PERSIAN GULF

Internet Good?

When it comes to the "Gulf Wars," mullahs OK social media

17-May-2012 (2 comments)
As the points continue to add up, the Islamic Republic of Iran is frantic to change the debate about Iran, yet again. Its recent focus on seeking to win the Persian Gulf – Arabian Gulf battle proves that the Islamic Regime in Tehran will play both sides of the coin if it means buying time for its nuclear weapons program. After discouraging Nowruz events year after year, essentially banning Zoroastrian inspired holidays and customs, and sometimes outlawing relics of pre-Islamic Persian culture, it seems very odd for the Mullahs to suddenly rally to save the name “Persian Gulf” >>>

MONEY

The Great Heist

U.S. Loots Iranian Assets

17-May-2012 (6 comments)
The report, citing the views of the Intelligence Division of the New York Police Department, reiterates that the "FBI officials have suspected that the Alavi Foundation is using its Islamic centers as a means of penetrating the Black Muslim Community to recruit sympathizers." It goes as far as saying that "According to open source reports, black Muslims involved in the 1993 World Trade Center (WTC) bombing were recruited from mosques in Jersey City, NJ and Brooklyn." As we see the discoveries of the intelligence report needs no proof>>>

NUMBERS

Did We Shrink?

Iranians & the 2010 U.S. Census

17-May-2012 (11 comments)
Last month the much awaited results for the number of Iranians in the 2010 Census came out. Are you ready? The count is a whopping 289,465!! Say what? Ten years ago, in census 2000, we were told there are 338,000 Iranians. Did we shrink by 49,000? Now before you all bent out of shape and God forbid start an “Occupy Census Bureau” movement, let me explain. Trust me; I know a thing or two about numbers>>>

CULTURE CLASH

تفاوت فرهنگی و فجایع ناشی از آن

چند فرهنگی وقتی مثبت و سازنده است که فرهنگ‌های موجود در ان ارزش‌های اولیه برابری و آزادی انسانی را به رسمیت بشناسند

17-May-2012 (7 comments)
آنچه که در پرونده پاکستانی‌ها در بریتانیا اتفاق افتاد با آنچه که در برزیل به دست دیپلمات جمهوری اسلامی صورت گرفت، هر دو از فرهنگ مردانه‌ای بر می‌خیزد که نه فقط زن خودی را شیئ جنسی می‌شمارد که باید او را تحت کنترل داشت و بلکه به زن ناخودی (نامسلمان) به چشم طعمه‌ای نگاه می‌کند که می‌توان آن را تصاحب و تصرف کرد و مورد تجاوز قرار داد. در این فرهنگ، پسر خانواده حق دارد به هر نوع فعالیت جنسی بپردازد>>>

IDEAS

تأویل باید معتبر باشد

به باور من تنها یک فلسفه ی قرون وسطایی دینی بود که رگه هایی از خردگرایی در خود داشت

16-May-2012
من تنها کوشیدم نشان دهم که بسیاری از مفسران دینی ما در نیم سده‌ی اخیر، با تزریق مفاهیم خودخواسته به کتاب های مقدس چون قرآن و اوستا، به سوءاستفاده ی آرمانی از این متون دست زده‌اند. من اگر چه در کار پژوهش، "تحلیل" علمی و اندیشه ی انتقادی را بر تعبیر و "تأویل" شهودی ترجیح می‌دهم، ولی ‌مخالف تفسیر متون ادبی‌، دینی و فلسفی ‌نیستم>>>

POETRY

حق نامه
16-May-2012
حق شاهین است آزادی و حق ما، نقی
ما همه آلوده و صافی شقی!

