DERISION

2003-04-23T16:56:00.000-04:00

::Fin::
Perhaps I should have announced this earlier: I stopped updating this weblog when the American flag covered the statue of Saddam in Baghdad. I may start blogging in another web site where I may take new positions since Saddam Hussein's dossier is now closed and new policies and new strategies will be taken in the continuum of the war against terrorism. If I did restart blogging, I will put the new website's link here. Thank you for reading this weblog and enduring my irregularity in updating.
May humanity defeat atrocity.
By the way, don't forget to check out the weblogs who are listed below "les blagueurs" on the side bar. All of them are my friends who generally reflect the ideas I believe in, better than I do!

2003-04-09T17:16:00.000-04:00

From the bottom of my heart...

Way to go! Baghdad's free, Saddam's hopefully in the hell, and the breeze of freedom is flowing in the streets of Baghdad. "Thank you Mr Bush, thank you," the Iraqi man jubilates (watch the first movie on the side column of the same BBC page). I wish I was there to blow my pantofle of wrath on the image of one of the most brutal leaders of the history, as Iraqis do! If officials don't prohibit, the Tehranis, Abadanis, Ahvazis, and the residents of many other cities will have the same happy fete in Iran (and they may celebrate this victory of the mankind over dictatorship even if officials do prohibit-- I'm sure they don't care much about what their dense officials order!)
(link via Hoder)

2003-04-05T13:50:00.000-05:00

This is what a lot of us were looking for for a while. Go find the names that Mullahs deserve!
(via Hoder)

2003-04-03T14:58:00.000-05:00

Another Iranian...
This makes me believe that as long as Saddam's ominous life goes on, Iranians will not have a moment of safety and security, and neither will the rest of the world. Kaveh Golestan has been a very well-known cameraman and journalist among Iranians. My condolences to his family and friends.

2003-03-31T19:27:00.000-05:00

Cute Compatriots
Al-Jazeera TV's website got hacked for the second time by an Iranian hacker. A very serious prank warning Al-Jazeera of its extremism. Although I generally don't appreciate hacking a website, whatever the website might be, but Al-Jazeera really needs these types of alarm signals.

2003-03-29T15:23:00.000-05:00

The Middle Ages Are About to Begin in The Arab World
These words are the ones Iranians were screaming 25 years ago which resulted in the current fanatic regime. Another support for my claim: Iranians are not Arabs. They are at least a century ahead of Arabs!

2003-03-28T17:36:00.000-05:00

Ayatollahs' Thugs to Break the Windows of The British Embassy in Tehran
This is such a shame. Thank God, we have President Khatami in power, otherwise, another hostage crisis was not unlikely. What a disease ignorance is, and what tragedies take place when it coincides with brutality!

2003-03-26T21:58:00.000-05:00

Iranian Girl speaks metaphorically...
"the only things I want is solitude & a clear window that let me look at raining through it, but seems that I can have none of them"
Isn't that what all of us need but lack? The war on Iraq and its aftermaths have already stolen our solitude and the paradoxical media reports have left no clear window for us to see what really goes on in Iraq. Simple but eloquent, Iranian Girl!

2003-03-24T23:00:00.000-05:00

Iran's First Serious Anti-war Protest
I've heard from my relatives in Iran that the Iranian government has called for an anti-war protest on the 28th of March. I just wanted to point out that this will be another rally performed by Ayatollahs' constant supporters (who are very few in number), and I'm sure that the reporters of IRIB will again exaggerate the numbers and their cameras will magnify the vastitude of the rally.The Iranian people have not yet forgotten Saddam's genocides.

2003-03-22T17:01:00.000-05:00

U.S. Apology
The United States apologized for the errant missiles that hit southwestern Iran yesterday.
Iran is not involved in this war and must not be hit by American or British missiles because only the innocent people will be the victims of such incidents-- they are actually a lot more than just incidences, they are tragedies.
This reminds me of The Persian Gulf War in which a US bomb hit an Iran Air passenger aircraft flying on the Persian Gulf killing a more than 300 innocent passengers. At that time the US didn't even apologize. If the purpose of this war is to bring democracy to Iraq and reinforce security in the US and the world, our American and British friends must be more prudent, at least not to damage the citizens of a country which is not involved.

