The latest 'news' from Tehran

Cherries are ripen. Life goes on...

The recent incidents in the country- IV

(Let's make another Balcan!)

As much as I can write about ethnic discriminations, the least I can mention about Azeris. I can't say they are living in a paradise, but the story is that they don't suffer from the same discriminations as other ethnic groups do. In other words, they are suffering as much as other Iranians do. Azeris (or those who speak in Azeri language) are millions and they are scattered in all parts of the country. Even in central part, we have Azeri-speaking people. Just hence this: Khamenei, the spiritual leader of the country is Azeri himself. Many of those in power are Azeris. So, all the fuss these days over there in Azerbaijan is a bit strange. It is exaggerated- I believe.

The story began with a cartoon published during a weekend in a kids daily. As the readers of that page should be less than a few thousands, the reaction against the cartoon was quite strange. The cartoon showed a cockroach telling a word in Azeri and that flamed a huge unrest in Azerbaijan:" Why they say cockroaches speak in Azeri? They have insulted us!"
The demonstrations began in Tabriz and were spread to other cities. According Mr A'lami a PM, five people have been killed during the clashes between the people and riot police.
Looking at the slogans chanted in the demonstrations you very well can see the traces of chauvinist feelings, and separatism as well. I can't believe that these slogans are ordinary people's feelings. Look at some of them:
"Persian language, is dogs' language!" (Remember that dogs are filthy and are looked down according Islamic principles).
"Those who are neutrals are wicked, even more than the Fars!"
"That part, this part, let them unite! The capital city would be Tabriz!" (That part and this part refer to Azerbaijan republic and Iranian Azeribaijan. Tabriz in the capital city of our Azerbaijan province).
"We swear that Tehran should be set on fire!"

Just look at some events before (and behind) the recent events. In the invaluable article written by Seymour Hersh in New Yorker, he writes:
"...Current and former American military and intelligence officials said that Air Force planning groups are drawing up lists of targets, and teams of American combat troops have been ordered into Iran, under cover, to collect targeting data and to establish contact with anti-government ethnic-minority groups."

I think recent events in our Azeribaijan prove the accuracy of Mr Hersh's article.
Just to have a better picture of the pretext, look at discussions in a panel in last October in the States. Title of the panel is more than a million words-" “The Unknown Iran: Another Case for Federalism?” (read; Balcanization)
Of the people speaking there, has been Mr Ledeen who is famous for his fierce activities and fiery statements against Iran. He who favors diverse measures against us begins with: “only 51 percent of the population of Iran is ‘Persian,’ as they call it.”

I think beside the direct military involvement (whether it is direct invasion or air raids or selective targeting of military facilities), this option of flaming ethnic sentiments is on the table in the White House. If you don't believe me, read another statement of one of the panelist in the above mentioned congregation- Mr Shahbazi an Azeri chauvinist : “the real investment should be in the ethnic problem. This will be the true nuclear bomb that will blow away the Iranian regime.”

The recent events in the country- III
(Let's make another Balcan!)

We have had a tradition here being practiced for centuries:" Erase a problem rather than solving it!". It is applicable to diverse problems ranging from daily life to those having deep roots in our history and society. Ethnic problems are one of them.

Iran is a multi-cultural country. Beside Fars people who consist about 50 percent of the society, we have Kurds in the north west, Azeris in the same region, Arabs in south west, Baluch in south east, Turkmens in North east, Lors in the western part, not to mention Guilaks in the North (they don't have a language but a dialect). I am not a sociologist nor an expert on this issue, but just to tell you briefly, Azeris, Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens have a different language. In small cities and in rural areas there are not a few those who don't know Persian- the official language of the country. Among above mentioned, Kurds, Blauches and Turkmens belong to Sunni minority.

I don't know when this problem between Fars and non-Fars people began but we do know for sure that in Azerbaijan and Kurdistan, we have had a kind of federal government for about one year (1946-1947). The Azeri local government basically consisted of pro-soviet communists succeeding to make valuable changes in the infrastructure of Azerbaijan for the first time in its history. They could win a vast support among the ordinary Azeri people. University, roads, electricity, land reform, labor law, women clubs are the least of the memories old Azeris tell you when they look back to those days. The Azeri government was suppressed savagely during a bloody attack by the central government of Shah. Those who remember those days will tell you horrible stories of rape, slaughter and bloodshed. The same happened to a local government in Kurdistan. The leaders of the movement were hung in the central square of Mahabad (one of major cities in Kurdistan) and the movement was suffocated in cold blood.

