© the eyeranian

Random Observation

Political Idiocy X 2

The definitive example of political idiocy is wearing white socks with a suit. Just kidding! It actually is making comments like this.

I wrote and spoke in support of both Israeli's and Palestinian's right to self govern and political existence long before it was fashionable, but am still wondering what does Israel being "wiped off the map" mean anyways? Is he talking about a political entity or a physical geography being "wiped off"? Will everyone he considers to be Israeli just pack and leave? Where to? The kid that was born there to parents who were born there moves to where his grandparents were born? Don't be ridiculous. Maybe they'll just stay and be ruled under the Palestinian authority now. You think that would end the ongoing conflict? Hardly. Hope it isn't advocating a genocide. I doubt that, even coming from most of the extremists. So where is Ahmadinejad getting off with opinions that go nowhere and have no practical reality?

This kind of idiotic rhetoric only plays up the emotions of a very limited circle of similar-minded airheads, plus fuels the flames of hate within the ranks of your foes. Just take a look at how his "World without Zionism" observations is already translated by the extremists on the opposite side:

News by Us, translated Ahmadinejad's ludicrous comments as "Kill All Jews"! According to them and only them, " (Ahmadinejad) said what his generation has always believed, ... that Jews must be killed." Their accurate reporting -not confirmed by any credible news organization- continues this way: "He stated that the state of Israel, founded on May 14, 1948, must be "wiped off the map." In other words, all Jews must be slain."

The same source then condemns a whole generation of Iranians (not just the extremists in Ahmadinejad camp) when it concludes that "Khomeini, then Ahmadinejad, and now the next generation of Iranians are to continue with the project of eliminating Jews and those friends of Jews."

Reporting "without bias" apparently also means misquoting others along with Ahmadinejad. Just read the following paragraph:

"No wonder that British Prime Minister Tony Blair has referred to Islam as "an evil ideology." US President George W. Bush has referred to it as an "ideology of hate." Finally these two democracy leaders realize that Islam is not a "religion of peace."

Hmmm. Did they say that? That is not how I remember it.

The point is, by opening your mouth irresponsibly, you can easily play into the hands of your enemy. Then again, in my view there isn't much difference between the extremists on either sides of this particular political ping-pong or so-called "enemies". Those attending the "wipe-off conference" and the ones interpreting what has been said to justify their own intentions, have both used each other as the big bad wolf to allow them to rule on a foundation of fear. The imaginary enemy that once in a while threatens your entire existence is a powerful tool to help in crushing any opposing point of view under the guise of national security or similar nonsense (hey just ask the defenders of "patriot act".)

For that, the extremists in Iran and their ideological brothers in Israel have done much over the years in helping one another and very little in creating any real harm.

Relax, Sky is NOT Falling!

So, the "opposition", academia, the community abroad, bloggers, observers, pollsters and even the CIA-funded call center that spent weeks with numerous Los Angeles based operators calling Iran in order to predict a winner, got it all wrong and Ahmadinejad came out as the new president.

There is little point in discussing the accuracy or even legitimacy of this so-called election. What is perhaps more compelling to watch now however, is the reaction it has created. Some are clearly in mourning to the extent of going completely silent, although the most common reaction is what I can only describe as the "sky is falling" syndrome.

This refers to all those who are predicting a catastrophic doom as the result of one bureaucrat taking over another's job. After all, isn't by constitution the role of Iranian president more or less that of an administrator? He (and by their latest interpretation of their law, there will never be a she) is not in charge of deciding whether nuclear energy requires further steps forward or whom should the para-military Basij and Revolutionary Guards target next. He also has no control over the judiciary, so can not release prisoners or decide to take more in. He introduces no legislation and vetoes none either. Even his elected seat could be taken away if the non-elected leader decides so, as the first ever president of Iran quickly found out.

If all of that is true, then what is the difference who the man at the high seat is? I know it may seem easy for someone from so far to seat back and say "who cares", but then again it is sometimes hard for those surrounded by trees to see the forest.

Iran is only the second country in the world (that I am aware of) who produces both sides of its fundamental political positions from the same essential cloth. In other words, those in power as well as it's supposed opposition share the exact same views on 90% of the issues and even the other 10% also run more along posturing than actual values. It may not be an accident that the main architects of this scheme were all educated in the first country in the world with a similar system (You think Saeed Emami is reading this? I'm yet to be convinced he's dead.)

So my friends, take heart in knowing that the sky is NOT falling yet, just because we are changing presidents. Whatever changes take place over the next four years will not be a result of Ahmadinejad's new title, as those decisions are made way above his head and when they are made, even the most "liberal" of the reformist presidents will not stand in the way of their execution.

As I look at my Sunday issue of LA Times, I see the gloomy face of Pooya Dayanim, introduced as president of Iranian Jewish Public Affairs Committee and holding a framed image of Forough Farokhzad with this caption "he fears her poetry will be banned under the newly elected Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad." Then I wonder if some of us are still in shock over what took place in our country over a quarter of a century ago and can't accept the reality of its magnitude yet.

Iran Vote

I did not vote in the last Friday's "Presidential Election" for Iran. Not being the type to hype up a "boycott" of any sort or try to inject my opinion on anyone at all, I also stayed quiet on the topic, both in my private life as well as publicly.

It wasn't anything new to me of course, as I am yet to vote in any of the Iranian governments various "elections" of the past 26 years or so.

Perhaps it is because of the sacredness I feel towards the practice that I object to anything that would diminish its greatness. Elections in Iran have very little to do with democracy or even choice and are rather tools used by the privileged few to further entrench their hold on power. For that, I refuse to lower my own standards.

Are We Nuclear Yet?

One of the most clever ways a regressive fundamentalist theocracy has been able to remain in power in an otherwise discerning country like Iran, is how this government has always managed to control the pace and direction of the political dialogue internally as well as abroad. This has enabled them to divert discussions and even demands of the opposition towards an objective that suits their needs first and above all else.

Just look at the current arguments regarding nuclear power. By erecting yet another paper monster in the atmosphere of political discourse, they have managed to sidetrack any demands on more fundamental questions of human rights violations, democratic reform and essential civil liberties such as equality of women and more evenhanded distribution of wealth, while all the discussions seem to go around only one real or imagined trepidation.

Search the latest news on Iran and you are almost guaranteed to discover an overwhelming percentage of your findings will include the term "nuclear program". Even as EU discusses their concerns with Iran, the direction of talks is not towards guaranteeing more freedom for Iranian people (as presumably there is no objections about a "democracy" having nuclear capabilities), but more along the lines of how big of a reward they'd like in order to slow down their progress.

At the end, and once again, the final result of these discussions and the presumed pressure inflicted by the current U.S. administration is allowing this backwards establishment to solidify their position even more strongly, while people of Iran continue to suffer with some of their basic rights being denied.

It's funny how their opposition used to think the regime in Iran is so foolish and idiotic.

Ahura - Hakha - Speaks!

I had prepared this post for yesterday but when I brought it up in a conversation with a friend, he insisted I should not publish it. Some of us eyeranians have this weird concept of Aberoo or honor of our outside persona we try to protect so dearly at at any cost. If we have family problems, our friends are usually the last to find out and if anyone close to us creates an embarrassment, we'd rather die than to make it public knowledge.

The same sometimes applies to our politics and some of us try really hard to hide our dishonor, be it a weird figure or movement or even public viewpoint. Well, I disagree and believe that the only way to get rid of some of those same backward people or beliefs is to expose them fully to the outside world, as in this way they rapidly lose their luster and the ugly truth will become more visible.

So is the case with the current master of such political/social embarrassments; Mr. Ahura Pirooz Yazdi. Don't agonize if the name does not ring a bell, the man did not exist on anyone's political or social radar screens up to a few short months ago, if that. In short, he is a self-appointed opposition leader who is going to "free Iran" on October 1st, by taking a few planes full of his supporters to land in Tehran and celebrate their freedom on the streets! He is also the creator or promoter of a new/ancient faith he calls "Hakha", where everyone loves everyone else and nobody asks too many questions.

The Labyrinth tells us he has found some followers inside Iran through his 24 hour access to a satellite television organization, but who really knows?

Ebrahim Nabavi, satirist and known novelist based in Europe, recently wrote a piece about Ahura Yazdi and to make his point about the man who is supposedly our future leader, transcribed parts of one of his television speeches without adding any commentary, which I am translating for you here.

This isn't to promote or even denounce Ahura, as I think getting to know him and how he is received by our people tells us much more about ourselves than we'd ever like to admit to or are successful at learning. Here it is, with almost a day delay:

(Explanation: Guardians are between 300 to 500 people who control the world)

"...Guardians when they do it to a President, especially in Africa, he will come and - Feed or Eat (unclear word usage) - his family and then do it .... about the event in 1979 during Shah's time, the world's economy, be it in U.S. or Europe, was under control of Iran. Iran had supremacy over Suez Canal, dominance over South Africa and diamonds was Shah's, economy of Somalia was Iran's... Iran was about to reach what do they call it?... world's developed countries... Shah at this time wanted to become the Guardian's leader, the same way Tsar wanted to be the Guardian's leader and they murdered him and his entire family.. Shah had created a Club of Life and with that he wanted to expand global peace and development... and they saw he is pulling ahead and stopped it... When someone is getting out of his own territory, meaning his own boundary, meaning his area, the Guardians wont allow it.

