Jahanshah Javid

jj;stop deceiving people

jj;stop deceiving people into thinking that you can reform evil to further your own ideological and personal gains. This is a despicable and thinly veiled attempt to portray the regime as legitimate. Stop exploiting the suffering of millions of iran to further your own agenda and personal gains. Shame on you.

PS Apologism

Before I lurk, I decided I just want to say, I'm glad you're taking a stand on this, JJ. I don't know about the apathy part but I do know about apologism. I've done it myself, as a "lefty" sort,it's a kind of leftist disease. Apologism for stonings, hanging of children from cranes, sets very dangerous precedents. Ignoring is also a form of apologism. Reality IS complex, and the complex truth should never be suppressed or trivialized in the interests of ideological strategems. Apologism betrays the victims, corrodes the ideology which it purports to support, and perhaps worst of all, destroys the integrity of the apologizer. The most important contribution one can make to society is to become a full human, and a full human is one who always tries to speak the truth. Nothing more, nothing less. It's that simple, really.
Best, Robin

Leave Iran to its real owners!

Whether we (living in the comfort of the US or Europe) like the the current regime in Iran or not, it seems that it still has the support of the majority inside the country. It's up to the people who live there to decide about their future. Outside forces such as American bombs and occupation will never bring freedom and prosperity to Iran. Only the real Iranians inside the country can make a difference and definitely not the fake Iranians in LA, or the like, who know nothing about Iran except the fortune that they or their parents stole from the people and left Iran even before the Shah did. So, those who daydream about a bright future through American bombs, please cool down and enjoy the rest of your (stolen) fortune abroad. Leave Iran to their legitimate owners (i.e., people of Iran).

And for your information, I'm not a Hezbollahi and don't agree with the current regime either. But, hey, who am I to decide for Iran and Iranians or preach democracy for them when I have not been there for almost forty years. In other words, it's not my damn business and not that of the daydreamers either.

Sincerely,

To "American"

Please know this that Iranians have been fighting against the Islamic regime for the past 3 decades. Many lives have been lost and tormented--Shirin Ebadi (god love her) is one of many. Over throwing the regime is not the solution--the regime is made up, and funds, a complex series of groups and agencies operated by corrupt individuals with shear ignorance. Reforming and rehabilitating the ignorance is our worst challenge. To understand my point better, take a good look at Afganistan or Darfur--few degrees more intense but same situation: IGNORANCE RULES!

To Niki and Our Fearless Leader re Quiz Conspiracy Theorists

A slight digression from the weightiness of the topic at hand, but just to address the theory that there is a quiz conspiracy theory. There is NO quiz conspiracy theory, I'm happy to tell you, no Israeli or Pan Turkic or British or SUMKA agents. But there ARE problems with the quizzes and I think I figured them out.

1) When you submit a quiz reply, the topic is on GENERAL but you're supposed to CHANGE it to QUIZ REPLY but you don't KNOW that, so the gentleman who complained he was being ignored probably just sent them in under GENERAL and never even got his replies seen and that's why he thought he was being ignored. And it must've happened to lots of people. Hence, the sense that there is favoritism. Wjat needs to happen is that all the quizzes appear with the bar automatically set on QUIZ REPLY.

2) It's the first CORRECT answer which wins, but as ALMOST omniscient as our fearless leader is, he is occasionally not equipped to judge what is correct and what isn't on such topics as, for example, etymology. As opposed to pastries and farting.  :o) Won't bore you with details, people are dying in Evin Prison.

So, once again:  there is, happily. NO QUIZ CONSPIRACY THEORY. Just a couple of legitimate problems with the quizzes. And you know, it IS about building a community so it's NOT totally unimportant...

Anyway, blog on.  I'll just lurk...on the rest of this one...like a good...khareji...

Admirer 

US and Iran

//criticalbloggers.org/?cat=158

Do you know about this, baradarha va khaharha? You should go read about how last year anyone who was for Iran was treated at this presentation. There should be a public outcry. Why isn't there?

Incomplacency

JJ, you state:
.
"But I think we Iranians have gotten used to living under authoritarian governments and being obedient to whatever regime that may be in power."
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The people of Iran are not obedient to the Seyyeds. The Seyyeds have faced pure apathy in almost all areas of their religious public life. They have had to bribe Iranians to join their Bassij army. But even so the majority of the people of Iran have seen right through them. Anyone with any feeling has set up a blog and has shown their protest, and their love for all the good Iranian cultural elements. These are hardly the signs of obedience. In fact civil disobedience is very much on the cards. And it is getting right up the Seyyeds' noses. They have to hide behind public sound bites to make themselves look good in the eyes of secular Iranians. Secular Iranians are winning over the Seyyed way of life every day. So you are wrong. Give the Iranians more credit.
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But let me thank you for setting up, and keeping up, such a wonderful site, for all the world to see how we are all not being complacent to the Seyyeds at all.
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With best wishes.
.

Ali Mostofi

//www.alimostofi.com

Nice talk, but do you also walk the walk?