The relationship between ethnic minorities (if Azeris with a population of millions can be called 'minority' at all!), have had fluctuations. But the anger and the rage piled in the hearts of the people have had certain reasons. These regions are usually more deprived than other parts of the country. The budget coming from Tehran is cut off many times before reaching to the destination in the remote part of the country. The rate of illiteracy and unemployment is usually higher there. The people rarely have a right to educate in their language, etc.

Khatami's time was an exception here. In Kurdistan (which has experienced the bloodiest troubles with the central government), the Kurdish language classes began to open. The MPs began wearing their national costumes. The people felt more free to be themselves. For the first time in our history, a Kurd was assigned as the governor of the Kurdistan province.

I'm extremely humble and profoundly modest and deeply earthy, a real meek. So, I think I have bragged enough about how beautiful is our country especially in May and about the snow peaked mountains dividing the north and rest of the country and about... :)

Mexican corn with 'Hallucination'

(a must-read for psychiatrists and even politicians)

Mexican corn is a new thing in Iran. We didn't have it before. Well, we had corn and we had pop corn as well, but never Mexican corn. It's a new 'industry'. Seems it is loved so badly, because wherever you go, you see in corner of a shop (sandwich kiosk, confectionary, even a grocery) a roofed place with a sphere like pot in the middle, a sweet vapor coming out and some bottles of seasonings and cans of flavors and spice lining right beside the pot.
I try it whenever I go shopping and feel like to have a snack.
Today I did the same, when I saw a roofed cart in the court yard of a shopping mall.
The young guy selling the corn was cool (a big exceptional surprising phenomenon these days; we are all bad-tempered. Our young ones are the worst; they look like uncaged animals sometimes!). He filled a plastic glass (is it still called 'glass' when it's made of plastic?) with the corn. Pointing to different bottles and cans lining there, he said:" Would you like any flavor to be added?" I asked :" What they are?" . He began:
-" lemon juice?"
-"ok!"
-"pepper?"
-No, no!"
-Oregano?
-"Yes of course!"
With each 'yes' he heard, he added it to the corn. And when he heard 'No!' he left the can and picked up the next one.

The last suggestion:
-" Hallucination?"
-"Pardon?!?"
He picked a bottle, shook it and titled it as if it he was going to pour something. Nothing came out!
So, the last flavor added on my Mexican corn was 'hallucination'.

Behavior guidelines in Iran

Reading a Lebanese blog, I thought that the same guidelines can be devised here for us in Iran.

Just consider that if you forget these, you may experience a bad headache and if you got any, don't feel dumb; just remember that the whole guideline is too complicated to be learned even for us who live in the country:

1- When the other side is a Hizbollahi:

May be before that, I have to explain how an Iranian hizbollahi looks. If it is a 'she', the job is so easy: she wears a black chador and you can get very instantly who she is and what might her beliefs be. But if it is a 'he', it can have two options:
a- the most distinguishable one is a middle aged man, usually a bit chubby, bearded, wearing grey costume (the whole grey spectrum), buttoning the shirt under up to the neck.
b- a young man who doesn't wear ordinary coat (if needed, he can wear an Ahmadi-nejad like coat), is bearded, puts his shirt over his pants.

You can shake hands and can kiss if you are from the same sex (yes men kiss the men here although they are NOT gay). If you ever touch the opposite sex of this brand, you would get into trouble. 'Trouble' can be just a sentence (the tone can be different, polite to irritated) like " Sorry, I don't shake hands!" to surprise cries of "oh, no!" or "What?!?" or so.

Beside shaking hands and kissing, it's preferable to avoid eye contact. Instead, you can look at your shoes or at the opposite wall. I'm not joking; it's seroius!

2- When the other side doesn't look Hizbollahi, BUT the place is in public:
You should avoid it too, if you are not dealing with the same sex. Just to put it into simple English words, I can say, although some people don't believe in strict religious principles (like avoiding shaking hands with the opposite sex), they have to behave as if they do. Don't forget that here we have an ideological system and those pictured beforehand, are in power. If not, this time they may get into trouble. 'Trouble' here means, having a bad name of being a bad Muslim or so. For those in high positions, this bad fame may result to more dangerous points like losing the job or so.

Notification: Sometimes you may miscalculate and the other side is shy to say that he/she is reluctant to shake hands, then the result would be like this: you would have a dead fish in your hands. If this happens it means: "Aha, you are hit; you shouldn't have shaken hands."