... For example, during Reagan's time, the person assigned by the Guardians shoots in a way so people will not die... it all depends on who is carrying the assignment... for example, you'd find fifty people who had Cream Pie on their face in Europe during the 90's... the agent responsible was a different one..."

Another Freed Motallebi

Saeed Motallebi, Sina's father has been released. At least for now and who knows what prompted it. I can tell you that the reaction to his arrest was extensive and came from a wide and varied range of sources; bloggers, prominent writers, even one of Iran's Vice Presidents. Hope it is permanent and his family is not put through any more heartbreak.

Sina needs our help, NOW!

It may be fair to say that if it wasn't for Sina Motallebi, the eyeranian would probably not have been born. More accurately, if it wasn't for Sina's arrest in 2003, I don't know if I would have committed myself to a regular and organized web log.

You may remember he was arrested in Iran, mainly for the content of his blog and this was a first even for that regime. I did not know Sina personally, but Hossein Derakhshan did. They were both amongst the crop of young journalists who had found an opening to get published in the barrage of new newspapers that came to be after the election of Khatami and had become friends. Hoder (as Hossein is often known as) and myself had exchanged more than a few e-mails by then and I had used his advise in starting an infrequent weblog.

Naturally, it was through Hoder then that I heard about the arrest. He was also asking people for help, trying to get the story publicized further. I wrote him and volunteered to help. Soon, we had thousands of signatures on a petition I prepared and our multiple press releases and contacts for interviews, got the attention of some major mainstream media outlets such as Newsweek and BBC.

That is when I felt a regular outlet needed to be available for spreading the latest on his condition and starting the eyeranian seemed like a natural course of action. At the beginning and up to his release later in 2003, Sina was a regular topic of this weblog. In fact, the name "Sina" came up a total of 98 times during the first two months of eyeranian's existence in April and May of 2003.

We managed to get even more publicity for him and whether true or not, Sina himself gives much of the credit for his eventual release to all the bloggers who united behind his cause. He went even further and gave myself way too much recognition in his first post-release article about his arrest, more than it was ever warranted, sought or deserved.

Now, I told you all of this to get to this point; Sina's father was arrested a few days ago, most likely because of the outspoken and critical nature of Sina's writings since he escaped Iran. Hoder sees this as part of a much larger movement to put more restrictions in place, particularly against websites and blogs. Sina has a picture of his dad (with his grandchild, Sina's son) on his blog, followed by a link to every post and article people have written about his dad's predicament.

I'm not sure what the answer is at this point and how we could help, but I am volunteering myself and ask the rest of you to come up with some suggestions or help out in some even small way to get more attention to this travesty. I don't think sitting back and choosing silence will help, so be creative as well as generous with your time. I'm all ears.

Hey Monkey, Dance Now!

Don't you wish you had a puppet you could pull out of the closet whenever you needed to do whatever nonsense mission you assigned to it and it would be done with little resistance or any question asked? Well, the NeoCons sure have one on Iran and it even comes from a genuine background of progressive ideals. How sad is that?

Iran, the new old enemy?

I woke up on July 28th and did something I have not done in a long time; I checked my web log's counter for the number of visitors that day and it read 179. At first I was not sure how to react. A few months ago (maybe last time I checked) that number would have been in thousands but then again I haven't really written much in weeks.

I decided there were two ways to react; either get negative and mourn that a whole bunch of people got tired of coming back to a similar page until they stopped checking OR think of it this way; you haven't written anything of substance for a long time and yet still a bunch of loyal people come back to check your blog. I chose to feel the second way and that's why I even announced that I wrote something that day.

What I wrote was a response to an article in Sunday's LA Times. Something put out by Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and picked up by a bunch of papers in actuality, including LA Times. Here is the piece by Walter Russell Mead. Read it first, then you may wish to read my reply below. This was sent to the paper, but I doubt they'd ever publish it:

It is a shame to see the same hawkish mentality that pushed us into an illegal and immoral war in Iraq has increased its intensity in preparation for yet another horrible mistake, this time preparing the groundwork for a possible military confrontation with Iran.

Walter Russell Mead’s piece in Sunday’s LA Times (A Darker Shadow than Iraq) is just another example of the types of articles appearing in media over the last few weeks that should worry those who can see the parallels between now and how the public opinion was molded on Iraq about two years ago.

In fact, similarities between the cases made against Iran now and Iraq then are plenty and far from just alphabetical. Not only they are similar in the tone and even charges levied, but also identical methodology of fear and stating false premises as facts are used. Perhaps not surprisingly though, is that again most of these latest attacks, including this particular article, come from The Council on Foreign Relations. The same outfit who provided most of the intellectual rationale behind invasion of Iraq and anything else the “New World Order” crowd sees as their necessary next step.

Let me clear one point from the start, as a former political prisoner of the Islamic Republic, there is no stronger desire in me but to see the current regime in Iran replaced with a democratic and peaceful alternative. I have lost no less than 36 of my close friends, classmates and relatives to the brutality of this current system, many of them executed as teenagers. So, do not expect to find a hard-core defender of that system here, but even the most brutal dictators should be dealt with fairly and the method to replace them is critical to what they will be replaced with. The mess we have created in Iraq should provide enough evidence on that fact.

The fear factor in this article starts with a myth perpetuated a few years ago by one Israeli tabloid. It is a quote often used cleverly and never in its entirety to show the supposed intentions of Iran to go after “nuclear destruction of Israel”. It came from a 2001 sermon by one-time President of Iran Rafsanjani. Again, I feel it necessary to point out that if one day Rafsanjani is brought to an international court to answer for his crimes against humanity, you’ll find me in the long line of claimants as I have experienced his sadism and brutality first hand. But again, even he deserves to be judged on what he has actually said or done and not something imagined by a third-rate newspaper.

Mead repeats the allegations of that tabloid paper in his article as facts. Here’s how he puts it: “Moreover, Iran's statements about the nuclear weapons it hopes to build are far from reassuring. In December 2001, former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani said the "application of an atom bomb would not leave anything in Israel" but would produce only "damages" in the Muslim world. After the nuclear destruction of Israel, Rafsanjani said, "Jews shall expect to once again be scattered and wandering around the globe."

Unfortunately the full text of Rafsanjani’s speech is not available to confirm or deny this without any suspicion. Friday sermons are rather long and as such they are usually abbreviated by most newspapers and are published the next day. However, more than one source has searched for what was actually said on that day and here is the quote closest to the tabloid’s allegation reported by Michael Rubin of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, hardly an anti-Israeli outfit: "If one day, the Islamic world is also equipped with weapons like those that Israel possesses now, then the imperialists' strategy will reach a standstill because the use of even one nuclear bomb inside Israel will destroy everything."

The most detailed account comes from The Middle-East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). They highlighted various parts of that entire speech and here is their version of what was said about Israel and nuclear weapons: “Rafsanjani said that Muslims must surround colonialism and force them [the colonialists] to see whether Israel is beneficial to them or not. If one day, he said, the world of Islam comes to possess the weapons currently in Israel's possession [meaning nuclear weapons] - on that day this method of global arrogance would come to a dead end. This, he said, is because the use of a nuclear bomb in Israel will leave nothing on the ground, whereas it will only damage the world of Islam.”

Again, the facts seem a lot different than what is presented, particularly nothing about Jews wondering the globe and certainly nothing about the bomb Iran is presumably “hoping to build”.

But I’ll play the devil’s advocate here for a second and just pretend for a moment that Iran is somehow successful in building that one bomb they have apparently been so desperate to make. What will happen next?

Dropping a bomb on Israel is an impossible scenario, even if they have been successful in building and using a delivery method that is tested and accurate. The land occupied by Israel is not an area void of anyone but Zionists. A nuclear bomb destroys everything in its path, regardless of its genetic or cultural makeup. Detonation of a nuclear device over Tel-Aviv or even Jerusalem will annihilate millions of Muslims, Christians and others, not to mention destroy some of Islam’s holiest places and shrines. How could a government fighting for glory of Islam could justify that to the world’s Muslims?

That is even if this was a remote possibility, for everyone knows that the nuclear rocket leaving Iranian skies for Israel will not even be near its landing before every single Iranian city and even small village is destroyed under a barrage of nukes coming back from Israel and U.S. bases in the region, the naval carriers and subs, long range rockets from Europe and far east, and cross-continent arsenal within the United States territory. Rafsanjani and company may be brutal against their opponents, but even they love their children and grandkids too.

If you are surrounded in your house by a military many times your owns’ strength and have only one, maybe two bullets to fight with, it will be suicide to take that first shot. More unequivocally, if you’ll be guaranteed to take out a number of your own sympathizers with that first shot as well.