If you are honest, why do you keep deleting SYSTEMATICALLY those comments that are written disclosing the hypocrisy of mullah lovers hiding under the banner of peace and US invasion and other le-loup khorkhoreh like that?
talking is cheap JJ. Your actions tella different story.

While we are at it

Thank you to Jahanshah Javid for providing this great forum, which can make you laugh, cry, think, and be exposed to so many compatriots (and non-compatriots) that otherwise you would never interact with.  Not only that, but he takes the time and effort to update the site, provide new tools, create a real, lively online community, answer every question and concern, and at the same time write honest and straightforward pieces that leave him exposed to the most scathing rebuke.  I swear, sometimes, the amount of bitching, everything from criticizing the quiz section (even the quiz section is prone to conspiracy theories!) to the articles to the format leaves one wondering: Where is the thank you?  So, let the silent majority speak out: A big fat thank you to the editor!!!

PS: Jahanshah, I am waiting for my check in the mail *conspiracy-conspiracy-conspiracy*

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If only it was that easy

It used to be that students studying abroad during Shah were scared of even thinking against monarchy. Being in confederation was a sin punishable by Evin!

Now you not only think against IRI you talk about it. Who is in love with IRI? Most people in Iran have long given up on Mullahs. They're afraid of saying it, but they see it discussed in various forms such as movies, some reformists magazines, gasoline riots and other venues.

I believe it is a generational thing. We need the generation of Coup of 1953 (Khamenei, Montazari and others roughly their age) to leave the scene and the new generation, born after the revolution take their place.

We just don't have any patience and want to rush everything. Like JJ said we don't even want to lift a finger! Come on Mullahs, get the F out! We are tired! We want something new! Tired of this BS!

How long did it take for the slaves to become "African-Americans"? The same generation of Coup of 1953 couldn't go to the same schools as whites or ride the same bus.

I see this regime crumbling under economic problems such as inflation and unemployment. I don't see Iran exploding like Iraq. Not with 90%+ having the same religion and not being persecuted for their religious affiliations, like Saddam did to Shiites.

The Iranian regime is NOT an

The Iranian regime is NOT an authoritarian government. It IS a totalitarian regime.

JJ is as SOLID as a ROCK

or as good as KFC
"Like as good as a Home cooking"

"as good" is good enough if you can stand the heat?

Can you ? ASHAKANAZI KHAZAR ?

Can you stand the truth ?

If jj is honest

If the editor of this site is honest, he should ban any pro-IRI material on his site. Otherwise his allegations are evasive paroles.

Baluches are the original inhabitants/natives of Iran

As a Baluche/Lori , I have to say :

I do not need any part of USA and Israel.

If you do care about Iran. Stand on your own feet and walk out from under US Yoke.

Over 1000,000 Iraqis been killed in
the name of ... OIL...

Choose Iran or else ?

The points you raised are

The points you raised are quite valid.


Could the reason for all of the above be the simple yet painful fact that in today's Iran there is no popular alternative to this regime. By that I mean a democratic opposition group which has the backing of a sizable group of Iranians. As a result when individuals for various reasons come to heads with the Islamic regime, most people regard them with suspicion (Is he/she a royalist/Mojahed/Fadaii/Ex-Hezbollahi and a hundred other things). So when almost on a daily basis we hear news of yet another case where a writer/journalist/student/politician.... has had trouble with the mullahs, it is regarded as a normal event and we can ignore it without the issue troubling us, after all the person in trouble could be from a political camp you regard as traitors (and we Iranians including myself use this terminology or similar ones about those we do not like without hesitation). The end result is that most people stay quite and the regime does not have to answer to anybody.


In some cases where the individual has had the time to get acquainted with the case then quite possibly some kind of an action has followed.


So as long as we are such a divided group of people, the Mullahs will rule our country and manage to destroy any opposition without fear.
The only way forward is the unlikely emergence of a political force that can unite the Iranians against the present regime. Only then people will bother about other Iranians suffering at the hands of the Islamic regime.

I agree.

My ancestors fought for their freedoms here. Iranians come here and enjoy those freedoms, but they don't put any effort into changing their own beloved Iran. It's not impossible it's just dangerous and difficult.

I met Shirin Ebadi at the Brown University graduation in 2004. She's a tiny woman, but she is brave. My physician daughter is free and equal to her peers. I wish that for all Iranian women.

Everyone has to say, "No" to governmental excesses. When politicians like Hillary Clinton sign the Patriot Act without reading it, they have to be held to account. When Bush and Cheney think waterboarding is not torture, you have to ridicule theme and hold them up as evil men. The US Constitution was created to protect the individual from government. That's why we have the Second Amendment, so we can own guns and fight for our freedoms.

I refuse to go to Iran even though I really want to go to see my Iranian relatives and the beautiful country that I know Iran is. The Iranian government demands that I convert to Islam, change my first name to an Iranian name and have pictures takes with headscarf. I have told my husband's relatives who are in government that I absolutely refuse to do those things. I'm sure that they don't care, but I am giving up the chance to visit a place that I want to visit because of their oppression of women. Why in 2007 would someone think they can order you to change your religion? It's crazy. If you don't believe me...read the list of rules for foreign wives of Iranian men on the Iran web site.

