POINT

Blind trap

Taking IRI's anti-Israeli life support system away

by Farhad Kashani
07-Jan-2009 (44 comments)
The recent Israeli attack on Ghaza has shown the world that the Middle Eastern peace process is not on the right track. What’s important to note is that neither Israel nor Palestine is gaining from this conflict. Palestinians are losing lives, territory and security and Israelis are losing lives and security. So who’s winning? In whose interest is it for this conflict to continue? By looking at the events around and post the Iranian revolution in 1979, one can easily conclude that the biggest beneficiary of this conflict is the Islamic regime in Iran. The regime has made the conflict a vital survival tool, a life support system if you will. Without it, the IRI regime will be no longer>>>

ECONOMY

Cause and effect (2)

Autocratic institutional settings, whether sanctioned by religion or not, are counterproductive

by varjavand
04-Jan-2009 (5 comments)
One of the problems that is more unique to Moslem countries is what you call a segregated labor force; very low Labor Force Participation Rate, or LFPR, for female population and relatively high rate for male. In modern era, economic progress is not possible without dynamic participation of women. While women constitute almost one half of their population, there is no comprehensive and reliable data about female employment and the gainful participation of women in labor force for Moslem countries. In many of them, women are openly barred from playing an active social or economic role or working in certain fields because of religious prohibition or because those fields are traditionally reserved for men only. Some countries like Saudi Arabia have specific legislations about limits and restrictions for female employment>>>

RETALIATION

احقاق حق

احيا کردن قصاص وهماهنگ نمودن آن با شرايط زمانه

by Mohamad.Purqurian
04-Jan-2009 (7 comments)
سالها پيش که به ايران سفر کرده بودم، بحث داغ روز اعدام جنايتکاری بود که علاوه برقتل نفس، جرم ديگری داشت. بهمين دليل قبل از اينکه حکم اعدام را اجرا کنند، او را ۸۰ ضربه شلاق زده بودند. من نه تنها از کم وکيف جريان قتل اطلاع درستی نداشتم، بلکه بيشتر تحت تآثير فرهنگ مدنی غرب، اجرای حکم شلاق را قبل از اعدام محکوم، قبيح وغيرانسانی ميدانستم. نه اينکه امروز تغييرعقيده داده باشم و فکرکنم حقش بود و بايد از اين هم بيشتر مجازات ميشد، ولی نميتوانم آنرا قبيح و غير انسانی تلقی کنم. قبل از اينکه به مفهوم قصاص که درست در همين رابطه است بپردازم، بايد به اين واقعيت غير قابل انکار توجه کرد که اگر مجازات جنايتکار بنحوی اجرا شود که مردم بجای عبرت گرفتن، برای محکوم احساس ترحم کنند، يکی از اساسی ترين اهداف مجازات کيفری نه تنها پايمال شده، بلکه نتيجه معکوس داده است>>>

TERRORISM

A Tale of Two Lunatic Fringes

ALL religions (including Islam) share violent passages in their Scriptures and a history of violent interpretations of those passages

by Ahmad Sadri
02-Jan-2009 (21 comments)
When I wrote “From Cordoba to Mumbai” criticizing Islamic terrorism and urging moderate Muslims to rise up in protest against shameful spectacles of Islamic terrorism, I fully expected to take flack from both the Islamist and anti-Islamic fringes. And, like clockwork, first the Keyhan gang of Tehran and then the anti-Islamic peanut gallery of the exile neverland have chimed in with the identical refrain, best summed up by one of my loyal detractors at the Iranian.com site: “Islam = Quran = Mohammad = Terrorism.” Usama Bin Laden could have produced that formula – indeed, his lieutenant, Ayman Al-Zawahiri occasionally does say things very close to that. But you could hear this very sentiment echoed in the studios of every neo-con-inspired shock jock and from the ringmasters of right wing radio from Rush Limbaugh to Michael Savage>>>

TERRORISM

Root causes

I am not in the business of blaming entire groups of religious and political activists as terrorists

by Mahmoud Sadri
02-Jan-2009 (7 comments)
Mr. Kazemzadeh details some terrorist attacks by Hezbollah and claims that I have attempted to “save” them from the designation of “terrorist”. I invite the reader to look at my definition of terrorism. There I specifically stated that terrorism is defined “independent of the identity of its perpetrators”. I made it perfectly clear: even Al-Qaidah, an undisputed terrorist organization may engage in non terrorist (paramilitary) activity (like its attack on USS Cole). Hezbollah of Lebanon, too, have attacked Israeli military convoys in southern Lebanon or the US Marine compound in Beirut. Those are not instances of terrorism, according to my definition, because their objectives were military in nature. Please notice that my discussion, unlike my critic’s, is precise and specific.>>>

