Archive - Oct 16, 2007 - Article

Asieh’s eyes

When the Islamic Republic of Iran assured the western countries that stoning was not practiced anymore, Asieh Amini dared to defy the state by writing about the covert stoning of two people, Mahboubeh M. and Abbas H., for adultery in Mashhad, in 2006. This courageous act of defiance eventually led to launch of the Stop Stoning Forever campaign which has gained international attention and saved the lives of 4 people and halted the stoning of another 10. Asieh, a main organizer of the campaign, has identified, documented, and closely followed up many of the stoning cases; she is even providing shelter for one of them after her release from prison>>>

Guilty pleasures

There is something borderline sexual about the dark, velvety smooth, rich and sweet characteristics of one of the most ancient and well known foods in history. The sinful dark master that preys on unsuspecting individuals, intoxicating them and releasing it potency into the blood stream. Inflicting incurable addictions on its victims and imposing an infinite quest for the ultimate ‘Cocoa’ fix>>>

It all depends

A few days ago I was in an Arab coffee-shop. I was drinking tea, which is a common practise of Muslim countries, while listening to what the Arab men were discussing. I also heard one woman, I guess, but all I could see were men. They were seated, smoking, drinking tea, while watching Al Jazeera on a TV set mounted on top of the right corner of the room. I could not understand anything but some of the words, spoken by the Arab public, or said by the Al Jazeera presenter. I thought about joking about what the Arabs, and Middle-Easterners (including Iranians), usually talk about when they get together>>>