SOLIDARITY

Be a Man/ We are all Majid Tavakoli SURVEY

Dear friends,

If you have a few moments, please respond to the below questionnaire
about the online image campaign in response to Majid Tavakoli's arrest
last December. It is part of a final project for a course, and will
eventually feed into my dissertation project.

Please send completed questionnaires directly to me (shadee.malaklou@gmail.com) by the end of the month (2/28/2010). Similarly, should you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Many thanks,

M. Shadee Malaklou
PhD Program in Culture and Theory
University of California at Irvine

---------------------------------------------

Thank you for participating in the below questionnaire. Many of the
questions may seem mundane, but it is important that you answer them
thoroughly. The more detailed your answer, the better!

1. When did you decide to participate in the “Be a Man”/ “We are all
Majid Tavakoli” campaign? How did you find out about the image
campaign?
2. What do you think is the ultimate goal of this campaign?
3. Where did you get the veil that you use in your Facebook/ Twitter photo?
4. Whose veil did you use? Did you borrow a friend’s veil, or did you have to buy one?
5. How did you learn to wear the veil in your photo?
6. Who took the photo?
7. Did you take a lot of photographs until you got it “right”? What was “right”?
8. Are there different ways to wear the veil? If so, which one did you choose?
9. Do you know of any gay men who participated in the “Be a Man”/ “We are all Majid Tavakoli” campaign?
10. Do you know of any women who participated in the “Be a Man”/ “We are all Majid Tavakoli” campaign?

Read this and tell the other..

Dear marlboroj, your point is valid in general but not quite

applicable to the Iranian dilemma anymore. The world attention is great and welcome wherever we can get it but this is a battle for Iranians to win as the world has stood by for too long and not just in case of Iran.

Neda, helped get world's attention for sure but we have had dozens of individual heros before her since the inception of the IRR (islamic rapist republic) and even long before that, and quite a few since her tragic death. What is happening now is the gelling of the Iranian masses into a centrifugal force that'll devour this regime and finally get us to where we started to demand more than a 100 years ago. No guarantees but this is the Iranian nation waking up from a very bad nightmare and awakening.  'be a man' is a manifestation of that. It is the growing recognition that we all need to play a role, as small as it may be. It helps the religious Irani put hand in hand with monarchist, socialist, and atheist in unified opposition to IRR and the very foundation of islamic regime. 'be a man' campaign also acknowledges that women lead this movement, and we the Iranian men will follow and support them. Perhaps with a little bit of guilt mixed in for allowing a subhuman regime treat them the way it has.

And Majid T. is one in a series that will give us reason and motivation to find more creative ways to form snow crystals that sooner or later will become an avalanche.

OKtaby

I certainly respect your

I certainly respect your wish to empathize with other protesters, but I don't think you're looking at this situation correctly. In fact, I think you're falling into the trap of your rulers. Let me explain why.

It was a powerful ruler that once said, The death of a single individual is a great tragedy, the deaths of millions, merely a statistic. He was a very smart but evil man. He understood that the narrative of an individual martyr can resonate with all people, A single individual puts a face on the struggle of the group and gives all members of that group a common reference point to interpret and to fight for. As a member of that group, a single person experiences the sea of humanity as a very abstract, distant concept but seeing another individual just like him (or her) puts the struggle at a very concrete, tangible level. This man understood that individual heroes were very dangerous, destabilizing creatures.

We saw this phenomenon in the protests after the rigged election in the summer. Scores upon scores of protesters were shot on the streets, but it was the video of a single beautiful girl gasping her last breaths that riveted the world's attention. Your struggle had been distilled into a single face, a single tragedy, which everyone could identify with. Her public mourning and her image are still with us to this day.

Or if I can be more blunt and cynical and think like your political leaders, the deaths of hundreds of protesters in the streets were merely a sewage problem, but with the death of this single girl your leaders knew they had something far worse-- they had an image problem.

I mean in no way to denigrate all the other sacrifices made by all the other protesters and I mean to show you no disrespect, but sometimes when people stage a revolution, individuals are necessary for the cause because no matter how advanced man becomes, he still longs for an hero.

I think your cause is just and none of the sacrifices made by the rest can be forgotten by the world. My prayers are with you all.

marlboroj

Divaneh

من مست و تو دیوانه، ما را که برد خانه؟ هه بده

Bot Shekan

We are all waiting for your solution.

Khalid x is a BAT

Khalid x, with your comments you have shown your inferior intellect and your lack of understanding, care, and respect for others. Your attempt to get involved in this blog, is like a bat who tries to sing with doves. It can only create a few nasty squicks and the doves don’t take it serious neither, because they know that a bat is a blind, upside down creature who lives in dark.

بابا دیگه شورشو در آوردینا

ما ایرونیا همه کارامون افراط و تفریط هست. اگه این همه مرد ایرونی‌ یه جو غیرت داشتن نمیگزاشتند زناشون به این روز بیفتن که مجبور شن لچک سرشون کنن تا از یه مرد دیگه دفاع کنن.

Re: khalid x's comment on A chance for some men to show their...

There's nothing wrong with being gay just so you know, and I'm speaking as an Iranian person who is gay. Nor is there anything wrong with wearing clothes of the opposite gender.

شعري از هادي خرسندي

شعري از هادي خرسندي

ما غرق امیدیم - ما پیک نویدیم
در حمله به دشمن - مردان رشیدیم
با پوشش تازه - زن های جدیدیم
ما جمله مجیدیم !