To avoid mess, I am offering you a trick a non-Iranian friend of mine suggests. He says when he is confused about shaking hands or avoiding it in Iran, he just stretches his hand cautiously 5-10 centimeters further, looking and checking the other side's reaction. If she seems welcoming and going to shake hands with him, he actually takes his hand further and shakes hands. If not, he just leaves the hand in the mid distance and takes it back and puts it on his chest as if he never intended to shake hands.

3- When the other side doesn't look Hizbollahi and the place is a safe place:
Safe places in Iran are usually homes. Then, just like what the people in other parts of the world do, depending on the kind of relationship, you may shake hands, kiss on the cheeks or lips, hug and even tap on shoulders. No matter if the other side is a 'she' or a 'he'.

The recent events in the country- II

Universities have had ups and downs with the system. A few years back, during a university turmoil protesting to shutting down the only reformist daily then (Salam), the riot police and vigilances attacked the dormitories and killed a student and wounded many. A few of the students arrested then, are still in custody. As it was in Khatami's time, the police and the commander were put under trial but as predicted, they were released afterwards. The students interpreted it as an insult and the anger and rage piled even more in their hearts. Every year, on the anniversary of that day (July 9), the turmoil and unrest fills the universities.

Just recently, the incidents in the universities reminded us that the Freedom which has been paid for a lot, shouldn't be taken for granted; on the beginning of the academic year (this year is the first year of Ahmadi-nejad in office), the reformist head of Tehran University was put aside and was substituted with a clergy. The students protested but the guy was too powerful to be shaken.

Now, they have begun to get rid of troublesome professors. They can't behave as they used to two decades ago, so they say that these professors are too old and should be substituted by younger staff. Everybody knows that it is a big lie and the problem is with the professors' beliefs rather than their age.

In the same time, the students are taken to courts, are sentenced to imprisonments and some are pended or even expelled. The news about them is almost everyday in the dailies.

The students are protesting the new wave of pressures in the universities, but whatsoever the result, we should learn that when freedom is not institutionalized and when there are not powerful organizations to protect it, it would be always in danger- as it is happening right now in our academic centers.

To be continued…

Eating on the spot

Not long ago, Tehran had hundreds of gardens in different parts of the city. Now, except for a few, the rest have changed into residential complexes. The green patches and natural corridors are invaded by urban expansion and I think just after a couple of years we won't be left any traces of the old gardens except in the memories and the pictures.
In the western part of the city, in a district called Kan, there are still gardens of white and black mulberry and Persimmon. My friends and I have a 'tradition' to go to the mulberry gardens once a year, pick mulberries and eat them right on the spot. We do the same in autumn for eating and buying Persimmon. The fruit in the shops never have the fresh and sweet taste of them on the branches. The gardeners leave the Persimmons for a long time so that all the leaves fall from the trees and there are just the orange juicy fruits left on the naked branches.
Sorry, I can't share with you the joy of eating fresh mulberries. Instead, this picture I've brought you in my basket.

The recent events in the country- I

Last June, when the presidential election was on the way, many intellectuals (the potential opponents), boycotted it. The reasons were many and diverse either. But the common justification was mostly related to the incapability of the reformists and the former president Mohammad Khatami as their leader, for fulfilling any considerable changes.

Although we (who were against boycotting) agreed on their reasoning, we disagreed the result. For myself, the election was a way (may be the only way) for taking part in determining the fate of the country. Of the reasons that I brought was that, Khatami's time bore some achievements which were undeniable and we had to protect it through electing someone who could follow him and his plans.

Of the achievements we took for granted were the opening (hence slight and not deep) in the political atmosphere of the country.
The recent incidents in the universities are of the events reminding us the value of the freedom we had during the eight year presidency of Mohammad Khatami.

All during our recent history, universities have been a bad headache for ruling powers in the country. In Shah's time (even during the darkest years of his ruling) the student demonstrations were never stopped. Of the members of political groups, many were university students. The universities were the places which illegal books and publications could be found and neither the riot police nor the intelligence service (SAVAK) could ever control them.
Thus, it was not strange to see that Islamic Republic dealt with them very instantly. Just less than two years after the Revolution, during a so-called 'cultural revolution', they expelled all the students and professors which according the standards were considered un-Islamic. The universities were closed for two years and after re-opening were filled with Islamists (both) as students and professors. Those who survived the infiltrations, moved as cautions as possible and all had to go through strict questionings about their beliefs and ideas.
In recent years, the situation changed drastically. The universities were not the dark and silent places we used to see some 20 years ago, any more. The student organizations began to revive, the students dared to mingle with each other, and the situation turned into a much more tolerable condition than my generation's time in universities.

