I was there

President Ahmadinejad starts and I lean back on my chair, listening to the well-practiced speech


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I was there
by Negar Mortazavi
26-Sep-2007
 

NEW YORK -- It's the day after President Ahmadinejad's speech at Columbia University… I’ve had a hard time going to sleep last night.

I was just at the United Nations General Assembly meeting. President Ahmadinejad was the 6th speaker of the afternoon session. He followed the president of Argentina who contributed a good part of his speech condemning Iran on the famous Argentinian terrorist case, asking the international community to adress this issue and handle it differently! He used the phrase "la República Islámica de Irán" many times towards the end of his speech, just a few minutes before president Ahmadinjead was about to start. I start feeling a bit self-conscious...

Since he arrived with his team to the "Islamic Republic of Iran" desk on the main floor, delegates were coming up to him with personal cameras and asking to take pictures with him, men and women, from Southern as well as Northern countries. About half hour before Ahmadinejad's speech, the balcony where I was sitting started filling up with people, of all ages and nationalities, of different statuses shown on their colored UN passes, of the UN staff and the external press; people were trying to get as close to the front as possible.

As I was observing from above, he received more greetings at his desk that made him get up and shake hands than any other delegates. During all this process, people on the balconies were taking pictures! on their mobiles, on personal cameras (there were no photojournalists allowed). There was this one little Vietnamese lady next to me who kept filming his every single move with her home video camera. I also overhear a couple of people asking: What time is Iran??

Finally; the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran is invited to address the General Assembly. And as my entire balcony is trying to set their translation devices to the correct channel, I catch myself for a second, while proudly putting down my translation device, as if at this very moment, I have something that every other person on this floor is wishing to have? Aaah... I speak Farsi! And then I realize that I am feeling very comfortable in this environment, even though I am not surrounded with a group of my friends as I was at Columbia University the day before, and even though my identity is very clear to everyone on this balcony: I'm the only dark-haired girl who is not using her translation device.

President Ahmadinejad starts and I lean back on my chair, listening to the well-practiced speech in Farsi, observing my surroundings. I catch a few "surprised" looks every now and then, staring at my ear and suddenly following the wire from my chair to the floor where the translator is. As the speech goes further and the points get more detailed, I realize that I am pre-planning my facial expression at the end of his every sentence... Now I'm starting to wonder: what is he going to say next? (it’s good) next? (still good) next? ...

The speech was fairly strong, well written. It was general enough to not address every detail, yet it was smartly -and somehow politely - turning the finger back at the "Great Powers" of the world, for a group of different reasons; these "Great Powers" however, were never named – in the very Persian manner.

The speech is getting to the end, the phrase "My Nation" come up frequently which makes me a bit uncomfortable first, but as it sits together with "Civilization” and “Culture" and "Peace" and "Love for the human kind" I start getting a new feeling: the human part of my soul is taking over my brain, and my eyes are getting wet.

As the speech ends – too religious for my test, but on a fairly good note – I keep feeling like something is missing... nobody was booing President Ahmadinejad.


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more from Negar Mortazavi
 
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Khak bar Sarat Negar

by Irooni (not verified) on

Khak bar Sarat Negar


Mehdi

Some people hate peace

by Mehdi on

Anything that even vaguely resembles peace terrorize them. Hatred and calls to violence is the only agenda on their mind. They are unable to conceive the notion that an individual could have a desire for a collected peaceful nation - that an individual could, deep within her/his heart, try to take pride in the smallest occasions where pride is warrantred. This was a wonderful piece of writing, from the writer's heart, without the misemotions displayed by some of the people making such hatred-filled comments. If they had not been so over-the-edge, they may have been able to actually make a point somewhere - maybe.


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Tolerance?

by Shervan (not verified) on

We have confrontations in our daily lives. However, little do we think about the end result and what we are hoping to get from these confrontations. In this case, I ask those who have insulted Negar this question: "What are you hoping to gain and would you like to be treated the same?"

If you read more carefully, the article is about Negar, not Ahmadinejad. She was brave enough to share her true feelings publicly with all honesty. There is no statements pertaining to regime propaganda, bashing, outright support etc.

