Punch the Sun

moving blogs

2012-01-23T00:27:00.001+01:00

Dear friends,

I'm not writing in this blog for a while. The Mezrab has just started its own blog, and I think it's best to focus my attention there. Besides, most of what I would write I could write there anyway.

here's the address:

http://mezrablog.wordpress.com

Christopher Hitchens R.I.P.

2011-12-16T15:08:00.003+01:00

Gone is Christopher Hitchens. A great man. Though I didn't agree with him a some of the time, few people are as eloquent in stating the argument for atheism:

Nice write up on Salon.com:

http://www.salon.com/2011/12/16/christopher_hitchens_militant_pundit_dies_at_62_5/

More interesting developments in the region.

2011-12-06T17:00:00.002+01:00

Here's some more interesting developments in the region:

4 days ago Iphones got banned in Syria:

http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/report-syria-bans-iphone-to-cover-up-crackdown-on-anti-assad-protests-1.399241

Academics at Saudi-Arabia's highest Religious Council ruled that allowing women to drive in the country will eliminate the existence of virgins within 10 years:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/8930168/Allowing-women-drivers-in-Saudi-Arabia-will-be-end-of-virginity.html

In an unprecedented move Turkey's Prime Minister apologizes for the killing of almost 14.000 Alevi Kurds. Of course this opens a huge can of worms in a country that refuses to deal with many dark episodes in its past. Great write up in the IBTimes:

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/256097/20111125/did-turkey-s-erdogan-apologize-kurdish-massacre.htm

Egypt voter turn-out was 52 percent rather than 62 percent:

http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/12/05/egypt-election-mistake-idINDEE7B40H620111205

Syria on the brink of civil war?

2011-12-03T11:13:00.003+01:00

That seems to be what the stars are hinting at.

Now, before we do some analysis of our own, here's some links to articles to get you up to speed:

- Al Jazeera has a report about the Free Syrian Army getting stronger and better organized:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2011/12/20111226171260898.html

- An unnamed Libyan source claims this army will be partly trained and armed by them. Of course, unnamed Libyan sources have often made unsubstantiated claims in the past months, so read this with a grain of salt. If true though, it will definitely add some spice to a volatile situation:

http://www.smh.com.au/world/libya-to-arm-rebels-in-syria-20111126-1o088.html#ixzz1exnyCciT

- James Miller makes a case for a no-fly zone over at Enduring America:

http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2011/12/2/syria-opinion-why-there-should-and-will-be-a-no-fly-zone.html

For more information about current events in Syria, either visit the Syria Live-Blog of Al Jazeera:

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/Syria

Or the well informed blog of Joshua Landis:

http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/

Welcome back dear friend...

2011-12-01T19:41:00.002+01:00

... it's been such a while that I was busy with other projects, that I couldn't bring myself to even write down random thoughts and observations about what occupies my mind. Too bad really, as the focus of this blog, human rights and the middle-east, is an issue that needs a lot of thinking, analyzing and writing these days.

One issue is that of Aliaa al Mahdy, the Egyptian blogger who posted a picture of herself on her blog: http://arebelsdiary.blogspot.com/?zx=7722a5512dce8618

The result was hundreds of thousands of hits, thousands of comments (in favor and against her action) and a lively debate about the position of women in Egyptian society. Let me state here that I am a fan of Aliaa, and am impressed by her bravery (she posts with her own name, always, risking her life and more). However, what interests me is if the discussion is had within Egyptian society, or if it's only feminists outside of Egypt supporting her and advocating women's rights based on this action?

For instance, how will this Israeli women's initiative help the discussion in Egypt? http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4150344,00.html

Or the hundreds of Iranian women for that matter, who've spoken up in support, and in some cases have even shed their clothes. At any rate, I want to hear about Egyptian women! Let's see if we can find a few.

Conservative elements in the revolution are quick to brush her aside as a plot to derail the revolution. Here's an article in which it's claimed even the April 6th Youth movement denies such a person could ever be part of their revolution: http://www.albawaba.com/editorchoice/naked-blogger-egypt-aliaa-ostracized-401455

Anyway, now you know who she is and why you should follow developments around this story. I'll post more as the story develops.

PS. You'll be happy to know that my friend Arturo (de)Simone is opening an exhibition of his work in the Mezrab. In the exhibition he features two drawings of Aliaa. Two other drawings of her made by Arturo are currently up on her blog, so go check it out.

Some Syrian links

2011-08-12T16:15:00.005+02:00

Radio Zamaneh interviews a Syrian activist (Persian):

http://radiozamaneh.com/politics/2011/08/10/6097

A European blogger updates us on Syria (English):

http://www.voxorient.com/

New York Times talkes about Iraq supporting Syria's Assad regime:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/13/world/middleeast/13iraq.html?_r=1

Syria & Iran

2011-08-12T10:10:00.003+02:00

Overheard from a Syrian activist during the Egyptian revolts: "If they fail in Egypt, there is no hope for us in Syria". True words and they didn't fail, though what they achieved in Egypt remains fragile and is still in danger of being wiped out by the military council.

What was said about Egypt however, also applies to Syria and maybe to a larger scale. Because of its geo-political position, if Syria fails, there's no hope for the rest of the Middle-East. If people manage to get their basic human and political rights, this is a blow to both Iran and Hezbollah, who lose an important ally in the region. It also shows the people in other regional dictatorships that this type of protest cannot be silenced, even with the level of brutality show by the regime of Assad.

For Syrians especially Iranians have become the cartoonesque bad-guys to be feared and hated. Videos appeared on the internet of (alleged) Iranian forces being captured by demonstrators and questioned about their role in helping Syrian armed forces in squashing dissent. It is important to note that the Iranian post-election protests of 2009 where not shown in Syria. Many Syrians are unaware of Iranians showing their discontent with their government and the large amount of students, lawyers, journalists, politicians and ordinary citizens locked up to this day.

Friends told me of their visits to Paris this week, going to Syrian protests and being afraid to identify themselves as Iranians.

It is instrumental that in this time when our governments find ways of collaborating the Syrians and Iranian people do the same. We don't share a language, but we do share a common dream of democracy, freedom and dignity.

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An insightful article on the struggle in Syria here:

http://www.merip.org/mero/mero081011

Blogging?

2011-08-07T16:43:00.003+02:00

Sometimes blogging gets slow when other things in life take over. The past days however I've been very busy with a (humorous) blog documenting the struggle of me and my brother to get back in shape. If you're interested here's the link to the blog:

http://pahlavanbrothers.blogspot.com

Confused? Go to the first blogpost on the blog, it'll clear a few things up.

Here's something else you might find interesting. A recently launched campaign for Assyrian rights:

http://www.assyrianrights.org/

Happy Birthday Zamaneh!

2011-08-04T13:20:00.004+02:00

Five years ago a man with almond eyes, long hair in a pony tail and a Frank Zappa style moustache and goatee walked into our cultural center Mezrab. After sitting for a while and asking some questions about what we do in our center he introduced himself as Mehdi Jami, the director of an about to be launched media platform called Zamaneh. He was looking for young and interesting people with something to share with the world to join him in creating this station.

I had been a bit sad that summer. My band members had left for a tour of Eastern Europe, and I was alone, working in the cultural center. When the bandmembers returned I said I had a new job: creating a weekly show on world music for this station that broadcasts into Iran through satelite and internet.

In the years that have passed I was always its strongest supporter as well as its biggest critic. It's not hard to imagine why I supported Zamaneh. A young station operating independently and allowing for different voices to be heard and tell their stories. A platform in which both the new generation as well as the old guard was creating shows. How can you not be excited about this? I always defended Zamaneh when paranoid Iranians (and there are oh so many of them) accused Zamaneh of being a mouth-piece of the Mullahs, the CIA or in some cases both. Or when during the post election turmoil of 2009 some thought that Zamaneh should abandon independent journalism and clearly take sides with the Green Movement.

I have also been a critic, voicing my discontent with some programmes, suggesting improvements in other fields, but always out of respect for what was there: a station that, if it survived, would be instrumental in creating a template for journalism that Iran needs: uncensored, respectful, deep-digging, impartial, independent. I voiced criticism not just to be a grouch, but to help improve what I loved and respected.

I'm happy to say that Zamaneh is still around, and still improves on the old formula. There's an operational English site that on a daily basis gives us news about Iran in English:

http://www.radiozamaneh.com/english/

It teaches aspiring journalists the basics of journalism, it is the only major Iranian news outlet with a page dedicated to Queer issues (homo-emancipation). These are only a few of the reasons I love Zamaneh. Others have their own parts they read and follow. Is Zamaneh today what it needs to be tomorrow? I feel it has a long way to go, but I see it's getting there and I enjoy opening it daily to read the new articles and analysis.

And it did show its fans that it's here to stay. Those who are not pleased with Zamaneh can choose to wish its death (something Iranians are very good at, how many projects did we see come and go while we only grumbled about how bad it was without doing anything ourselves?), or submit ideas, articles, comments and critique, and in this way help to build the platform we can all be proud of.

I look forward to the coming five years!

Happy Music

2011-07-23T10:33:00.002+02:00

This is why I have hope for Iran. No matter how bad things get, there's always some young people enjoying themselves, and in doing so creating stuff for us to smile and shake our hips at:

1. the new clip of Eendo:

2. Here's a little home-made track by Naeim Meschian, our resident funkmeister and sound-technician.

Middle-East Linkage

2011-07-14T15:04:00.003+02:00

I have lots to write about, but for now a summary of interesting links:

Iran -

Tehran Review has a two part article about the famous film director Makhmalbaf's evolving political life, as written by Ian Buruma:

http://tehranreview.net/articles/9535

Iranian Dervishes get sentenced to jail and flogging after peaceful protests:

http://www.radiozamaneh.com/english/content/iranian-dervishes-get-jail-flogging

Often in the West we focus on the persecution of Jews and Christians in Iran. While the discrimination they face is real, there is a much stricter persecution of Islamic sects who are considered to be heretical. Examples are Sunni (depending on the political climate), Baha'i and various Sufi orders.

Egypt -

Egypt tries to appease the protest movements by firing a large amount of police officers:

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/07/2011713151838644663.html

The revolution inspires poetry:

http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/2036/kareem-abdulsalam_teargas-poems

Enjoy...

Power play and Women's rights in Iran.

2011-07-11T11:06:00.004+02:00

It's no secret there's an ordinary power grabbing game going on in Iran. Not only are individuals fighting for a share of the power pie, they're fighting for a share of power for their faction as well as their position. In Iran's complicated power structure all begins and ends with the Supreme Leader (Khamenei), but how it trickles down to ministries, committees, councils, (secret) police, military factions, etc. is a constant fight that's been heating up in the last months.

Notably there's the Revolutionary Guard, a military force with considerable economic clout since it's a major share holder in many companies and has its own airstrips, ports, etc, that has decide to tell what candidates or even what number of people from a certain faction are allowed to run. It's not clear what they will do when candidates they don't want on the ballots run (other than the usual talk of blood in the streets), but that the organisation permits themselves such statements is indicative of the position they have or believe they should have:

http://www.radiozamaneh.com/english/content/former-prime-minister-accused-sedition

http://www.radiozamaneh.com/english/content/revolutionary-guards-commander-sets-conditions-return-reformists

It should be noted that Ahmadinejad's rise to power went hand in hand with the rise of the Guards, a partnership that's been abandoned since, with the Guards siding for Khamenei, and Ahmadinejad covertly accusing them of power abuse: http://www.radiozamaneh.com/english/content/ahmadinejad-decries-reporting-illegal-ports-statement)

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Sadly in this power game the chips are often issues that have a deep impact on regular Iranians. For instance women will face a lot of harsh regulations when it comes to what they're allowed to watch, or how they're allowed to dress. An excellent write up about this is provided by Tehran Bureau:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2011/07/the-hejab-hype-and-the-force-of-fear.html

But apart from the impact these social and political policies have it's important to realize the discussion is had in the Iranian political landscape between staunch orthodox principalists and politicians who advocate a more liberal view when it benefits their political agenda. If there are politicians and clerics with a principally more liberal view they are sidelined and marginalized.