So, it would not be in Iran’s current regime’s interest, (or “Mullahs” as Mead calls them, although he must be aware that most of their decision-making infrastructure is made up of non-Mullah/Clergy people and besides judging anyone based on their outfit alone could not possibly be fair, as there are good and bad within each clergy or other professional group, but I know it helps to de-humanize the enemy and stereo-type it by attaching a simple label) to attack Israel by their supposed nuclear weapon.

The reason Mead, Michael Ledeen, Richard Armitage and Richard Perle are so eager to inflate the danger of Iran’s nukes is clear; things are going bad in all other fronts and a new bogyman is needed real soon to divert attention to. Besides, the old friends of key figures in this administration on the other side (remember October Surprise or Iran-Contra?) also need the danger of this big bad enemy at their doorsteps to crush their own democratic opposition. Both sides supposedly win if Cheneys and Rafsanjanis of the world are given more of a chance to line their pockets further.

Iran is a country in perpetual motion towards freedom and democracy, despite occasional set-backs. Three major revolutions in one century are proof of Iranian people’s desire to reach their ultimate goal on their own terms and by their own means. Amazingly, most of their efforts have faced interference by outside governments that eventually have led to defeat of their movements. As once again Iran starts its deliberate momentum towards yet another attempt at freedom, it is the same unwanted interference that is endangering the progress.

If Mead and company want a truly free and democratic Iran, they’d leave it up to Iranians to build that eventuality for themselves and on their terms.

For a true “Darker Shadow” though, we may want to look at our close relationships with other regional dictators, from Military Coup Musharraf with actual nukes on hand and many ties with Taliban under his command, to Saudi Princes and Persian Gulf Sheiks who are the current close allies, enjoying our support and backing in adding to their strength and hold on power until their date of use expires and our soldiers will be asked to pay with their lives to remove them.

The Rafsanjani part is from an earlier eyeranian post.

Ooops!

Like the Dead in Their Coffins

The new and complete Human Rights Watch (HRW) report on Iran should be out tomorrow, but some media sources have already published bits and pieces that gives an overall view of what can be expected. The Guardian reports on newspaper crackdowns, torture of reformers and the central role of judiciary in crushing any voices of dissent. Reuters has gone further and added HRW's apparent urging of European Union "to step up pressure on Iran" and reconsider its decision to engage Iran in dialogue until there are some improvements in the current dismal conditions. Other outlets have also covered the story, as you can see here.

Perhaps most telling of all though, is the title chosen for the report which speaks volumes about what lies within. It is called "Like the Dead in Their Coffins: Torture, Detention, and the Crushing of Dissent in Iran".

You can see a collection of HRW reports on Iran here.

Afghans of Iran

Unfortunately my earliest recollection of an example of prejudice and bigotry is forever associated with memories of my beloved late grandfather. He was a typical introvert who did not communicate much and with many, nonetheless he once opened up to tell me a few stories about his childhood.

His stories went back to what is now 85 to 100 years ago (since his son, my father is now 74) and happened in a Tehran that in no way resembles the current metropolis that is home to 11-14 million people. He grew up in what was and still is considered southern most parts of the city, in a modest working class upbringing. He had to work from the age of 6 to help the family and eventually found moderate success in opening a dry cleaning business, a newly imported concept for Iran at the time.

Amongst his stories of small city Tehran, with mostly unpaved streets and gangs that robbed passersby on certain idle streets, one is forever etched in my mind. This was the memory of kids in the neighborhood (he said he was always too busy working to participate himself) going to the city's Jewish neighborhoods to disturb the residents. Rainy days were a particular event in this undertaking as some Mullah had declared that non-Muslims should not leave their homes while it is raining, as drops of rain might reflect off their impure -Najess- bodies and land on a Muslim!

They'd scour the area for hours and beat up anyone who had dared to come outside.

He also talked of garbage-men declining to pick up in the same neighborhood, so the refuse would often pile-up on a street corner and rot, covering the entire area with a bitter stench that would enforce the whole concept of resident's impurity.

Christians (mostly Armenian refugees) were also subjected to similar treatment, although maybe not with the same intensity.

Iran is one of the more multi-cultural countries in the world. Despite what you may hear from an Iranian in California, we aren't all Persians. In fact, few of us are. Aside from Medes, Parthians, Babylonians, Assyrians and others who originally formed the Persian Empire, immigrants such as Turkmans (Mongolian descendents) along with other small and large communities make up a complex combination of diverse cultures and races that is Iran now. Kurds, Baluchis, Arabs, Lors and Azeris, along with religious minorities like Christians (everything from the Greek Orthodox to Armenian to Catholic to even Jesuits and Mormons), Jews, Baha'is and others are just some of the various communities who make-up today's Iran.

Like most of the world, prejudice and bigotry has found its way into Iranian psyche as well. This is even further enhanced with outside influences such as popularity of Nazism during WWII and that day's governments tolerance or even embracing of a certain vision of purity of our supposed "Aryan" heritage and the threat others pose to this fictional sense of identity.

There are also happy stories too. Armenians for example, who have immigrated to Iran escaping the Russian invasion or even Turkish genocide, are now an inseparable part of Iranian society. I found it refreshing when the first three speakers at a Nowruz Iranian New Year gathering recently were Armenian-Iranians who were avidly congratulating their "country men and women" on the occasion. But this has not been the rule, unfortunately.

According to the U.N., Iran is host to the largest community of refugees in the world. This for most part is due to millions of Afghani refugees who have spent parts or all of last 20-some years in Iran, predating even the invasion of their homeland by the Soviet army. Afghans have never been fully accepted into Iranian community. They have always suffered as second-class guests (not even citizens) who are offered jobs nobody else would take at pay no one else would accept. Marriages or even relationships between largely male Afghani population and Iranian women is rare and they are often accused of theft, rapes and other criminal charges as the most obvious first choice for anyone investigating misconducts.

Now with the Taliban regime removed from Afghanistan, the Iranian regime is forcing many of these refugees (even those born and raised in Iran) to return to Afghanistan. The deportation, sadly, has very little public opposition and you would be hard-pressed to even find any mention of it in main-stream media. Bloggers have had some success in raising the issue, but uninspired petitions and funky buttons (almost all of the in Farsi) aren't enough to bring the necessary attention to this issue.

I wish I had the answer, but I am basically asking for your input. I wish we could take these fake borders away and start treating people as human beings and not labeled with a nationality or race, but that is at least a long time away and tonight many Afghan families are in danger of being returned to be ruled by of one warlord or another who control various parts of Afghanistan (outside Kabul) and we need to find ways to stop that. Let me know what do you think and how we could best raise the profile of this topic.

Beverly Hills' Poor Persians

Before moving to Los Angeles, I was also guilty of stereo-typing the "LA Persians" as a shallow, over-indulged, insular group from previledged backgrounds or at least living in the fantasy of certain heritage and lineage.

As I get more exposure to my surrounding though, it's easy to see how LA (being such a huge metropolis) and the Iranian community here (the largest outside Iran) are too diverse to be stereo-typed as such and I was obviously wrong.

However, one can't help but to still laugh at that small minority who indeed live in a paralel universe here and are almost totally insulated from the rest of the city, particularly their fellow countrymen and women.

This story from yesterday's LA Times highlights the miserable life (yes, I'm being sarcastic) such people live.

I think this summarizes my point very accurately: "The biggest issue is the ornate architecture Persians favor when remodeling their homes. Some residents believe the soaring columns and grand entryways favored by some Iranians are too garish and ruin the vintage aesthetics of the surrounding community. The city has drafted new architectural guidelines that some Iranians say target them unfairly."

Ahhhh, don't you just feel really bad for them???

Source

Councilman Plays Role of Cultural Mediator
By Azadeh Moaveni
Times Staff Writer

April 19, 2004

Jimmy Delshad was recently moderating a breakfast meeting to plan the annual fundraiser for a Beverly Hills Iranian American charity.

The event draws mostly members of the city's Iranian community. But Delshad had other ideas.

"Let's invite Larry King! … Dennis Ross? Paul Anka?" he said, waving a Montblanc pen in the air, searching the skeptical faces around the table. "Let's reserve tables for Americans up front … get a lively MC … hire a band?"

Delshad is Beverly Hills' first Iranian American councilman. And since his election last year, he has emerged as an unlikely ambassador between the traditionally insular Persian community, which makes up about a fifth of the city's population of 36,000 residents, and the rest of Beverly Hills.

His election was considered a milestone for Beverly Hills' Persians, who until recently had played a relatively small role in civic affairs. But many residents now see him as a mediator in several long-simmering cultural conflicts between Persians and non-Persians.

The biggest issue is the ornate architecture Persians favor when remodeling their homes. Some residents believe the soaring columns and grand entryways favored by some Iranians are too garish and ruin the vintage aesthetics of the surrounding community. The city has drafted new architectural guidelines that some Iranians say target them unfairly.

*

Taking the Lead

Delshad is the most prominent face among Persians of a new generation, who are assuming leadership roles in civic life. In doing so, they are attempting to reverse the clinging impression that Iranians refuse to assimilate.