2003-03-22T00:34:00.000-05:00

Boycott
Just received this e-mail apparently from NewsMax:

French Products and Companies to Boycott

Dozens of readers have written in asking for a list of French companies products to boycott. After all, some are well known, but many are not. Here goes.

The gang at FrogWeenies (www.metrospy.com) notes: "France's behavior in front of the UN has been disgraceful. Their attempts to block, veto and prevent the US lead military action in Iraq does not promote peace, it simply reinforces the will of tyrants and terrorists."

It lists French products to boycott. You will probably be surprised to learn the French own everything from Wild Turkey to Car & Driver to Motel 6 to cheesy Spencer Gifts to disgusting Democrat schlock-show host Jerry Springer.

Also, check out NewsMax's Boycott France Ad Campaign - Join the Boycott - Click Here Now!

Air France. Air Liquide. Airbus. Alcatel. Allegra (allergy medication). Aqualung (including: Spirotechnique, Technisub, US Divers, and SeaQuest). AXA Advisors

Bank of the West (owned by BNP Paribas). Beneteau (boats). BF Goodrich (owned by Michelin). BIC (razors, pens and lighters). Biotherm (cosmetics). Black Bush. Bollinger (champagne).

Car & Driver Magazine. Cartier. Chanel. Chivas Regal (scotch). Christian Dior. Club Med (vacations). Culligan (owned by Vivendi).

Dannon (yogurt and dairy foods). DKNY. Dom Perignon. Durand Crystal.

Elle Magazine. Essilor Optical Products. Evian.

Fina Oil (billions invested in Iraqi oil fields - but note that the French do not own the the Fina gas stations in the U.S.). First Hawaiian Bank.

George Magazine. Givenchy. Glenlivet (scotch).

Hennessy.

Jacobs Creek (owned by Pernod Ricard since 1989). Jameson (whiskey). Jerry Springer (talk show).

Krups (coffee and cappuccino makers).

Lancome. Le Creuset (cookware). L'Oreal (health and beauty products). Louis Vuitton.

Marie Claire. Martel Cognac. Maybelline. Mephisto (shoes and clothes). Michelin (tires and auto parts). Mikasa (crystal and glass). Moet (champagne). Motel 6. Motown Records. MP3.com. Mumms (champagne).

Nissan (cars; majority owned by Renault). Nivea. Normany Butter.

Parents Magazine. Peugeot (automobiles). Pierre Cardin. Playstation Magazine. ProScan (owned by Thomson Electronics, France). Publicis Group (including Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising).

RCA (televisions and electronics; owned by Thomson Electronics). Red Magazine. Red Roof Inns (owned by Accor group in France). Renault (automobiles). Road & Track Magazine. Roquefort cheese (all Roquefort cheese is made in France). Rowenta (toasters, irons, coffee makers, etc.). Royal Canadian.

Salomon (skis). Seagram's Gin. Sierra Software and Computer Games. Smart & Final. Sofitel (hotels, owned by Accor). Sparkletts (water, owned by Danone). Spencer Gifts. Sundance Channel.

Taylor Made (golf). Technicolor. T-Fal (kitchenware). Total gas stations.

UbiSoft (computer games). Uniroyal. Universal Studios (music, movies and amusement parks; owned by Vivendi-Universal). USFilter.

Veritas Group. Veuve Clicquot Champagne. Vittel. Vivendi.

Wild Turkey (bourbon). Woman's Day Magazine.

Yoplait (The French company Sodiaal owns a 50 percent stake). Yves Saint Laurent.

Zodiac Inflatable Boats.
Remember, the best way to support America and our troops is to buy American.

Note: People have written in that Grey Goose vodka is French, but FrogWeenies writes, "After a thorough check of the brand, we are confident Grey Goose is an American brand, owned by an American company." People have sent NewsMax more reports of French companies, and if we can confirm them we'll post them.