Case in point is Ahmadinejad's opposition to gender separation in Universities and his opposition to the amount of power the Supreme Ruler. Even in the pseudo-democratic system of Iran the agreement was that the Ayatollah should remain impartial in the election process. When Khamenei obviously sided with Ahmadinejad after the 2009 elections there was not a peep from his camp about abuse of power. In that particular election struggle the sly Rafsanjani sided with the reformist candidates. Today we see reformist Rafsanjani claiming it's a shame that Ahmadinejad opposes the gender separation.

In the crazy political arena of Iran, some Iranians might well decide that Ahmadinejad is the candidate of modernity and reform (only a short while ago he promised each Iranian family a plot of land of 1000 square ft. to build their own villas in addition to opposing the power of both Khamenei, the Revolutionary Guards, the stricter rules for women) forgetting that in previous struggles he was a champion for the issues he currently (seemingly) opposes.

The sad reality is that with this struggle and the players involved, all outcomes will be a continuation of a desperate situation for Iranians, or things getting worse.

Reform in Islam

2011-07-08T14:28:00.003+02:00

I am one of those atheists who believes the various Islamic currents can be reformed. In fact I already see a lot of the reform happening. One of the leading figures in this movement is Irshad Manji, an activist for moral reform in the Muslim world. In her site she offers for free translations into various languages (including Persian) of her book "The Trouble with Islam Today":

https://www.irshadmanji.com/Translations

She also makes mention of an inspiring figure in the Muslim world who passed away only a decade ago, Ghaffar Khan, the muslim Ghandi:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khan_Abdul_Ghaffar_Khan

Ghaffar Khan was a pious Muslim, but vehemently opposed to the partition of Pakistan, the oppression of women, and many other ills that plague the Muslim world today. He was a staunch pacifist and suffered both under the Brits as well as the Pakistani Muslims.

How great would it be if the youth of today would walk with pictures of Ghandi and Ghaffar Khan side to side.

Reform in the Maghreb

2011-07-01T13:21:00.004+02:00

Here's a series of posts that appeared on Al-Jazeera, covering the referendum in Morocco:

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/07/20117154535570851.html

http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/insidestory/2011/06/201161964029349942.html

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/06/20116181756279674.html

I'm not sure what to think about the referendum. Do the reforms proposed by the king go far enough? Hardly, but is it a total decoy to fight off further protests, or is it a genuine step towards democracy?

On Mid East Youth a little article about a survey taken in Tunesia on LGBT issues:

http://www.mideastyouth.com/2011/07/01/on-lgbt-rights-in-tunisia/

And a series of articles on sexual harassment in Egypt:

http://www.mideastyouth.com/2011/06/19/sexual-harassment-in-egypt-part-ii-the-good-news/

I want change in Iran...

2011-06-27T02:00:00.004+02:00

This Monday twelve political prisoners have ended their hunger strike. These prisoners of the notorious Evin jail were protesting the deaths of Hoda Saber and Haleh Sahabi, prominent figures of the Religious-Nationalist party.

(see: http://www.radiozamaneh.com/english/content/iranian-prisoners-end-hunger-strike )

What is noteworthy in this episode is the response of influential dissidents. Important dissident clerics, former president Khatami and the children of Karroubi and Mousavi and many others called for the prisoners to end their strike. Ayatollah Zanjani even called it a religious duty to stop the strike and said "...this country needs loved ones like you in order to achieve freedom and rebuilding". I find this to be a very troubling reaction. Of course I don't want anyone to die in an action, but when all forms of protest has been taken away from us, and in the case of these prisoners even their freedom, why undermine their protests by telling them to stop?

Even wild animals with a basic instinct for survival stop eating and often die when put in cages. Why should humans be asked to suffer graciously when they are put in solitary cells and subjected to physical and mental torture? Khatami and his clan could have been stronger in condemning the regime, saying that while it is horrendous to think of the suffering of the strikers, it is the result of the treatment of the regime. A strike that will positively stop when they are treated as humans.

The response to the prisoners' strikes sums up the crisis of the Green Movement and many other activist movements of Iran. Where we are quick to point out the changes we want, it's hard to say what we are actually willing to do to get it:

- We don't want hunger strikes, as we don't want our dear activists to suffer

- We don't want sanctions as it will be the poor that suffer, not the ruling elite

- We don't want protests in the street without permission as that means more people will get arrested and killed

- We don't want to strike at work, as most factory workers have a temporary contract and no one wants to lose their livelyhood

- We don't want to sabotage any state material as we don't want to be seen terrorists

- We don't want to give up buying products that are produced by companies owned by the Revolutionary Guard as that would mean giving up part of our luxury.

- We don't want to speak out in a way that identify us as that means losing the chance to travel to Iran.

Game of Thrones

2011-06-17T16:59:00.003+02:00

So far the kingdoms of the Arab world have been doing better in containing the unrest than their neighbours. Most protesters don't dare to directly critisize the monarchy, only oppressive laws and reality. This has prompted some of the kings to preach reform.

A few days ago it was the king of Jordan. He spoke of a national vision. Wether his words have any weight or are simply gestures to calm things in the kingdom is better explained by a the Jordanian blogger Nas: http://www.black-iris.com/2011/06/15/and-then-the-king-spoke/

In Morocco, the king is expected to speak today about reforming the constitution of the country. It is expected that in the new constitution some power will be handed over to the prime minister, and some degree of freedom of religion will be observed:

http://mg.co.za/article/2011-06-17-moroccos-king-to-unveil-reforms/

In Saudi-Arabia, another kingdom, perhaps the most important of the region, the battle is about much more mundane issues, such as women being allowed to drive. It's the first time in 21 years that a group of women are defying the religious fatwas against women driving:

http://english.aljazeera.net/video/middleeast/2011/06/201161713200141723.html

The Facebook page in support of women driving rights:

http://www.facebook.com/Women2Drive?ref=ts&sk=wall

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I will write more when more details are known. In the mean time, here's a fun little bit of trivia. The King of Jordan was a huge Star Trek fan, and even appeared briefly in one of the episodes. Don't believe me? Here it is:

Arab Spring Watch

2011-06-16T14:08:00.003+02:00

While the world media was duped by Amina, the fake Arab gay blogger from Syria, the Guardian publishes an article about the real Aminas. Worth a read:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jun/15/gay-girl-damascus-syrian-lesbians

But the main country to follow at the moment, even it seems time is standing still there and nothing will change, is Saudi Arabia. There's something smoldering there, and though it might take another generation for real change, it's the country that will have the biggest effect in the region. This week both the Guardian and the Spiegel post insightful articles:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,768368,00.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/25/saudi-arabia-need-change-editorial

Thoughts on Amina Arraf and Iranian Journalism

2011-06-13T17:39:00.002+02:00

If there's one way I can define our work in the Mezrab, it is that we allow people to tell their own stories. This can be a song, a story, a personal film or anything else that connects the personal you with an audience. The reading of weblog posts is a perfect fit with this philosophy. In essence it's a very Persian artform. Driven from government controlled media outlets, Iran's internet users have flocked to the anonymity of the internet, where the most secret and sacred thoughts and observations can be penned down, protected by a pseudonym. One of the major ways of getting the true stories out of Iran and similarly oppressed countries is to read the blogs and the twitter feeds.

One of the voices that we read in the Mezrab from the internet was that of Amina, a gay Syrian blogger, who openly defied the oppressive regime of Assad. Her story, exciting and brave, was picked up by Al Jazeera, the Guardian, the BBC and many other respected news outlets. As I thought the Syrian situation is especially relevant to Iran I translated one of her posts for Zamaneh. Then she disappeared. According to an update by her cousin she was arrested by the Syrian secret police. One week after an international campaign to locate her and secure her release, it's been proven that the blog was in fact a hoax. All posts were (probably) written by an American man called Tom MacMaster.

(write up here:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/06/12/137139179/gay-girl-in-damascus-apologizes-reveals-she-was-an-american-man )

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That such a hoax was possible is not a surprise, there's billions of internet users with all the tools that they need to set up such an operation. That it went on for so long says a lot about how journalism functioned in extraordinary circumstances, reporting from countries where the standard rules of journalism don't seem to work. Some are more lax about their sources (and don't mind that they don't prove adequately who they are, as coming forward would put their life in danger) and grateful for even the little bit of information that comes out of certain countries. Al Jazeera had camera crews covering Tahrir square in Cairo, why can't we cover events in Iran in the same way?

While the speed with which the Amina hoax was disproven shows the power of the internet (in different countries people were working to uncover the truth, both professional journalists as well as "amateurs", all the time sharing information with each other in a "wikipedia" spirit of selflessness) this whole episode reminds us that we need to think about the state of journalism and writing in itself. It shows that while every person with an internet connection can write a story and publish it online, there is much added value with the existing media, it is to uncover the untruths and propaganda and to provide fresh thoughts and analysis on the facts that are out there. Also, existing media can distribute basic journalistic skills that we need to navigate a media landscape in which every neighbour and friend is a medium, and some government controlled media of many countries are propaganda tools. I'm very happy that our Iranian exiled media is doing just that: building skills and foundations, giving a stage for not just facts but also analysis:

Radio Zamaneh has e-learning courses for various levels that hundreds of aspiring journalists have already followed.

The association On File gives journalists with a non-Dutch background a home to network and access to various courses. (not Iranian, but a lot of Iranians have been welcomed by this lovely crowd: http://www.onfile.eu/ )

Tehran Review's Shervin Nekuee and Ali Mohtadi discuss the need of a "Green" medium with journalistic pioneer Mehdi Jami:

http://tehranreview.net/articles/9131

Iranian Progressive Youth supports academic thought by creating an essay writing contest. The winners are presented this Tuesday (Tomorrow) at 16.00 in Leiden. Info here: http://iranpy.net/articles/1248

Good news in Libya, bad news in Syria

2011-06-06T22:48:00.003+02:00

It seems in Libya time is running out for the Colonel. The northwestern town of Yafran was taken by the rebels. This is a town that has always been in the hands of the Government, as opposed to other towns that are being taken and retaken. More importantly, it's only 100 kilometers away from Tripoli.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/06/20116613502238785.html

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The blog of Amina brings horrible news. She was taken by some kind of Syrian secret police. Followers of this blog know of my great admiration for this strong woman who kept us updated about all that happened in Syria since the unrest began.

She had become more and more concerned in her more recent posts, writing that she even clipped her nails extremely short to keep interrogators from pulling them from her fingers. These posts also showed her determination to see things through to the end.

My heart is with her, her father and the rest of her family.

http://damascusgaygirl.blogspot.com/2011/06/update-on-amina.html

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An Eye For An Eye

2011-05-31T14:14:00.003+02:00

A case that's been discussed extensively by the Iranian media is that of the woman who was blinded and had her face disfigured with acid by a man who's advances she'd rejected. By Iranian Quranic law of eye for eye she has the right to blind the man by injecting his eyes with drops of acid.