A working mother of three, Nooshin Meshkati, who is co-president of the El Rodeo PTA, is typical of a younger generation of involved mothers. She arrived in Beverly Hills as a high school student, when her family transplanted itself to the city before the Iranian Revolution in 1979. When her children started school, getting involved in their education came naturally to her.

A computer scientist by profession, Meshkati's first goal was to get more computers into classrooms. "I started to get active in the PTA, and then everything just grew out of the school, extending to the city, the state like a chain reaction," she said. "You realize immediately — to do more, you need a bigger body involved."

In coordination with other Persian mothers, Meshkati put on multicultural dinners at El Rodeo and got the school board to make "Nowruz" — the Persian new year — a school holiday.

There is a marked contrast between the community today, Meshkati said, and in the early 1980s, when parents like her own rarely set foot in PTA meetings. "It doesn't feel separate anymore, like the pot has melted," she said.

Energized by their effect on schools, Meshkati and others stepped forward to help Delshad in his campaign for City Council. The candidate and his supporters quickly discovered that they were teaching American government as much as running a campaign.

At the outset of Delshad's run for City Council, only 1,500 of the city's 8,000 Persians were registered to vote. When encouraged to register, many were reluctant, afraid their names would end up on government lists, that they would be forced into jury duty. By registering, many thought they had actually voted, and had to be summoned to the polls on election day by Delshad campaign staff.

Meshkati went door to door with a sample ballot to explain the concept of absentee voting.

Delshad appointed two campaign managers: one for non-Persian residents and one for Persians. Soraya Nazarian, a local philanthropist, ran the Persian campaign; she set up countless informal meetings, called doreh in Persian, in Persian living rooms across the city, and instructed the community in the very concept of rights.

"They had to be awakened to the idea, and how they could profit, rather than be afraid," she said.

Persians began migrating to Beverly Hills in 1978, on the eve of the Islamic Revolution.

The wealthiest scrambled out of Iran with suitcases full of cash, and bought property.

The influx changed the aesthetic appearance of Beverly Hills. Some Persians razed European-revival homes, built with Tuscan and Mediterranean influences and colors, and erected towering white flat-front mansions, with imposing columns. Such homes were referred to disdainfully as "Persian palaces."

Following traditions from Iran, some residents threw weekly parties for 50 or more people, where dinner was served at 11 p.m. and dancing and loud music continued late into the night.

Some city residents enjoyed the cultural diversity that Iranians brought to town. The decades before they arrived "were a glamour-less time. It was all jeans, T-shirts, and everything brown," said Greta Furst, who has lived in the city since childhood. "When the Persians came, with their women in wardrobes from Paris, wearing makeup, we regained glamour."

But more than a few residents had different feelings. They considered the homes out of place and disrespectful toward Beverly Hills' architectural history.

Ellen Stern-Harris, a third generation resident, is among the most vocal critics. The first "monster home" in the city, she said, was built next door to her peach-colored French Normandy style cottage in the flats. "They just knock it off and build a huge Persian palace," she said.

*

Architectural Styles

To address the clash over the homes, the city's planning commission has crafted an ordinance creating a catalog of five architectural styles. To be approved for construction, single-family homes must fall into one of the styles. The five styles are American colonial, European revival, Spanish colonial, contemporary and period revival.

Under the ordinance, construction plans for houses that do not abide by the five categories must go before a design committee appointed by the City Council for revision and approval. The ordinance also would scale back the maximum size of houses, allowing them more square footage only if mass-reducing features such as porches or recess areas are included.

When the rules were first discussed, some in the Persian community considered the move an attack on them. But as details became public, some of those concerns dissipated.

Beverly Hills architect Hamid Gabbay, who is on the commission and worked on the proposed code, is a supporter of the review process.

"Some people wanted to make it sound like a controversial issue," said Gabbay. "But it's nonsense. It has nothing to do with minority issues. It's architectural issues."

Seeking to defuse the issue, Delshad has been explaining the cultural need for large homes — three generations under one roof, big gatherings — to colleagues on the City Council.

He envisions a Beverly Hills where Persian culture coexists gracefully with the city's heritage. He also wants to set up a sister city relationship in Iran.

Delshad said blending cultures has been his passion for decades, ever since he settled in L.A. after college and married an American, Lonnie Gerstein.

He grew up in Shiraz, an Iranian city fabled for its springtime orange blossoms, and came to America three decades ago as part of the generation of Iranian students who intended to acquire technical education abroad and return to industrialize their nation.

He began attending Sinai Temple with his wife and in-laws and later became one of its leaders. When the rise in Persian immigration began in the late 1970s, he had a special perspective.

"I saw how we were intimidating to others, by creating the impression we were here temporarily, that we were rich and didn't need you, that we selected separation," he said.

He wanted Persians to feel their culture was respected and Beverly Hills residents to feel their new neighbors had a stake in the community. He became president of Sinai Temple in 1999 and worked to get Persian families involved in the temple activities. His election to the City Council, he said, accomplished a mission.

"I wanted to prove that the community is ready."

Norouz Greetings

No Big News!

khatami admitting he has failed is no big news. He is just barely admitting to something the entire universe already knew. What may be a topic of discussion howeverm is if his so called 'reform' were genuine and actually had any hope in hell of ever achieving anything substantial.

Never having joined the "reformer" camp and not ever believing Khatami or his buddies ever had any genuine interest in succeeding at what they were promising, I would not be the most unbiased person to answer this. However, millions who bought in to the argument will need a chance to review the events of the last 7 years and formulating their own conclusions.

Barbara & Farah

Not that I believe she'd have anything new or groundbreaking to say, but Farah Pahlavi will be interviewed by ABC's Barbara Walters on one of her last 2/20 shows on Friday. In case you want to watch.

Thanks A.

Tehran Travels Anyone?

While looking at Business Travel News' annual corporate index (don't ask, I know I read way too much, even if its junk I don't need to read but get in the mail regularly), something caught my eye. In their Top 100 International Per Diems, Tehran ranks 82. In plain English, this is the list of what you can expect to spend per day as an international business traveler in various cities around the globe. If you were assigned overseas, this is what you use to charge your employer your "per diem" money. The data comes from an outfit out of Manhattan called Organization Resources Counselors Inc. and they have calculated their numbers based on a night's accommodation for "a standard room in upscale chain hotels flying such flags as Marriott, Sheraton, Hilton and Hyatt", three average meals (no alcohol), cost of two taxi rides, laundering of one shirt, plus a newspaper, a bottle of water and a magazine.

Monte Carlo is the most expensive at $737 per day, followed by expected usual spots Paris, Tokyo and London. Dubai ranks 10th at just over $500 and Toronto occupies the 47th spot. Tehran is one of the least expensive, only more expensive than places like Port-Au-Prince (you probably want to delay that trip), Havana, Guatemala City and Kuala Lumpur.

That did not surprise me until I looked closer at numbers. According to these guys, the per diem cost of items I described above in Tehran is over $288 USD. That can't be, can it? I asked myself. Even with the "official" exchange rate of 1,745 Rials to $1 USD they have used, 504,000 Rials a day sounds rather expensive. So I dig deeper...

According to these guys, the cost of the room is $138 in Tehran. I can buy that. Every hotel in Iran displays two very different price lists; one in English and a much more reasonable one in Persian. So I can see them trying to charge the unaware business traveler the high "rack rate" of $100+ a night, while the same room can be had for a fraction of that figure. What got me though, is their cost of food: $45 for dinner, $42 for lunch and ready for this? $38 for breakfast! In fact, Tehran shoots right up the chart, being the 23rd most expensive city for food out of 100. I don't know who is charging these guys $40 for breakfast in Tehran, but even the fanciest places will only need one of these travelers a day to carry all their overhead! At $124 USD a day for food in Tehran, it's probably much cheaper to buy your own restaurant!

Now imagine all these figures if instead of going to the bank or tourist offices to exchange your money, you'd just ask the hotel concierge or the cab driver taking you to your hotel and getting close to the real value of your foreign currency! Suddenly at 8,000+ Rials for your greenbacks, paying normal rates for the hotel and eating at places not run by the bandits, your per diem costs in Tehran will not come close to that $288.

So, if you want to pocket some dough, get an overseas assignment there for like a year (more, if possible), charge them according to "annual corporate index" and you can save enough to buy a small condo in Buffalo.

Now you know anybody hiring for that position?

Beam Me There Too, Please!

I'm convinced there IS a parallel universe out there. This is the one where the ones who have blood that is a darker shade of burgundy, compared to our weak measly red version. Such is the case with former queen, Farah Pahlavi it seems. As I had warned you earlier about her book coming out soon, now she is suddenly participating in interviews and I assume will be more and more visible over the next few weeks.

She obviously lives in a parallel universe and if I was in her shoes, I'd invest some of the $200,000 advance she received for the book (something she considers to be not a large amount) in hiring a PR consultant to filter some of her answers. In this interview for example, she shows how out of touch with reality she is:

"At my office in the palace in Tehran I had 60 people helping me. Here I have two people. I have a lady who cooks for me and cleans up and also a driver. It is difficult for me. Sometimes I have asked friends for money."