2003-03-20T19:32:00.000-05:00

Happy Nowrooz
Bar amad bad-e-sobh o booye Nowrooz
Be kam-e-doostan o bakht-e-pirooz
Mobarak badat in sal o hame sal

[P]Sal-e-now mobarak.
[E]Happy new year.
[F]Bonne nouvelle annÃ©e.
I wish prosperity for all my countrymen, and for whoever calls for democracy and freedom. Hope that this year will be the year of democracy, freedom, and security. May disease be away from mankind, and enlightenment be with him.

2003-03-18T18:00:00.000-05:00

Apology
I just read this post of mine which was written at the time I was totally exhausted. There have been more misspellings than normal. It must be clear of those misspellings now. I apologize...
(Talking about bad English, this might also be interesting.)

2003-03-17T21:31:00.000-05:00

Bush's Nowrooz Gift
This year the president of the United States has a special gift for Iranians. He's gonna bombard the killer of their beloved children at Nowrooz's eve!

2003-03-17T19:01:00.000-05:00

Good News for Kurds...
If Turkey doesn't change its mind, the Kurds will REALLY enjoy this Nowrooz because the Turks won't have any hand in Kurdistan...
(via Khashi-- Persian section)

2003-03-16T20:15:00.000-05:00

For The First Time, Khatami Reacts Decisively
The latest news from Iran, state that President Khatami, Mr Karrobi (the head of the parliament), and Mr Ansari (a veteran reformist, currently an MP for the reformists) have left the Expediatory Council's convention as a protest to doubling the Council of Guardians' budget. However, Mr Rafsanjani, head of the Expediatory Council, took this opportunity (absence of the reformists) to pass the legislation. This was the first time that Mr Khatami obviously denounced hardliners' conspiracy. Mr Khatami, who is known as a moderate politician, has probably realized that what the people of Iran want him to do is to be clear and decisive in his positions. This is probably what he has learned from the recent municipal elections which made reformists completely shocked by the people's frustration. On the other hand, reformists are now worried about the fact that the legislation has finally passed and the Council of Guardian, the hardliner-dominated organisation which interferes in elections in behalf of them and burdens the reformists more than any other organisation does, is going to be more powerful, and thus more annoying. This increase in the budget has coincided Mr Khatami's proposal to the parliament concerning decreasing the power of the Council of Guardians and not letting it interfere in the elections. Certainly, the more powerful the Council of Guardians become, the more difficult it would be to prevent it from interfering in the (presidential, parliamentry, municipal, etc.) elections. Once again, the politicians, especially the reformers, are facing a dilemma.
Note: The Council of Guardians consists of six clerics directly appointed by the supreme leader. It is responsible for confirming the parliament's legislations before they are put into action, and for affirming the eligibilaty of the candidates in any elections held in the country. Some believe that this is hardliners' most powerful hand in Iran's [complicated] political system.

2003-03-14T18:42:00.000-05:00

Iranians' New Year Celebration on "Canada's Own"
For the first time in the history(!) an authentic TV show on CBC celebrates Iranians' new year on March 21, 11 p.m. EST, CBC News World channel. The show is called Play and is very popular in Canada. The host is Jian Ghomeishi, an originally-Iranian musician, writer, producer and TV personality. (What's interesting about him is that Jian was born in London and grown up in the US and Canada, but always insists that he is from an axis of evil, proudly.)

2003-03-13T18:23:00.000-05:00

A Bizarre Story About A Small Island Conveys The Results of Government's Malfunctionality
Nauru, a small country in the Pacific that resembles a bacteria viewed under the microscope on a lamellae, has faced a chaos as a result of its government's non-efficiency in addressing the country's socio-economic problems. Things are getting even worse in Nauru. Read the short story.