Though these cases or commonplace in Iran, where usually the family of a killed one is asked if the killer should be put to death or bloodmoney should be paid to spare his life, it's the possible blinding of a person that has caught the public's attention and has sparked the debate.

One of the articles written a while ago was against this system of revenge killing and maiming, to which the sister of the victim wrote this response. It was very difficult for me to read, as the writer sympathetically argues for the right of her sister to blind her attacker.

http://www.radiozamaneh.com/english/content/debate-surrounding-irans-first-blinding-acid-sentence

Amnesty

2011-05-29T23:10:00.004+02:00

Having heard the tales of Irish resistance over the years, I was surprised to hear from the Irish themselves that they're a docile people. Centuries of servitude to the Brits has left its mark. Apparently no one goes to demonstrate in Ireland. When 1000 people gather in Dublin for a demonstration it's huge and makes it all the news channels. More often a demonstration is ten or twenty people walking in a figure of eight.

Maybe it fits the national psyche more to work in small efficient work units. A guerrilla approach to activism. Whatever the reason for their success is, I was inspired by the Iranian Group of the Irish branch of Amnesty. A small band of brothers and sisters that uses a lot of creativity in organizing their actions and in the short time they've existed have become one of the most active branches of Amnesty Ireland.

On this very same trip we were lucky enough to meet the Dutch couple that set up Amnesty in the Netherlands many decades ago. Such stories they had to tell!

Anyway, here's some inspirational material for you. First off, iconic material from over the years:

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/05/28/amnesty.anniversary/index.html?hpt=C1

And a short animation to mark the fiftieth birthday of Amnesty:

An Alternative to Where's My Vote

2011-05-28T11:08:00.002+02:00

Since the last presidential elections in Iran the slogan of the protest movement has been: "Where's My Vote".

While I have to confess I didn't vote in the elections, I supported both the protesters as well as their slogan. For me the slogan wasn't just about the votes cast and thrown out in the 2009 elections, they were for all votes that we cannot cast for candidates of our own choice.

However, since two years have passed, I believe if we want to start another round of protest, we need another set of slogans. Slogans that obviously refer to the events of 2009, but take the reality of today into account. The sad issue we face is the great number of people who've been killed and the greater number of people locked up.

I suggest the following slogans:

Where's My Teacher?

Where's My Classmate?

Where's My Friend?

Where's My Son?

Where's My Daughter?

Where's My Journalist?

Where's My Lawyer?

Where's My Mother?

Where's My Father?

Where's My Filmdirector?

Where's My Busdriver?

Where's My Musician?

etc. etc.

Every Iranian has a friend who's been killed, locked up, or has left the country. The majority of students I spoke to outside of the country have said they left the country without the intention to stay, but really don't want to go back to their country.

Also, every Iranian knows someone who's a supporter of this regime. We know millions of people who live in a separate reality with no access to the articles we read, people we speak to, Youtube clips we watch. Consequently they refuse to believe the injustice that goes on in their own country (though the ones I've spoken to do have a strong sense of justice, they curse the regime of the Shah for locking up, torturing and killing innocent people). Ask them the questions I just wrote. Where are these people? Why do you trust a government that needs to survive by killing and locking up students, teachers, lawyers, journalists, etc?

Just kick those shins a little bit. If we all do it, it might be more effective than the next protest that gets a few thousand people into the street, exposing them to the batons of the Baseej militia.

---

Here's something heartwarming. A dissident action in which speakers are distributed in Tripoli, blasting the forbidden anthem of the country.

Why Syria Matters

2011-05-26T15:35:00.002+02:00

Syria has reached a pivotal moment in her history. It's make or break time! And I for one hope that the people make it by breaking the government. Of course as an Iranian I have a special interest in Syria. Of all Arab countries that have been infected by the virus of revolution, Syria's government is a special friend of our Ayatollahs. Where the other revolutions were extensively covered by Iranian media (to show the people the Islamic revolutions are spreading) they had to ignore events in Syria. If Iran the democracy is only friends with other democracies, then why the popular uprising? If Assad leaves we don't know who will replace him, but it will certainly be someone who's less friendly with the Ayatollah's, isolating them further in the region, and exposing another one of the lies they sell to their own people.

After the Iranian mock-elections of 2009 many people went into the streets, both in Iran as well as in other countries, to demand answers about the elections, an end to killing and torture. As Iranians we saw that the world stood with us, as we protested hand in hand with people from all over the globe. It felt so natural for us to receive this support. If you are a supporter of democracy why wouldn't you be in the streets protesting for some kind of change in Iran, one of the most oppressive countries in the world?

Sadly we don't pay back the same kindness to other people and other nations, even if their fate is so intertwined with our own. I haven't seen many Iranians take to the streets in support of the Arab uprisings. In the case of Syria it's not too late. We can still gather, Arab, Persian and Kurd, hand in hand in front of Syrian embassies worldwide, to demand an end to the cruelty.

Happy Birthday

2011-05-25T23:04:00.003+02:00

We arrived in Ireland two days ago. Many hours of delay because of Obama's arrival, and an elated crowd, much more excited than when the Queen of England visited a week before. However, the highlight of my day was not Obama's visit, it was celebrating the birthdays of Bahman Amouyi (husband of journalist Jila Bani-Jaqoub) and Masoud Bastani. These two men are political prisoners adopted by Amnesty's Ireland Iran group. The celebration is to let them and their families know that they are not forgotten.

Here's two articles that give you a bit of an idea of who these two men are:

http://www.radiozamaneh.com/english/content/iranian-journalist-protests-against-violation-prisoner-rights

http://www.rahana.org/en/?p=9322

---

So this is it. two years pass since the mock elections of Iran, and when we get involved it's to comfort the relatives of those who stuck out their necks for the rest of us. Is there no one else who will raise his voice or his fist?

Maybe this is another reason why I obsessively follow the news in Syria and Libya, to comfort myself with their eventual success where Iran has failed, and hope that their success will inspire us.

Fight on, my brothers, fight on, my sisters. And with fight, I also mean dance, laugh and sing.

The waiting artists

2011-05-21T11:06:00.002+02:00

The American poet Charles Bukowski once famously wrote about prostitutes and poets that society outlaws the one ignores the other, which should give you an idea about the power they have.

In Iran the poets are not being ignored. Our filmmakers, these current day poets, deal with censorship and repression on a daily basis. The most famous case being that of Jafar Panahi, who was sentenced to six years in jail and a twenty year ban of making films. He's free at the moment (though not allowed to leave the country) waiting for his appeal, but what is waiting life for an artist who's not allowed to create? Below you'll find an excerpt of his "This Is Not A Film":

What I want for my birthday

2011-05-18T14:23:00.004+02:00

Today I turned 31. Or as we say in Persian, I entered my 32nd year of life. I was overwhelmed by all the love and support I received from friends and relatives, but really, when I fired up the internet I wanted to receive for my birthday the news that Libya and Syria were liberated.

Sadly, the struggle continues, day by day, inch by inch, claiming lives without the guarantee of final success. However, one little thing that happened did feel like a nice birthday gift:

Iranian-American-Canadian journalist for Al Jazeera was released by Iranian authorities!

http://www.radiozamaneh.com/english/content/al-jazeera-reporter-homa-parvaz-released

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In other news. From the country that will probably be the last Arabic country to experience revolt and revolution, Saudi Arabia: A lone demonstrator shows up on a square filled with police and plainclothes thugs. He speaks about the injustice that exists and predicts he will end up in jail immediately after his interview. Sadly he was right. It's been two months since that event, and Khaled is still held in jail.

Where is Khaled?

Out of the closet.

2011-05-15T12:47:00.003+02:00

For the past weeks I've been following the blog of Amina. Little did I know that we in the Netherlands have an Amina of our own. Monique Samuel, the Dutch-Egyptian publicist who was on TV almost every day during the unrest in Egypt, came out in an emotional post on her blog. She's divorced her husband and has told the world she's a lesbian. Though I've met her only once, when we were both invited to speak in a panel about the Iranian and Egyptian protest movements, I have to say I'm very proud of her and wish her luck!

Unfortunately this is only in Dutch:

http://www.moniquesamuel.nl/?p=1245

Arab Spring

2011-05-12T10:40:00.000+02:00

Howdy folks, apologies for the long absence. Work at the Mezrab Cultural Center took over and I was crazy busy. Anyway, I'm back now, and hope to be back for a while, posting news and reflections on politics, culture and life in the Middle-East.

The ongoing struggle in the Arab is in danger if dropping off the front pages as unrest in some of the countries has been subdued or doesn't seem to go anywhere (Bahrain, etc), while in other countries it has become civil war or is in danger of becoming civil war (Libya, Syria, etc). Not the sexy success stories we would like to consume.

However, even the messy stories of people getting killed by the dozens, rebels taking and retaking quarters in embattled cities are all part of a larger narrative that will fundamentally change the face of the region.

Now since any grand narrative can be broken down into smaller pearls of human experience, here's a few that you should know of:

Some Libyans have set up an English language radio show. It's really funny since they're discussing serious stuff, but in a strong Cockney accent. It's a station of Ali Gs!

http://tributefm.com/player.php

The most moving story from Syria is the blog of Amina A. who writes from Damascus. She's put her life on the line, writing about her life as a lesbian dissident, staying in the country with her father while the rest of her family has left the country:

http://damascusgaygirl.blogspot.com/

Radio Zamaneh does a great time covering the conflict between Ahmadinejad and the clerical leaders on their English language site. This conflict reads like a complicated game of Chaos Chess, with many pawns and moves and shifting rules and alliances. The highlight of it was when one of the Ahmadinejad clique was accused of witchcraft and Djinn-binding. Here's the latest move:

http://www.radiozamaneh.com/english/content/guardian-council-backs-parliament-dispute-ahmadinejad

More reports

2011-03-02T11:15:00.002+01:00

Enduring America has a day after live-blog:

http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2011/3/2/the-latest-from-iran-2-march-marching-through-the-blackout.html

Our man Thomas Erdbrink:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/28/AR2011022802923.html?sid=ST2011022805422

Iran burning

2011-03-01T22:03:00.003+01:00

Well, maybe it's a bit dramatic to say that... but it hasn't been like this in decades. Soldiers on every streetcorner, insane amount of violence. In the months to come we'll hear about the ordeals the poor souls who are getting arrested today will have gone through.

For proper English language updates go here:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2011/03/iran-live-blog-10-esfand-march-1.html

http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2011/3/1/the-latest-from-iran-1-march-in-prisonand-on-the-streets.html

---

Dutch Iranians, Iranian Progressive Youth is organizing another get together to talk about social/political movements in Iran this Saturday. For info, have a look here: www.mezrab.nl

The crazy Ghadafis

2011-02-27T16:53:00.003+01:00

It would be funny if because of it people weren't dying. No scratch that, it's a tragedy that people are dying, but this is still hilarious:

Seif-of-Eslam Ghadafi flat out denying anything happening in the country in an interview with Christiane Amanpour. No violence against protestors, no uprising of the people: "Show me a single attack, show me a single bomb," he told her. "The Libyan air force destroyed just the ammunition sites. That's it."

Take note that this is said at the time that media report all but four cities in Libya in the hands of protesters, and two of those being contested. For the article on the interview go here: http://abcnews.go.com/International/saif-gadhafi-interviewed-by-christiane-amanpour-worldwide-exclusive/story?id=13011545

And for jobs that papa Ghadafi can do after this whole mess is over, he can be a DJ!

