Iranian of the Day

Choghok - Here's the Other Link

I actually found Dr. Daryaee's (a great objective Iranologist) recent article on Iranian.com.  It's called "Portrait of an Empire".  He talks about the use of the name Iranshahr by the Sassanids in referring to the Iranian territories.  Here's the link:

//iranian.com/main/2008/portrait-empire

I wish that we had more people like Professor Daryaee and fewer of  these washed up Islamo / Socialists that do whatever they can to rewrite our history and wipe our heritage "off the map".  The most annoying thing about these losers is that they know jack-s**t about Iran's history.  They are not historians, historical researchers or even students of history.  Rather, they are ideologues with an agenda, and that is what makes them so dangerous. 

Persia is Eternal.

Choghok - You Are Incorrect

the name Iran was used at least at the time of Sassanids, and maybe even at the time of the Achaemenids.  In fact, the Sassanids called their country Iranshahr or Iran.  Even Ardashir's high general, which occupied the position akin to a defense minister, was called Iran-Sepahbod.  Dr. Touraj Daryaee recently had a post on Iranian.com which talked baout this issue (but I couldn't find it).  Here are some other links that touch on this subject. 

 //iranian.com/Books/2003/November/Idea/index.html

//www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Sassanid-dynasty

//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassanid

The Wikipedia article talks about the Iran-Sepahbod (or Eran-Sepahbod title).

Dabashi's view is a revisionary leftist, Islamist, Arabo-centric view of Iran's history, the purpose of which is to marginilize Iran's nationalistic movements.  The phenomenon is not unique to him.  He is a part of the old 60's and 70's leftover Socialist bunch that bestowed the gift of the Islamic Revolution upon us. 

Persia is Eternal.

Anonymous Observer

It sounds like a brilliant book. Why do you think he is wrong? All the things you mentioned in your last post seem right to me. I would not call him Iran hater because of that. He looks for answers and he has his ideas about Iran, and I see much more logic in his ideas than the people who just praise Pre Islam Iran as if it was the heaven on earth and put all the blame Iran has on Islam.

You can do a check yourself looking at old books (around 9th century), how many books refer to a place called Iran? I would guess 0. 

/Bidar bash ke ma bekhabim

Anonymous linguist

Thank you for your correction. I do this kind of thing often. I just put in words when they sound right and don't think twice. Since I do not live and english speaking country I make mistakes, that is bound to happen.

And about the miscredit.. Donät get me started with this freaking interest rates I just might get it. 

/Bidar bash ke ma bekhabim

Columbia Graduate, Are You Really?

I thought that Columbia was an Ivy League school. If you are a Columbia Graduate, how are you unable to write a comprehensible sentence? Here, let me correct your one sentence comment:

"Irooni's [Iroonis] hate him because he said 'Palestine'[.] [T]hat's his only crime apparently. Very close minded of Irangelesis.

Shadooneh - Here's a Taste

I broke down and did do some basic research for you.  Here are a few points that a commenter made on Amazon.com in the review section of his rant (book).  Since I am at work and don't have the actual book with me, I copied the comments for you from Amazon.com.  The comments have specific page references in Dabashi's book:

 1. Dr. Hamdi Dabashi makes it clear that there is no such a country as Iran. According to him Iran is made of sub-nationals; such as, "Kurdish or Azeri cultures in order to corroborate the manufactured primacy of Iran." PG 21.
2. Author goes further and claims that "Iranist-native and foreigners alike-have at times opted for a fictive imperium called "the greater Iran," taking their clues from the imperial heritage of the Achaemenids (550-330 B.C.) and the Sassanids.
3. Author made an allegation that "Plato and Aristotle, "the Persians," as the Greek called them, were up in arms invading other people's lands, occupying their territories, and forming vast, useless, shapeless, and embarrassing empire." PG 22.
4. Cyrus the Great liberated Jewish people in same tone as George Bush liberating Iraqi people. PG 23.
5. Iranian people think that they are Iranian because of "the manufactured of a solitary national and nationalist historiography for Iran has been a principal product of a colonial and colonized imagination, falsely resting the pride of a people's place exclusively in the fabricated idea of a prolonged, uninterrupted, consistent and above all monarchic nation-state." PG 24. The bottom line, this author pervasively claims that there is no such a country as Iran and it is figment of imagination.