ما دهان رسته ی آزادگی
تو بیان بستگی، تخم لقی! >>>

RESEARCH

The Democratic Majorty

Iranians have democratic values

14-May-2012 (12 comments)
In the high-stakes international discussions surrounding Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons, Iran's 80 million people are often forgotten. So I, along with a small team of Israelis, decided to explore the driving forces of Iranian society. There have been signs, on the streets and over the Internet, of a battle raging between the country's Islamic fundamentalists and the proponents of freedom. The question we set out to explore is where the majority of the people stand>>>

BAHAIS

Education At All Costs

Despite uncertain future and the regime's ever-tightening noose

14-May-2012 (6 comments)
The rule barring 300,000 or so Bahais from Iran's colleges and universities remains in place. It is enforced with particular vigor by the hard-line government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Even before Pohl's exposé, the Bahai community had begun seeking ways to educate its youth. Those efforts culminated in the establishment of a secret distance-education college operated by hundreds of volunteers inside and outside Iran>>>

LIBERAL

Bravo, Obama!

Why am I so pleased by the earthquake that has just shaken the present landscape?

14-May-2012 (2 comments)
Let’s hear it for the President. Bravo! Bravo is also Italian for brave and it takes a brave man and a strong heart to come out in favor of gay marriage in a country dominated by the raucous—and nefarious—Koch Brothers, Rush whats-his-name and assorted religious freaks. Whether Biden had been encouraged a few days ago or not to “force” Obama into making his own position clear is open to speculation but the result is what counts here>>>

FUTURE

When Oil Runs Out

Middle East in 10-20 Years

14-May-2012 (one comment)
For most people, the Middle East (ME) is synonymous with oil. Economies of most major ME countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran and the U.A.E. are based on oil. Today over a third (38% to be exact) of all oil produced worldwide is used for transportation; automobiles and trucks. What would happen if people and businesses stopped using gasoline for their cars and diesel for their trucks?>>>

شاهین نجفی

 ترانهِ توهین به همه

این ترانه سیلی دیگری است در صف درازِ بی احترامی ها

13-May-2012 (41 comments)
ترانه جدید شاهین نجفی تند و بی پروا است. لحن بی حرمت کننده و بی در و پیکرش به هرچه که در ایران امروز است تاخته… توی این احوالات خشن و بی حرمت کننده که رئیس جمهور غاصب، مردم وطنش را خس و خاشاک می نامد… حکومتی که توهین، فحاشی و تصویر زننده از مردم کوچه و خیابان دادن هایش، شلاق ها و اعدام ملا عام هایش، روح و روان مردم را جریحه دار کرده… >>>

POETRY

اروتیسم زنبور
13-May-2012
كِی بیارزد عسل
به سلامِ زنبور؟
زنِ بورم دوش‌ به لب آورد:
عسلم سلام! >>>

KHAMENEI

جمهوری  خامنه‌ای

نظامی که آیینه تمام‌نمای یک نفر شده است

11-May-2012 (6 comments)
با روی کار آمدن خامنه‌ای، ولایت فقیه صفت «مطلقه» به خود گرفته بود و او بر آن شد که نظام جمهوری اسلامی را آن گونه که می‌خواهد شکل دهد و اجازه چون و چرا به کسی ندهد. او که اعتبار و اقتدار معنوی خمینی را نداشت، تنها می‌توانست با حذف هر عنصر و نیرویی که در برابر او کمترین مخالفت و انتقادی را پیش بکشد به این هدف دست یابد>>>

NIAC

Neocon Upstart Attacks Academic Freedom

Smearing those who attempt to fairly represent Iranian Americans

11-May-2012 (98 comments)
I thought it would be a typical Thursday at work last week, but as soon as I arrived to the office, an associate pulled me aside and pointed to a series of defamatory tweets against me and the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), the organization for which I intern. The tweets were directed at me by neoconservative upstarts Sohrab Ahmari and Peter Kohanloo in response to comments I tweeted (here and here) regarding an article written by Ahmari demonizing American academics who had recently traveled to Iran>>>

AUTHOR

About "Out of the Gray"

Interview with Manoucher Parvin

11-May-2012
First, I wish to tell you a brief story behind this interview. Manoucher Parvin was my professor of mathematical economics at Columbia University some forty years ago. I was a Fulbright Scholar heading to Gdansk Poland to do post-graduate work in foreign trade. Professor Parvin persuaded me to pursue my studies at Warsaw University instead. To my surprise, I was allowed to do that>>>