ISRAEL

Audacious militarism

Israel has failed to forge an identity of a mature democratic state

by Setareh Sabety
31-Dec-2008 (107 comments)
Once again Israel has illustrated that she cares little about public opinion. Israel has shown that she has the shameless audacity to bomb civilians in her so called attempt to fight Hamas terrorists. She blames civilian deaths on the fact that Hamas uses civilians as shields. This senseless bombing of Gaza by more than sixty F16 bombers killing (until now) almost 400 and injuring thousands is as horrendous an act as if the U.S government bombed Long Island in order to eradicate the Mafia! So far only four Israelis have died. The Israelis call it a war. How can this be a war when the other side has no army?>>>

DAVID & GOLIATH

Stones vs. Bombs

Even many peace activists in Israel are afraid of what this state has turned into

by Fariba Amini
31-Dec-2008 (25 comments)
It’s hard to celebrate the beginning of 2009, a year that was to begin at least with great hopes following the election of Barak Obama, as people of Gaza are being bombed mercilessly by Israel. In the last three days, Israel’s shelling of civilians has left more than 300 dead and a thousand injured. This came in response to rocket attacks by Hamas, which killed one Israeli citizen. The enormity of the humanitarian crisis began when Israel, in its attempt to put pressure on Hamas closed its borders to Gaza even for food and basic necessities. It led many in the West to ask where the Israeli government is headed. What is their intention? The bombing is now another twist in this terribly sad saga>>>

CENSORSHIP

سانسور را با بیش از یک "س" می نویسند

در آمدی بر ساختارها و مکانیسم های سانسور، سرکوب و اختناق

by nilofar-shidmehr
31-Dec-2008 (7 comments)
در جلسه ی کتابم شعرم شیرین و مرد نمکی آقایی که زمانی با هم بیشتر دوست بودیم در آنتراکت آمد با من حرف بزند. به عادت رفتاری معمولش دست مرا گرفت و با آنکه بدنم مقاومت می کرد به طرف خود کشید تا با زور در آغوش بگیرد و ببوسد. صدایی در سرم گفت بگو " دستت را از من بکش، آقا". اما زود این صدا را سانسور کردم و طبق عادت رفتاری معمولم هیچ نگفتم؛ حتی لبخند هم زدم. شنیدم بعد از من این مرد رفته بود دست روی خانم دیگری از دوستان گذاشته بود که آن دوست، آن زن نازنین، بر خلاف من جلو اش در آمده بود و گفته بود: ببینم تو اجازه گرفتی دست گذاشتی رو من؟>>>

IDEAS

The trouble with democracy

What better way to end the rule of self-serving political parties than to hold elections on the Internet?

by Niloufar Parsi
29-Dec-2008 (4 comments)
We have descended a long way from stated ideals of the original proponents of democracy. The great march of freedom has been replaced by national and international political discourses consumed with fundamentalism and extremism of the Christian, Muslim, Jewish and even Hindu types. Lofty ideals about the nature of humanity, progress, and a bright tomorrow when racism, fascism,apartheid and sexism would be discarded to the dustbin of history to be replaced by a loving, green and peaceful world have been all but forgotten. The age of the Internet and the information highway, the collapse of totalitarianism, and intensified globalisation have rather surprisingly resulted in a greater and more severe pursuit of national interests and wars rather than the pursuit of happiness and international solidarity>>>

CALENDAR

نور ز خورشيد خواه

فرهنگ قمری با نام «حکومت اسلامی» می کوشد تا خورشيد ايران را خاموش کند

by Esmail Nooriala
29-Dec-2008 (3 comments)
ما، تا 1400 سال پيش، در خود می تنيديم و دگرديسی می يافتيم. خورشيد را به آتش تبديل می کرديم و به خانه می برديم، و ميتراخانه هامان را با مهرابه ها و آتشکده ها جابجا می کرديم. گاهشماری مان خورشيدی بود، فصل هايمان معنادار و ثابت بودند. جشن هامان هميشه سر وقت و بموقع از راه می رسيدند و آئين هامان با اين يقين بخود شکل می پذيرفتند که هر سال طبيعت، بموقع و بی تأخير، آواز هميشگی خود را خواهد خواند. يقين داشتيم که ما پير می شويم و می ميريم اما او هر ساله جوان و برومند از تاريکنای سرما بيرون می آيد و فرمان می دهد تا گياهان برويند و گل ها بشکفند و پرندگان تخم بشکنند و نغمه سرائی بيآغازند. و 1400 سال پيش، به هر دليلی که جای بحث اش اينجا نيست، زادگان يک «فرهنگ قمری» بر سرزمين ما مسلط شدند. >>>