ما مرد جوانیم - همشکل زنانیم ....

ما غرق امیدیم - ما پیک نویدیم
در حمله به دشمن - مردان رشیدیم
با پوشش تازه - زن های جدیدیم
ما جمله مجیدیم !

ما مرد جوانیم - همشکل زنانیم
در جنبش ملی - سبز از دل و جانیم
هرگز نشود کج - راهی که گزیدیم
ما جمله مجیدیم !

ما اوج غروریم - برنا و جسوریم
در جنگ و ستیزه - با دولت زوریم
بیزار و فراری - زین جمع پلیدیم
ما جمله مجیدیم !

ما مقنعه پوشیم - در جوش و خروشیم
با یک یک زن ها - ما دوش به دوشیم
از آنچه کشیدند - یکخرده کشیدیم
ما جمله مجیدیم !

ما یک دل و یک جان - از فتنه گریزان
همفکر و همآواز - با دختر ایران
آزادی خود را - فریاد کشیدیم
ما جمله مجیدیم !

فردا که بیاید - این وضع نپاید
آزادی از این پس - در بند نباید
پس قفل طرف را - چون شاه کلیدیم
ما جمله مجیدیم !

It would be great

if a campaign like this is launched to get the images of one million Iranian men in support of Iranian women and their struggle against compulsory hijab.

A chance for some men to show their Gay Side...me thinks!

Why dont u go further and start having some gay sex to prove that there are homosexuals in Iran? This way u can piss off ahmedinejad and fulfill ur gay fantacies with a patriotic excuse loool.

This is to all of you

and some made it to this clip...

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=evS_j4CSkX8 

OKtaby

Majid Tavakolli is one of

Majid Tavakolli is one of the many students who were arrested during the National Student Day protest.  While we must campaign for the freedom of Majid Tavakolli we cannot forget all the other students who were also arrested on that day and probably facing the same faith as Mr. Tavakolli.

 I hope that we can campaign for as many students as possible rathern than making a hero out of one and forgetting about the rest. 

Sayeh Hassan

www.shiro-khorshid-forever.blogspot.com 

Very kind of you.......

  Rendd,

Thank you for your kindness.

Always wishing you the best!

YAY JJ! iranian.com on BBC!

Fantastic you guys!

Robert, you still Rock!

No matter how pink your head cover is :o)

.......

 Hi! Rennd,

          Thank you for your super kindness from the bottom of my heart!!!! You have a big heart and so do a lot of nice people here!!!!

Thank you and God bless your heart!!!!!
I hope you have a lot of blessings both in heaven and on the earth!!!

Delaram Banafsheh (Yolanda)

"Cactus in the Desert"

Natalia and Yolanda,

Not anyone who speaks Persian and writes in Persian is a Persian. The Persian culture is diverse and owes its existance to other cultures, since Iran has been on the crossroad of the world.

A wise Iranian reader on this site might leave room for other non-Iranians to contribute since people who come across this on-line magazine are often came with a pervious contact with Iranian culture through marital, professional or academic means.

Just wanted to let you know all Iranians are not as harsh has some with respect to non-Iranians.

Take care! 

News on BBC

BBC: Hundreds of men have posted photos of themselves wearing Islamic headscarves as part of the "Be a man" campaign to show solidarity with Majid Tavakoli. One US-based website for Iranian expatriates, iranian.com, has posted scores of photos submitted by readers >>> full text
//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8409778.stm

Pablo Neruda:

"You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring  from coming."

„Podrán cortar todas las flores, pero no podrán detener la primavera."

"Unsere Feinde können alle Blumen abschneiden, aber niemals werden sie den Frühling beherrschen"

Be a man

sure! daste on nazem beshkaneh ama hamatoon nafari ye to gooshi ham babat aastin bala zadan moghe vollyball be khodetoon bezanid!! 

There is another side to this

Not only are we supporting Majid Tavakkoli, I am supporting our Iranian women who have suffered wearing Hijab and have shown that in many ways they are worth twice our men when it comes to Human rights issues in Iran. Besides we have provided imperical evidence that it is our women who are the good looking part of our race!

Try to be sensitive

There are transsexual men and transvestites out there in Iran who yearn to be treated like women. This blog can hurt their feelings:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1E94v_pYXA

Thank God they are men! Otherwise no men would marry them!

AGAR NAH HAMATOON TORSH MIZADIN!

It is interesting........

to see on this web site what is and is not seen as a good demonstration of solidarity with those struggling to change things in Iran.

a couple Q's and comments

MasoudA: If (and ONLY if!)  you are referring to the discussions on women's rights...nobody is 'missing the point'. I like to think we can make a point AND debate related issues without losing sight of 'the point'. If on the other hand you were referring to something else, my apologie.

Arthimis: Can I ask what your previous ID was? JJ knows for sure and I doubt if you have reason to withold it from the rest of us. Thanks.

Marge: You know I love you Sister ;)

To Yolanda and his/her likes...

This beloved site is called IRANIAN.com for a specific reason; chill out a bit before crying foul for abusive language.

U are my man Majid!

I am proud to be Iranian because Majid Tavakolli is an Iraninan. He is my hero and I just hope/wish/ pray he is safe from the horrible tortures in Islamic prisons.

This must be one of the best campaigns on IC

Who came up with the idea Naneh?