To be continued…

Canadian National Post apologizes

Canadian National Post which lied about a ratification by Iranian Parliament due to forcing the Jewish to stick a badge on their chests to be recognized from Muslims, has apologized for the lie they fussed over.
Well, thanks for their 'honesty'. But the question is that whether all the people who read the lie and believed it are going to know about the apology or not. Will the Rabbis who expressed their concern about this issue tell the people that their anxieties were baseless? I don't think so. So, that's the way it is. Apart from their apologies, the liars have achieved their goal: brainwashing the people by fussing over something that never has existed and just has been a made up myth.

Badges

This story of badges* is mounting. This chart is the number of the posts on blogs written about this issue in different languages recently. This chart is expressive enough. But this is another example of how propaganda machine works. Somebody has said something, somebody else picks it, makes a big fuss over it, invents a deviated story out of it, sends the tilted news to a group of people, then they begin condemning it, signing petitions, writing protest letters to this official and that international organization…….. So, how you can make others to hear your voice among this deafening fuss?" Wait a minute! If there is anything ratified by the Parliament, then we inside the country should be the first to know about it…."
The sad thing is that these stories pop up based on a fertile bed prepared by Mr President who calls Holocaust a myth. Sometimes I just wonder who is benefiting this man's stances. It's neither Iranian nation nor Palestinians.

* Read the post below please, if you don't know the story.

!!!!

In a Canadian daily we read that Iranian government is going to force Iranian Jewish to attach a yellow star on their chest to be recognized.
Well, I am living in Iran and am following the news very closely BUT I haven't heard such a strange thing yet. So, I searched the article to see if there is any reliable source telling that and I didn't find any. Instead, there are names of rabbis over there in the West and some Mr Behroozian (whom just God knows who he is) condemning this action . Ok, ok. That's shameful if Iranian government or any other government in the world commits that, but wait a minute please; nobody has spoken of that in the country yet.

The Iranian Jewish people –whom I read here and there are about 25000 now- are living a life more or less like us- the Muslims. I can't say they don't face any discriminations because of their religion, but you see, it's not something to make a fuss over. They can't occupy high rank posts or so, but they have their synagogues and their practices, feasts and ceremonies, their member of Parliament, their schools. They have their own organizations (youth organization for instance) and can gather freely and have their own weddings or funerals. In Iran, for university entrance exam –which is a terribly tough competition- we have to answer religious questions about principles, practices, etc. The Jewish people can answer the questions about their own religion.

Well, that's great if Rabbi Marvin Hier, is against such kind of inhuman actions, but I am really curious to know if he feels the same sensitive to the similar discriminations happening right now in Israel against Palestinians. I would love to know what's in his resume against the ethnic cleansing, abuse, suppressions, bombing and killings over there. If to this gentleman, Arabs are inferior to Jewish people in Israel ( 'they are uneducated, wild, aggressive, filthy, etc.'), then I am really willing to know –at least- if he has ever raised his voice against the discriminations among the Jewish people themselves.

Our asbolute right(s)

The slogan repeated for thousands of times recently is " Nuclear energy is our absolute right!". This slogan we can hear or see in demonstrations, on placards installed here and there, from the people interviewed by the state run TV, etc. Well, with the same slogan, there are made tens of jokes- some of them really funny.
This is a picture taken by ILNA (Iranian Labor News Agency, run and financed by the Govenrment) on a demonstration welcoming Mr President in Saveh, a city nearby. We can read on the banner in the hands of the little girl:" Having amenities is our absolute right!" I wish Mr President could see these simple words with thousands of stories behind.

Still, the Letter

Ahmadi-nejad's letter might be forgotten abroad, but still it's on the top of list of discussions inside the country; either through the comments of the politicians, or jokes swapped on cell phones. In one recent joke, the people are speaking on a second letter* which is going to be issued soon. If the first letter imitated the tone of Prophet Mohammad, this one is going to opt Imam Ali's lectures to follow. You may know that to Shiaas , Imam Ali is the holiest person after the prophet.