Poor little thing! Finds life so difficult because she only now has ONE chauffer and ONE cook. Breaks your heart, I'm sure! Check out this answer about why "Persians" view America differently than Arabs do:

"For the majority of Iranians, there has never been anti-American or anti-Western sentiment, because we have never been a colony of Europe. The Iranian people understand that progress and modernity come from the West. And now we have an Iranian actress nominated for the Oscars for her role in House of Sand and Fog."

And how does the Oscar fit into that analysis? Does she believe no actor from former colonized countries has ever been nominated for one? or perhaps this nomination somehow separates us from those low-lives we love to hate?

There are parts of the interview that makes me wonder if she was under influence of some medication while answering. For example the half-hearted admission of her husband really being a CIA installed puppet or at least not challenging the suggestion, or this bit that just puzzles me:

"Q - How do you feel about the American invasion of Iraq?

A - When Iran was stable, we had good relations with the rest of the world, and after the Iranian Revolution happened, look what happened in that area -- the Iran-Iraq war, the Taliban, the gulf war and now the war in Iraq."

And that relates to the price of tea in China how??? Oh I forgot, it DOES indeed, but in that parallel universe.

Interview link via "Ediotor:Myself"

What does a number mean?

I find it amusing in reading Iranian blogs, web sites and email lists to see how obsessed some otherwise intellectual people are with the game of percentages being played in Iran. Particularly what percentage of eligible voters participated in last Friday's erroneous elections. There were no international observers, so the actual number you'd accept as fact depends on your point of view. They range from 10 to 15 percent offered by some opposition groups, to Interior Ministry's "official" 50.57% and the regime loyalists who talk of "massive turnouts".

Why it matters little is many folds; firstly and as stated, there's no way to know the actual number. Even if you accept any of the above figures, how do you account for the large expected fraudulent numbers never released? Putting those aside also, how would one figure in all the voters who participate not because they endorse the sham, but because they have to. This includes members of armed forces (including drafted soldiers), all government employees, those working with various official and semi-official "foundations" who own much of Iran's major industries, students attending state subsidized universities, many of the people receiving pensions or other government financial assistance (such as war veterans, etc.) and finally residents of small towns and villages where almost all their daily affairs are closely administered by the local mosque or mullah and would not dare causing any souring of that relationship.

In short, even if 80% take part in the next fake election, it won't prove anything. It will not be a sign of approval for the regime or the process in any way or shape. What is clear, is that the majority of Iranians do not approve of this regime. If they did, there would be no reason for the establishment to deny the demand of its various inside and outside opposition to hold a binding and monitored referendum and either silence all the critics once and for all, or accept their policies of the past 25 ears have been a major disaster and accept the consequences. Only if that vote is internationally supervised and accepted binding by all sides will we be able and justified to argue about what the numbers actually mean or how it'll effect the future of Iran.

Here's something I translated for Iran Filter last week. Originally posted on Persian weblog of Z8UN, it may reflect on what goes on in the minds of some Iranians as the election approached and an example of worries that will bring many to the ballot boxes, in this case in fear of a lost pension check:

"Yesterday at the public swimming pool, two middle-aged ladies were chatting by the shallow end... I had also gone to that area... Near where the filtered water is returned to the pool... People like to stand around there... It feels a bit like a Jacuzzi... The older woman who was also a bit heavier was saying; "I'll be forced to vote on Friday... because I'm a retiree... I'm worried that if my ID card doesn't show the election stamp, they may stop my retirement pension... And my daughter is also a university student and it my affect her too..." The other woman who was wearing way too much make-up replied somewhat irritably; "What is all this talk? I'm on a pension too but the section on my card for election stamps, is cleaner than a Mullah's rear-end" ...

The way she talked, did not suit her grace... and although the past two or three years on the Internet my eyes and ears have been opened to so much, I still have not had the privilege of a pilgrimage to any Mullah's rear-end to judge it's cleanliness.

She then said that she has a son who is an MD, another son that is an engineer and her daughter has studied law and neither one has ever voted without having suffered from it. Then the heavier lady said; "Yes, but then if they want to leave the country or become somebody here, you'll understand!" The other woman replied "In fact, they traveled abroad too and one is an assistant professor in university and attends seminars all over the world regularly...They make up these stories to get us to vote"

I didn't stay longer to see if the chubby lady was finally convinced or not... I could see some doubt on her face... Had I stayed longer, they would have known I was eavesdropping. But this time, even the religious studies teachers have instructed their kids to ask their parents to not vote! This time, people are not as scared... Particularly after the Bam earthquake, the little respect some had for these guys (regime) is gone."

Only If...

Cartoon

It's "Election" Day in Iran

More than one source describe how empty Tehran streets are compared to normal, on this day the regime has advertised as the day the nation will come out to vote for their appointed parliament. The pictures above confirm that. One foreign reporter has also reported that an informal protest has been planned for the hour when the voting stations are officially closed. People will come out only then and honk their car's horns to demonstrate their disapproval of the entire process.

Over the last two days, there has been many reports of truckloads of fake Iranian ID booklets being intercepted by various local police around the country, suggesting an attempt to inflate the number of total votes and issuing multiple ballots to trusted friends. The revolutionary guard is also on full alert, to defuse any possible protest effort.

The charade of elections this regime orchestrates occasionally has reached a particular low-point this time and their frustration has never been more evident.

Hoder is going to stay up all night to monitor and edit Iran Filter. Check it out for the latest news as well as translation of Persian blogs. I'll update if there are new developments in the morning.

UPDATE - There were no major incidents. The voter turn-out has been light with estimates ranging from 15 to 30 percent of eligible voters participating. With no foreign independent observers, there is no way to say for certain. Almost every journalist has reported on the large presence of armed forces at most cities, perhaps expecting some disturbance. Polls closed as much as 2 hours later than originally planned, supposedly to maximize the number of votes and also maybe to nullify plans of holding demonstrations afterwards. There was also various reports of cheating, in one case having the culprits caught transporting voters by bus to various polling stations to vote again and again. The radio station funded by U.S. government, Radio Farda (or Tomorrow) seems to have the largest team and most comprehensive coverage of election reports in Persian. One of the best sources of news is still Iran Filter with various volunteers translating what the bloggers are writing as their own first-hand observations.

My take; Who Cares? Illegal and illegitimate selection of one band of friends over another band to keep the world and your nation pre-occupied with whether its best to select hard-line conservative religious radicals over fundamentalist Islamic extremists does not interest me at all.

CLARIFICATION - I don't care which side "wins" or how they gesture towards one another. I DO however care very deeply about how Iranians have now seen first hand that there are no "reformers" within the limited choices available in Iran and have showed it by boycotting the supposed "election" all together.

UPDATE II - With the last of somewhat more liberal press shut down for the election, Iranians are using the Internet more and more to get their news. Gooya, perhaps the most widely portal and news site in Farsi reported over 80,000 visitors yesterday. People are also using new tools like camera phones to send pictures of empty polling stations, this one is a local mosque in Tehran. Ayatollah Jannati, head of the Guardian Council led the Friday prayers in Tehran and resorted to even threatening people into voting. He proclaimed that whoever even whispers of not voting is a traitor to the country and Islamic regime. He went on with the other usual regime mantras like Rushdie fatwa being irrevocable and the concept of "religious democracy" that has made elections in Iran more successful than any other nation on earth. blah, blah, blah...

On a rather complimentary note; Yas-e-No newspaper (with red BANNED across its page) had what is perhaps the most clever cover to never be published. I'll try to translate and explain it, hoping it is communicated properly; the big headline reads "Freedom Game With No Spectators". The accompanying picture is of empty stands at the previous day's soccer game between Iran and Qatar, where Iran was penalized by the Asian soccer federation for a previous incident and no spectators were allowed in. The game was held in Tehran's Azadi (Freedom) stadium, thus the "Freedom Game" reference in the headline. With an election looming within 24 hours that not many were allowed to participate to run in and not many actually cared to take part in, the cover was just a very witty way of using something with double meanings to stress a point otherwise not possible.

Hundreds of years of dealing with one dictator or another, nobody is better in using every little opening to express a dissenting point of view than Iranians.

The Full Monty

Don't Waste Your Vote!

It seems that suddenly every so-called “reformist” in Iran is up in arms about elections becoming based on appointments and basically a “selection” now that they have been excluded from participating. I’ve got news for you friends; this is the way it has been for 25 years.

First prominent example of excluding candidates based on their opinion and political stand happened very early in the revolution days. When most of the nationalist, socialist, communist and generally left-leaning organizations backed the candidacy of MKO’s presidential candidate Massoud Rajavi to become the first president of Iran (I know, a scary synopsis on its own right), it took an edict from Ayatollah Khomeini himself to exclude him from the ballots. His reasoning was Rajavi’s non-approval vote on the newly drafted constitution.