2003-03-12T21:38:00.000-05:00

Slow down, Slow down! You're going too fast guys...
This is, in my opinion, more than a simple protest. I think these types of reactions are very childish. The term, Freedom fries will not finally be used instead of French fries by the people who have accustomed to calling this food, French fries. On the other hand, people may later (at the time the whole issue gets stifled) make fun of what their leaders did in reaction to this temporary debate concerning the Iraqi crisis between the French and the Americans. Let me give you an example: There is a public institute in Iran that is responsible for finding appropriate substitutes for the English or French terms that are used by the people. The establishment of such an institute by the government has been a part of the anti-Westernisation program. Although this institute was and is quiet serious, it's become the subject of a lot of Iranian jokes! The more substitutes the organisation proposes, the more jokes are made by the crowd. For instance, they have suggested the term, Rayaneh (a machine that is able to think) to be used instead of Computer. It's not ridiculous, but people make fun of this because they've got used to calling "the machine that is able to think," a Computer.
Therefore, these sorts of radicalism are more hollow and ridiculous than meaningful and useful.

2003-03-11T19:30:00.000-05:00

Another Great Iranian Blogger
Pedram Moallemian provides great "random observations" on Iran, Canada, and the United States. The subject of much of his observations may resemble those of mine, but the details might be quite different. Actually, Pedram views the similar subjects from a different point of view. He has been an activist for the NDP of Canada while I usually support the Canadian Alliance's ideas. Nevertheless, visiting his weblog is highly recommended.

2003-03-10T22:11:00.000-05:00

What you can certainly predict about Iran...
Ebrahim Nabavi, Iran's most notable humourist, writes:
There's only one thing completely predictable in Iran, and that is, nothing is predictable in Iran!
(Note: Refers to the recent municipal elections, but is generaly true!)

2003-03-10T21:44:00.000-05:00

Mullahs Employ Taiwanese!
This news reads:
Two Taiwanese businessmen have been indicted for conspiring to buy U.S. weaponry for Iran, the latest in a string of arms smuggling schemes foiled by stepped up enforcement, U.S. authorities announced Tuesday.
I'm not sure I can believe this, but I remember having heard that during the eight-year war between Iran and Iraq, South Korea interceded in buying weapons for Iran from the former Soviet Union because Iran had no relationship with the Soviet Union and thus unable to buy the weapons directly. Therefore, the Taiwanese aren't so unlikely to be buying U.S. weapons for Iran now that Iran needs those weapons to defend itself in the current Middle Eastern crisis.

2003-03-09T11:46:00.000-05:00

Iranian Men And Women Call for Equal Rights

An Iranian woman holds up a placard to oppose war on Iraq in Tehran March 8, 2003. The protest of about 300 women was organised by a local women's non-governmental organsiation. Anti war protests have been rare in Iran which fought a bitter eight-year war against Iraq in the 1980s in which hundreds of thousands were killed. Thousands of Iranians were also injured by Iraqi chemical weapon attacks.REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi
Note: Although this woman calls for peace there's no sign of opposition to war on Iraq. The placard reads, "An international policy for peace, based on peace, and for peace. Human rights equals to women's rights."

An Iranian man holds a placard during a gathering on World Women's Day, at the Laleh Park in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 8, 2003. Hundreds of women and a small group of men gathered to demand social and political rights equal to men for the first time since the 1979 Islamic revolution in the mainly male-dominated conservative country. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Note: Even Iranian men are sick of the unequal rights for men and women. Although they may benefit from the male domination in Islamic rules, they are respectful to the women's rights and have come to the conclusion that humanity matters not gender, and a basic change in the attitudes of the government towards women's rights is necessary.

2003-03-09T11:34:00.000-05:00

Tehran Diary
Wendell Steavenson writes about Tehran, from Tehran...

2003-03-05T18:25:00.000-05:00

Could Iran be the Next Target?
Ramsfeld replies...
(via Afkar-e-Khosusi)

2003-03-04T22:24:00.000-05:00

I'm back...
I've recieved an email asking me to go on updating this weblog. Although it might be difficult for me to do that especially in these busy days for me, I will try...
Let's start with this reportof an Italian website about the women in Iran and the new opportunities that the web offers them in order to express themselves openly and explicitly. This article may seem very towardly but implies a deplorably untrue preview of Iran in the Westerners' minds. Although seclusion might be imposed on Iranians, it's not a part of their culture and lifestyle. As an Iranian I must confess that we are sometimes even excessively open which makes others (non-Iranians) assume that we are impolite. However, the mullahcaracy has built up a superficial characteristic for our culture that hides the fact that openness is a significance of our culture, and that Iranian women are as open as men no matter what they wear (or, rather, what they are forced to wear).
Have you seen the number of swears that Iranian Girl uses in her website, either appropriately or inappropriately? Have you seen Iranian sex blogs?
Fortunately, weblogs have let Iranians blow up their ideas and sentiments and let others see what the outcome of such an explosion will finally be.

