* A NOTE TO YOU: Times on the web
* TEHRAN SUMMIT: Contrasting faces of Iran launch Islamic Summit
* FEATURE: Soroush tests freedom's limits
* NEWS: U.S. (louder) call for dialogue with Iran
* HAMSHAHRI: Women deputies: Islamic Summit should debate Women's rights
* SPORTS: Goaaaaaaal!
* SLIGHTLY BIASED: Iran will win World Cup 98
* THE WEB: Tehran TV!/ Azadegan/ Omid
* IRAN AIR: Timetables
* EVENTS: Columbia Caspian Project, New York
* MUSIC: Googoosh, "Gonjeshk-haaye khooneh"
* QUOTE UNQUOTE: Nothing is scared

A NOTE TO YOU

Dear friend

This is the first issue of THE IRANIAN TIMES on the web. The idea is to make it more user-friendly and attractive. The web address for the TIMES will be different every week and will only be made available to subscribers.

For those who the prefer email text version, you have nothing to worry about. You will continue to get the text version but also have the choice to go to the provided link and look at the TIMES on the web. I hope you like it.

Your suggestions are welcome and, encouraged.

All the best

Jahanshah Javid
jj@iranian.com

(Back to index)

TEHRAN SUMMIT

* Contrasting faces of Iran launch Islamic Summit... Los Angeles Times: TEHRAN--Ayatollah Ali Khamenei assailed the United States and Israel on Tuesday as he opened the largest summit of foreign leaders ever held here, accusing American "arrogance" and the "global Zionist media" of a full-scale assault against Islam. But the tirade by Iran's supreme leader received only polite applause, and its fiery tone contrasted sharply with a later speech by Mohammad Khatami, the new face of Iranian politics, who surged into this nation's presidency six months ago on a tidal wave of electoral sentiment for greater moderation.

* Absence of thought... IRNA: President Khatami's speech at Tehran Summit: Civilizations continue to live as long as they possess the capacity to respond to the ever-renewing questions and the ever-changing needs of man, otherwise they are doomed to demise. As such, civilization, as a human affair, is subject to birth, development and demise. The questions and needs of man in our time are in many ways different from those of our predecessors. Our passivity in recent centuries in the face of the Western civilization - which is itself a natural response to the quest of the Western man - is due to the fact that for various reasons we have ceased to ask. The absence of question leads to the absence of thought, which in turn leads to inevitable passivity and subjugation...

* Tehran Islamic Summit website
* Summit news, photos, video clips... From IRNA

(Back to index)

FEATURE

* Soroush tests freedom's limits... Reuters: Iranian philosopher Abdolkarim Soroush is testing the limits of freedom of expression in the Islamic republic by declaring that no one, including the ruling Muslim clergy, should be above criticism or the law. ``There is no single God-given shape for Islamic government. You can have many other forms,'' he said, challenging what he called one of Iran's many taboos just as Muslim leaders arrived in Tehran for an Islamic Conference summit.

* Ecstasy in Iran, agony for its clerics... The Christian Science Monitor: The soccer jubilation brought a brief but unstoppable disregard of tough Islamic restrictions on public behavior - restrictions that are often flouted in private. Men and women openly danced in the streets, and some women removed their mandatory head scarves and let their hair down. "If I was a conservative cleric, I'd be quaking in my shoes, because the security forces lost control of [the capital] Tehran for five hours," says a senior Western diplomat....

* Want to undermine the mullahs? Lift sanctions ... Business Week: Until now, Washington has used the blunt instrument of unilateral sanctions to deal with the tough-talking mullahs who run Iran. The assumption is that by depriving Iran of access to U.S. technology and capital and by sanctioning foreign companies who deal with Tehran, Uncle Sam can make the regime's hotheads think twice, say, about buying long-range missiles from North Korea. But there's a better way to deal a body blow to Iran's tired revolutionaries. Instead of tightening sanctions, Washington should consider removing them...

(Back to index)

NEWS

* U.S. (louder) call for dialogue with Iran... Reuters: Although Washington has often branded Iran as a sponsor of state terrorism and an ``outlaw regime,'' State Department deputy spokesman James Foley seemed to extend an olive branch to Tehran, telling reporters Tuesday, ``we are not seeking to change the nature of the Iranian regime.'' His comments were the latest in a series of cautious public overtures underscoring a willingness to consider reengaging with a country the United States has worked to isolate for nearly 20 years.

* UN chief takes human rights plea to Tehran... Reuters: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday marked world human rights day with an appeal in Tehran for tolerance. The U.N. chief, visiting Iran for a summit conference of the world's Islamic states, told 500 government officials, professors and students at Tehran University: "One cannot pick and choose among human rights, ignoring some while insisting on others. Only as rights equally applied can they be rights universally accepted. ``Nor can they be applied selectively or relatively, or as a weapon with which to punish others.''