TERRORISM

مذهب و تروریسم

مبنا و معنای تروریسم در منظر جامعه شناختی

by Mahmoud Sadri
27-Dec-2008 (3 comments)
این نوشتار چکیده ای از دو مقاله است که در مجامع تخصصی مطرح و منتشر کرده ام. سبب نشر این خلاصه در این صفحات تفکیک مقولاتی چون مبارزات آزادیبخش، جنگهای نا منظم و، عملیات انتحاری از تروریسم است. چرا که در غیاب چنین تحلیلی هرگونه قضاوتی فاقد دقت علمی و بنیش سیاسی خواهد بود. البته منشاَ خطایا در این مورد تنها جهل و تعصب نیست بلکه انگیزه های سیاسی نیز در آن سهیمند. مثلا در غرب تلفیق دلبخواهانه مقولات فوق به دلایل تبلیغاتی و برای ملوّث کردن مبارزات مشروع ملل مظلوم انجام می گیرد. در ایران هم متاسفانه گروههائی به سبب عدم اطلاع از ظرائف تعریف و تحقیق ندانسته به دفاع از مجموعه ای می پردازند که در غرب بسته بندی شده و به این ترتیب آتش اتهام و سو ظن را بر علیه ایران را دامن می زنند. البته معدودی هم هستند که براستی تصور می کنند که می توان از اعمال تروریستی به صورت انتخابی و بر حسب حب و بغض سیاسی حمایت کرد. این شگرد یک بام و دو هوا نه بلحاظ اخلاقی جایز است و نه از نظر سیاسی ممکن. .>>>

CHANGE

The true American Shock and Awe

The stage is prepared for a uniquely American specialty

by Shahriar Zangeneh
25-Dec-2008 (8 comments)
On January 20th the 44th President of the United States will be sworn in. Although due to lack of detailed policy pronouncements by the incoming administration the jury is still out on its precise stance, in the foreign policy sphere a prominent promise has been made to change the dynamics of the Iran-U.S. relations. Even though the initial offer of “direct talk without any precondition” has been modulated gradually to include some aspects that could be construed as precondition, the stage is set for if not an outright one on one summit of leaders but some modality leading to meetings at higher levels than has taken place previously between the two sides>>>

WIFE

One is enough

Polygamy and its impact on the mental and emotional health of children

by Parisa Saed Al-Hashem
23-Dec-2008 (4 comments)
Children develop self-esteem and a sense of well-being when they are raised in a nurturing and loving environment. If abandoned by either parent, children may feel unwanted or unloved. When attention and praise are withdrawn, or absent, children often respond by becoming anxious and/or depressed. During my work in the Saudi kingdoms ch2 TV as a director and presenter of social program- titled with Dr. Parisa.- each week I covered a real life story of abused women and children coming from broken families. In making these life stories, I interviewed many social workers, teachers and therapists who treat abandoned women and children. I also visited charity centers such as Al-Al-ashram, Al wafa, Ensan king abdoulazize and others>>>

TERRORISM

از قرطبه تا بمبئی3

تروریسم خطری برای آینده بشریت است

by Ahmad Sadri
22-Dec-2008 (6 comments)
عجیب نیست که مسلمانان غیرتمند هند از دفن نُه تروریستی که بمبئی را به خون کشیدند در گورستان خود سر باز زدند. ابراهیم طائی، رئیس انجمن مسلمانان هند در این مورد گفته است: "اینها مسلمان نبودند زیرا به آئین ما که آئین صلح است نزیستند... ما نمیخواهیم اجساد کسانی را که مرتکب تروریسم شده اند در گورستان خود دفن کنیم." عجیب سکوت مسلمانانی است که در برابر هتک حیثیت و هویت فرهنگی خود اعتراض نمیکنند. این مسئولیت بر عهده تک تک مسلمانان فرهیخته از جمله خوانندگان این ستون است که در چنین مواردی ساکت ننشینند. بدون حرکتهای نمادین از سوی جوامع مدنی مسلمان (مثلاً حضور در سفارت کشوری که مورد حمله تروریسم قرار گرفته و ابراز انزجار از اینگونه اعمال بنام دین) اعلامیه های مطبوعاتی دولتها ی اسلامی و تسلیتهای فورمالیته رهبران قادر به جبران لطمۀ فاجعه بار تروریسم بر کیان و آبروی اسلام نخواهند بود.>>>

ECONOMY

Cause and effect

Dismal Economic Conditions in Muslim Countries: the Evidence and the Contributing Factor

by varjavand
20-Dec-2008 (29 comments)
The evidence of dismal economic condition in Moslem world, compared to the other regions of the globe, is obviously staggering. Even a scant examination of the key economic indicators in prominent Moslem countries reveals abysmal results. I put together a table showing the values of a few such indicators for 17 prominent Muslim countries and carefully examined and compared and contrasted them with those for the industrialized nations. These 17 countries all have a population of more than ten millions, at least 88% of which is Moslem. The findings may be appalling but not totally new or surprising to us >>>
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