The Iranian Times

Friday May 28, 1999 / Khordad 7, 1378, No. 736


Ketab Farsi bilingual books

Sehaty Foreign Exchange

Kiarostami's
Taste of Cherry


    Rumi


    Free speech

    Tehran spring
    There is freedom of speech, but at a price

By Laleh Khalili
May 28, 1999
The Iranian

The newspapers may be critical, but they are also cautiously observing boundaries set by the Islamic Republic itself and are operating within a confined and exclusive circle, entry to which requires some sort of allegiance to Islamic governance or at least Islam itself. While the outcry in defense of Mohsen Kadivar by all the "lefty" newspapers was admirable, there was no such similar outcry in defense of Abbas Amir-Entezam...

Perhaps the newspapers are testing the waters and are still afraid to jump in whole-heartedly in defense of human rights for ALL, not just those inside the Establishment. ... GO TO FEATURE


Outlook

Iranian town marks anniversary of legendary Turkman poet

By Bruce Pannier

Prague, (RFE/RL) -- Today marks the anniversary in Turkmenistan of the birth of celebrated 18th-century poet Makhtum Kuli.

Festivities began Monday in the village of Haji-Gowshan in present-day Iran, where the poet was born in or around 1733.

So important is the poet to the Turkmen people that President Saparmurat Niyazov made a rare trip outside his country to attend the ceremonies. Also in attendance was Iran's Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ataollah Mohajerani ... FULL TEXT


    Anyway

Ouch!

Tashkent, Uzbakistan, May 27, 1999 (Hamshahri) -- Mohammad Talaie, a member of the Iranian free-style wrestling team, was taken to hospital after he smashed his head against a concrete wall. He was upset because he lost a match to a Kazakh opponent ... FULL PERSIAN IMAGE TEXT


More Letters

* Revolution is maturing

Laleh Khalili writes: I read with great interest your letter in The Iranian about the death of the revolution, and I just wanted to make a few small points in reply, which I hope you accept as graciously as you have offered your opinions.

First off, I really don't think the revolution as an idea is dead, since it obviously still occupies such vast tracts of the psyche of Iranians inside Iran and outside. Revolutions are only similar to living organisms in that they go through a lifecycle, and I believe that the Iranian Revolution of 1977-1979 is in its maturity stage ... FULL TEXT

* People are maturing

Ali Sajjadi , editor, Par magazine writes: Dear Ms. Khalili, ... Revolution, by its nature, which is nothing more than war, chaos,terror, etc., never "matures", what you refer to as maturity is in fact the maturity of the Iranian people, who are not looking for another revolution and want to have peaceful change. Credit for a peaceful movement goes to the Iranian people and not to the revolution... FULL TEXT

* Amazing ignorance

Sepehr Sohabl writes: Mr. B.M.'s emotional commitment to ignorance is amazing. The statement that not one Bahai died during the Iran-Iraq war or Bahais and Jews don't help during hard times are so ridiculus. What is your proof and how can you substantiate such statments? ["I must be a Jew"]

What is well-documented is what all the minorities in Iran have been and are going through whether there is a war going on or not: Bahais have lost their lives since the begining of their religion, and guess who took these lives? I rather be a Bahai than a blood-thristy nationalist.

 


* Class: Iranian Culture and Civilization

Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak writes: I am pleased to inform you that the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization at the University of Washington in Seattle has approved Iranian Culture and Civilization as a core departmental offering in term "a" of its summer quarter 1999 program. Classes run from June 21 to July 21, 1999, and meet MWF, 1:10-4:30 p. m. For more information, contact the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization at 543-6033 ... DETAILS HERE


Book of the Week

Lonely Planet Travel Guide: Iran (2nd Ed)
Best-selling travel guide to Iran
By Paul Greenway

    "This detailed guide finally updates the old guidebook with new information. A must for travelers to Iran. Paul Greenway's narrative and explanations are also more interesting (and quite funny in some cases) than David St. Vincent's older edition." -- A reader ...
    ... GO TO BOOK

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More news

Full UK ties may boost trade

May 28, 1999 (Middle East Economic Digest) - Full diplomatic relations were restored with the UK on 18 May, completing Tehran's rapprochement with the EU. The upgrading of ties could speed up insurance cover by the UK's Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) for several big oil and gas projects ... FULL TEXT

Iraq, Iran to hold July meeting on POWs

BAGHDAD, May 26 (AFP) - Iraqi and Iranian officials will exchange information on the fate of prisoners of war at a July meeting in Baghdad, the Iraqi coordinator of the two countries' joint committee said Wednesday ... FULL TEXT

Iranian FM receives new UN drug official for Iran

TEHRAN, May 26 (AFP) - Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi received Wednesday the new UN Drug Control Program chief for Iran, who presented his letter of accreditation, the official IRNA news agency said ... FULL TEXT

Iran to witness last solar eclipse

TEHRAN, Iran, May 27 (UPI) -- An Iranian tourist official says the last complete solar eclipse of this century will take place in the city of Esfahan and will attract many tourists from around the world ... FULL TEXT

Wrestling: Iran humiliated

Tehran (Iran daily) -- Iran, Asia's wrestling powerhouse and former world champion, only managed to muster third place in the Asian free-style wrestling championships ... FULL IMAGE TEXT IN PERSIAN

Esteqlal's "new" coaching staff

Tehran (Iran daily) -- NO! Heshmat Mohajerani "will probably not" join Esteqlal as its techinical manager. Instead the new coaching staff will be made up of Mansour Pour-Heydari, Parviz Mazloomi and Yevgeni Sokomorokov ... FULL IMAGE TEXT IN PERSIAN


BBC

Persian Service


$ Rate

Updated May 26

The dollar now offered at 820-845 tomans in the U.S. and 850 tomans in Iran

Source: Sehaty Exchange (U.S.) Tel: 602-595-0777

Business news


The Web

Iran

Amouzesh Omeed

This charity group based in Massachusetts, builds schools in Iran. See page showing projects under construction. Something to think about...

Beyond Iran

Kodak PhotoQuilt 2000

Speak freely among In the words of the site, here's a "rich and evolving picture of our world as it approaches the new millennium."

More web sites


Quote Unquote

What we have

Daashtam daashtam hesaab neest, daaram daaram hesaab ast.

(It's what you have that counts, not what you used to have)

1001 Persian-English Proverbs
By Simin Habibian


Photo of the Day

Qazvini watermellons


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