But to get the full effect of Dabashi's warped ideas about Iran, you really should read his ranting anti-Iranian manifesto "Iran: A Nation Interrupted". 

Persia is Eternal.

absolutely brilliant

Irooni's hate him because he said 'Palestine' that's his only crime apparently. Very close minded of Irangelesis.

Well deserved as Iranian of the Day

The sign of a true intellectual is someone who can detatch himself. Analyze something objectively.

Too bad that many people are still stuck in the cesspool of Saltanat parasti of 40 years ago and are not capable of analyzing anything objectively. This will continue until they die and we can finally move on.

Shadooneh

I am sorry, but I think that you may mistake my comment with that of someone else.  Specifically, you say:

"In one sentence you talk about Iran, then you switch and talk about Persia."

Can you please point me to the "sentence" in which I "talk about Persia"?  If you refer to my standard greeting at the bottom of comment, that is a quote from the Persian King Dariush.  In fact, if you read any of my previous posts, you will note that I am a fierce advocate of the diversity of Iran as a collective nation, and have always said as much in support of the rights of ethnic minorities in Iran.

As far as Dabashi's writings, unfortunately, I cannot do your research for you...you will have to actually suffer through reading one of his books (like I did).  Additionally, as far as his writings that can be located on the web, it seems like you have a computer, can use a keyboard and have access to the internet.  So....please go right ahead and Google it!  Last I checked, I was not paid to be your administrative assistant! 

Persia is Eternal.

This guy is an absolute Joke!

This dalghak is an idiot Edward Saiid wanabee. He is intellectually corrupt like the other retard ultra leftist professors at his university.

Anonymous Observer, which is it?

In one sentence you talk about Iran, then you switch and talk about Persia. Are you implying that Iran and Persia are one and the same? In that case are the Azaris, Kords, Baluch, Torkemans and others, who don't speak Farsi as their first language, ALL Persians?!!! Since I have not read his book(s), I am curious if you could please cite the sources where he said "Iran is an artificial creation", and so on.

Choghok jan

There is no word in English, at least in the context you are trying to mean, as "miscredit"! The correct word to use is "discredit".

/Bekhab ke ma ham bekhabim ... LOL!

ps - you must have been hhit badly by credit crunch ... "miscredit" ..LoL

He Is an Iran Hater

Hamid Dabashi is another Israel obsessed, self loathing Iranian Islamist who stands against the whole idea of Iran (read his gibberish of a book, Iran, a Nation Interrupted).  He is another Iran history denying, "we had no civilization before Islam", "Arabs brought us civilization" dufus.  He has no credibility.  BTW, I don't care about his political views; rather, my issue with him is that he is another Iran history denier.

He should stick to his professed specialization: being an "expert on Palestinian cinema!!".   To that end, did everyone notice that he was speaking at the "Palestine Center"? 

Also, I won't be surprised if he also advocates independence for the "Al-Ahwaz" Republic, since he is an Ahvazi Arab, since he is so much in love with Arab culture and since he believes that there is no such country called "Iran", and that Iran is an artificial creation (probably a Zionist conspiracy!!!). 

You know, when Lyndon Johnson became President after JFK was assasinated, the first thing that he instructed his aids to do was to "get rid of all these Harvards" in the administration, which he did.  He realized that those pseudo-intellectuals were the reason why JFK was legistatively such a weak president.  He was right, since as we know, he went on to pass such great legislation as the Civil Rights Act.  The same thing is true about Iran.  For us to have a legitimate alternative to the IRI, we need to dismiss all these pseudo-intellectuals who are paralyzing the political and social discourse within the Iranian community n order to propogate their individual agendas. 

Persia is Eternal.

Zion, get a clue

The link you send gives more credit to mr Dabashi than miscrediting him. Just read the comments on that page to see who is criticizing him, a bunch of rednecks and racists.

Should mr Dabashi be an Israel-lover so that we should accept what he says about Iran? 