2003-02-28T23:58:00.000-05:00

I know this weblog sucks...
First of all, excuse me for not writing anything here today.
Excuse?
It was one of those busy Friday days; and, well, everything-may-happen Friday nights.
Secondly, I may stop blogging thanks to the small number of visitors and difficulty of updating this weblog for a busy person that I am.
But, still, I may...

2003-02-27T23:11:00.000-05:00

When a Canadian Liberal opens her mouth...
"Damn Americans, I hate those Bastards."
Carolyn Parrish, Liberal MP | Feburary 2003, Ottawa, Ontario
"I give to you assurance that the people of the United States will not stand idly by if domination of Canadian soil is threatened by any other Empire."
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, President of the United States | August 1938, Kingston, Ontario
As I have already pointed out, the anti-Americanism sentiment that is growing among Canadians and being reinforced by some sects of the current Canadian government is becoming more and more dangerous, not for the United States but for Canada whose economy will be damaged if Americans get offended by these types of comments and actions.

2003-02-27T22:50:00.000-05:00

Iranian Symbols on A Nude Body

2003-02-27T22:48:00.000-05:00

It's damn true...
Yes, I did took that "How Evil Are You" quiz, too. And here's the result:

How evil are you?
It's absolutely reconcilable to fact, word by word.

2003-02-27T18:13:00.000-05:00

Man, You're A Genius!
When Thomas Friedman writes about the Middle East, we should all shut up and just read, 2 times, 3 times,...
What all this means is that when it comes to building democracy in Iraq, the Europeans are uninterested, the Americans are hypocritical and the Arabs are ambivalent. Therefore, undertaking a successful democratization project there, in a way that will stimulate positive reform throughout the region, will require a real revolution in thinking all around — among Americans, Arabs and Europeans. If done right, the Middle East will never be the same. If done wrong, the world will never be the same.
Ladies and gentlemen, Thomas Friedman's new masterpiece: The Gridlock Gang