Tolerance is the key here and looking at things from different perspectives. If you lack the mental capacity and are not a deep thinker, please try not to attack a person (for his writings) so passionately and harshly. This way we can have civilized "dialogues" (please look up the meaning of this word) even with the extremists, conservatives, liberals va gheireh.

Thank you Negar


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Negar's observation

by Farhang Mubarraka Abrishami (not verified) on

Unlike other nationalities who have fled their countries or migrated due to a dictatorial regime in power in their home countries, the Iranians it seems are two faced and would like to enjoy the best in both the worlds. ( except the few honest ones who see the truth ). Any blind person should know the atrocities that have been committed and are being committed in the Islamic Republic. And this clown of an Ahmadinejad on display at the UN and Columbus university lying about what is going on in Iran should be a disgrace to all the Iranians abroad. Homosexuality is rife in the seminaries in Qom, Mashad, Tabriz, etc. Women are being arrested on the streets of Tehran and other cities for the simple reason that one strand of hair is showing. The whole economy is in the hands of the cronies of the Mullahs. Prostitution is wholesale and increasing. Corruption is widespread alongwith inflation, unemployment. Only the Allah of the Mullahs know where the oil money is going. And you have Iranians in New York whole heartedly supporting this vile figure representing an even viler regime. It is a shame.
No wonder more than twenty million people have made a pilgrimage to the well in Jamkaran from the depths of which good old Iman e zaman is supposed to squirrel his way out and save the world.
Farhang


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Regarding Ahmadinejad, his speach and his interview

by Azadeh (not verified) on

I think it is a dire shame that Israel and the nuclear dossier in Iran are becoming commercial topics for political purposes. The current regime in Iran has played these two topics off quite perfectly at the international scene, deviating attention away from the immensely difficult political and economic turmoil inside the country. Too many silly questions were asked taking attention away from the people in Iran who matter most!! Why were no questions asked about student protests and political activists in prison, the position of women, the extremely difficult economic situation and extreme poverty, and how this regime is sustaining all this. I find it shameful that a sovereign nations past, Israel, is being used internationally to take away attention from the themes that are extremely topical inside of Iran. Domestically the country is about to explode, and no one is paying attention to that, including media with an international footprint. US questions were SILLY.


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Response to Sickened I

by Ali (not verified) on

Response to Sickened

I totally agree with you. Negar and her company of friends are faggots who sell pride to the poor Iranians whenever they travel back home and when they are in the US, they show a great amount of stupidity and deceit by supporting the IRI. Negar and her shameful friends are notorious at MIT Iranian studies group. Check out their website. They are the reason why IRI is still in power.


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To Ali: It's sickening that

by sickened (not verified) on

To Ali:

It's sickening that these people are allowed to live here in the US and deceive the American useful idiots of the left. Shame on you Negar. You're a thief and may you and your ilk be brought to justice someday, if there is a God.


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Great piece

by Nazanin (not verified) on

Nice work!


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che ajab ye basavad inja

by Anonymous12 (not verified) on

che ajab ye basavad inja payda shod!!


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savad nadari harf nazan

by Anonymous12 (not verified) on

savad nadari harf nazan


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I know this girl Negar. She

by Ali (not verified) on

I know this girl Negar. She is affiliated with extremist Pro-IRI Iranians at MIT. The only thing they do is ripping benefits from the american society like petty leaches and closing their eyes to the everyday sufferings of Iranians

Fuck all of them


David ET

impressed with lip service?

by David ET on

Ahmadinejad with such human rights and civil rights violations record has no moral authority to question others.

As if Saddam or Hitler would be discussing the right of others while they were responsible for human right violations. It is like a thief giving speech about honsety.

How can anyone get impressed with the propoganda and lip service of one like ahmadinejad is beyond me!  

 


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omg

by sam (not verified) on

How can you possibly write something like this?
It is actually people like you that have taken Iran into such mess, full of hatred and intolerance for others point of views. Civilization is by excellence mutual understanding and respect toward each other, which you don't show at all in your comment.
I wonder what your next step would be if you had the power, public hanging of the writer???
peace upon you man, cause you really need it I'm afraid.


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a very well written piece!!

by Anonymous-v (not verified) on

a very well written piece!!