---

Meanwhile, outside of Libya, Oman has joined the countries where unrest has spread. Oman is a peaceful nation run for 40 years by a Sultan who came to power when he overthrew his own father. How thousand and one nights! It's been inching towards modernity and democracy at the pace of a demented snail with reforms such as granting all citizens over the age of twenty the right to vote in the year 2003.

---

The news on Iran isn't so much what's happening in the street, but rather the discussions about how to proceed with the movement. Is it going to be weekly demonstrations? Will other methods of civil disobedience be used? Will people resort to violence? I'm collecting a few articles which I will post online tomorrow.

End of the Reformist Era

2011-02-25T18:04:00.003+01:00

It's been brewing for a while: talk of taking the struggle in Iran beyond reform. Even some friends who have been staunch supporters of reform from within the system doubt wether the current political climate in the country leaves any room for reform. Wether enough people are convinced inside the country, and wether their conviction will be turned into action, is a question I cannot answer, but here's an insightful article to read from Tehran Review, on protest, revolution and Iran:

http://tehranreview.net/articles/7691

Where are we?

2011-02-24T14:05:00.003+01:00

More than once did I hear Iranians lament that they need al-Jazeera to cover events in Iran like they did in Tunesia, Egypt and Libya. But even the little that us Iranians can do to fill the gap, it seems that we don't. The Green movement has brought out another declaration. Apparently it's a game changer, reaching out to workers and minorities. But so far, no one has translated it. And sadly my Persian is not good enough to do it either.

---

Again, to remember the real people involved in the movement in Iran, here are some personal stories:

From Teheran Bureau: "Mariam", 23 years old

From Teheran Review: N. Sayeh

But maybe most striking is this personal story (in Persian) from an Iranian transgender who participated in demonstrations with her friends, as published in Radio Zamaneh:

http://www.radiozamaneh.com/society/degarbash/2011/02/23/2025

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Finally a good analysis of why events in Libya play out differently than in Egypt or Tunesia, and why Iran is different even from all three is to be found here: http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2011/2/24/from-tunisiaegypt-to-libyairan-notes-of-caution-on-sudden-ch-1.html

Iran update. Politics and Culture

2011-02-23T14:06:00.003+01:00

I can't verify if this is true. If it is though, what bad Hollywood script do these thugs read and follow? I can imagine a director telling actors, pretend you're the most stereotypical Middle-Eastern bad-asses, and this being the result:

According to Rooz Online the thugs surrounding the house of Karroubi have broken into his house, locked him up in a room and are threatening to cut his head off. Link to Naj's neo-Resistance page as she writes it up in English:

http://iranfacts.blogspot.com/2011/02/bad-and-ugly.html

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On the cultural front, the Prince Claus Fund is organising an event on contemporary Iranian photography. It will be held in the Nieuwe Kerk on Thursday Evening. For info go here:

http://www.princeclausfund.org/nl/calendar/transit-tehran-an-evening-about-contemporary-iranian-photography-on-24-february.html

---

Persian speakers, have you found these guys yet? The creaters of "Lokht dar Ayneh" (Naked in the Mirror) hold a mirror to Persian society with a bi-weekly updated sketch on Iranian mores and taboos. Very much a rough diamond and lots of room for improvement, but some of the six episodes that have come out so far are hilarious!

Giving the resistance a human face

2011-02-23T00:36:00.002+01:00

While victims turn into numbers, and events more abstract and removed from our reality, here's a small article to remind us where talking about living and breating human people.

photo's and short profiles of six protesters in Iranian prisons and one under house arrest:

http://www.good.is/post/seven-iranians-jailed-after-the-2009-protests-who-are-still-in-jail-now/

Following Libya

2011-02-22T00:05:00.002+01:00

Where to go to?

If you're not following the al-Jazeera live stream, these are good live blogs for news updates:

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2011/02/17/live-blog-libya

http://www.libyafeb17.com/

http://revolution2.moonfruit.com/ (site that follows confirmed and unconfirmed reports)

It's a massacre. I hope the nightmare ends soon.

Why Iran isn't Egypt or Tunesia

2011-02-21T13:50:00.005+01:00

While it certainly is educational to compare the situation of Iran with Egypt and Tunesia (and yes, there are parallels to be found), it's not a simple why can the Arabs, and not the Iranians facilitate change in their countries? In Egypt and Tunesia, the deposed ruler was the head of a corrupt institution, hated by anyone who's ambitions in life was thwarted, whether it was because of poverty or the human rights abuses. In Iran, there is actual support for this regime with a significant part of the population. This support can be because they have personally benefited from this regime or they see the regime as the guardians of their culture and belief (ie. abandoning this regime is opening the doors for all kind of moral corruption). Understanding this reality helps to understand the insistence of opposition leaders Mousavi and Karroubi to not to discredit the whole system of the Islamic Republic, but only the reality of it under Ahmadinejad and Khamenei. It is to keep a door of understanding open to the devout target audience that might see in their struggle a true moral compass to follow, rather than the current leaders who behave so barbarically.

Whether this is a sound tactic (or even a moral one) is up for debate. But one cannot wholeheartedly support or dismiss it without studying all factors in the field. Here are some important contributions to the discussion:

Pedestrian of the Sidewalk Lyrics blog chimes in on what it means to be a non-violent demonstrator in a country where journalists have been expelled and the state can do with you as it pleases: http://www.sidewalklyrics.com/?p=7984

Tehran Bureau brings the following article on the labor force that the Green movement so far has been unable to connect with: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2011/02/irans-labor-flash-point.html

I hope that the flash news articles about events in Iran have come and gone, serious debate will take hold about how this movement should develop. Especially since the founding fathers will be more and more closed off from the rest of the movement, and rather will turn into symbols for the movement to use (check out news on how they are treated at the Zamaneh news site: http://www.radiozamaneh.com/english/ )

More on Libya

2011-02-21T00:02:00.002+01:00

Currently watching Seif-ol-Eslam (Sword of Islam) Ghaddafi talk live on Al Jazeera. He's pulling a Ben Ali, even starting his talks with a "I'll speak to you, in my local Libyan dialect, rather than in classical Arabic" and proceeding to address the events in Libya in a way that seems to show regret but in reality is slandering media, foreigners (and Libyan traitors abroad). Gems include:

The army did make mistakes, but they were not used to facing angry people.

Some people who attacked the army were on psychotropic drugs.

Media grossly exaggerates events and deaths. They have a hidden agenda for this.

There is a plot against Libya, the security forces will show this in the next days.

Libya is not Tunisia, Libya is not Egypt, don't get overexcited.

Well, we know what happened with Tunesia's Ben Ali when he gave this kind of talk.

---

Make no mistake, the Libyan leadership is very capable and willing to kill hundreds or even thousands of Libyans if they think this will save them. But amongst the important events that are tipping the scales to the other side take note of this:

The main religious scholar of Libya has called the it a religious duty to protest the injustice of this regime. Here's a part of it:

I thank Al Jazeera for giving me this opportunity, I say that what is happening in Libya now cannot be tolerated, cannot be bared, cannot be kept silent about. A heavy war machine is confronting protesters who are bare chested, raising their hands above their heads as a sign of peace, peaceful, and the regime is shooting them with anti-aircraft artillery, we have not seen this except in Israel’s attacks against Gaza. We cannot believe this happens in our country. The majority of those doing this are thugs and mercenaries from Africa and from Libya who have sold their honour for money. We cannot remain silent about this now, the country is being attacked by foreigners right now. Therefore, I extend a call, and would like to ask our brothers from army officers, technicians and those who are providing logistical transport to these weapons and ammunition about the bridge that is connecting Tripoli to Benghazi via airplanes carrying these weapons and mercenaries. I want to ask these people who are offering this logistical service, how do they plan to face their Lord? Where is the Honorary oath of service to the Army? Where is the honour of being part of this land? Where is the brotherhood? Where is your faith? Selling your religion in exchange for these mercenaries.

Full text of Sheikh AsSadiq al Gheryani can be found here: http://www.libyafeb17.com/?p=1266

What's up doc?

2011-02-20T17:02:00.002+01:00

There's lots of crazy stuff happening in Iran. I can't write as eloquently or well informed as some of the writers out there, but I can point out where to find the information.

After the protests of February 14th (and the counter protest staged by the government on Friday where a negligable amount of people showed up) today is pandemonium in Tehran and other cities of Iran. At least one protester has been reported to have been killed. Opposition leaders Mousavi and Karroubi are cut off from the outside world. For live updates on the events here are the live blogs of Teheran Bureau and Enduring America:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2011/02/tehran-updates-regime-will-confront-protests-mousavi-cut-off-entirely.html

http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2011/2/20/the-latest-from-iran-20-february-so-what-happens-on-1-esfand.html

Radio Zamaneh sadly doesn't have a live blog in English, but other sites use the items of the Persian live blog in their articles. For general articles in English go here, where you can read about the release of the German journalists, the sealing up of the houses of the opposition leaders and other events. It's important to note that the English Zamaneh site is not the fastest (as they write in Persian and later things are translated in English, but still an invaluable source)

http://www.radiozamaneh.com/english/

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It is important to note in these events that the revolutionary fire was very much fanned by the events in the Arab world. After Tunisia and Egypt protest continue in Libya, Algeria, Bahrain and other countries. In Libya and Bahrain it's important to note that the crackdown was bloody, but didn't drive the people back to their homes, like it had in Iran at the end of 2009. Hopefully this time the result will not be the same in Iran.

To follow the situation in Libya (to find gems such as protesters burning down one of the houses of Ghadaffi) go to: http://www.libyafeb17.com/ and the Al Jazeera live blog: http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2011/02/17/live-blog-libya

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For Dutch readers, here's Peyman Jafari giving an update on the Iranian situation on the TV programme "Buitenhof": http://player.omroep.nl/?aflID=12170640

Love Jihadists

2011-02-19T13:20:00.003+01:00

Amsterdam has a very special guest: South-African Imam Muhsin Hendricks. Some people know him from the documentary a Jihad for Love (http://www.ajihadforlove.com/). He's a queer Imam on a mission to rid homophobia from muslim communities. In his own studies he's come to the conclusion that Islam has no negative views on mutual consentual love.

I had the pleasure of meeting him a few days ago. Today I will attend a conference on Islam and Homosexuality where the Imam will speak.

Here's an article on mr. Hendricks:

http://www.echoinggreen.org/fellows/muhsin-hendricks

Music in service of the revolution.

2011-02-18T16:49:00.003+01:00

There are different ways in which Iranians are contributing to the struggle for freedom and democracy. One is by the creation of art. If not to convince government supporters to join the cause, then at least to remind ourselves what it is we're fighting for.

Golshifteh Farahani is an Iranian actress living abroad. The song she sings in this clip uses the melodies and texts of old songs every Iranian knows, from political songs to children's texts. The lyrics are updated to refer to today's events.

Here's a translation of the lyrics, made by my friend S.A.:

[Sound of people calling out "Allah Akbar" from rooftops]

Our nights on rooftops
I call out "God is great"
I hold a dream in my heart
and the universe will share our fate

For our children
it's time to sacrifice
thus they will be freed
from this long lasting oppression

This sinister night
will disappear
This country will be free
from sorrow and depression

We will laugh again
We will laugh again
We are united

We will laugh again
We will laugh again
We're undivided

[Silence]

Beautiful girl
It's time that you claim your rights*
to free yourself from oblivion
and the people will cherish you in their pure hearts

Beautiful girl
The flame of your enchanting gaze
your innocent eyes
will illuminate the way for those who fight

[Silence]

Father brought the water**
Father brought the bread**
That man came on a horse,
as soon as the oil was spread.
I will walk to my destiny.