2003-02-26T14:54:00.000-05:00

Twenty Five Years Journey of Self Discovery (1)
Preface: We wanna be different
Iranians’ initiative for the revolution that took place in 1979 was merely an aspiration for being different from the rest of the world. The Shah of Iran was, in rioters’ opinion, devastating Iranians’ religious and national values by helping a “cultural invasion” of Western values and lifestyle take place in Iran. The people of Iran, on the other hand, considered themselves different from not only the West but even the Arab world-- who shared a common religion with them. Iranians’ major aspiration was to establish a new government that respects the national and religious values of Iranians and tries to distinguish between Iranian values and Western and Eastern and Arab, etc. values. This aspiration lead to a coalition between the two main oppositions of Shah’s oppressive regime, nationalists and Islamists.
The coalition was first formed before Reza Pahlavi’s, Shah’s father and his predecessor, ouster between two MPs, Mosaddeq and Modarres, who were the nationalist and religious leaders in political affairs, respectively. But it didn’t intend to do a joint work until the early 1950s when Mosaddeq and Kashani, the new leader of the religious party in the National Parliament after Modarres’s demise, both called for “the nationalization of the oil industry.” Although the motivation of the two parties (nationalist and religious) were quiet different(1), the target was common and the result would satisfy both parties. In this first step, the coalition worked out and the oil industry of Iran nationalized on March 20th , 1952 . And under pressure from the parliament, Shah designated Mosaddeq as the prime minister of Iran soon after. In 1953, the CIA, in its first serious interference in Iran’s domestic affairs, and the British Intelligence induced a military coup to overthrow Mosaddeq. After Mosaddeq’s deposal, the weak and diffuse opposition parties were somehow strengthened by Shah’s SAVAK, and the Americans were extending the power of Shah who were “a creature of indecision, beset by formless doubts and fears,” and thus, “induced [by Americans] to play its role.” In such a suffocation and considering the disappointment of the nationalist leaders (officially known as The Nationalist Party of Iran as the party whose values were Mossadeq’s ideas and his goals) Ayatollah Khomeini provoked another serious dissidence to Shah’s power in 1960s but did not succeed in challenging Shah’s crenulated power. Khomeini was sent into exile after this movement and Shah’s power remained safe, his oppression firm and even reinforced, and the amount of discontent among the majority increasing for about fifteen years until some news from the Iraqi city of Najaf, to which Khomeini was exiled, indicated Khomeini’s son’s suspicious death. Following this news, Khomeini started leading the huge population of oppressed Iranians who were seeking freedom, independency, and distinguished difference from the rest of the world which finally resulted in 1979’s revolution.
Aside from Khomeini’s undeniable leadership power-- what helped the exiled and forgotten Khomeini stimulate a regime change in about one year-- Khomeini’s key success was his prosperity in revitalizing the old national-religious coalition. Exactly what made Mosaddeq and Kashani form a coalition in 1950s urged nationalists to cooperate with Khomeini and to agree with his leadership twenty five years after: a common goal. The common goal this time was to depose Shah. The approach, to run and conduct the people toward and evolution by Khomeini as the director and the nationalists-- mainly FMI (Freedom Movement of Iran)-- as the performers performing inside Iran. The contradiction between their motivations was maintained, though: nationalists wanted to establish a government acting on behalf of the national interests of the people of Iran, while Khomeini wanted to establish an Islamic government that exploited the divine laws.
Shah got overthrown, revolution took place, and it was time for the new government to cover Iranians’ demands. The most important demand? Illuminating the difference between the Iranian and the Western values.
The differences started flourishing…
{Humour}
The first difference: The Islamic Republic of Iran (an expression that has a paradox in itself, quiet different from both the democracy practiced in the West and the Islamic government run by Saudis in Saudi Arabia).
The second difference: “Hey gals, put your Hijab back on. You know, you must be different from the Western women in your appearances and different from Arab women in the fact that you’re gonna get educated, work, take part in social activities, even in politics, but not openly, behind the veils of seclusion.”
The third difference: “Our definition of independence is different from others’ definition. We believe that independence means something like isolation.”
The fourth difference: “Economy? Talking about economy in the country of God? Our country only honours divine values, economy is mundane. Nevertheless, let’s trail Arabia’s economic system of 1400 years ago…Yes, that’s it. This one is quiet different from other economic systems. It’s neither socialist nor capitalist, it’s Islamic. Let’s stick to it.”
The fifth difference: "Freedom. In a country where divine laws rule, freedom is spontaneously provided for the citizens because God has conferred liberty to man. So, whoever acts, writes, and speaks inside the lines drawn by the supreb Islamic state of Iran is free. Others? They’re infidels. Go get ’em all. Pull up the zipper to their mouths and if they’re in power, dismiss them. We’re different. We don’t need them anymore.”
“Let’s now actually do something different: This American embassy here in Tehran really sucks! Let’s go see what we can find there…Oh my God, these documents smell treacherous…smell them…yeah! treason, treason…arrest them all… We have now made a crisis quiet different from whatever crisis have been made so far: A Hostage Crisis…
Wait a minute, What are these FMI guys doing? Negotiation with the US? Opposition to the Hostage Crisis? So what about the…DIFFERENCE? …[FMI government has threatened to resign] YAY! C’mon guys, C’mon. Submit the abdication as soon as possible.
[the list goes on and on…a world of differences]
Hey, Uncle Sam, Where are you?
Hello…
Hello…
Look at us. We’re very different. Even more different than what we could imagine.
…
What?
…
Oh, yes. It’s true. We’re painfully different.”
{Humour}

(1)Mosaddeq’s motivation was to harvest Iran’s oil reserves in behalf of the people of Iran (not for Britain’s economic interests and in the name of British Petroleum), while Kashani’s motivation was to “cut off the hands of infidels from Muslims’ assets.”