It seems to me that only an "IR thug" was the one who dares to stand up to the "arrogant powers". while arab dictators are loved by the western world.


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TO: Why bother

by YO (not verified) on

Exactly. The guys from Alabama can leave whatever comments he wants. I responded to him. Guess what? My comments were censored. The Alabama hick's comments with his x-rated call-sign are still there! What's up, JJ?! Are you going to make a comment or hide behind your coke-bottle glasses you chooch?!!!!! YEAH, YOU!

MOGHOR BIYA! EXPLAIN...!


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JJ, take out all the comments....

by Why bother (not verified) on

JJ,
Please take out the comment section from this site. This grotesque display of sub-human behavior is disgusting. Look at how the people behave....Bee Aberoo, Bee tarbiat, Talabkar, and violent. Anonymity leads to irresponsible behavior.


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what is wrong all you people?!

by AnonymousNow (not verified) on

I couldn't believe my eyes as i was reading all these comments, full of hatred full of ignorance. what is written above is just an observation. nobody has the right to insult the writer with stupid words like those by double-edged-the-writer-of-the-comment.
what would have possibly satisfied you?! ha? a text full of hatred like what you really are?
who do you think you are? who lets you decided how other people's observations should be? why can't you simply accept that this was an observation merely made by an Iranian who was present at that meeting? you would like everybody to be full of **** as you are. you like everybody to be as angry as you are just to justify your weakness to observe things in an unbiased manner. why do you read articles on the internet at all? just go to a chatroom and pump your hatred there. or see a shrink, really. you're sick. you are hungry for hatred, for anger, for blindness. you fundamentalists. worse than many fundamentalists in the world. you haven't even learned how to be polite. you put all your anger in your comments. you deserve everything you have commented here. i don't know about your social status but, to a reader, you are a bunch of ignorant, crazy stupid people who are so full of shit that believe things should be either white or black. you have no tolernace, no nothing.
if it helps you calm your anger you can either bang your head a few times on the wall or continue posting rude comments on this thread.
J.S


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Persian or Farsi?

by Sohrab Shahsavan (not verified) on

Persian is from the word Persis (Greek for Pars) and Parsaya (Assyrian for Pars). The use of Persian instead of Farsi is the same as : Greek instead of Hellas, German instead of Deutch, French instead of Francaise, chinese instead of god knows what...
And in PERSIAN we say AlmAni & not German, Younani and not Hellas.

So please start correcting your own language before trying to wrong a correct by using Farsi instead of Persian. Also what are you going to call Persian Gulf? Farsi Gulf?


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You are very articulate

by Captain-wonderful (not verified) on

It seems that you are not much different from the people that you seem to despise, as your language shows your root are very deep and civilized.
Comparing IR with your beloved US, some idiot blow up a building and US kills or its action results in the death of over 2 million Afghan and Iraqis. So when the mullahs kill their enemies because they have killed their president, prime minister and all the parliament thats not much difference. Now what US would have done if this was done to them? They would have blown the whole Middle East up with atomic weapon. So not cheering for your boss or IR mullhs the dead on both sides are booing one eyed idoit like you!
PS. Do not bother to reply because I don't give a S@@@t.
Have nice day


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From the Author

by Negar Mortazavi on

Salam everyone,

I just realized that there a comments section here as well, and the comments are... quite surprising.

Oh well, thank you all for taking the time to comment.

I just wanted to elaborate that this was meant to be my "observation" of an incident and it's human impacts on my emotions. I'm trying to portray a picture that any one of you could be in. It's nothing analytical.

Negar


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The Boos Of The Dead

by Hasan (not verified) on

Negar joon, please take your head out of your ass. No one was booing your president?

Perhaps if you listen closely you will hear the boos coming from the dead. Those that were killed by Ahmadinejad as an interrogator in Evin.

It is because of Iranians like you that the vast majority continue to suffer.

now please go and kill yourself, khalas kon azizam, you are a piece of trash


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sickening number of IR supporters

by Amazed (not verified) on

I'm astounded by the number of supporters that endorse this criminal and corrupt regime. Simply amazing...The IRI is keeping you well supplied from its spoils-trough, eh? How appalling and morally bankrupt and unethical can you get to support such a murderous and ruinous regime...