This process of eliminating candidates based on their beliefs is then the tradition of Great Leader himself and has been practiced time and time again in every election held since. You don’t sincerely believe Iranians would vote even for a “reformer” like Khatami if they were free to choose from a wide selection of candidates who represent their society more effectively, do you? They just have been forced between either completely avoiding the shows referred to as “elections” or participate and choose between the lesser of the evils allowed to be on the ballot. This explains Khatami.

But now, the process of separating “us” from “them” has gone one step further and has included banning some of the most loyal and foot-soldiers of the “us” team. Thus the attempt to make a big hoopla about all of it.

To show what a non-issue this all is, let’s try to imagine this; even if you managed to elect a parliament full of very progressive socialists tomorrow and chose a communist president tomorrow, will it make an iota of difference in the way this country is run? Will they be able to initiate or implement one single piece of legislature that could be considered significant or valuable? Not a chance.

So, I’ll be staying away from this election, like every other “selection” held by this regime this far. The change will not come through the ballot boxes in Iran, as the issue is not with the people who may or may not get elected. The challenge is how to put the larger dilemma on the table without providing an opportunity for the fanatics on both sides to start the expected bloodshed.

Tehraminator

Sweet Onion

Spoiled Brats of Politics

Here's the non-story: Prince Laurent of Belgium has a baby and he wants to name a Godfather of Islamic persuasion for the child. As he is an old buddy of Reza Pahlavi, it is speculated that he may be the one Laurent has in mind. This is all fine, except for the small matter that Belgium has rather cordial relationship with the current government of Iran and the Belgian FM is worried about how this will be perceived in that context.

Maybe it's time for the man who up to recently wanted to be called "Exiled Shah of Iran" to pass on the honor and sit this one out. Baby Louise Sophie Mary has already issued a statement to say she'll understand.

Iran not in Middle East???

I recently learned that some "Persian" had given a prominent blogger a hard time about including Iran in his definition of "Middle East". I guess trying hard to escape reality and the self-hatred includes geographical delusions too.

Let me attempt to clarify things. Dictionary definition of Middle East reads as follows: "the area around the eastern Mediterranean; from Turkey to North Africa and eastward to Iran; the site of such ancient civilizations as Phoenicia and Babylon and Egypt and the birthplace of Judaism and Christianity and Islam; the Middle East is the cradle of Western civilization".

The map above is also what is generally accepted as geographical representation of Middle East. Now I know there are some who include a couple of other countries in there (usually Sudan, Libya, Pakistan and Afghanistan for most parts) and others who subtract a few (Cyprus, Egypt , Georgia, Armenia and even Turkey!) and I suppose one is free to make up one's own imaginary world, but you've read the definition and here is the visual help (again).

Any questions?

The Dancing Ritual

If you are eyeranian, one of the things your parents bring with them for you to enjoy is video tapes sent by family and friends from overseas. People you haven't seen in ages in various weddings, birthday parties, family get-togethers and gatherings. Here's my summary of what I have so far watched, in hours of videos;

I do not know another culture, where middle-aged adults go visit a relative or friend and within minutes the stereo is blasting and all participants present are in the middle of the room dancing! There seems to be very little or no conversation and the only social interaction is through gyrating your hips, sometimes very suggestively I may add.

I know this is part of the region's culture and having dated people of Arabic, Kurdish, Jewish and other middle-eastern backgrounds in the past, I have witnessed various versions of the same phenomena. However, the current Iranian version takes the cake by far, in both quantity and intensity of the whole ritual. I say current, as this was not the norm even 25 years ago. But as the "Islamic Republic" banned social dancing, the entire experience became a must-do at every opportune time the same way gambling or alcohol or satellite foreign programming is practiced at a frequency unheard of anywhere else.

I once wrote how Iranians are so reactionary lately, they are hardly FOR anything but are certainly AGAINST it if this government is for it or at least pretends to be. Israel-Palestine conflict is a good example of how the regime has alienated the Palestinian cause with many Iranians by supporting the wrong elements within that struggle. The same goes for anything regime is against. If they ban it, it must be practiced at capacities beyond anything resembling norms.

This government can come out tomorrow heavily against fishing and the next day there'll be line-ups for people trying to get on boats to go fishing. Sad, but true.

Farah's Book

I guess Farah Pahlavi has found the time in what must be a very hectic schedule for a former dictator's wife to write a book. Or most likely have someone write a book for her. I used to think that she was perhaps monarchists only salvation (don't jump on me yet, let me explain).

Wife of Shah always had this mostly false aura of being a commoner amongst the royalty. She came across as more approachable and friendly, with plenty of strategically picked publicity shots of her talking to the nomads or farmers or dejected women seeking help. I remember at the height of street protest in 1978 an elderly neighbor of ours explaining to me how all the royal family is so corrupt and he quickly said "except for Shahbanoo", that being Farah's official title. He even went as far as saying he'd be happy if Shah abdicated the throne to her. This always remained with me, how one person could have saved face with a portion of the population, while being amongst a family of hated monarchs.

Of course all this quickly changed as she not only chose to remain mostly silent while the country was going through such horrible ordeal, but chose to become a major defender of her husband's criminal regime, while in exile.

Now, 25 years has gone, her husband is long gone and at best is plant food for the past couple of decades and she will have the opportunity to confront the past and come clean, once and for all. Will she do it in this book? I wouldn't bid to find out two months before everyone else, but I am not holding my breath.

Anybody left to speak out for me?

I'm not sure where exactly this originated from but a famous French proverb says 'a revolution eats its children'. This has certainly been the case with the Iranian revolution, and more. The process started almost immediately after Shah's statues were taken off the major squares in cities across the country, Ayatollah Khomeini returned home after close to a quarter of a century and still felt "nothing" (a famous moment in the history Iranian revolution was a single question asked of him on the plane heading to Tehran, where the interviewer asked what does he feel about returning to his homeland after the long exile and he replied "nothing, I feel nothing"!) and the stamp ink had not dried on the referendum ballots marked with a big YES to establish the form of government as an unknown entity called "Islamic Republic".

The first group of 'children' to be had were the original radicals. Primarily the Marxist and Maoist groups who paid the price despite being very active during the anti-Shah movement. With an all out war breaking out in Kurdistan, Baluchestan and Turkmen Sahara areas of Iran shortly after the revolution, many of them volunteered to join the opposition forces such as PDKI and Komala to fight regime's military or what had remained of it. While these guys were being slaughtered, most other left and left-leaning organizations in Iran were either silent or occasionally even cheered their demise. In fact, this became the normal routine of every wave of tyranny that followed from here on, with the future victims not supporting the current ones, time after time after time after time.

Next group was what may have been seen as some of the seemingly random (and mostly unknown) authorities of the new regime who were assassinated by a mysterious religious entity called Forghan (they are apparently back and even have a blog now). The list of victims included Col. Gharanei, head of the new armed forces and two prominent Ayatollahs; Mohammad Mofatteh and Morteza Mottaheri, the latter being the man Khomeini had called "fruit of his life endeavors" and a likely successor of his. Ayatollah Rafsanjani however survived the attempt on his life by Forghan inexplicably, and there are some unanswered questions still lingering about that incident. As Forghan was primarily an anti-clergy movement and religious figures remained their main targets, most of the leftist groups again chose to not speak against or condemn the assassinations.

It was only a matter of months after that when a bunch of hooligans climbed the walls of U.S. embassy in Tehran, kept 52 of the diplomats as hostages (women and African-Americans were released almost immediately) and derailed the course of the revolution forever. The only organized group to stand against the move was the original cabinet of the revolution who were immediately pushed aside (the government resigned in unison) and were jeered on by all the others whose turns were about to come. None of their members of that original cabinet was ever allowed near a position of power or influence again and some were/are jailed (example: Amir-Entezam was that cabinet's spokesperson) or even murdered (example: Darioush Forouhar was Minister of Labor).

Banisadr came next. The first president of the new Islamic Republic was fired from his elected seat and then came the big crackdown on yet another set of revolution's children; People's Mojahedin. This was perhaps the deadliest phase of them all with thousands killed after brief trials and immediate executions with thousands more suffering in harsh prisons and torture chambers. The onslaught quickly extended to many other leftist groups, people such as Fadaeian Marxist group, yet another active and vital part of the anti-Shah movement. Meanwhile, others who actively participated in this round of slaughter included the current "reformists" around President Khatami (including Behzad Nabavi and Armin's imitation "Mojahedin" group) as well as Iran's Communist Party, Tudeh. Just read this quote about MKO and other leftists from Kar (No. 132, Pg. 5, 1981), the newspaper of Tudeh's sister organization, Aksariyat: "the relentless onslaught of the political organizations who have set out to defeat the blood-spattered revolution of Iranian people is a fundamental pillar of defending this revolution. "

Needless to say, Tudeh, Aksariyat and their partners became the victims a short few years later. This time. many of the intellectuals, writers and others who always detested Tudeh Party going back to Mossadegh era and beyond, remained silent while these "children" were eaten by the rolling "revolution". The same writers, poets and journalists themselves filled the same prisons, were tied to the same torture beds and filled the same cemeteries next, while not many of today's supposed opposition was heard from.