Update: CIA's secret documents on 1953's military coup in Iran

2003-02-25T14:27:00.000-05:00

Lucky Gabrielle!
Iran has decided to sell several nude paintings it bought in the 1970s during the shah's rule, masterpieces which have been kept out of public view since the Islamic revolution on moral grounds.

Fortunately, they have compromised to keep at least this Renior painted Gabrielle à la Chemise Ouverte, but still some works by Polak, Kooning, Renoir, Picasso, Braque, Toulouse-Lautrec, Pissarro and Monet are among the paintings they are to sell. Alas!
(news from Iran Mania)

2003-02-25T13:37:00.000-05:00

Liberals to Create an Intentional Bewilderment
As this article indicates, it seems that the veteran Jean J. J. Chretien, the prime minister of Canada, is misusing his "fractured English and unpolished French" to baffle Canada's allies and Canadians about Canada's position in this Iraqi crisis. His ambiguous speeches have raised different, and sometimes completely contradictory, interpretations among Canadian media and politicians. Anne Mcllroy also agrees with my view of the liberals' policy in fudging on taking a clear stance and then providing a last-minute support to the US in case of an invasion of Iraq. This policy will increase the popularity of the Liberal party among the mainly-antiwar Canadians. It is, however, traumatizing the firm political and trading partnership of Canada and the United States.

2003-02-24T12:13:00.000-05:00

Grammys
Grammy Awards:
Last Year: Alicia Keys
This Year: Norah Jones
Poor Avril Lavign; five nominations, empty-handed!
By the way, maybe they should confer some Grammy Awards to Bill Gates and Steve Jobs because when these artists perform live, one can easily figure out how powerful some computer softwares are to render a despicable voice to an atoundingly powerful one. I was really crying when Faith Hill was singing her Cry song live and without any digital magic.
Cryyyy[inhalation]...[inhalation]yyyy just a little for me!

2003-02-23T17:35:00.000-05:00

The link between Iran and al Qaeda
There's something that the author of this article and many other Westerners don't understand about the whole Islamic world.
Islam has two main sects: Sunni and Shiite. Each of these two sects has their own several branches. Sunni can be divided into two major sects: Wahabbi (Sunni extremists), and other Sunnis. In the history of the Middle East, there has been a huge conflict among three Muslim countries: Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Shiite Muslims of Iran, Wahabbis of Saudi Arabia, and Sunnis of Turkey has been always claiming the sovereignty of the whole Islamic world.
In the twentieth century AtaTurk of Turkey and Reza Pahlavi of Iran started a cooperation in making some basic changes to rip the Islamic world into two distinct parts and distance their nations from Arabs. They tried to repress the religious communities, force the women not to cover themselves with Hijab, change the script of Persian and Turkish from Arabic to Latin, modernize their societies, reinforce their military forces, and establish Laic states. At last, AtaTurk succeeded to make almost all desirable changes but Reza Pahlavi didn't. In 1945 the British troops conquered Tehran, ousted and exiled Reza Pahlavi, who was tending to help Nazi troops in Russia and thus dangerous for the British, and designated Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (Reza Pahlavi's son) as The Shah of Iran. Mohammad Reza continued his father’s anti-Islamic and nationalist approach, but unlike Reza Pahlavi, Mohammad Reza was not powerful enough to stifle religious communities and the modernization process was also frustrated in Mohammad Reza Shah's monarchy. As a result, people were more dissatisfied day after day. The religious leaders appeared the most powerful opposition to the oppressive Mohammad Reza Shah's monarchy and succeeded in forming an alliance with all other opposition groups to stimulate a revolution. The Islamic revolution took place and The Islamic Republic of Iran was established in 1997 with Khomeini in power. Khomeini condemned all other political groups, who helped forming the Islamic revolution, gradually and The Islamic Republic of Iran turned out to be a theocratic government in less than a year after the revolution. Khomeini was completely determined to "export" the Islamic Republic government and its methods to all Muslim countries. Since in the Islamic Republic of Iran, there are some traces of democracy at least in its name and its constitution, the people of some Muslim countries was considering this type of government as a resort for ridding themselves of the tyrants who were ruling them, Wahabbis of Saudi Arabia felt that the the Islamic Republic of Iran may challenge their power quiet seriously. So they killed many Iranian pilgrimages to Mecca during a pro-Palestine rally and provided fiscal support for Iraq in the 1980s. Since that event, the forgotten conflict between Shiite mullahs and Wahabbi sheikhs revived and has not been really solved till now.
According to this condense history of the Middle East in the twentieth century, you can figure out that a cooperation between Shiite mullahs and Wahabbi/Sunni members of Al Qaeda is very unlikely. In fact, Shiite mullahs believe that Wahabbis are not Muslim, as Wahabbis believe that Shiites are not Muslim. The most recent evidences for the hostility that exists between Shiite Muslims and Sunni Muslims are the bombing of the Shiite mosque in Pakistan by Sunnis and the suspicion that according to Rouydad the recent aircraft crash in Iran was committed by some smuggled Al Qaeda members who have probably been among the passengers.
However, mullahs are terrorists-- but they don‘t perpetrate their terrorist activities by spurring Al Qaeda.