JJ is brave.... I don't agree with him often, but he is a brave man.

Could it be cultural?

Hi JJ, 

Thank you so much for bringing up this subject. For me, it has been one the most puzzling issues since I have started to read Iranian.com regularly and sometimes it drives me crazy! Now, I am starting to think it should be some underneath cultural characteristic that we own and we have a hard time to get rid of.

Voila a summary of my observations:

No matter the subject of the article, we always feel to be the expert in that area and we always come up with some flaw in the article’s logic (because nobody is perfect!). By putting down others we feel important and knowledgeable. So if someone is against the War with Iran, then he should be an IRI agent and if someone defends the human rights in Iran then he should be a CIA agent. And there is no way anyone could be both IRI and CIA agent, because politically they cannot co-exist! We turn everything political. We deeply believe in the conspiracy theory and we never believe whatever other people say they believe. We always find a “kaaseh” under the “neem-kaaseh” and we are suspicious of our own beliefs.

But the problem can go even farther. If another Iranian is successful in any area, still some people manage to make fun of their compatriot’s look or accent. Or simply say: “So what?”

No matter what, some people are always against it!

First, I thought the roots of this negativity is just pure jealousy or ignorance, but now I am starting to think that it should come from our historical past, from living for centuries in the darkness and mistrust. We have been lied to for generations. Our culture is the culture of “pretending to be something else”. What is the most important for us is not how we judge ourselves, but how others are going to judge us. So we keep hiding our true self behind a shell, a mask, a lie.  

That’s why none of us would believe another Iranian who truly believes in humanity. “Besides, what is this humanity? It is just a trick made up by British :))”

 Cheers,

Azarin

PS: In my own case, since I wrote an article about Ali Mahin Torabi, and sent a letter to Khamenei for Ali's case, everyone is telling me that I shouldn't travel to Iran. Does it mean that I am  labeled as a CIA agent? Then how should I justify my own anti-war writings? Am I going carazy or am I losing my "Iranianity"? Or since I write on Iranian.com, then I should be like you JJ (a secret IRI agent!!)..

Let's be candid.

We are exercising our rights to demand from government in Iran and all international entities including United Nation to facilitate interdependent democracy, secular and federal constitutional rules of law, civil society, and human rights for Iranians.

Political Parties were never free in Iran....

.... Therefore any group or person advocating a policy or change is viewed suspiciously or as definitely having access to foreign support. In the US, people can advocate and at least do it under a party and be safe. Among Iranians, such people are automatically cast out and punished, if not by law then by society. Iranian-American society is no better, which is scary considering the examples/models we have around us. We're brave, but we're also damn cruel.... Although I have to say the Republican party is quite good at modeling dictatorships - talk to the enemy is out of the question - anyone who doesn't agree is a traitor or "un-American!!" or as that font of wisdom Michael Savage calls them, "red diaper doper babies". The other "agent" of the Republicans, Rush Limbozo has creative names for them too. What a disaster.....

مرسی جهانشاه

موافقم!

Hey Q? Who is funding the

biggest terrorists of all time, the Islamic Republic of Mullahs who are paying you bills? The Brits, The Russian,...!?

Didn't I say Khar Kodetti?

Jahanshah, you are right, but incomplete

Jahanshah is right, but I hope he gives credit to the other side as well. This is not a joke, JJ, the US government really is trying to intervene in Iran. They have done it before and they are doing it again. US is funding MEK, PKK and other terrorists. This is a proven fact. So, please, acknowledge this as well. What you say is 100% true in most cases, unless of course US really is behind it. US deserves blame for creating this ambiguity, too. Where is your condemnation?

Are we supposed to back any group simply because they say they are pro-Human Rights?

Iran-Iraq Veteran: you are a phoney, stop your vicious lies and disgrace of real veterans.

MY POINT!!

Thanks JJ for bringing up such a subject! What if you've got a regime who mistreats your people, but at the same you've got a neighbouring regime who is looking for some weaknesses in your country to invade your country? Should a patriotic citizen ignore the mistreatment of its kind in order to prevent the bigger evil, ie the neighbouring hypotheitcal threat that is far greater? Yes, I agree on this. I think at the time of true crisis when there is bigger threat than the local bad governance it is reasonable and correct NOT to criticise the local regime too much, or even ignore many of its short-comings. But there is one huge issue here. WHO judges what is a true danger and which is what? From my point of view IT IS NOT America that is a threat to IRAN, but the local regime is far worse. American threat is only used to silence opposition. In case it was the other way around I would have shut up and ignore some of the mistreatments of the Iranian regime. That's my point :)

BRAVO JAHANSHAH ! ;0)

Damet Garm !

Well Said and could not have said it better.

Best,

DK

I lost a limb during Irani-Iraq

I am against a military attack against Iran BUT I SUPPORT for all forms of military attacks on the Islamic Republic of Mullahs, IRGCs, Basijis, and the supporters of the Mullhas, and mullahs themselves.

You are one phase behind with this

You should have written this when Kian Tadjbakhsh was imprisoned. He was one of the early contributors of yours.com and you never wrote a sentence about him. That is O.K. though better late than never!