During the same phase, Khomeini's appointed successor, Montazeri and others around him faced political eradication. Others including Khomeini's own son Ahmad, were not as lucky and died under mysterious circumstances later on and after dad has passed on. Of course the players suspected of managing the attack on intellectuals and extermination of Ahmad and others also found themselves committed to the same fate after they were thrown out of regime's intelligence apparatus, ending with yet another mysterious death, this time of their leader Saeed Emami.

This process has continued repeatedly and now another set of "revolution's children", this time the embassy wall climbers and those who were actively pursuing the demise of other activists are now being chased out of the parliament and are on the verge of political isolation.

Makes you wonder what may have happened had this progression been stopped at its infancy. What if we all had risen to condemn the Kurdish intrusion, then Forghan actions, Banisadr's replacement, etc. Would there even be a "Guardian Council" so powerful, it can write off an election with a single stroke? Wasn't it Martin Niemoeller who said about the Nazis:

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out-- because I was not a communist; Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out-- because I was not a socialist; Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out-- because I was not a trade unionist; Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out-- because I was not a Jew; Then they came for me-- and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Isn't that exactly what the children of Iranian revolution did one group after another?

Aghast

I am thoroughly disgusted at this. One of the less formal and most feared detention centers during the reign of Pahlavi dynasty in Iran, was a small facility in central Tehran. It was known mostly as "Committee Jail" named after the "Anti-Subversion Committee", a component of Shah's intelligence formation that operated the facility. The place has been cleaned up now, rebuilt to resemble the pre-revolution set-up, includes wax figures of some prisoners and interrogators and is going to be open to public. Khatami just took a tour.

This part does not disgust me at all. In fact, I wish all such prisons are turned into places where the atrocities committed there are exposed, displayed and discussed. Unfortunately, Tehran's Qasr prison has already been turned over to a private entity and there is talk of turning the infamous Evin grounds to a university or other learning facility. What I find repulsive though is the way the most recent history of the place is not only ignored, but is deliberately concealed as if it never existed.

You see, "Committee Jail" was revamped and renamed to "Tohid Prison" once before, around 1981. It actually served as one of the most terrifying secret prisons of the new regime for well over a decade. Tohid was known as the place where unspeakable crimes were routine, and as it was not an "official" facility, it housed many of the regimes foes that were considered missing and disappeared, freeing the regime to do as they wish with zero accountability. It was so secret, when U.N.'s Special Representative inquired about it in 1992, he was told the building was demolished after being torched during the revolution, and it no longer existed (see UN Doc. E/CN.4/1992/34).

That was obviously a lie as I personally know about a dozen people who have spent time there. As for it being destroyed during the 1979 uprising, many Iranians remember it being open to visitors after the revolution, so it couldn't have been destroyed (when my uncle took me to see it, I remember there was a "guide" telling us the prominent "S's" in the circular hallways around the courtyard, were a reminder of the building's Nazi connection as it was originally built by some sympathizers within the Iranian government to house the German headquarters in anticipation of an invasion during WWII and that design was incorporated to honor the Nazi SS force. I have no idea if there's any truth to that story.) So the fact that even back then they'd try to deny its existence, is a clue to what kind of facility it must have been.

Now the "reformer" President, who is well aware how only a few short years ago people were held there, tortured and murdered, tours the facility to witness the atrocities of the previous regime, with not a single word about anything recent. This is just disgusting to me.

Link via Another Irani Online

Pay The Spy, Damnit!

Despite what I said before, I am starting to like this Zakeri guy somewhat. For a "high-ranking intelligence official", he can't get a single one of his stories right and more interestingly, he can't keep his mouth shut.

He is in Germany trying to convince a court that Iranian officials told him about Al-Qaeda secret meetings in Iran and even predicted the terrorist attack will happen on "September 10th or 12th". It doesn't end there though. He also claims he contacted his CIA handler and warned him of the imminent dangers. You heard right, I said CIA handler. You see, Zakeri has now decided that he was a "double agent" and is actually asking for $1.2 million CIA owes him for his services, going as far back as 1992.

That is just a wonderful way to establish your credibility, isn't it. Particularly in a court of law. To admit to being a "double agent" and establishing that you are indeed a professional liar to have managed such a lifestyle for over a decade.

Amazingly, there's still a small number of Iranians who believe this creature!

Can We Talk?

It's official. Senator Arlen Specter has confirmed that while having a formal dinner with Iranian ambassador to the UN, Mr. Javad Zarif last week, both sides have agreed to finally hold official "government-to-government" meetings and as such a delegation of US congressional aides will travel to Iran next month. I'd be the last person on earth to condemn dialogue. Conducted in a healthy environment and with proper perspectives on both sides, sitting across a table and discussion of even most complicated topics is the only true way of achieving a just and lasting solution to any problem, even if it follows years of hostility and mistrust.

Having said that, this sudden turn of fortunes, along with other recent signs and rumors (Iran's involvement in Saddam's capture, relative soft new stand by the administration towards Iran, the "reform" movement's official demise and a hopeless attempt by MP's to involve people) are rather suspect and my distrustful Iranian mind has a hard time digesting it all so easily.

The "Guardian Council" has already reversed a bunch of disqualifications. I suspect the "leader" will speak over the next couple of days and describes the sit-in as an immature over-reaction and threatens that its continuation will be seen as endangering the regime (a charge that carries automatic death-penalty). With that, a bunch of disqualified candidates will give-up and the rest will go home with their tails between their legs. Legitimacy of the regime will come under a big question mark if only 10% of eligible voters bother to come out for the upcoming parliamentary elections. A life-saving shot needs to revive this corpse again, even if it means making good with "Great Satan".

The only remaining question will be, who the new figurehead will be to be in charge of this new distraction. Who knows? maybe the soft-spoken, smiling, bilingual and charismatic Zarif himself is already selected for the role. Maybe its a certain Rafsanjani off-spring. Most likely, it'll be someone we couldn't possibly guess. Let's see.

Inside Iran

I don't know how many of you were able to watch tonight's Nightline but Ted Koppel (the guy who wouldn't have the show if it wasn't for Iran and those foolish hostage-takers) hosted a half-hour program titled Inside Iran and it was one of the most realistic, non-sensational, balanced reports I have seen on Iran in a while. I couldn't help but to think of how effective Jane Kokan could have been, had she also approached her subject as Nightline producers did.

I have had no success in finding a transcript of the show, but if you do, please leave it in comments. Here are some of the ponts made I can recall:

- Improvements in Iran have largely stayed limited to non-political issues.

- Student movement and its leaders have lost faith in "reformers".

- The sit-in by MP's has very little public support.

- There isn't a clear alternative yet.

Now only if I could find more details...

Mystic Iran

I just finished watching Aryana Farshad's Mystic Iran and quite honestly am not sure how I feel about it yet. It is shot nicely enough, although I don't know why she'd be so short of footage to use repeated frames of teenagers in the park for example. The editing is above par but I wish she had used more added effects, like the last shot of Dervish's white hair flipping in front of the lens. Narrations by Shohreh Aghdashloo are a plus, but my non-Farsi speaking friend had a really hard time catching the Farsi names she so quickly goes over without annunciating them properly: Ahuramazda, Dashte Kavir Desert, etc.

Then there's the attempt to use the traditional shot of camera moving over the map to show the upcoming locations, but it feels inadequate as realistically only a couple of spots on Iranian map are covered, leaving the viewer wanting for more of the map to be explored. Perhaps that is the primary shortcoming of the movie; too little is covered. I think to explore the topic of Iranian mysticism, investigating Zoroastrian practices and one Sufi order may be a good start, but is hardly adequate or reasonable. I was left yearning for more, tell me about other Muslim divisions, Jewish customs, Baha'i traditions, various Christian sects as well as non-mainstream faiths practicing their version of mysticism in Iran today.

But maybe that is a positive aspect for the work. To leave you wanting more.

Prince of Darkness & MKO

I am sure you all know who Richard Perle is by now. The man often referred to as "Prince of Darkness" is credited as the head Neo-Conservative in charge of Whitehouse' foreign policy and Middle East in particular. He was recently accused of being more concerned with what benefits the state of Israel ahead of taking care of his own country's interest. Although some may argue those two are the same, I subscribe to a different point of view.

As far as Iran is concerned, it is rumored for a long time that he has been the prime supporter of Mojahedine-Khalq Organization (MKO or MEK) within the administration, but now the support seems less clandestine. On January 24th, he was a speaker at "A Night of Solidarity", a fundraiser for "the Iranian Resistance" (one of pseudonyms for MKO) combined with a concert by the Gypsy Kings and Iranian performers. Notice the clever way of using "Earthquake Victims" in the official program brochure. You could be forgiven for thinking perhaps some of the events proceeds will be helping the Bam sufferers, but that's another story for another time.

In the past, I have expressed my position on MKO and its leadership, as well as their tactics, even their links to the Neo-Cons. However, as a supposedly leftist and progressive entity, the original founders of the organization must be turning in their graves when Ashcroft is your main endorser and Perle a guest of honor at your events. After all, aren't we often judged by the company we keep? And all of it despite the "terrorist" label put on the group by U.S. government too.