That man is armed,
he attacks the people.
And I'll go on a quest for my destiny.

Stay strong and focus on your final destination
The time has come for sacrifice

[trembling voice:]
Kiss me
Kiss me for the last time
Farewell

*Literally she sings "The voice of justice has summoned you". Voice is "Neda" in Persian, which is the name of the young girl who was shot during the uprising in the summer of 2009.

**These are two sentences from childrens school books and all Iranian children know this by heart.

---

I hope it inspires you to keep involved with the Iranian struggle.

Homosexuality

2011-02-17T15:00:00.003+01:00

It's an issue that always kind of hung there. The taboo no one talked about. Everyone knew about the human rights abuses against the LGBT community, but to talk about their rights was not done. Luckily things are changing. Iranians are getting more educated, and instinctively feel that if we have 3.750.000 gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders in Iran (my rough estimate, based on a conservative 5 percent of the total population) you can worry about their rights, even if you are not gay yourself.

Also, many TV channels are writing about the issue. Radio Zamaneh has a page dedicated to LGBT called degarbash (in Persian).

And the new TV channel Man-o-to TV came with this item. Not shocking stuff, unless you're an Iranian that's been kept away from this kind of info:

Maybe this is the battle, to slowly inject sanity to the discourse, one item at a time...

The PR war.

2011-02-16T12:09:00.003+01:00

The battle for Iran is a media battle as it's about events in the street. Witness the case of Saneh Jaleh, a victim of Monday's government violence, now being claimed as a civilian militia member (Baseej) killed by foreign backed agents.

For a full factual write up of who he is, and the tricks the government uses to claim him as their own, here's a good link to study:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2011/02/saneh-jaleh-and-the-battle-for-a-slain-protesters-memory.html#

A video in support of the protesters

2011-02-15T11:44:00.003+01:00

A group of creative Amsterdammers (Iranian and non-Iranian) performed in the streets in support of the Green movement of Iran. Here's a video registration of their event.

http://www.farhangfilmfest.org/viewvideo/100/documentary/green-silence-sokoute-sabz.html

A new chapter...?

2011-02-15T00:04:00.003+01:00

After 9 months of blog silence, is it of any use to return? It does not matter, one blogs because one has to, not because there is a function. At any rate, with all that's happening (and not happening) in Iran I need a place to vent.

If you're looking for Iran related news, here's some active and very good blogs. People I've been following for a while, and people I've recently discovered:

One tough lady dishes it out like no one dares to:

http://iranfacts.blogspot.com/

When online then relevant, interesting and well written:

http://www.sidewalklyrics.com/

The most important blogging/news site on the Middle East at the moment:

http://www.enduringamerica.com/

Last but not least, Radio Zamaneh has revamped her English site. Good news!

http://www.radiozamaneh.com/english/

That's plenty to keep you busy. Tomorrow I'll note my thoughts on today's events, and the road ahead.

Today I'm Kurdish.

2010-05-10T14:53:00.001+02:00

No Comment...

New Article

2010-04-29T13:27:00.000+02:00

Tehran Bureau continues to write good articles!

It's been my sentiment for a while that Iranian and Arab democratic forces should unite. Here's how TB puts it:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/04/-let-democracy-resound-by.html

occupation

2010-04-12T12:33:00.001+02:00

The (garden of the) Iranian Embassy in the Hague was briefly occupied last week. Here's what the protesters are saying:

http://iranlives.blogspot.com

Gladiators

2010-03-30T11:02:00.002+02:00

So...

Over a month has passed since my last post. Our Green Timeline exhibition is still up, as the exhibition after it was cancelled. So if you're in town, do drop in, before we pack it up and ship it out. Also, here's the new clip my friend Mostafa made for Mohsen Namjoo:

http://zamaaneh.com/movie/2010/03/post_199.html

We've got our own daily internet comic

2010-02-23T10:52:00.002+01:00

This is a curious little thing, a daily internet comic about the struggle for Iran. It started about 2 weeks ago:

http://www.zahrasparadise.com/

Back again

2010-02-18T10:12:00.002+01:00

So, did we win or did we lose? Even a week after Bahman 22 it's too soon to tell. The protesters are at home licking their wounds, the bullies are sharpening their knives and going over tactics.

What's definately brewing is discontent among workers. Though a public statement by the Tehran bus-drivers in support of the green movement turned out to be false, there is a definite sense that the economic mismanagement of this regime will push workers in the arms of supporters.

Here's just a few of recent items to be found on the subject:

Iranian power industry on the verge of collapse: http://www.zamaaneh.com/enzam/2010/02/iran-power-industry-on-th.html
Ahmadinejad upset with oil minister for disclosing grim numbers: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2010/02/iran-ahmadinejad-gunning-for-his-own-oil-minister-for-disclosing-grim-numbers.html
Hormozgan residents suffer from poverty: http://persian2english.com/?p=7073

Not that we should be happy that the country is suffering from economic woes, but it should be obvioius that the opposition has a much stronger case when it not only protests human rights abuses that are a somewhat abstract claim for many of Iran's residents, but it appeals also to the empty pockets and bellies that are legion.

This government is made out of thieves dressed up as pious protectors of the faith. And to support them is to support the misery caused by inflation, joblessness and hunger.

And now for some music, here's a little rap Evin and Tapesh 2012:

Bahman 22 - What a sad day, what a glorious day!

2010-02-11T11:02:00.002+01:00

First of, being Persian, distressing times make me write poetry:

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Why I Have Hope - 2

The outcome of today's turmoil be damned
tomorrow a boy and a girl, who have just met
will make love in the empty house of a friend

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But what a turmoil to wake-up to! If you want the up-to-datest, here's some good bloggers to check out:

http://homylafayette.blogspot.com/
http://www.sidewalklyrics.com/

Caller to ePersian radio: Their celebration ceremony went to sh**! I saw security forces take a foreign journalist away. They took his notebook and everything and drove him away. The police is patrolling the streets and stopping anyone they can get their hands on. Ahmadinejad was giving his speech and just a few hundred meters away, the people were fighting security forces.

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In the Netherlands we're getting ready to protest 17.00 - 19.00 local time in the Hague, Amsterdam and Groningen. I'll post some pictures later tonight.

Getting ready for tomorrow

2010-02-10T12:24:00.003+01:00

It's such a strange feeling knowing that due to the time difference, by the time I wake up tomorrow, already a protester has been beaten up by a baseej member. That is, if I even manage to sleep. Is there a poem in this? Maybe, albeit a short one.

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Why I Have Hope

Because even the wood of the baton is made
of a tree that used to dream of spring

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Now, if you want to join some protests, don't be shy. Especially if you're outside of Iran, far away from the baton tree. Here's a nice list of some events: http://united4iran.com/

For my one loyal reader in Sidney, Australia. Here's another show of support from down under:

And finally, what are you doing reading my updates, head on over to Sidewalk lyrics. That's what I want my blog to be when it grows up: http://www.sidewalklyrics.com/

Green Timeline

2010-02-09T12:12:00.003+01:00

The opening of the Green Timeline exhibition was a great succes. I've you've missed it, no worries, you can still attend in the following weeks.

http://greenexhibition.blogspot.com/

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In the meantime unrest continues in Iran while everyone wonders what Bahman 22 (Februari 11th) will bring. One of the biggest uncertainties about this situation is that not only the Green Movement is not really a movement at all (it lacks a proper leadership, or even an ideological motor other than "change"), which gives its spontaneous strength, but that there's a few paralel battles being fought.

There's local fights in regions unhappy with the government:
50 detained in Lar: http://persian2english.com/?p=6112 / http://persian2english.com/?p=5969
Kurds are being arrested and even executed: http://persian2english.com/?p=6028
And rest assured that unrest is brewing in the Baluchestan and Ahwaz provinces.

Not only have an immense number of Human rights activists been detained but also regular students. The plan is to scare them from participating in actions and demonstrations, but ironically, students thrown out of school and forbidden to travel have nothing else to do but organise actions. http://persian2english.com/?p=6091

Many clerics are fed up with the ruling class and keep critisizing the government. Amongst them is one of Khomeini's grandsons: http://www.zamaaneh.com/enzam/2010/02/reformist-cleric-condemns-1.html / http://www.zamaaneh.com/enzam/2010/02/ayatollah-khomeinis-protr.html

There's also still a reformist faction in parliament (though it gets smaller with each election): http://www.zamaaneh.com/enzam/2010/02/call-for-prosecution-of-f.html

But maybe most important of all is the regular person in the street who's not a cleric or a student, doesn't belong to an oppressed minority, but is simply fed up with his low wage (or maybe isn't paid for months), is unhappy that the banks are not allowing him to withdraw funds, and is worried about the cut in food and gasoline subsidies. They are also increasingly stirring and demanding their rights:

Interview with union leader: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/01/irans-new-labor.html
Massive lay-offs with months of pay yet to be paid:
http://www.iran-resist.org/article5736.html
End of subsidies:
http://www.themilitant.com/2009/7349/734954.html

Next protests planned

2010-02-08T11:02:00.002+01:00

Here's another list of protests for the 11th of Bahman.

I will probably attend the Amsterdam one. I hope to see you there!

Art and Executions

2010-02-06T14:02:00.005+01:00

If you're an Amsterdam reader of my blog, you might be interested to know that today between 16.00 and 20.00 we'll have the opening of the exhibition "Green Timeline". The exhibition is the visual diary of an anonymous demonstrator, a thorn in the side of this regime. She has walked the streets of Tehran in many demonstrations. She has shouted "Allah-o Akbar" till her voice became hoarse, she has spraypainted slogans and "V" signs on walls in the middle of the night. And all this she has recorded in her own unique way to show the people of Amsterdam.

If you cannot make the exhibition today, send me a mail so I can put you on my mailinglist and let you know what days the Mezrab / Art Cage exhibition space is open. Mails go here: sahand@sahebdivani.net

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In other news: today might be the day 9 political prisoners are executed on Enghelab (revolution) square. http://persian2english.com/?p=5849

Yesterday, in a gut reaction the the first to hangings last week I wrote the following poem. It's still quite raw and unedited:

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What Hangs there?

Imagine a kite tangled
up in a tree

rudely awakened from the dream
of flying

what hangs there?

when that, which was the beloved,
seeps out through numerous pores

looks back and thinks

"it is a strong rope that
carries all that shame and does not
break"

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The Hulk's Gonna Get You.

2010-02-05T12:56:00.003+01:00

Beautiful image of a local bodybuilding contest:

A bodybuilder protests the Iranian regime by appearing painted green. The look on the face of the guy in the middle is priceless.

(Source: http://persian2english.com/?p=5774 )

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But who are these Greens? A good first read is this article by my friend Tori:

http://united4iran.com/2010/02/its-not-easy-being-green-from-election-campaign-to-civil-rights-campaign/

And if you're tired of all the politics, just relax with the pictures of "Life Goes On In Tehran"

http://www.lifegoesonintehran.com/

Fear Prophets

2010-02-04T10:51:00.003+01:00

A curious little quote from "In the Name of the Rose" I stumbled upon reads:

Fear prophets, Adso, and those prepared to die for the truth for as a rule they make many others die with them, often before them, at times instead of them...

