Archive - 2010 - Article

Do we want life to go on in Tehran?

These days, when I talk to my friends in Iran, hardly anyone, even the most politically active, talks about politics anymore. I’m certainly not claiming that my friends are a representative of the entire Iranian population – they certainly are not. But it was at first somehow disappointing to hear them disregard the latest political news the way they did. When just months ago, they were the ones filling me in on things I might have missed. Now, even when I bring up things like “did you read Mousavi’s latest letter?” or “did you hear about so and so’s outrageous prison sentence?” They are quick to change the subject>>>

The Weakness of the Islamic Republic

From the most religious layers of the society to the most secular ones consider themselves part of the Green Movement despite their different perspectives. In other words, it is the Green Movement that has defined itself so widely. But it does have a significant difference with the 1979 revolution. While in the 1979 revolution to be anti-monarchy was the point of agreement of many different and even opposing groups, in the Green Movement to be against the Islamic Republic is not the point of convergence for all active forces>>>

Ma bi’asser

The positive interpretation of ma bi’asser is probably not far away from the concept of ‘Lebanese resilience’ that one hears so much outside the country and witnesses it inside. As an Iranian, I have found this interpretation quite refreshing. An Iranian journalist visiting Lebanon not long after the Israeli invasion of 2006 told me about meeting a family outside the ruins of their house in south Lebanon. ‘That was our house,’ the father had said, laughing and pointing to the heap of rubble nearby, rather than telling a tale of misery, inviting sympathy, or pity.>>>

برده (6)

از سنجار تا نصیبین سفر پنج روز طول کشید. با این حال رنج آن بسیار کمتر از مسافرت از آدیابن تا سنجار بود. هر روز که از سنجار دورتر می شدند هوا خنکتر و ملایمتر می شد و بار دیگر کوهستان جای بیابان را می گرفت. چون دیگر خیلی از آدیابن دور شده بودند دلیلی نداشت باز هم از راه های فرعی و ناهموار به سفر ادامه دهند. بنابراین از مسیرهای اصلی و مطمئن به سفر پرداخته و شبها را هم در کاروانسراهای بین راه سپری کرده بودند>>>

Caravan

Guilty in the pleasure of
not fanning the coals of war,
of not being there,
not holding my voice over
the governing of
my poor countrymen>>>

Khoda Midooneh

...>>>

It would mean disaster

Jeffrey Goldberg has come away from his research convinced that the Obama administration is serious about Iran. But if the administration's strategy fails to stall Tehran's alleged drive for a nuclear weapon, then the president may face a terrible choice. Would Obama be willing to move to military action? If not, Goldberg suggests, it is increasingly likely that Israel will take matters into its own hands. I strongly doubt that Obama would choose to launch a pre-emptive war against another Muslim country in the Middle East. Neither do I believe that Israel really intends to do so>>>

با تو آغاز نشد، سبز بی وجدان

در جواب به گزینش بد بر بدتر، در جواب به سینه زنی زیر پرچم پیروان خط امام، در جواب به تحسین جسارت میرحسین موسوی و زهرا رهنورد که دست در دست یکدیگر در ملأ عام بیش از یک سال گذشته، نسل سبز ایران را به ستایش خود بر انگیختند، با من بیا به روز جمعه، هفت مرداد شصت و هفت، دعوت به نگاه دزدانه ای در سلولهای تنگ زندان اوین و گوهر دشت، چپیده از یاران دبستانی>>>

A Few Good Men

Matin-Daftari has recently published a book on his father, titled Papers and Documents from the Nationalization of the Iranian Oil Industry to the International Court of Justice, 1951-1952. I had a chance to speak with him in Paris, on the eve of the anniversary of the 1953 coup. Dr. Matin-Daftari speaks about his grandfather and recollects the time he spent with him in Ahmad Abad where the Prime Minister was exiled by the Shah until his death.>>>

Learning from India

Today, India’s secular government strives – albeit with mixed results -- to protect and nurture all religious and ethnic groups. Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic of Iran, while officially recognizing three religious minorities – Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians – sanctions discrimination against these groups. Bahais, who are not recognized, face systematic, state-sponsored persecution. What practical steps can Iran take to institute a more pluralistic society like that of its neighbor to the east? >>>

Assimilation Days

We were talking about all the dreams we had back when we thought we were white. It was sad to think of them, but it was funny to talk about them together. "It was the grunge movement for me," my sister said. "And the way you were supposed to dislike anybody who called it the grunge movement." I laughed. It was true. I had been in it but she had really been in it. It had been great though. It had given us something to feel good about our city, Seattle, about >>>

I slept with your dokhtar khaleh

...>>>

Predicting War

Is there a happier journalist last week than The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg? So much ink has been spilled discussing, critiquing, and debating Jeffrey Goldberg's Iran piece, a calculation of the very high probability of an Israeli military strike against Iran in the coming year, you'd think Goldberg was determining Iran policy himself. All this is set against a backdrop of right-wing hysteria over the mosque in lower Manhattan and the supposed failure of liberals to understand the true nature of the threat of Islamofascism>>>

Going Critical

At a ceremony this Saturday near the southern Iranian coastal city of Bushehr, Russia will begin the process of loading fuel rods into Iran's first civilian nuclear reactor. Theoretically distinct from the rest of the regime's disturbing nuclear program, the Bushehr plant nevertheless remains a major international concern. The low-enriched uranium in the fuel rods would, if diverted, substantially increase Iran's existing stock of the material, which many suspect is already being used to develop nuclear weapons>>>

Have you checked your phone bill?

Keeping in touch with family and friends back home is part of the weekly experience of most immigrant families. It is not unusual to find families that spend $50 to $100 on international phone calls. While the market for long distance service is very competitive and the growth of internet has helped reduce the cost of international calls in the past ten years, some long distance companies engage in unethical practices that are hardly noticed by customers. Please check your phone bill carefully and take action if you observe any fraud and overcharging>>>