Spy's Credibility Problem

The misinformation this Hamid Reza Zakeri guy comes up with, is just unbelievable. For those unfamiliar with him, this guy supposedly left Iran last year after serving many years as a top official within the regime's security/intelligence establishment and was immediately received by a portion of exiled opposition. He was first introduced to the general public by Alireza Meybodi's California-based AFN Radio and as a caller to the live broadcast. His credentials were later confirmed by exiled journalist Nourizadeh out of London, although "Zakeri" is still a pseudonym.

Some of his original revelations were intriguing for most within the opposition. Then he went off the deep end, first by proclaiming the magnitude of the fictitious support organization Reza Pahlavi has inside Iran and then using highly questionable timing to offer tidbits of information, just as certain subjects would come up or there was a need for the Washington's NeoCon machine to re-start their regime-change mantra or offer their alligator tears about how bad things are inside Iran. If Michael Ledeen was adamant about Iran's secret weapons program, Zakeri would offer new maps and even pictures. If there was a concern about the fate of MKO personnel inside Iraq, he had first hand accounts of Iran's revolutionary guards entering Iraq to engage them. He even produced fake letters to establish the double agent status of journalists during the Iraq invasion.

Now, all of these may or may not be true. However, his timing, methods and the way he suddenly comes up with new evidence, is suspect at best. This, along with the fact that nobody else who has served time in the prisons he was supposedly working at, families of his supposed victims or others he must have had contact with is able to confirm or deny his genuine identity, has made him a mere joke and a disgrace amongst those who oppose the government of Iran on credible and legitimate bases (watch for his fans to come out swinging now!).

His latest offering involves a supposed secret meeting and deal made between Al-Qaeda and Iranian officials to co-operate on what was to become the 9/11 tragedy. He offers no proof, very little verifiable detail (as usual) and one must wonder why he hasn't exposed this information before and over the past year or so he has lived in Europe and U.S.

I wonder what else he is going to come up with at the most opportune time, but I wish if he was legitimate to come up with whatever he knows once and for all and enlighten us maybe in a book or lengthy series of interviews, etc. So far, the way he does this is highly suspect at best.

You Are Amazing!

I have reluctantly closed the comments section of my Thank You! post. Over 1,000 of you added your names and brief messages to that post (1,049 to be exact, but there are some duplicates and others). At this point, the page is getting just too long, killing bandwidth like crazy and I honestly think all the great comments and heartfelt notes have already made the point. It was something that needed to be said and everyone came together to honor those who came to our rescue when it was most needed.

All the credit goes to you, the bloggers out there who successfully spread the word. I'm still discovering new links to that post on sites in Iran I had never heard of before. That is just wonderful. A very well known U.S. blogger wrote me a couple of days ago to say in his opinion, the number of comments must be some sort of a record for any blog. Of course, there's no way to confirm that but I have never seen anything like it myself.

Now the task is to get it to those it was meant for. One blogger from inside Iran wrote me to say he/she has collected a list of all those organizations who were there, many of them with personal emails and contact information. Although I hope he/she will be successful in relaying the messages to as many of those folks as possible, I really don't want to rely on one person who may or may not succeed in this venture. I have already forwarded it to the only people I have direct contact with, the Mercy Corps folks, so I need your help to get it to others as well.

Please write anyone you know within all the organizations from around the globe who sent people or aid to Bam and offer them our messages of gratitude and appreciation. You can email a link to:

or print out all the pages and offer them a paper version. Either way, they need to get all the messages as they are obviously from the heart.

Write me if I can be of any assistance.

Future of Iran

What is going on in Iran these days has largely remained below radars with limited coverage in mainstream media. Perhaps rightly so. The fictional or real struggle between the "hardliners" and "reformers" is way past its expiry date and is neither news nor even interesting anymore.

Sadly so, it's not only the media that feels this way. Majority of Iranians are also tired of the games and have no patience for another round of the same back and forth contest played over the last 7 years.

The faction considered to be more liberal, came to power with a large movement of popular support. Of course, with the present structure, "power" is not the appropriate term as most of that is ceded to one unelected person with the title of "Supreme Leader".

Iranians elected President Khatami (twice) and then a new Parliament in challenging the wishes of this exact "leader". What they wanted was change and a vote for so-called "reformers" was more a vote against what they had as oppose to what they wanted.

There has been little doubt that what they ultimately want, is far beyond what these "moderates" are willing or able to deliver. And they have had over 7 years to prove it over and over again. In every mass movement towards more freedoms in these years, people have been abandoned by their elected representatives.

In the student uprising and then again in multiple nights of unrest in Tehran, these "reformers" chose the wrong side. Khatami was mostly absent in both occasions and even classified the protestors as "hooligans".

So, now that it's their turn to be scolded by the same "extremists", they seek a popular support that is non-existent. I am sure images of a velvet revolution went through the heads of many protesting MP's as they started their sit-in. But as they kept a lookout for the masses that will come in, take over the building and carry them on their shoulders to victory, nobody showed up.

They are too late. Their credibility with the masses evaporated the minute they chose to hang on to their offices, instead of backing the popular dissent movement. Iranians trusted yet another group one more time and once again they were defrauded.

Where will this go now is unclear. An old Persian proverb says "give them death, so they'll be happy with a fever." This may just be the strategy chosen by the leader's team. Disqualify everyone, then bend a bit and allow some in to keep everyone quiet. On the other hand, If reformers boycott the upcoming elections, the provincial governors resign and no changes are made, it may also cause some cabinet members and the President himself to also resign. Something he should?ve done the minute it became apparent his office is without any real power, years ago. This may create an opening for the great savior to enter the foyer once again with his own team and take over with the image of the great conciliator. This will of course be the role of former president Rafsanjani, the man many believe is still the real source of influence in Iran.

Regardless of the outcome, it is safe to expect that in the short-term, no major changes will be delivered by either side of this current tussle. This will only be yet another step, another experience in the long road to the destination most Iranians have chosen as their final objective; a free and democratic Iran.

Humor

You may have heard already that the Iranian government is considering moving the capital from Tehran, due to the high probability of an earthquake in the city of 12+ million. This is nothing new and there has been various proposals for the move circling around for at least 30 years. Maybe the devastation of Bam earthquake will finally make it a reality though. But looking at the global map below and where the earthquake belt is, there aren't many places in Iran that is much safer, so I have come up with a better solution:

Instead of moving Tehran, let's move Iran! I have studied various options available (East Coast of Australia, Western Europe, Brazil, etc.) and already selected the area depicted in the map; U.S.'s south eastern corner as most suitable. Here are some of the benefits of such move:

1. If we flip the current map of Iran, it will fit perfectly in that corner and still retain the "resting cat" shape, although this time it will be facing east which can be explained as "having an eye on the past", making it easier to sell the idea to the masses.

2. No earthquakes in Iran ever again.

3. The current location of Iran will be handed over to U.S. to connect the 51st state (Afghanistan) with the 52nd (Iraq) and finally get all the oil they ever wanted. Historical sites will be destroyed to fit the new history that this area was "discovered" by the Europeans and no civilized people ever lived there.

4. Carl Rove and company can appoint Reza Pahlavi as the new king there, returning him to his father's palace along with his 200 supporters who already carry U.S. citizenship anyways.

5. U.S. will finally get rid of most of the troubled "south", including all of Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Florida Panhandle (no more election issues, we'll leave the rest of Florida for future "New Cuba") and South Carolina, plus parts of Louisiana (we'll get Baton Rouge and New Orleans, they keep Lafayette), Kentucky and North Carolina.

6. We'll gain plenty of golf courses in Carolinas and beaches on Gulf of Mexico which allows us to rename it Gulf of Persia, as Arab countries have done for years with renaming Persian Gulf arbitrary.

7. KFC will stand for Kurdish Fried Chicken, will enjoy partial autonomy and expands its menu to include savory lamb and veal dishes.

8. Tennessee's Al Gore will officially become Iranian. We'll teach him dancing baba-karam to loosen him up.

9. U.S. will not lose any cities that actually matter in keeping DC and everything north of there, while Atlanta will be renamed New Tehran.

10. Coca-Cola will become a subsidiary of ZamZam-Cola.

11. We'll rename Mardi-Gras to Mameh-Gah (like Namayeshgah), a place to showcase bare breasts of men and women.

12. We'll own CNN! (and immediately fire Amanpour for her Khatami interview.)

13. U.S. will still retain enough states/land suitable for development of more trailer parks for displaced former south residents with dark-pink behind the ears regions. They include, Arkansas, Oklahoma and of course W's home state of Texas.

In order to achieve this, we need immediate plans for relocation. Atlanta already has a good base of Iranians and those in Houston, Dallas and Oklahoma should move to the new Iran immediately. Then it's time for California Iranians (all 20 of them, because the rest of a few hundred thousands are no longer Iranian and are officially "Persian") to move there. In the third phase of great exodus, U.S