Politicians from right wing praise the 'genius' president to take such a measure and writing such a deep-content letter to Bush and those from the left wing (well, the word 'left' has its own definition here in our country) are objecting that the letter has nothing inside and Mr President shouldn't have written it, etc. Mohammad Ghoochani, one of our famous columnists attacked the President in Shargh daily; telling that, writing such letters is not President's business. Instead, he should solve the earthy problems of the people. Ayatollah Jannati, the famous traditional ultra-right member of the traditional ultra-right Guardian Council and one of the Imams for Tehran Friday prayer, is suggesting that the letter should be taught in the schools and universities so that the children could learn about it.** He even went further and claimed that this letter was inspired by God and that is the reason that God takes care of this country. The latest critic is the former speaker to former Parliament (the majority was for reformists then)- Mr Karrubi, criticizing Jannati for his words of praise for the letter. In a letter with a mocking tone, he has proposed Jannati:" Next time, if Mr President desired to write a similar letter to other leaders of the world, ask him to give the job to you who can understand 'God's inspiration' in a better way.'

* Heh, we're reading in the news today that actually he has written a second letter addressing all the leaders of the world going to be issued on next week. "Hello? Isn't anybody over there to stop this guy?!?........"

** Yesterday I called one of my friends who has two kids at school age. I told her:" Tell your kids to study well. If they don't and if their education prolongs, then for punishment they have to learn Ahmadi-nejad's letter!"

Pandora

In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman on earth. Zeus ordered Hephaestus, the god of craftsmanship, to create her and he did, using water and earth. The gods endowed her with many talents; Aphrodite gave her beauty, Apollo music, Hermes persuasion, and so forth. Hence her name: Pandora, "all-gifted". When Prometheus stole fire from heaven, Zeus took vengeance by presenting Pandora to Epimtheus, Prometheus' brother. Before he was chained to the rock, Prometheus had warned Epimetheus not to take any gifts from the gods. Epimetheus did not listen to his brother, however, and when Pandora arrived, he fell in love with her. Hermes told him that Pandora was a gift to the titan from Zeus, and he warned Epimetheus to not open the box, which was Pandora's dowry. Until then, mankind had lived a life in a paradise without worry. Epimetheus told Pandora never to open the box she had received from Zeus. However, one day, Pandora's curiosity got the better of her and she opened it, releasing all the misfortunes of mankind (plague, sorrow, poverty, crime, etc.). Once opened, she shut it in time to keep one thing in the box: HOPE. The world remained extremely bleak for an unspecified interval, until Pandora "chanced" to revisit the box again, at which point HOPE fluttered out.

Green green grass of home

Last year, at this time I had a short trip to Qazvin, a city a few hundred kilometers away in North of Tehran. The city used to be a city of gardens and houses. Of the old gardens which actually were the city's skeleton, just few are remained. Most of them are vanished to new houses and apartments.
Although the city is quite small when compared with our big cities, the cultural heritage is not poor at all and consist many old houses and monuments most of them taken care by Iranian National Heritage Organization.
The city is also famous for being one of the industrial regions of the country. Just adjacent to the city there is a huge complex of factories jammed in an industrial town. Despite what one may imagine, the town is totally green and beautiful.
With a group of my friends we also visited a lake nearby called Evan. As the city is located in the southern edge of Alborz mountain range, for reaching the lake we had to drive in a wavy road taking us to higher altitudes.
It's May and it's the green time of the year in most parts of the country. If ever decided to visit us, come on May!

Let's be optimistic!

American peace activists pose with Iranian women in a tea shop in Shiraz. The FOR hat on one Iranian women's head is really cute, isn't it?

Very many times I feel the world is going insane. Looking around at the region (including my own country) and then going further to the international situation, I recall Uri Avnery's words about Iraq invasion:" Is it 2003 or 1003?"
Well, it's happy to see a counter-direction sometimes. This delegation of American peace activists –FOR- visiting Iran these days is one of the very few happy news to hear.

Here you can read their reports and see photo galleries:
Report 1
Report 2

Report 3
Photo Gallery 1
Photo Gallery 2

Iranian activists protest Dr Jahanbegloo's detention

Today a petition signed by more than 600 university professors and students, activists, intellectuals, journalists and writers sent to the Government, protesting the detention of Dr Jahanbegloo was published. Many of the signers live inside the country. As Dr Jahanbegloo's main accusation is said to be 'espionage', the signers question the Government that which kind of precious info a philosopher can have to be given to foreign countries at all. At the end they have asked the Government to put aside this kind of worn out accusations and free him.

Just amid this mess the country is in and when our case in on the UN's table and a big threat is just a few meters away and when we need the national unity so badly, this kind of actions of the Government is really incomprehensible. What they think really? Do they think that the foreign attack is a joke?

The caricature above is by Iranian caricaturist Mr Neyestani. Some voice out of the solitary confinement is addressing Dr Jahanbegloo :" You think, thus you are a spy."

