Searching for Meaning

Much is written about Iranian women, Iranian films and Iranian women in Iranian film. But, the lives of Iranian immigrants in their new Western homes are rarely projected. In her debut film, The Neighbor, The New Yorker film editor, Naghmeh Shirkhan, takes a brave leap to make an elliptical narrative film about the rarely mentioned reality of Iranian women’s lives in ‘exile’. A dance instructor, struggling with memories of her mother and grandmother encounters her enigmatic neighbor Leila and her young daughter>>>

سرود سپاه گمشده ی کمبوجیه

شمشیرهایمان را در دریاچه ی سیوا بشویید
و از آن داسغاله های بُرنده بسازید
و هر ساله از برداشت خرما و زیتون خود
بخشی را به زائران معبد دهید >>>

آخرین خطابه‌ی عشق

و این
واپسین خطابه‌ی من در آستان معبد توست،
ای با من آمده شانه‌ به شانه‌ این همه راه
ای با من شریکِ سال‌های آن همه آه >>>

Searching for Tehran

I recently moved to New York City from Southern California. I left Iran for the United States to get a better international education and return to better my country, like so many of the Iranian diaspora now living in the States. I studied linguistics and planned to work for the Iranian Red Cross, The Red Lion and Sun Society. I planned on becoming an interpreter and attending international conferences to make sure my country would always be represented>>>

People, Freedom, Rights

In this form of rule of an unhindered spiritual despot, which grounds on an image of man as being fundamentally dependent, there is no room for claiming individual independence in the sense of autonomy and self-control. Where the balance between self- and external constraints is being completely tilted towards external constraints, every claim for individual independence and autonomy equals "moharebe ba Khoda“ respectively "war against god“, which calls for capital punishment. Where each decision by the 'leader' as irrevocable 'command of the sovereign' and 'final word'>>>

خوب، چه بهتر!

این روزها مسعود دهنمکی، کارگردان فیلم "اخراجی‌ها،" از دست مردم آزاری جنبش سبز به ستوه آمده است. آخر پشتیبانی‌ از عوامل شکنجه و اعدام و تجاوز چه گناهیست که باعث شود مخالفینِ این رفتارِ وحشیانه فیلم "اخراجی‌ها ۳" او را تحریم کرده و در عوض بودجه بلیت سینمای خودرا صرف فیلم "جدایی نادر از سیمین" اصغر فرهادی کنند؟ مگر در ایران تا بخواهی امکان به ریشخند گرفتن خامنه‌ای و احمدی‌نژاد در فیلم وجود ندارد؟>>>

طناز

از زلف بلند تو دلم بند کمند است
بر تک تک هر رشته دلم سلسله بند است
کوتاه بود قصه ما در خم این زلف
هر چند مرا غصه این قصه بلند است >>>

Give violence a chance!

Strangest things can happen in your local Middle Eastern market. I was pushing my shopping cart down the aisle while glancing at fast-moving images of the Libyan uprising on CNN. A few Arab men had huddled around the TV, quietly watching as events unfolded. As I turn my attention back to my shopping list, I noticed a Libyan acquaintance, standing by the pickle section, carefully studying the labels. Hoping for a quick getaway, I looked the other way and moved swiftly past him. “You Persians are bunch of pussies,” the Libyan whispered>>>

A Woman of Thirty in Prison

Like the millions of younger women and men of her generation, Bahareh desires rights, dignity, prosperity, family, and love. Why does she have to celebrate her 30th birthday in the Evin prison? What is the crime that she has committed that warrants her spending her 30s, the best years of her life, in solitary confinement? Why she is denied the basic and simple human rights of celebrating her birthday and wedding anniversary with her beloved husband on April 5th? She is in prison because she dared to exercise her civil rights and demand what belongs to her>>>

A Matter of Mind

A nice anecdote says, “Age is a matter of mind, if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” The youngest in my family, I don’t mind my age, but it sure does matter. My first “age alarm” came as a huge surprise. At a lecture in Chicago, I ended up in the balcony with a group of youngsters. With the program delayed Iranian style, they became restless and started making paper airplanes. Unskilled, I noticed none of their missiles made it to their pals sitting in the lower level. Finally, I picked up one that had landed at my feet, unraveled it, and showed them how it’s done>>>

آزادی سرود فرشتگان است

عموی من زنجیرباف بود. او همه زمستان برف ها را به هم بافت و سرما را به سرما، گره زد و یخ را به یخ دوخت. و هی درختان را به زنجیر کشید و پرنده ها را به بند و آدم ها را اسیر کرد. جهان را غل و زنجیر و بند و طناب او گرفت. ما گفتیم: ای عموی زنجیرباف! زنجیرهایت را پاره کن که زنجیر، سزاوار دیوان است، نه آدمیان که آزادی، سرود فرشتگان است و رهایی، آرزوی انسان>>>

ای بشر

من تو را بیش از خدایت دوست دارم ‌ای بشر
آنچه دارم من در عالم از تو دارم ‌ای بشر

من ز تو بیش از خدایت بیم دارم ‌ای بشر
شر تو گاهی‌ بود افزون ز خیرت ‌ای بشر
>>>