Now, how do you translate that to Baseej, or whatever language they speak?

A real hero these days, is one who writes something like this on a wall in Iran. If you think it's trivial, take note that only a few days ago a young man was shot after being caught spraying slogans and trying to run.

More wall-art to be found here: http://persian2english.com/?p=5679

Hey Ayatollah, Leave Those Kids Alone!!

2010-02-03T14:20:00.004+01:00

Again we have an exciting week:
- Iran launches space missile with potential war capabilities.
- A Dutch judge overrules a previous decision to ban Iranian students from various studies in the Netherlands.
- Ahmadinejad agrees to enrich Uranium outside of Iran.

However, as far as I am concerned the scariest news is a few lines that appear Tehran Bureau's press round-up: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/02/ali-reza-beheshti-rejects-all-charges.html

Senior cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati praised the executions during last Friday's prayer sermon saying that if the state "shows weakness, we will suffer more. There is no room for Islamic mercy."

and

According to Fars News Agency, Mesbah-Yazdi described Islam as "the religion of compassion, forgiveness, amnesty and peace." "But along with these [attributes]," he went on, "there are penalties in Islam too. Next to peace, we have jihad, which involves weapons."
"Presently we must see how to react to recent developments. Are we to withdraw swords or show Islamic compassion? These are issues that have not been mentioned in Qoranic verses or in hadith."

So now we've got a Jihad on our hands? Frickin Hell.

Hey Ayatollahs: Leave those kids alone!

The many fronts of the battle

2010-02-01T13:48:00.002+01:00

There's so many places where the battle against the Iranian regime is being fought. It's a hard war, a soft war, an intelligence war, a street war. A war over hearts and minds...

There's a war rid the people of the evil state by establishing an independant Kurdistan: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8482802.stm

There's a war at the Iranian embassies all over the world, and the places where they organise events. A) Iranians disrupt concert organised by IRI embassy in Rotterdam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRiOv3KC6Pw B) Iranians dirupt event commemorating Khomeini's departure from France 31 years ago. They provoke the ambassador to go towards the crowd and be smacked to the ground by French police: http://persian2english.com/?p=5527

There's a war to remove even the colour green from the Iranian flag. http://enduringamerica.com/2010/01/29/iran-patriotism-special-wiping-the-green-from-the-flag/ and http://iranhrnews.com/?p=3712

There's a war over Iranian traditions to fight the government's efforts to destroy the culture of Iran: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/feb/01/zoroastrians-gaining-acceptance-in-iran/

So many wars and battles raging at the same time...

Concert Tonight

2010-01-30T18:00:00.003+01:00

There's a nice concert performed tonight in the grand "de Doelen" hall in Rotterdam. The Tehran Symphony Orchestra will perform the "Music for Peace" composition. Only people invited by the Iranian embassy will be able to attend.

Wow, if this is how our government behaves when they want peace (they executed 2 dissidents this week, and many more will probably follow soon) I just fear the moment they want war.

Luckily many of my friends will go to Rotterdam to protest this atrocity.

More info to be found here: http://www.payvand.com/news/10/jan/1296.html

Your cracks are showing...

2010-01-28T10:46:00.003+01:00

As I've stated before, I'm very sceptical about the Iranian regime collapsing any time soon. Sure, they've taken a bit of a bashing lately. You could even say that the were shaking a bit on their foundation, but who's to say they will not succeed in purging the regime from inconvenient elements and covering up the cracks?

Today two dissidents were executed in Iran. Though they were not post-election protestors, it's obvious they are being sacrificed to scare people from going out into the streets for the big protests in two weeks. Enduring America has a nice write-up.

The esteemed filmmaker Makhmalbaf continues to write about the incredible wealth of Ayatollah Khamenei.

Now, not only is Makhmalbaf systematic in his articles, he's apparently managed to reach the right people, as he's apparently forced Khamenei into denying the claims.

And finally I leave you with a picture showing how Iranian media works. Yes, that's a PA holding up a sign so the nice lady giving the street interview knows exactly what to say.

Sorry for my absense... Update with links.

2010-01-27T11:24:00.004+01:00

In this article Robert Kagan compellingly talks about the need for the US stimulating regime change in Iran:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/26/AR2010012602122.html

I totally agree that the collapse of Iran's regime would be a blessing, but consider the following quote from the article: "Given the role that the Islamic theocracy in Tehran has played in leading and sponsoring anti-democratic, anti-liberal and anti-Western fanaticism for the past three decades, the toppling or even substantial reform of that regime would be second only to the collapse of the Soviet Union in its ideological and geopolitical ramifications. "

It's true that Iran has inspired many fanatics and funded a few others, but how many groups have grown out of Saudi sponsored Madrassas? How likely is it that this argument would actually convince the government to put pressure on Saudi Arabia's policies?

But apart from this gripe, the main fault of this article (and others like it) is that it fails to mention what exactly the US can do to support the opposition movement in Iran, other than to cheer them along.

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A more powerful piece of prose is the letter of a former consular staff to his collueages, urging them to resign as he did. Here's a fragment of the letter:

Dear Colleagues,

Oppressed people like Ayatollah Montazeri had to go through a lifetime of suppression. We observed these crimes and excused them. We lived in residences payed by the dollars of the same people who were killed. Yet, we hugged and kissed our children in our wealthy households.

We boasted to foreigners about a Saadi poem inscribed in the United Nations building: “One Limb impacted is sufficient.” We boasted that Imam Ali cried when a Jewish women was humiliated. We boasted that it is our religious duty to disclaim tyranny and to take the side of the oppressed. Now that the Supreme Council for National Security has confirmed the killings of youth under torture, have we forgotten all of that?

How many verses of the Prophet and Imams did we memorize about justice and oppression?
“If one sharpens the pen of an oppressor, he shares the oppression.”
“If one gives a bit of silk for an oppressor to use in his ink, he shares the oppression.”
...

For the full letter, go to: http://persian2english.com/?p=5238

Not exciting enough to write about.

2010-01-20T13:46:00.002+01:00

The prison terms being handed out to protesters are not exciting and sexy enough to make it to the papers, but it breaks my heart to think about students, in their twenties, having to spend a decade or more in jail. Often while enduring physical and mental abuse.

Here’s a small selection of prison terms handed out:

Ziaoldin Nabavi / Student / 15 years + 75 lashes
http://persian2english.com/?p=4511

Majid Tavakoli (of headscarf fame) / Student / 8 years and 6 months
http://persian2english.com/?p=4639

Majid Dari / Student / 11 years
http://persian2english.com/?p=4505

Luckily we don’t need to worry about such deviants. Many are being locked up, others are being killed. And the next generation of students will be brought up using state-of-the-art mind control methods:
http://iranian.com/main/2010/jan/moulding-minds

Happy days.

Understanding Iran

2010-01-18T14:54:00.002+01:00

Compared to the amount of articles that appear about Iran, it's probably one of the least understood countries. No wonder, as most Iranians fail to understand it. One of the best books about the history and politics of Iran, covering everything from prehistoric past to the election of Ahmadinejad, is the book Iran, Empire of the Mind, written by Michael Axworthy. Next week Axworthy will visit Amsterdam to talk about Iran, its history and current events.

Info on this site is in Dutch, but event is in English! http://www.rodehoed.nl/nl/programma_details.php?id=821

Also the Netherlands based Iranian Progressive Youth has started a bi-weekly newsletter:

http://issuu.com/irannews/docs/newsletter_01

Upcoming actions

2010-01-16T19:12:00.002+01:00

Two upcoming actions:

Call for a nationwide boycott of all state-run media and communication devises on Wednesday: http://balatarin.com/permlink/2010/1/16/1917001

22nd of Bahman (Februari 11th), street demontrations. Posters to be found here:

http://onlymehdi.saharkhiz.net/archives/195859611

Images that move me.

2010-01-14T15:39:00.003+01:00

There's a few impressive green-movement images here inspired by Ashura: http://iranianmoharram.wordpress.com/ (also many cliche ones, but eh...)

Photo essay on the man accused of being responsible for the Kahrizak detention center deaths:
http://www.iranian.com/main/albums/walking-free

One of my favorite sites "Life Goes On in Tehran" had stopped updating. He felt that life didn't go on after the election, the detentions, the killing. I'm very glad massive mail support by his fans convinced him to start again:
http://www.lifegoesonintehran.com/

Update on what's going on in Iran + some Dutch actions

2010-01-13T12:41:00.004+01:00

So, what's happening in Iran? Well, plenty of people smarter than me are writing about it. So it's easiest for me to link to their articles, but if I'd summarize my view like this: protests have receded to the universities and will not lead to change until other strata’s of society join again in the protests. Maybe they’re waiting for the next “calendar”-event, but we’d do well to read up on some articles in the mean time:

Dilip Hiro makes some interesting comparisons between today’s events and the revolution of 30 years ago. He’s very pessimistic about regime change any time soon. You should read the article yourself, but an interesting conclusion that stands out in my mind the following, Iranians inherent nationalism could get people to back the government if they can spin events to claim it’s the World vs. Iran again. Economic sanctions would help to make such a case.

However, maybe no sanctions are needed to stoke the fires of discontent as government subsidies on food and fuel are coming to an end.

Iranian nationalism is also being used by the opponents of the government whom they accuse of “Arabizing” the country and giving support to movements in Palestine, Libanon and Iraq while the Iranian people suffer. Also the ruling class is accused of siphoning money to foreign accounts in friendly Muslim nations such as Dubai and Malaysia. Sometimes the nationalism takes extreme form when it’s claimed that no Iranian could hit another Iranian, so many Basij and Revolutionary Guards are imported Arabs and Russians and even the late revolutionary leader was Indian. The following site links the recent terror attack on the nuclear physicist to Lebanese terrorists.
Whether all or some of the allegations are true or not, it’s a powerful driving force in the mind of a substantial number of government opponents.

We don’t know if the situation in Iran will get worse, if we’ll get regime change sooner or later, or if the government succeeds in trampling dissent and getting things back to normal. What I do know is that plenty of the Iranian diplomatic staff is getting nervous enough to deflect and apply for asylum. In the past weeks five have deflected, one from Norway, two in Germany, one in France and one in Britain.
http://peykeiran.com/Content.aspx?ID=12094

I’ll leave you with two clips of what some Iranians in the Netherlands have been up to.

Weekly protest and flower giving action at Iranian Embassy in the Netherlands:

Video clip created by Dutch-Iranian girl and friends:

News update

2010-01-12T15:04:00.003+01:00

One of the interesting things to witness in the past few months is to see how mature and professional certain people and media have become. People are producing better work and are teaming up with others to create.

For instance, after three years Radio Zamaneh started publishing English material. Sites such as Persian 2 English moved from blog to a full on site.

Also artists, fueled by a sense of urgency, are more active. Have a look at the video that Mostafa made for Faarjam: http://vimeo.com/8692409

My own happy discovery is this little programme produced by Voice of America. Sorry for not having it subtitled, but it's a Daily Show kind of programme, showing shocking news in a funny way:

Very impressive movie

2010-01-10T23:12:00.002+01:00

Most of us know Bahman Ghobadi as the chronicler of life in Iranian-Iraqi Kurdistan. With his latest film No One Knows About The Persian Cats, he's made a tremendous film about the Iranian underground scene. The film is not a masterpiece in the quality of its script or acting, but in its honest portrayal of life for Tehrani youth who just want to make their music.