An American recipe

Following my post on Wed May 10, I just want to show an example here. Today again, we were in the eight item list of Yahoo News. The title was intriguing: New uranium traces found in Iran. It said that UN inspectors have found traces of near bomb-grade enriched uranium on nuclear equipment in Iran . My eyes scanned the whole page so rapidly. You can do that either. I didn't find any names as the sources of the news. I read the whole page once again. The source of this very important news is 'diplomats' and later 'a diplomat in Vienna'. The rest of the news is not news but an American type of analysis, if we lower the definition of the word 'analysis' to some unreliable claims and biased interpretations.
Well, that's the way the propaganda machine works: They repeat our name, and throw the words 'nukes', 'IAEA' and 'threat' in between. What would be the result? You wake up some morning and find yourself believing in "Iran has nukes concealing it from IAEA. The country is a big threat to world peace".

Walking right on a two-edged sword

When in 2003, the US and Britain invaded Iraq, many applauded for them here in Iran. I could hear very repeatedly: " Ah, Iraqis have pushed themselves in the line just before us, when actually it was our turn to have the Americans here." As usual, there were jokes roaming and short messages rambling on the cell phones repeating the same words. To me, the story was totally different. Well, I am not young any more and have seen many things with my own eyes and have read a lot about what the US had done here and there in the world claiming the support for Democracy and Freedom. Also I am not that old to forget that all. If I am younger than experiencing the 1953 coup led by CIA against the national government of Dr Mohammad Mosaddeq in Iran, I was mature enough to remember the Chilean coup against Dr Allende in 1973- ironically on another Sep 11. Then I remember the story of Panama and arresting the legitimate government of Noriega. I also remember toppling Maurice Bishop in Granada and killing him. One of the very bitter stories which my teen years passed through, was what the US did in Nicaragua and the savage brutality of Contras whom Mr Reagan used to call Freedom fighters against Nicaraguan people. The contras set the villages to fire, raped women, slaughtered the villagers just because they were supporting the Sandinistas. These stories are carved in the recent history of the world if we don't mention Viet Nam war and the killings and the genocide that the American soldiers did there.
Many who supported the US invading Iraq had reasons to tell. The very shocking thing I witnessed those days was that even some Iranian leftists backed this idea. They said: " So, it's better to have a tyranny like Saddam in power killing and torturing the people?". I remember that even one of them wrote an article in a well-known online Persian magazine trying to theorize this idea telling something like this: we should revise our theories of the Americans' role in today's fight for freedom and democracy. Those days, the cries of the people like me who were strongly against the invasion could reach nowhere. I could see how dangerous can be the decisions of a nation when made in despair. When the people feel hopeless of making any changes by themselves, then they may look outside for help.
Well, the time passed and the mess in Iraq and Afghanistan cured the hallucinations of those who were that naïve to think that Americans have come here to spend millions of dollars and get their soldiers killed just for us to have Democracy and Freedom in beautiful golden boxes.

So, this is the story of us who are demanding social justice, democracy and freedom. When we are trying to fight against all the injustice and suppression we face here, in the same time we want it to be done by us and by our own hands. I myself never have believed that the US has done any good to us, but still if I was that simple-minded to believe this big lie, I would have preferred to settle the quarrels inside the home just by its residents.
So, I would love that Americans could know that if we are against the system here, it never means that we are going to welcome them and spread red carpet for them if they invade us. To me, like millions of Iranians, the national sovereignty is the first and the most important thing to care about. So, any threat from outside surely would rise a strong resistance here. Iran is an ancient country having deep roots in the history with a population of 70 millions. Americans can not swallow us easily. If they doubt this and believe the big lies of monarchists in LA, then they can come and see for themselves.

Back off! Don't touch me!

As a Muslim, you never can touch anybody from opposite sex if he/she is not a close relative of you. Shaking hands is one of the 'red lines' which when in public makes a funny situation sometimes. When inside homes, many Iranians don't give a damn to this kind of rules, in public you have to hold your hands and if there is a hand stretched to you (mostly by a non-Iranian who doesn't know about this rule) you have to blush of shame and say: "Sorry, I can't shake hands with you!."
A few years ago when our well-known film-maker Abbas Kiarostami won the golden palm of Cannes Film Festival, Catherine Deneuve was the one who was supposed to give the trophy to him. In the official ceremony, before the eyes of millions who were watching it on their TVs, she kissed poor Kiarostami and that made a terrible headache for him when he got back to the country. Later, I read somewhere that Rafsanjani, the then president had interfered to keep him safe of an arrest right after getting back to the country in the airport.
Here, the picture above shows another funny situation, this time for our new president visiting Indonesia; the lady is stretching her hand when he is holding his hand back. Like Ms Deneuve she didn't know the red line either.

