگرانی چندانی احساس نمیكنند. حمله اخیر اسراییل به غزه را باید به عنوان مرحله دوم عملیات مقدماتی و تمرینی حمله علیه ایران ارزیابی كرد. >>>
STORY
31-Dec-2008 (one comment)
"It makes you wonder how they are ever able to agree on anything," Iraj Mansouri said. They were leaving his wife's aunt and uncle's house. It was raining and the clouds were blowing all over the sky. The boy, Arash, liked the way they looked. Iraj's wife, Soraya, did not say anything. She was thinking about what her aunt and uncle had told them. Actually it was her aunt who had been doing the telling. Her uncle had not wanted to talk about it. "What is the use of talking about it?" he'd said. And he'd gotten a pained and lost expression on his face.>>>
CENSORSHIP
31-Dec-2008 (7 comments)
در جلسه ی کتابم شعرم شیرین و مرد نمکی آقایی که زمانی با هم بیشتر دوست بودیم در آنتراکت آمد با من حرف بزند. به عادت رفتاری معمولش دست مرا گرفت و با آنکه بدنم مقاومت می کرد به طرف خود کشید تا با زور در آغوش بگیرد و ببوسد. صدایی در سرم گفت بگو " دستت را از من بکش، آقا". اما زود این صدا را سانسور کردم و طبق عادت رفتاری معمولم هیچ نگفتم؛ حتی لبخند هم زدم. شنیدم بعد از من این مرد رفته بود دست روی خانم دیگری از دوستان گذاشته بود که آن دوست، آن زن نازنین، بر خلاف من جلو اش در آمده بود و گفته بود: ببینم تو اجازه گرفتی دست گذاشتی رو من؟>>>
IDEAS
29-Dec-2008 (4 comments)
We have descended a long way from stated ideals of the original proponents of democracy. The great march of freedom has been replaced by national and international political discourses consumed with fundamentalism and extremism of the Christian, Muslim, Jewish and even Hindu types. Lofty ideals about the nature of humanity, progress, and a bright tomorrow when racism, fascism,apartheid and sexism would be discarded to the dustbin of history to be replaced by a loving, green and peaceful world have been all but forgotten. The age of the Internet and the information highway, the collapse of totalitarianism, and intensified globalisation have rather surprisingly resulted in a greater and more severe pursuit of national interests and wars rather than the pursuit of happiness and international solidarity>>>
HUMOR
29-Dec-2008 (13 comments)
I met Seema at Bellagio on one of my frequent runs to the ATM machine. Being a lousy poker player and not knowing my limit, I spent more time pacing to the ATM machine than at the poker table. One look at me and Seema knew she had a customer (sucker) for life. Now, make no mistake about it, though a high school dropout, Seema had a PhD from the school of hard knocks. In her profession she needed not to be book smart but street smart. Seema hustled the hustlers, cheated the cheaters and swindle the swindlers. She was such savvy negotiator that she could perhaps negotiate the Middle East peace, if she could find the Middle East on a map>>>
TEA FOR ONE
29-Dec-2008 (26 comments)
Shaadi finally decided to do it. She signed up with the Iranian dating site, submitted her photograph, and answered the questions. She thought to herself, “I’ll be 100% honest in answering the questions. I don’t want any complications as a result of withheld information or half truths.” She wrote down her real age, her real weight, and answered all the questions fully and truthfully. Among the people she heard from, there was a man who seemed like a good choice. He was her age, had been married and divorced, didn’t have any kids and didn’t want any, and his picture showed him to be good looking, with a full head of hair, dressed in a nice suite. She and Hamid started chatting and corresponding online>>>
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|---|---|---|
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| Majid Tavakoli: Prisoner of the day | Iterview with mother | Dec 02 |
| احسان نراقی: جامعه شناس و نویسنده ۱۳۰۵-۱۳۹۱ | Dec 02 | |
| Nasrin Sotoudeh: Prisoner of the day | 46 days on hunger strike | Dec 01 |
| Nasrin Sotoudeh: Graffiti | In Barcelona | Nov 30 |
| گوهر عشقی: مادر ستار بهشتی | Nov 30 | |
| Abdollah Momeni: Prisoner of the day | Activist denied leave and family visits for 1.5 years | Nov 30 |
| محمد کلالی: یکی از حمله کنندگان به سفارت ایران در برلین | Nov 29 | |
| Habibollah Golparipour: Prisoner of the day | Kurdish Activist on Death Row | Nov 28 |