Date

ASHURA

Defining moment

Islam vs. Iran's 'Islamic Republic'

by Mehdi Khalaji
18-Dec-2009 (5 comments)
A new opportunity is now emerging for the "Green Movement" in Iran to demonstrate opposition to the Islamic Republic and the manipulated presidential election results earlier this year. Friday, December 18, marks the beginning of the months of Muharram and Safar in the Islamic lunar calendar. For the regime in Tehran, gaining control of the streets has become gradually more difficult since the Green Movement turned all officially sanctioned political ceremonies into opportunities to wage protests against the Islamic Republic. The coming two months, however, represent the first time that a religious opportunity has come up>>>

REMEMBERED

All eyes on Neda

In a world dominated by Ayatollahs, Blairs and Saddams, we should remember Neda, surely, for her happy, smiling face

by Peyvand Khorsandi
18-Dec-2009 (one comment)
Neda Agha-Soltan’s death raised questions – obvious ones, such as how even a brutal regime could be so brutal. But others, too – how many of the hundreds of thousands who have watched her last moments did so more than once? Is it voyeurism? At what point does it become entertainment? And given that Ms Agha-Soltan signed no release form, is it right that footage of her death was posted on YouTube in the first place? Is it not enough to know that someone has been killed? Do we have to see it? >>>

KHOMEINI

پایه گذر نکبت

خمینی و ایده هایش

by freenet
18-Dec-2009 (8 comments)
او بانی ولایت فقیه بود. نظریه ای که مردم را از نظر عقلی ناقص و محتاج به داشتن ولی فقیه برای هدایت آنان چون هدایت گوسفندان بوسیله چوپان میبیند. او تا انجا مردم رو قبول داشت که بدون تفکر مستقل دنبالش برند و از او اطاعت کنند جمله معرف خمینی: اگر 35 میلیون بگن آره، من میگم نه شاهدی بر این ادعاست. خامنه‌ای وارث خلف خمینی هست. در واقع آنچه را که امروز بعنوان رژیم “جمهوری” اسلامی میشناسیم. این دیکتاتوری نظامی مذهبی چیزی جز تداوم طبیعی افکار ضد دمکراتیک؛ تمامیت خواهانه و قرون وسطایی “امام” راحل نیست>>>

RIGHTS

Not for sale

For some human rights has become a new business venture

by Fariba Amini
18-Dec-2009
When, more than ten years ago, we founded the Alliance for Defense of Human Rights in Iran (ADHRI) in Washington, D.C., after the serial murders of 1998, more than 20 people began attending the meetings. At the beginning, there were constructive discussions. The first event and demonstration in DC took place two decades after the Revolution sponsored by the Alliance. They were both timely and successful in drawing attention to the abuse of human rights in Iran. Until that time, everyone was scared or frightened to talk, let alone organize an event. But soon enough, like many other organizations, ADHR became political; each group trying to push their own agenda>>>

DINNER

The Party Nazi

Put the plate down immediately and nobody gets hurt. I said put the plate down!

by Hamid Taghavi
18-Dec-2009 (14 comments)
The other night Becky and I arrived at a large gathering of family and friends. Our generous guest, Mrs. Nicey had obviously spent a good deal of time meticulously preparing for this occasion, cleaning, cooking, and decorating. Her recently remodeled home was tastefully painted and painfully overfurnished with the usual suspectsin the mix, French, Qajar and modern American articles. As soon as we arrived Mrs. Nicey rushed to greet us. She looked rather frazzled though. It must have been the stress of all the hard work of arranging the perfect party. She shook hands and accepted the bottle of wine>>>

MOHARRAM

طرح‌های سرکوب

در آستانه ماه محرم

by Hossein Bagher Zadeh
16-Dec-2009 (3 comments)
به نظر می‌رسد که در واکنش به مقاومت مردم و جنبش سبز، حاکمیت طرح یک تصفیه بزرگ را در آستانه ماه محرم در دستور کار خود قرار داده است. تارنمای «کلمه» وابسته به آقای موسوی هشدار داده که «اتفاقی در پیش است» و زمزمه‌های دستگیری او و خاتمی و کروبی در روزهای اخیر شدت یافته است. ولی دامنه این تصفیه، اگر واقعیت داشته باشد، ظاهرا قرار نیست به آنان ختم شود و ممکن است حتا افرادی مانند هاشمی رفسنجانی را نیز در بر گیرد. تبلیغاتی که این روزها علیه رفسنجانی به راه افتاده می‌تواند به منظور زمینه‌سازی این امر صورت گرفته باشد>>>

POLITICS

Us against them

Iranian and Iranian-American attitudes towards Iranian politics

by kaspian
16-Dec-2009 (2 comments)
While I would agree that the regime has successfully transitioned from a hybrid authoritarian state to one that more closely resembles unmitigated totalitarianism, the regime remains inherently at odds with itself. The paradox of the state, its religious and republican elements, has ultimately hastened increased state fragmentation and lead to a crisis of identity. While the security apparatus of the state has undoubtedly expanded its grip on society, we are increasingly witness to fissures among elite politicians who disagree as to the best course forward>>>