The latest joke in Tehran

Just to help you comprehend the joke: Muslims pray the God five times a day. The first one is early in the morning, just before the sunrise.

This is the latest joke in Tehran; I've received it more than ten times today on my cell phone:

After receiving Ahmadi-nejad's letter, Bush has sent a short message to Ahamdi on his cell phone:" Hey brother, give me a wake up call tomorrow morning to pray the God."

Well, I didn't find it that cool, but as many people liked it, I thought you might feel the same. Besides, it gives you a flavor of what's going on here. We make jokes on every imaginable subject. Without jokes and satire, Life can be really tough here. We need laughters to survive.

We, in the news

You know what? I don't like that Iran's name is put in every list of news I read in Yahoo. If you follow the news through Yahoo, you would see at least one topic about us. It gives a bad feeling to me. Because no matter how funny it is, this being before the eyes, strengthens the picture about us as a 'troublesome' country. This 'fame' is so dangerous. I don't mean Iranian government is a nice pussycat, but you see, this claim of Mr Bush and his gang to call us 'the biggest threat to the US' makes me laugh my chest off. Come on guys! What has happened to you – the world's sole superpower- to be endangered by a developing country thousands of miles away?!?

Ok, the latest: Bush has stated that Ahmadi-nejad's letter has pointed to nothing regarding the nukes. Well, for once I agree with him. I try to read between the lines of Ahmadi-nejad's letter, but honestly to say, I can't find anything. Well, the reason might be that Mr Ahmadi-nejad is too busy following the spiritual issues in the heavens so that he can not find time to descend to the Earth to see what's going on in his own country.

Among this crazy messy fuss we are trapped in, there is a sober voice in the States calling for some another kind of behavior. Former secretary of state, Ms Albright invites holding direct talks with Iran. She believes:" "The last thing we need is to invade another country." Thanks Madam!

An American religious group in Iran

It's said a group of 23 people (one Brit, the rest Americans) from an American religious group has arrived Tehran on May 7. Resalat, one of the right wing dailies mentions the trip as a ' suspicious trip'. (Let's pray for the safety of the delegation then!:) ) Everybody knows that getting a visa for an American citizen is so tough and takes a lot of time. Since there is a delegation coming, it surely have been negotiations and coordination with the Iranian side. Visiting their webpage, I could see they are working on Iran issue and this trip is one of their efforts to make a change. They say this is their second mission: "The delegation, which will spent 12 days in the country, is part of FOR’s ongoing commitment to working for peace, justice, and the nonviolent resolution of conflict." They are trying to difuse Iran's nuclear crisis without war. The delegation plans to visit Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan and Qom.

In their webpage, they have some stuff in Persian.

I'm really interested to know how the trip has been organized and at Iranian side, who is backing them. As I said before, this kind of trips never can be fulfilled without a big OK from Iranian side.

Ahmadi-nejad's letter to G.W.Bush

ISNA, Iranian Student News Agency has published the letter we have been eagerly curious to know the content. Nothing important in it. Ahmadi-nejad has advised Bush to be a good boy and revise his policies toward other nations. So what? Mr. President thinks he is that charismatic to imitate Khomeini who sent a letter to Gorbachev? It might not be that polite, but reading his letter I recalled a nickname an old man from the right wing had 'granted' Ahmadi-nejad when he nominated himself for presidency- 'political dwarf'.

Writing a letter to any American official (even if it was not American president) is a very sensitive issue here. Thus, everybody knows that Ahmadi-nejad never has done this without a consensus among top rank officials here . On the top of the list, Khamenei, the supreme leader. So, what has been all this fuss about? Is that utmost remedy they can think of for taking the country out of the critical situation it is in?
That's frustrating for all of us- of course, except for Iranian famous satirist Ibrahim Nabavi whom I'm sure is going to make a cool joke out of it so soon.

A big shock

What?!? I'm shocked. Although we expected that Iranian government would retreat on nuclear issue, I have to confess honestly that I couldn't ever imagine that Mr Ahmadi-nejad would take such a bold action.
Hey, after the new stances of Mr President regarding women going to stadiums and not pinching them in the streets because of their loose hijabs, this letter is quite a shock. Should we change his title as 'hard-liner' to 'soft-liner'? Just kidding! Of course not! I'll tell you the reasons later……..