(Back to index)

HAMSHAHRI

* Women Majlis deputies: Islamic Summit should debate Women's rights
* Government declared schools and universities closed for a whole week during Islamic Summit

(Back to index)

SPORTS

* Goaaaaaaal!... If you missed them, you can watch Iran's goals against Australia at Zal's soccer page.

* Iran politics won't affect match with U.S.... Reuters

* U.S. congrats Iranian team... U.S. State Department

* World Cup 98 tickets

Sportestan webmaster Hooshyar Naraghi has set up a
sign-up form for soccer fans who want to go to
World Cup 98 in France 98. We are looking for those
who are desparately looking for a full-package deal
and that they are ready to purchase their package.

Regards,

Hooshyar F. Naraghi
Sportestan Publishing (USA)
ish@sportestan.com
Tel: 650-473-9792

(Back to index)

SLIGHTYLY BIASED

Iran will win World Cup 98

CNN's sports site has put up an online poll asking viewers "Who do you think will win" World Cup 98? When you vote for a country, you can see the list of countries which have received the most votes. These were the top ten countries with the most votes on Saturday, Dec 6:

I - Iran: 22,776 votes (41.39%), 2- France: 10,680, 3- Saudia Arabia: 4,541 votes (8.25%), 4- Argentina: 2,463 (4.48%), 5- Yugoslavia: 1,790 votes (3.25%), 6- USA: 1,629 votes (2.96%), 7- Spain: 1,610 votes (2.93%), 8- Colombia: 1,276 votes (2.32%), 9- Brazil: 1,192 votes (2.17%), 10- Japan: 1,065 votes (1.94%).

Do you want to vote too? Go to CNNSI

(Back to index)

THE WEB

* Tehran TV! From: Anoosh Hosseini, Global Publishing Group <anoosh@simorgh.gpg.com>: Tehran TV live online... Don't know how long the feed will continue. But for now it's at: //www.gpg.com/radio/irnatv.ram

* Azadegan... Banned books in Persian.

* OMID.COM: Iraj Gorgin's Omid online magazine is updated regularly. Take a look at these latest goodies:

- Interview with Dariush Mehrjooi about his trilogy on women: SARA, PARI and BANOO.
- Listen or watch to Simin Behbahani, Forough Farokhzad, Mehdi Akhavan Saales, Siavosh Kasrai, Nader Naderpour, reading their poetries, on radio or tv, (Real Audio or Video).
- Two interviews with Saeedi Sirjani from 1990 and 1992.
- The latest in the Dasstaan-e Shab series is "The Silence of the Sea" famous French novel about the French Resistance in five parts.
- And of course you can listen to Radio Omid news, with daily updates.

(Back to index)

IRAN AIR

Timetables

From: Payman Arabshahi <payman@jamshid.neda.com>

Up-to-date Iran Air timetables for all domestic and foreign destinations are now available online. Go to OAG Online. "For years, the world's busiest business travelers have turned to OAG as their authoritative source for airline, airport, flight schedule and destination information. Now, you can join them."

(Back to index)

EVENTS

Columbia Caspian Project, New York

The directors of the Columbia Caspian Project in New York have issued an invitation to all Gulf/2000 members, as Columbia affiliates, to attend the conference on December 11-12 free. The conference is described below. If you would like to register for your free attendance badge, please send an email to Alidad Mafinezam, the conference coordinator, at <am514@columbia.edu>and he will register you. This is a must for anyone interested in Caspina issues. Please note that this very generous invitation includes meals as well.

Splendeurs Persanes, in France

From: Franklin D. Lewis <flewis@emory.edu>

An exhibition called "Splendeurs Persanes" is being held in the National Library of France at Richelieu (27 November till March 1st 1998). The manuscripts on display are from the collection held at the National Library of France and are being exhibited to the public for the first time ; among them there are some rare books such as " Jam'e al Tavarikh written for the library of Bai Sonqor Mirza in the year 840 H.Q. " or "M'i raj Namah Shahrokh be khate Abdoljabbar" written in the years 1029-1034 H.Q.

Mehrjui's "Pari", in berkeley

"Pari" -- Dariush Mehrjui's latest film -- will be screened at the Geroge Gund Theater (Berkeley Museum of Art) in Berkeley, California on Monday, December 15th. Show times: 7 & 9 pm. Address: 2625 Durant Ave. For more information, call 510-888-2226.

(Back to index)

MUSIC

* Googoosh, "Gonjeshk-haaye khooneh"

Greatest pop CDs ON SALE!

(Back to index)

QUOTE UNQUOTE

Nothing is scared

Nothing is sacred in human society. All of us are fallible human beings. Though religion itself is sacred, its interpretation is not sacred and therefore it is criticizable, modifiable, refinable, redefinable.

Abdolkarim Soroush
Interview with Reuters in Tehran
Dec 8, 1997

(Back to index)

---