Witness

It’s hard to be a victim. It is harder to be a witness. Every man in my childhood city -- at some point in their lives -- was one of my father’s students. He had built the first high school of the town, one that allowed only boys. This accomplishment made him walk with pride, showing off his weighty influence. We lived at the end of a narrow passageway, where, in summertime, the neighborhood boys played with a plastic ball in the dusty road, fought over their turn to ride the postman’s bicycle, and the silence of their absence was the sign of approaching cold. Mrs. Mostofi, my first grade teacher, lived next door. Every time she made Halva for a religious mourning or celebration, her maid brought a plate to us>>>

Women 101

There is a little girl, bright-eyed and hopeful inside of me.

There is a young woman, with a brisk gait, a boisterous laughter, a pair of feet full of dance, and a deep curiosity about people and places never seen inside of me.

There is a sultry woman, a seductress, a mistress, a lover, full of knowing touches and promising glances and welcoming kisses inside of me.

There is a giving mother, a nurturer, and a provider inside of me.

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Be Longing

I hate it when I take too long to write a review. It seems these days that the intense competition on Iranian.com has created a speed match of postings. But I am sorry, I just can't work that way. Especially when I really like something. I want to savour it a bit before I jump in and write about it. So, to those of you who have read a previous review of "BELONGING", I apologize, hopefully you'll like mine as well. If you will trust me though, and don't want to read my justification, you can know that this is simply one of those books you need to have on your shelves, one you can look for and find at a party, and hand to one of your closer American friends and smilingly say, "Here Bradley, this will explain everything!" >>>

همراهی روحانیون با جنبش مدرن خواهی

در نگاه اول این سخن شاهپور بختیار که " از زمان ساسانی هر چه بر سر ایرانیان آمده است کار آخوندهای آن زمان و آخوندهای این زمان بوده است" (نقل به مضمون) کاملا منطقی می آید. حکومت منسوب به روحانیون بعد از انقلاب 57 سد جدی راه گروههای مدرن خواه بوده است. امروز هم هنوز حکومت میانه خوبی با مدرن خواهی ندارد. در بین اقشار بزرگی از روشنفکران ایده های متمایل به تطابق دین با مدرنیته مرتب به ارائه چهره نادرست از دین متهم می شوند. جالب اینجاست که این اتهام هم از سوی مذهبیون سنتی و هم از سوی گروههای لائیک متوجه این گروه است. عده ای هم اصرار دارند که کار این حکومت اتفاقا مطابق اسلام و نمایانگر خشونت آن است و اسلامی که از آن با نام اسلام نواندیشانه یاد می شود چیزی جز تقلب کاری نیست. با این حال سلامت تاریخی این نوع گفته ها قابل مناقشه است. نقاطی در تاریخ بوده است که بخش هایی از روحانیون اتفاقا ضد سنت غلط جامعه و به نفع نیروهای مدرن خواه عمل کرده اند.>>>

مونیک واقعی بود، یعنی هست

امروز درست دوازده روز است که از مونیک بی خبرم و همین نگرانم می کند. باید پیش از این که خیلی دیر بشود این مطلب را در موردش بنویسم. تا پیش از این جریانات اخیر، یعنی تقریباً تا دو سال پیش مونیک به قول ایرانی ها یک دختر "همه چی تمام" بود. اول از همه: خوش هیکل بود، مونیک دختر بلندبالایی با اندامی متناسب بود. دوم: شیک بود. مونیک با موهای بلند خرمایی و اندام کشیده اش، خوش لباس هم بود، بیشتر اوقات مینی ژوپ می پوشید و ساق ها و ران های کشیده و خوش تراش خود را در جوراب شلواری های نقش دار در معرض نمایش می گذاشت. سوم: مونیک هنرمند بود. مونیک آرشکیت و نقاش بود یعنی هنوز هم هست. مونیک در رشته معماری تحصیل کرده است ولی نقاشی را بیشتر دوست داشته و تابلوهایی با طرح های آبستره می کشید، یعنی می کشد یعنی امیدوارم هنوز بتواند نقاشی کند. چهارم: خانواده دار و اصیل. مونیک از یک خانواده ی اصیل فرانسوی بود،>>>

The Dutch Connection

The recent De Telegraaf article ‘revealing’ the Dutch intelligence cooperation with the CIA is a propaganda piece aimed at undermining the credibility of the United Nations specialized agency, the IAEA, and its chief Mohammad ElBaradei’s findings on Iran’s peaceful civilian nuclear program. As importantly, it presents war as the solution to a non-existent threat. In an attempt to demoralize the Iranian people and undermine the resolve of the Iranian military forces, De Telegraaf would have the readers believe that the Dutch intelligence has been secretly operating inside Iran and has been sharing its findings with the CIA.>>>

The online dating story

Voice of America TV’s Persian service had broadcast a lengthy interview with Ahmad Batebi, 31, imprisoned by the Islamic Republic after the student demonstrations of July 1999. His face was splashed on the cover of The Economist. Search engines yielded no reports in English of Batebi’s release yet there he was on VOA, talking away about his experiences. I phoned Intelligent Life, the Economist’s sister title, an upmarket glossy, pitching the idea of an interview with Batebi. They weren’t interested. So I wrote to The Economist’s foreign editor: >>>