Aha, I just commented without telling you why I am shocked. Well, have a look on the news.

Iranian Nation:'Walking Down Death Row'*

...

Walking down death row,

I turned the corner and found to my surprise;

There were women there as well,

With babies in their arms, before my eyes.

...

The spaghetti like network of narrow lanes and alleys in south of Tehran metropolitan, locate thousands of small houses barely bigger than 40-50 square meters. The poor and low income families living in this part of the city used to be and still are the stronghold of religious clerics ruling Iran for more than two decades. These lanes which bear the names of thousands of young soldiers and volunteers killed in the eight year war between Iran and Iraq (shohada') reveal the cost for supporting the system. Beside this cost, these people have been under the toughest pressures of life in Iran. The increasing shrinkage of middle class has added to the number of people living in this area. Unemployment, drugs, prostitution and crimes are the least to be mentioned of their troubles.

In recent presidential election held in June 2005, the biggest number of voters for Mr Ahmadi-nejad has been from this very part of the city. Frustrated with the words of Freedom and Democracy repeated by the former president Mohammad Khatami (when hungry, Freedom is just a luxury!) and the reformists supporting him, they preferred to cling to the promises of a new man in the arena, speaking about bringing the oil money to the tables and getting back to the values of the Revolution. Mr Ahmadi-nejad whom even now is unknown personally, looked similar in appearance to ordinary people, spoke in the language they comprehended and behaved so humble. Despite all the analyses he was the one who won the race and joined to the circle of power in Iran.

Now seven months in office, Ahmadi-nejad hasn't revealed much of his plans and still is looked upon as a humble decent man willing to work in benefit of the people if is given an opportunity. That's the reason many believe that Mr Ahmadi-nejad should be given a chance to practice the promises he has made

Of the challenges the government of new president faces, is the nuclear row. He and the whole system have withstood uncompromising and are strongly defending the right of the country for having nuclear energy. The strange thing is that, although usually the biggest majority of Iranians are inconsistent to the views of the top rank officials, the issue of nuclear energy has turned to be a matter of national pride for most of the people. They are backing the official stance and support the challenging words of the president against the threats of West.

At the other side, the Bush administration is accusing the Islamic government to cooperate and having links to terrorists and is calling Iran ' the biggest threat against the United States'. Beside American President and the foreign secretary, the US envoy to UN are expressing their concern about Iranians ability in developing nukes and using it against the vital interests of the United States.

Just like Mr Ahmadi-nejad and Iranian government zigzagging in haze, the US administration has not clarified the punishments they plan to impose on Iran. Words are heard about 'smart sanctions', 'air strikes' and 'political pressures' when never it is mentioned any details on them.

Whatever the punishments the US and the West plan for Iran, the main target would be the Iranian people which is forgotten to be concerned about by both sides. The national radio and TV run by the government is fulfilling a vast propaganda in favor of nuclear energy. The independent dailies are warned to be extremely cautious when writing about this issue. They usually avoid even hinting to it. The independent critics prefer to keep quite these days and reject to be interviewed. When beside the official voice, nothing is heard inside the country, the people can not judge on the consequences of the circumstances in a correct or real way. They are blind on the price they are going to pay. If the people could be given a chance to be enlightened on the real effects of sanctions, embargos and air strikes , just as what their neighbors in Iraq have gone through, the views could be changed considerably. Now, in the absence of knowledge and awareness, primarily this is Iranian nation walking down the death row.

*Name of a song by legendary folk singer-songwriter Pete Seeger.

Iranian-Canadian journalist in custody

Iranian-Canadian journalist Ramin Jahanbegloo is arrested. Nobody knows why. There are rumors and gossips heard here and there. The government hasn't issued any statement yet. No official has got any stance yet. It's heard that as usual the accusation is Espionage. It's said he has had an interview with some Spanish magazine challenging the stances of Ahmadi-nejad and that's the reason for the arrest. How one can be sure about it? Well, nobody knows whether it's true or not. But the dark cloud woven by the government around his detention –it's usually the same when an opponent is in custody- gives a very bad impression. Most of all, the silence of his family and relatives shows that they are under pressures (is there anybody who doesn't know by whom?) to be quite. This is usual too. When somebody is arrested, the interrogators 'recommend' the family to keep their mouth shut because 'that's better for their dear one'.

The official website of Dr Jahanbegloo.

Read about him in Wikipedia.

This is a blog some of his friends are running to cover the news about him.