/Bidar bash ke ma bekhabim

+

Dimension

I
Am
Body
Do not cross me
For you then be one without food
I
Am
Wine
Do not cross me
For you then be one
Without drink and water

Do not cross me...
--Abol Hassan Danesh

The Preacher Man is Right on One thing ...

and that is "Make more children ! "

Apart from that he seems to have an audience (students ?) acquired in advance to his sense of humor and ideas or is that what Dabashi encourages as critical thinking ?

But I suppose Columbia University is a reference in critical thinking ... LOL

I'm sure the other clown "Dr." Lee Bollinger ( Chair of the University of Columbia) will appreciate:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjOLj7olsXM

Anyway Here is to You "Dr." Dabashi and your fan club and siblings:

Dusty Springfield - Son of a preacher man

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJM5K51peVw

Good old Hamid Dabashi

Always good for a laugh. LOL.
Where else can you find a professor who demands police action when asked a question by a student?
//www.danielpipes.org/article/2255

A not so unrelated quiz:
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=osRDemXv0_I&eurl=ht...

PS.
I have been visiting here for near year. So when are you going to choose Ahmadinejad for Iranian of the day? I've been waiting so long for that (or did I miss it?)

Mr Dabashi,s another side

you  might be interested to learn more about this greate "professor",intelectual discharges, when he reffers to the state of Israel or people of Israel"There is vulgarity of character that is bone deep in stractural vertebrae of its culture".hopefuly that explains where this man is coming from .

Hamid Dabashi is fantastic

Hamid Dabashi is fantastic and this was long overdue! Thanks for posting it.   

Ba Arezu-ye Movafaghiat, Sadegh

Liked the Humor

Very funny speech. I enjoyed that aspect of it. But it seems to me Dabashi is trying to re-write history. It was an Islamic revolution from the moment that the Shah decided to publish the now infamous article in Etelaat. Surely before that there were skirmishes here and there, but the Shah's security apparatus was very much capable of suppressing any kind of violent or non-violent protest. The moment that he decided to confront the clergy, his house of cards started to collape. So the only way this particular revolution could succeed was when Khomeini assumed its leadership. And he was talking about an Islamic Republic from day one. Dabashi argues that Iran's interests and US interests are very much intertwined. But a very casual look at the recent history of the hostilities between the two regimes will prove otherwise. On the other hand there are conspiracy theorists (including my old mother) who think Khomeini was propped up by the Americans...

I loveeeeeeeee Dr. Dabashi

I loveeeeeeeee Dr. Dabashi

warped

It is interesting how pseudo-intellectuals tend to twist and turn facts to fit their ideological molds...

one of the funniest things I have ever heard was this gentleman's assertion that the Islamic revolution was hijacked by radicals due to the western backed Iraqi war...I beg to differ...the Islamic devolution had its eyes set on a radical path prior to the war. The chomagh-kesh of the late 70's and early 80's were spreading their fear prior to the war. The mullahs had this vision of a state of theocracy irregardless of the war.

The second false assertion that many simplistic pacifists make is that this so called threat or state of possible war will kill any progressive movement within the country.....who the hell are we kidding....what movement...any sort of opposition is suppressed in Iran irregardless of the need for any excuses.

This regime needs to go and the ones who ask for the continuation of appeasement and recognition of this regime only prolong its life. One last point, please do not call Khatami a reformist...that charlatan is the only reason the second revolution was postponed... whether one wants to believe it or not all mullahs are the same and at the end will set their differences aside for their own survival.

So...you so called liberals with an immature view of foreign policy wake up and realize that the time for reconciliation and pacifism toward this regime is not now nor should it ever be. This regime does not understand anything but force as it is not a democratic state where there is fair representation of its people, but rather it is an oligarchy which would sacrifice millions for its own survival.

As I have said for a long time...the world needs to put much stricter sanctions to ripen the environment within Iran...it needs to support the movements inside and outside of Iran financially and otherwise....and lastly if necessary and I hope not....strategic attacks and dismantling of this regime. The people of Iran currently are like the little child being bullied in the playground...it just needs reassurance from friends and teacher that if he stands up to the bully he will be backed up and protected and not left to be pummeled like his last courageous attempts.