There be music here

2010-01-09T14:42:00.002+01:00

I'm in Belgium to check out a mini Iranian Film Festival here. Until my next post I want to share my discovery with you. Some boys and girls in Canada started this online radio station just after the elections in Iran. The site is not being updated, but the tracks are still online. Have a look at Rebel Radio:

http://radioarazel.com/

Happy rebelling.

Another good newssite.

2010-01-08T16:19:00.003+01:00

A while ago I listed some sites that keep me updated about Iran. Here's another to follow:

http://www.astreetjournalist.com/

You are an enemy of the regime, if you are...

2010-01-07T05:38:00.006+01:00

I would like to add a few names to the enemies list the Iranian government gave out. Of course this is far from complete, but you are definately an enemy of this regime if you are:

a woman
a journalist
a christian
a filmmaker
a baha'i
a student
a university professor
a Kurd

By the way, Khamenei gave a call last night. He was pissed off that I had posted Ahmadinejad's rap song and not his own. I'm sorry dear leader, we'll rectify the situation immediately:

Some Thoughts on the Road Ahead (pt. 3)

2010-01-06T11:49:00.003+01:00

Long before the time of Twitter, Facebook and e-mail news of solidarity actions would reach those struggling inside Iran. Even in the most desperate of situations hearing about such an event gives hope. My dad recalls being in jail in the time of the Shah and hearing about a demonstration in Sweden in support of Iranian political prisoners and how good the knowledge that they are not forgotten made him feel.

However, in the past few days I’ve also been thinking about actions that direct the powers that be in Iran, rather than just showing support. A little philosophy I would like to call: Kicking Them Where It Hurts.

Of course, it’s tricky to find the emotion spot in a tyrannical government that doesn’t shy away from shooting and raping its own citizens. But there’s a bit more to the story. What sets the Iranian regime apart from other tyrannies is the legitimacy it receives as champion of the faith from being the only theocracy in the world. It needs the support of the religious establishment as well as the approval of its religious citizens. And though we would like to wish them away, there is still a huge population of devout followers of the regime who A) want the regime to safeguard the Islamic character of the state and the country, even at the cost of liberties and human lives and B) fear that the disappearance of the Islamic Republic will result in a backlash against Muslims and Islam in general.

In light of this, shouting anti-Islam profanities and burning Korans is not Kicking Them Where It Hurts, it’s Giving Them What They Want. Not that anyone actually needs to have burnt a Koran, the government media will claim that they’ve done so anyway to disgust and scare the true believers.

(For instance, take a look at this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK7a0avFrPI , I asked the poster why there’s no video evidence, as people seem to succeed in videoing protests in Iran when their lives are in danger. Obviously my comment was deleted without a reply)

No, to Kick Them Where It Hurts is to challenge their religious credentials. It’s of course a process that started with religious heavyweights like dissident Ayatollahs Montazeri and Sana’i criticizing the government, and went full-throttle with legions of people clad in what the government considers the colour of Islam being shot and beaten up. Now we need Muslim spiritual leaders outside of Iran to join the choir of disapproval. There’s already talk of Lebanese and Iraqi Ayatollah’s voicing their concern with the Iranian government’s actions after the election (I'll post the sources when I find them). But why not ask progressive neighbourhood mosques to also voice their protests? I'm sure we could find many in Europe and North-America.

In interesting article on even the Khomeini family showing its discontent with the regime: ( http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/01/can-the-khomeinis-challenge-khamenei.html )

Soundtrack of a Revolution (pt. 2)

2010-01-05T15:55:00.002+01:00

Before we continue our talks of how to unhinge the regime, it's time for some articles and music.

United 4 Iran translated the list of institutions that the government accuses of waging a "soft" war with Iran. The usual suspects are present: Radio Farda, Zamaneh and BBC, Freedom House. But also HIVOS and Yale?
http://united4iran.com/2010/01/the-enemies-list-institutions-that-frighten-the-regime/

An interested argument of how acting without thought, even outside Iran, can hurt what's happening inside:
http://www.dailyniteowl.com/wordpress/index.php/2010/01/05/if-you-cannot-help-iranians-please-dont-hurt-them/

And as I promised you music, here's a video from a United 4 Iran event, starring Branko Galoic's Skakavac Orkestar, guest starring Stefanos on the violin and myself on the darbouka:

But to think that only the good side can make clips, here's some gangsterrap starring the President himself. MTV, when are you going to call this guy?:

Some Thoughts on the Road Ahead (pt. 2)

2010-01-04T14:46:00.003+01:00

Yesterday I wrote about various goals of actions abroad. Today I will specifically add some thoughts on: spreading the message of Iran’s struggle to non-Iranians.

First off there’s a very important question we need to answer. Why should non-Iranians care about what happens in Iran?

Is it only because of the injustice? Surely there are countries to find that are worse off. In Iran the Nobel prize of Ebadi is confiscated, in Birma the Nobel prize winner has been under house arrest since forever. In Iran tens of people have been killed since the protests started. Compare that to Guinea where according to Human Rights Watch the military dictatorship one day in September killed between 150 and 200 people, wounding and hurting many others. (quote from http://www.hrw.org/node/87254 “Dozens of women described being subjected to individual and gang rape and sexual assault with objects such as sticks, rifle butts, and bayonets, while other witnesses described seeing at least four women murdered during or immediately after being raped; one shot with a rifle through her vagina while laying face up on the stadium's field begging for her life.”) The list of countries deserving our attention and support goes on and on.

What I've often heard from well-meaning westerners in political debates is that wanting to help out in Iran's struggle for freedom and democracy is imposing Western norms that we might want and might even be harmful for us. Time and time I've encountered the surprise of people when they hear that the desire to rule by vote of the people rather than monarchy/military/theocracy is over a century old in Iran. A process that was inspired by the West for sure, but also seriously derailed by the West in the fifties.

Regarding the world's concern about Iran's nuclear ambitions, what better way to make the world a safer place than to rid ourselves of Doomsday cultists (look up Ahmadinejad's particularly insane interpretation of Shi'a Islamic teachings)?

But not to forget, the revolution of 1979 and subsequent rise to power of Khomeini is a story that inspired many countries to revolt. It was a movement neither Western, nor Communist, and especially citizens of Muslim nations who had suffered from either one great power or the other now aspire to create a similar theocracy. A very important reason why the green revolution in Iran should succeed is that it will inspire the seculars and moderate Muslims in other Islamic nations to raise their voices and be heard.

In the past few months we have shown ourselves to be incredibly creative in organising demonstrations and events. Especially the Netherlands had a great line-up of speakers rallying the troops. But how many Dutch know Ahmad Batebi, MC Shahin Najafi or even Shirin Ebadi? Why not also get Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein or Michael Moore involved, or stars from the music and sports scene?

But above all, tell a clear story: not just what is happening, but to whom, in what context, and why it matters beyond the lives of the poor souls being destroyed that we stop this injustice.

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Some links for the day:

Sadly, we might see the first executions soon.
http://www.iranhumanrights.org/2010/01/threat-execution/

After blocking internet, short-wave radio, SMS-services even sattelite communication will be hindered:
http://www.satellitetoday.com/st/headlines/BBC-Iran-Blocking-Hot-Bird-Satellite-Signals_33115.html

Chinese show support of Iran's protestors:

Some Thoughts on the Road Ahead.

2010-01-03T12:34:00.010+01:00

These are chaotic times for Iran. Every week seems to bring more unrest, without an apparent strategy on behalf of the protesters. This is a good thing, as no strategy means no leadership that can be arrested or killed to stop the demonstrations.

Also the Iranian community outside of Iran seems to be active without a strategy or even a clear goal. This is odd, as we don't suffer from violence and arrest. In fact, we are allowed to work in complete freedom, yet we have no debate about the type of events we organise or even why we organise them. There isn't much communication between groups that are active, which results in a long time passing without anything significant happening, only to have multiple actions taking place in a few days. We don't even have a site which has a complete list of actions so that the few people who want to get involved know where to go.

I personally think going on like this only serves to make us feel good about ourselves and less frustrated about being powerless to influence even in a small way what happens in Iran.

My own reasons to be active from abroad is to:

- Show solidarity with anyone brave enough to hit the streets and face the bullies of the regime.
- Educate non-Iranians about what's going on in the country and why they should care.
- Give a strong signal of condemnation to the government of the Islamic Republic.
- Create unity in the Iranian community which is splintered in various political groups.

Each of these goals (or a combination thereof) requires a different type of event. For instance, you can organise an event to get non-Iranians involved in the struggle without a single Iranian participating, but that doesn't do much to create unity amongst Iranians themselves.

Tomorrow I will write a few lines about each of these goals. In the mean time, here's a couple of articles to wrap your head around:

Star students in Iran are denied an education (or worse), to keep out undesirables out of the school system:

http://www.bahairights.org/2010/01/02/iranian-regime-continues-to-scapegoat-the-bahais-for-recent-unrest/

Baha'i are being arrested in connection with the unrest. This is especially worrying as Baha'i, more so than Jews and Christians, are considered infidels, so it's not "wrong" to execute them:

http://www.bahairights.org/2010/01/02/iranian-regime-continues-to-scapegoat-the-bahais-for-recent-unrest/

Soundtrack of a Revolution

2010-01-02T11:01:00.002+01:00

So, what's a revolution if there's no songs to go with it? Here's a few good songs to get you in the spirit. Here's the first videoclip of Mohsen Namjoo, recorded in Amsterdam and dedicated to those who got killed in the June protests:

Next up is a little song called Freedom Glory Be Our Name, featuring lyrics by Shamloo:

Fight For Freedom:

More to follow!

A New Year, a New Beginning

2010-01-01T14:41:00.004+01:00

In the past few days many of my (non-Persian) friends have told me they are a bit confused about what's going on in Iran. What are good sources of news if you are not connected to a well-informed web of Facebook and Twitter users? Here's my list of some of the English language sites I frequent.

http://www.radiozamaneh.com/enzam/
Radio Zamaneh has started translating about 3 stories a day for its English site.

http://www.tehranbureau.com/
Tehran Bureau is a well informed and important site and especially in the weeks after the June elections served as a source for CNN and other news networks.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/iran
Very good up-to-date site with many articles and videos.

http://united4iran.com/
United 4 Iran and Vote 4 Iran are activists sites, but frequently update with newsstories. United in English, Vote in both English and Persian

http://persian2english.wordpress.com/
Persian 2 English collects stories about the struggle and translates them into English.

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/
Andrew Sullivan doesn't exclusively post about Iran, but it's good to take note when he does.

Collecting Stories

2009-12-31T16:13:00.002+01:00

A Dutch journalist friend of mine has asked of me to forward the following message. He doesn't mention his name as he's still planning on visiting Iran.

---

Dear fellow citizens,
By the end of this year I just would like you to know that I find it difficult to celebrate freely, knowing the burden of all these Iranians in search of freedom and justice.

For 7 times already I have had the joy to spend time in Iran and got to know Iran in many ways. Right now the paradox is that it's almost better to follow Iran from a distance. I'm constantly following all the news I can get my hand on and will be writing some articles about it as well. For this I need the help of you, the Iranians.

I will be focussing my reports on storytelling. This because most of the articles are about numbers, figures, shocking images, and wild speculations about the moves of the government and the opposition. What is lacking, in my opinion., are the stories of Iranians and the analysis and expectations of those who are in the middle of it all.