VIEW

Obama's War and Peace

Empty promise to strengthen the dialogue side of diplomacy

by Ardeshir Ommani
16-Dec-2009 (4 comments)
No aggressor and occupying military force, such as the US-NATO armies in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan can justify and moralize its naked crimes against the peoples and institutions of those countries by labeling its barbarous acts of war and oppression as humanitarian and benevolent. The imperialist nature of the U.S. wars in the Middle East and South Asia region is the main reason that Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize speech on December 10 drew praises from such conservative and reactionary warmongers as former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich>>>

STORY

Dogs

He knew that he liked dogs a lot more than he liked dogs on leashes

by siamak vossoughi
16-Dec-2009
The boy had been in America for a year, but still every time he saw a dog being walked on a leash by his master, he thought, 'How do you stand for this? How come you don't rise up? Nobody deserves to be pulled around by a leash.' He would look at the dog and the dog wouldn't seem to care. But from his bed at night he would hear the neighborhood dogs barking and it seemed like they were calling for their freedom. He didn't know about this place, where tyranny was not as close at hand as it had been in Iran, but the tyranny that was there seemed to go unseen>>>

BOOK

زنِ ناشناس

از کتاب «کابوس»

by Mehran AS
16-Dec-2009 (one comment)
یکی از کارهای همیشگی من، همسرم و دخترم یکشنبه ها رفتن به کافه است. البته نه به هرکافه ای؛ بر سر جادۀ باریکی که از درون روستای کوچکی آغاز می شود و بطرف طبیعت ادامه می یابد، کافه ای قرار دارد که پاتوق همیشگی ماناست. مثل هر یکشنبه به آنجا رفتیم. من مشغول خوردن آبجو بودم و همسر و دخترم با یک خانم دیگر در حال گپ زدن که به ناگهان در کافه باز شد و زنی با زیبایی سحرانگیزی وارد گردید. صدای همهمه مشتریان به سکوت مبدل گشت و همه نگاه ها به زن ناشناس خیره شد>>>

POETRY

My Cosmic Tree
by Azadeh Azad
16-Dec-2009 (2 comments)
A twelve-year-old radiating heaven
I’m sitting high up in a huge walnut tree
standing in its glory in the midst of
Grandma’s orange orchard under
a roasting summer sun
on the shore of the
Caspian Sea >>>

IRAN-U.S.

To Live and Let Die

Perhaps it’s not surprising that Kermit the Frog’s stance on the Islamic Republic is tougher than Obama's

by Peyvand Khorsandi
14-Dec-2009 (2 comments)
Critics consider Obama a Muppet despite promises of a change from George Bush. In January Obama invited the Islamic Republic to “unclench its fist”, something it has so far has failed to do. This is despite the olive branch extended to Khamenei & Co in March – the president recorded a special message to mark the Iranian New Year. He said he “would like to speak directly to the people and leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran”. Naturally, we put him on hold. He’d ignored the crucial “us” and “them” divide in Iran, between the regime and the people>>>

VIEW

Iranians eat their young

Iranians always complain that the world doesn’t respect their greatness, yet they do everything to shoot each other down

by nathan.sugarman
14-Dec-2009 (34 comments)
I have always been fascinated with Iran. Even before I met my half Armenian, half Persian wife. And when I met her, I was hoping to get close to a country and culture I always have admired. Instead I discovered that my wife shuns her Persian family and relishes in her Armenian side. When asked why, her answer was simple: Iranians eat their young. Now you may think she was a racist or self-hater, but reality is more complicated>>>

REVIEW

What About Elly?

Too many things in this film do not make sense

by msabaye
13-Dec-2009 (8 comments)
I heard a lot about an Iranian film, About Elly, and I decided to watch it. This is the general plot as far as I could make it. The film is about three married couples who travel to northern Iran with their children. A young man named Ahmad and a young woman, called Elly, accompany the group on this trip. Ahmad is visiting Iran for a short time, and Elly works in a day care where Sepideh’s daughter attends. Sepideh has invited both Elly and Ahmad so that they meet and hopefully get married. Elly wants to go back home after a day as planned, but Sepideh prevents her from leaving. Shortly after, Elly disappears>>>

SEXUALITY

"دادن" و "گرفتن" به جای "کردن" و "شدن"

میزگرد بررسی رفتار جنسی ایرانیان

by shirindokht
13-Dec-2009 (6 comments)
در میزگردی که روز یکشنبه ششم دسامبر ۲۰۰۹ در شهر ریچموند ایالت کالیفرنیا تشکیل شد مسئلۀ "آزادی جنسی در فرهنگ ایرانی" مورد بحث و بررسی قرار گرفت. در این میزگرد که از سری نشست‌های بنیاد فرهنگی همزبان بود خانم‌ها شهرنوش پارسی‌پور (نویسنده و اسطوره‌شناس)، عزیزه رضائیان (روان‌درمان‌گر کودک و خانواده)، فرزانه ثابتان (مترجم و اندیشمند مسائل فلسفی و جامعه‌شناختی)و دکتر بهمن دادگستر (روانشناس) شرکت داشتند. گردانندۀ این نشست منصور تایید بازیگر تئآتر و نمایشنامه‌نویس مقیم شمال کالیفرنیا بود>>>
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