The man was an executioner and a torturer in Evin prison and is wanted in Europe for being involved in series of assassinations including the Kurdish-Iranian leader. He is a low life thug and represents other corrupt low life thugs that are descending Iran into its final destruction. Wake up people.

//www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/article.php?...

//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4653513.stm

The Islamic Republic is not a sovereign nation, period. It's a client state of China, Russia, and the EU moftkhors. It's a puppet of serveral nations instead of only one during the Shah's time.

It's governance doesn't represent and reinforce the true will of the people, who are the true source of all sovereignty, and the only legitimating base for any state.

In a country where the government cannot, yet, publicly account for the serial killings of the most prominent intellectuals and writers; in a country where thousands of political prisoners have vanished without any culpability (massacring dissidents); in a country where the government manifestly lacks any accountability for its methods and means when it comes to providing for its people (except when it comes to pursuing, terrorizing and killing dissidents); in a resourceful country that almost half of the population lives in poverty, in a country where the future generation of Iranians are going to be left destitude because of massive corruption and thievary of its ruling class, the government that has thus thoroughly proven its incompetence in governance has no right to demand respect. It has not earned it.

Shame on all of you IR supporters. You don't have the interest of Iran or Iranians at heart; only lining your pockets and getting a free ride from IRI. Disgusting.


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Petty Mozddors

by Anti-Mullahs (not verified) on

The Mozdoors of Iranian.com are limited to an ex-pasdar, Brother Javid, with an ex-veiled wife, plus a bunch of the false opposition who are the miseable pawns of Mullahs in power or in faction--from Khatami to Khamenei.

We see the articles and materials appearing, highliting, and outstanding on the site to mainly divert Iranians from essential ills of our nation. The site smartly spreads confusion about the the origin of these ills if the IRI is not the only origin.

For Iranians from any social class, ethnic groups, and political caliber and tedecy, the IRI is an anti-Iranian regime. It is the main enemy, remaining from the relics of early Islamic invaders.

However the site and its Mozddors are now in a free fall of disgrace, they are a small minority therefore tactically hide themselves behind a bogus nationalistic demagogy.

The site must be asked for its dubtful ties with the IRI unless its top player, pasdar Javid, comes up to eend the game beyond his "Nothing is sacred" taking an editorial postion on his past and present views on the IRI.


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Thank you Negar

by bee (not verified) on

Thank you Negar, for your insightful report of an event which many of us would have liked to partake in. You are right, we do feel proud, even if for a fleeting moment, and even if by no means other than not wearing a headset. It is good, for once, for everyone else to have to take the extra step so that they can become like us.

As for some of the posts on this forum, I can only marvel at the boundless ignorance of some. Perhaps if the webmasters change the math question below from an addition to a division, we will lose many of these spammers.

b.


Q

Beautiful Negar

by Q on

You're a good writer, capturing the atmosphere and expressing your true feelings. You should write more. Thanks.


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God Bless Americans

by God Bless Americans (not verified) on

god bless Americans for popping up on Iranian.com every once in a while... like a little mosquito that buzzes in your ear...

p.s. since you brought up "pumping", rest assured that with the millions of Iranis living in the US of A over the past couple of decades, many more Americans have been "pumped" by bache-Iroonis than you could ever imagine ;-)


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Give the IRI supporters free reign

by good (not verified) on

To Anti-mullah: Actually it's great that we see where they stand, how many there are. we have it documented. Let them come out and expose themselves.


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Mozdoor

by Anti-Mullahs (not verified) on

This site posts or manipulates only pro-Mullahs materials.
Iranians should know and ban this site and its IRI's mozdoors.
I wonder who bihind the curtain pull Mr. Javid's string.


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Shameless Aghazadeh Islamist terrorist

by Appalled (not verified) on

To anonymousx: I will not sink to your level. This kind of language is emblematic of all self-rightous Islamist thugs, however, it's better for you to see the writings on the wall. Your days of plundering and raping the Iranian Nation is numbered.


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Your President

by ashkan (not verified) on

to me your president is just a jerk, a little dictator, he tries to fool others as akhonds always do.
have a good support of him

Ashi


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