- What do you see/hear in terms of Iranian media (state and opposition-based)?
- Where do you see the next phase in this evolving story heading to ?
- What are people's motives for participating in rallies (either pro- or anti-govt.)?
- Do you see a trend towards a 'broader' opposition, in terms of normal people seeing the crackdown on protesters and the arrest of dissidents, starting to back the dissidents?
- What can you see about the internal structure of the Opposition? Is the 'Green' Generation working alongside the older, more divided generations? How much unity is there between religious and non-religious dissidents?
- Who - next to Moussavi and Kharroubi - are currently leading the opposition?
- What is the atmosphere among people on parties, meetings, etc.? Is the political drama the main element or is regular daily life asking attention as well, nowadays?
- Do you feel the amount of people moving out of Iran is growing?
- What do you know about the fate of prisoners and prisoner's families?
- What did you see in terms of police, basij, army clashing with protesters?
- What is that you want to share with the world concerning the fate of your country?
- Do people in Iran hear about the international support for protesters (including Obama's remarks)

In order to safely tell stories we have set up a new e-mailadress: storyran@hushmail.com .

It's very safe, especially if you make a Hushmail-adress yourself and encrypt the e-mail messages you send. Please be assured I intend nothing but the best for Iran and will guarantee to you that nothing against your will with happen with the inside knowledge you share with me.

You can be sure I use the provided information as coming from an anonymous source, unless you wish it differently. If you can, please spread around this message in circles of trusted people and sources. I trust you will know best who to contact.Again, if you reply: please reply to storyran@hushmail.com.

---

I hope you guys can help him out

I'm BACK!

2009-12-30T13:51:00.003+01:00

Honestly, when 3 months ago I signed off on this blog, and said I'd be back after new year, it was just a wild guess. I really had no idea if and when I'd return. However, the past few days me fingers have started to itch. I feel I need to write with a vengeance. And while before I wrote about whatever took my fance, I feel I need to write about the madness and the pain of Iran.

So here it is. I'm back. 2 days before I promised to. And to start off, please read this link about the violence in the air:

http://germantoenglish.wordpress.com/2009/12/30/some-thoughts-on-violence/#comment-134

Hiatus

2009-08-10T11:21:00.002+02:00

I am very sad to say that with all that's happening I can't update this blog at the moment. Thanks to all the readers for visiting and returning. I will focus my attention on setting up a new cultural center in Amsterdam. I will also write for my Dutch blog: http://irancentraal.wordpress.com

I plan to return to this blog on 01-01-2010. So watch this space!

For excellent English language news on Iran, keep visiting: http://www.tehranbureau.com

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

Iran update

2009-08-03T15:02:00.002+02:00

Well, Ahmadinejad is the confirmed president and we finally have Soviet style courts in Iran. How's the world going to react?

To keep updated about what's going on please visit the indispensible Tehran Bureau:
http://tehranbureau.com/

Life Goes on in Tehran has another (depressing) update:
http://www.lifegoesonintehran.com/

And I put another entry in my Dutch Groene Amsterdammer blog:
http://irancentraal.wordpress.com/

Shirin Ebadi

2009-07-28T13:56:00.002+02:00

My interview with Shirin Ebadi appears on this page:

http://www.united4iran-nl.org/07/interview-with-shirin-ebadi/

English titles will be added soon.

Media Roundup

2009-07-27T04:26:00.003+02:00

Thanks to every person who came to the 25th of July event in Amsterdam. There was a nice dedicated crowd. Also, luckily, there was quite some media attention. Here's a link to all the articles that were posted on the 25th or the day after:

NOS:
http://player.nos.nl/index.php/media/play/tcmid/tcm:5-546140/
http://www.nos.nl/nosjournaal/artikelen/2009/7/25/250709_iran_demonstraties.html

RTL:
http://www.rtl.nl/(/actueel/rtlnieuws/binnenland/)/components/actueel/rtlnieuws/2009/07_juli/25/binnenland/0725_1500_Demo_tegen_Iraans_regime_Adam.xml

AT5:
http://www.at5.nl/artikelen/20413/groot-protest-tegen-iraans-regime

EenVandaag:
http://www.eenvandaag.nl/binnenland/34950/een_portret_van_nobelprijswinnares_shirin_ebadi

Parool:
http://www.parool.nl/parool/nl/225/BUITENLAND/article/detail/255455/2009/07/25/Demonstratie-tegen-Iraans-regime-in-Amsterdam.dhtml

Trouw:
http://www.trouw.nl/nieuws/wereld/article2824171.ece/Khamenei_roept_op_tot_eenheid_Iran.html

Telegraaf:
http://www.telegraaf.nl/buitenland/4478678/__Protesten_tegen_geweld_in_Iran__.html?p=3,2

Al Jazeera:
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/07/200972513653407566.html

CNN:
http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2009/07/25/newton.pleitgen.iran.protests.cnn

We Can Be Heroes

2009-07-22T18:01:00.002+02:00

The 25th of July is the day people around the world get together in support of the struggle in Iran. In Amsterdam it will be on the Museumplein, between 12.30 and 15.30. If you don't live in Amsterdam you can find an event near you on www.united4iran.org Ask all your friends to come, we cannot abandon the people of Iran in their time of need!

Iran update

2009-07-18T17:08:00.002+02:00

Here's the most impressive visual reminder of what's happening in Iran. You can click on most of the icons:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2009/jun/29/iran-election-dead-detained

If you want to keep track of the effort to free renowned documentary filmmaker Maziar Bahari, here's the place to go:

http://freemaziarbahari.org/

My own Dutch blog at the Groene Amsterdammer has been updated as well:

http://irancentraal.wordpress.com

Update long due

2009-07-13T17:28:00.003+02:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. I was away for a weekend to participate in a music workshop in Belgium. I had a delightful time with all the tutors and students. Anyway, back to business.

To read up on what's happening in Iran, go to this article that addresses leftist conspiracy thinking: http://www.truthout.org/070109J?n

Another good source on what's happening is the "Greenbrief", a site which periodically collcets news from various Twitter feeds: http://greenbrief.newsvine.com/

Here's a nice clip that spreads awareness about the the blogger who died in prison in Iran:

Mohsen Namjoo releases his first video clip

2009-07-03T14:02:00.003+02:00

Check it out, Mohsen Namjoo releases his first video clip. It's dedicated to the people of Iran:

http://zamaaneh.com/movie/2009/07/post_172.html

This guy is a freak, but my kind of freak.

Homosexuality in the Animal Kingdom

2009-07-02T08:37:00.003+02:00

To take a break from all that's happening in Iran, here's a little link that might put a smile or a frown on your face, depending on your personal beliefs.

Same-sex attraction is found to be commonplace in the animal kingdom:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fg%2Fa%2F2009%2F07%2F01%2Fnotes070109.DTL&nl=fix

What's happening in Iran?

2009-07-01T23:32:00.003+02:00

Here's a very intelligent article about potential US meddling in Iran:

http://www.truthout.org/070109J?n

I myself have another post up on my Dutch Groene Amsterdammer weblog:

http://irancentraal.wordpress.com

Comic relief

2009-06-30T09:13:00.001+02:00

There you have it ladies and gents, here's your vote:

Oldest instrument found

2009-06-25T10:51:00.002+02:00

After all the depressing news I need something nice every once in a while. Here's a message that cheers me up:

Human beings were making music as early as 35.000 years ago. Furthermore, music might have been why we outlived the stronger Neanderthals, through music we socialized much more. That's my answer from now on to any religious nutter who thinks music comes from the devil:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8117915.stm

Here's some intense flute playing that really goes nuts (especially in the middle part)

New blog

2009-06-23T17:34:00.003+02:00

De Groene Amsterdammer (The Green Amsterdammer) is a great periodical, writing intelligently about politics, culture and society.

They have opened a blog for me to contribute to their site with articles about Iran. It will go live tomorrow, but here's a sneak preview:

http://irancentraal.wordpress.com/

Sadly only in Dutch, but I might translate some of the posts later. Spread the word!

Oops

2009-06-21T20:23:00.001+02:00

It seems now that the rumours were untrue. My bad to publish rumours before they're confirmed as fact. At any rate, a strike in the current situation wouldn't be so bad anyway.

Mousavi arrested?

2009-06-21T19:34:00.002+02:00

I don't want to spread rumours, but I've heard from certain people that Mousavi and his wife might have been arrested. Again, please don't take this for a fact, but if it's true, then he asked the people to strike!

Pictures of Sadness and Hope

2009-06-21T16:26:00.002+02:00

In Amsterdam we held a candle light vigil last night, in memory of all the fallen brothers and sisters. The video here doesn't do full justice to the beautiful, sad and magical atmosphere of the night. If you don't read Persian, ignore the text and click on the video:

http://zamaaneh.com/movie/2009/06/light_up_the_night_part_2.html

Here's a Time photo essay of the people who are struggling. It's a painful detail that the man who took these pictures is now missing:

http://www.life.com/image/ugc1003082/in-gallery/28782/eyewitness-from-tehrans-streets

Documentary

2009-06-20T17:46:00.001+02:00

Here's a great source for documentary makers:

http://www3.nfb.ca/webextension/capturing-reality/

I am sure we will need many to cover everything that's happening in Iran right now. Mousavi has said he is ready for martyrdom. Today is a very very sad day.

James Longley

2009-06-20T11:40:00.001+02:00

James Longley speaks from Teheran in this interview:

http://www.takepart.com/blog/2009/06/19/from-iran-qa-with-documentary-filmmaker-james-longley/

Punch the Sun

moving blogs

Christopher Hitchens R.I.P.

More interesting developments in the region.

Syria on the brink of civil war?

Welcome back dear friend...

More Syrian linkage

Some Syrian links

Syria & Iran

Blogging?

Happy Birthday Zamaneh!

Happy Music

Middle-East Linkage

Power play and Women's rights in Iran.

Reform in Islam

Reform in the Maghreb

I want change in Iran...

Game of Thrones

Arab Spring Watch

Thoughts on Amina Arraf and Iranian Journalism

Good news in Libya, bad news in Syria

An Eye For An Eye

Amnesty

An Alternative to Where's My Vote

Why Syria Matters

Happy Birthday

The waiting artists

What I want for my birthday

Out of the closet.

Arab Spring

More reports

Iran burning

The crazy Ghadafis

End of the Reformist Era

Where are we?

Iran update. Politics and Culture

Giving the resistance a human face

Following Libya

Why Iran isn't Egypt or Tunesia

More on Libya

What's up doc?

Love Jihadists

Music in service of the revolution.

Homosexuality

The PR war.

A video in support of the protesters

A new chapter...?

Today I'm Kurdish.

New Article

occupation

Gladiators

We've got our own daily internet comic

Back again

Bahman 22 - What a sad day, what a glorious day!

Getting ready for tomorrow

Green Timeline

Next protests planned

Art and Executions

The Hulk's Gonna Get You.

Fear Prophets

Hey Ayatollah, Leave Those Kids Alone!!

The many fronts of the battle

Concert Tonight

Your cracks are showing...

Sorry for my absense... Update with links.

Not exciting enough to write about.

Understanding Iran

Upcoming actions

Images that move me.

Update on what's going on in Iran + some Dutch actions

News update

Very impressive movie

There be music here

Another good newssite.

You are an enemy of the regime, if you are...

Some Thoughts on the Road Ahead (pt. 3)

Soundtrack of a Revolution (pt. 2)

Some Thoughts on the Road Ahead (pt. 2)

Some Thoughts on the Road Ahead.

Soundtrack of a Revolution