The Relevance of Socrates for Today

Socrates’ thinking and his life was characterized by doing philosophy and pursuing knowledge. For Socrates this meant questioning those who claimed to know something. This in turn generated a lot of enmity towards him and he was put on trial, convicted and sentenced to death for refusing to stop criticizing and discrediting those who had power and influence in Athens. I encourage anyone who does not know Socrates, his story and his ideas to at least read Plato’s Apology which is the account of his defense against the false charges which were brought against him and his justification for pursuing philosophy and living the kind of the life that he did>>>

In India With Mr. S

We were truly an odd couple. A twenty-three year old, completely westernized Jewish college graduate accompanying a devout Moslem merchant from Ardebil with nothing on his mind but money. Or so I thought. Boarding the plane was like entering a different world. Beautiful stewardesses passed by, their long hair falling freely. Men and women were sitting next to each other, talking and laughing in public. It came as somewhat of a shock to the system. As soon as we sat down, one of the stewardesses came by to see if we wanted some refreshments. Mr. S turned to me. “Tell her I want a Scotch over ice.” I nearly choked but managed to give the hostess our order.>>>

یک ماه و نیم خونین

هیئت اصلی اعدام در تهران به حکم خمینی تشکیل شده بود و نفرهای اصلی و تصمیم‌گیرنده‌ی آن در زندان‌های اوین و گوهردشت مشترک بودند. اعضای هیئت اعدام در گوهردشت، تشکیل یافته از این افراد بود: ۱- حسینعلی نیری ۲- مرتضی اشراقی ۳- مصطفی پورمحمدی یا نماینده‌ی وزارت اطلاعات ۴- ابراهیم رئیسی ۵- اسماعیل شوشتری ۶- محمد مقیسه‌ای (ناصریان) ۷- داوود لشکری ۸- حمید نوری (عباسی). گاه در این هیئت علی مبشری جای حسینعلی نیری را در سمت قاضی شرع می‌گرفت. گفته می‌شد رامندی یکی از حکام شرع اوین نیز در بعضی از دادگاه شرکت کرده بود. دو نفر آخر بیش‌تر حکم شاکی و شاهد را داشتند و کارشان تلاش برای گرفتن حکم اعدام زندانی از اعضای این هیئت بود. کسانی که حق رأی داشتند و مستقیماً درباره‌ی اعدام و یا برخورد بیش‌تر با زندانی نظر می‌دادند، بنا به حکم خمینی عبارت بودند از: نیری، اشراقی و نماینده‌ی وزارت اطلاعات. >>>

زربفت دورنگ

شیمل در تشبیه شعر پارسی به فرش می گوید: "غزل با تصویر پردازیهای بی شمارش که فقط با قافیه به هم پیوند یافته اند، یادآور قالیچه های بسیار ظریف ایرانی است با طرح باغ که باید به تصاویر، گلها و سایر تزئیناتش در مقابل زمینه ای وسیعتر نظر انداخت. گرچه هر یک از آنها با معنی است امّا کلّ زیبائی آن هنوز بیشتر از زیبائی تک تک اجزاء آ ن است." شیمل همچنین شعر پارسی را به کاشی های رنگارنگ مساجد ایرانی تشبیه می کند و می گوید همانگونه که کاشیها در هر ساعت از روز دگرگون می نمایند و غالباً در برکه های کوچک آب منعکس می شوند که باز هم انعکاس رنگشان در آب متفاوت از رنگ آنها در خارج از آب است، بهمان سان خواننده باید که به اشعار هم در حالتهای روحی مختلف و زمانهای مختلف از زندگی نظر اندازد تا شاید بتواند منظور نهفتۀ آن را در یابد. >>>

Boycotting Ahmadinejad's U.S. Visit?

For most of the last two decades, I felt strange when I was asked if my sons speak Farsi. When it was too late to change anything, I felt vaguely embarrassed for not having taught them my native language. I wondered silently if I'd cheated them or betrayed my heritage by not sending them to weekend Persian language schools that exist in my city, Washington. But I'm getting over those feelings lately, and it's not only because they are delightful young adults now. Rather, I'm comforted because I look around me in the expatriate community and I realize that my sons have learned something equally valuable, if less tangible. Their social consciousness goes well beyond accepting superficial tales of American virtue. Like me, they want this country to move towards its professed ideals before issuing judgment on human rights elsewhere>>>

Fatigue Is My Bliss

There used to be a time when exercise, hard work and especially running were parts of normal daily functions. Being late meant you had to run, and muscles were there to lift. A full day was followed by a full night’s sleep when the only concern would be waking up in time for another busy day. Now, as I go about the heroic tasks of my life, such as walking down the block, housework or taking a shower, with each move I feel like a champion. The recollections of a time when I single-handedly dug a flowerbed, moved furniture and carried my not-too-skinny babies up the stairs is fast turning into a legend. Was it really me who invited a crowd of more than fifty to dinner? Where was the Vietnamese nail salon to remind me that God had created these hands for manicure and not for pealing eggplants? >>>