2003-02-23T00:34:00.000-05:00

Homä-ye-Sa'ädat
"Bush is coming. The famine is over!"

2003-02-22T20:36:00.000-05:00

Zipping The Zipper
"I told him, `Every person has three zippers in his life — the zipper to his pocket that prevents him from taking bribes, the zipper to his pants, and the zipper to his mouth.' I said I had pulled up the first two zippers to keep the zipper to my mouth open."
The New York Times summarizes the exhausting pressure that is put on the political prisoners during the interrogations and the loathsome situations that they undergo in prisons under the rulership of the oppressive Islamic regime of Iran, and refers to the bravery of these prisoners who don't let the mullahs and their agents zip the zipper to their mouths, even if they're in their mid-70's and physically ill.

2003-02-22T00:05:00.000-05:00

Rock Concert in Tehran
And finally, after 24 years, young Iranian musicians find the opportunity to perform a rock concert publicly in The University of Tehran:
Tehran Rock Fest is the name of a 4-day series of concerts (February 22-25) at the Art University’s Farabi Hall. From 2 to 6 pm on each day one of the first four bands that participated in the Underground Music Competition (UMC) will take the stage. Bands were ranked according to an on-line voting mechanism. At the end of the Competition, Fara, Amertad, 127, and Fern took the four top seats. Besides performances by these four bands, the audience will see a ten-minute clip of rehearsals and hear speeches by pianist Peyman Yazdanian, string instrumentalist and fusion musician Reza Abaee, Ramin Sadighi of Hermes Records, and composer Hasan Riyahi.
All of these four groups believe that the bloomig Iranian rock music is going to be somehow different from the original Western rock because it should "reflect Iranian tastes."
You can read the whole story here.
(via Hoder)
Update:
Cappuccino Magazine (Persian) wrote:
The chamber was full of the young musicians who were rehearsing anxiously for Saturday's performance. While asking and writing their names, I was thinking, "What a Saturday night we'll have with these guys. They're gonna perform a great music and we're gonna have a lot of fun." Mojtaba was recording the rehearsal by his camera...
Babak: Well, I have to tell you something that we're all familiar with: We did our best but it cancelled.
the agent: I'm not lying, but it's better for all of us. The name is problematic. Don't call it, "Rock Music Convention," just call it, "The Convention of The Music of The Youths."
Mahyar: Call it,"cactus." I don't know. Just let us go on stage.
Na'im: But, why?
Ramin: You'll get used to it. It's normal.
Peyman: Heh! They sometimes even disarrange the concert when it's on!
Na'im: But, why?
Shadi: What about so much time, so much endeavour that we spent on it?
the agent: I can't tell you why it cancelled. May be it wasn't the appropriate time for such a concert. It's better for all of you. Trust me. We, ourselves, will be in trouble persuading the crowd. But it's over. We can't do anything about it.
Na'im: Why?
the agent: We've had a lot of phone calls...Don't film me ,please!...The problem is that everyone now knows about this concert. We've had phone calls from international news agencis. They wanna come see the concert! It wasn't supposed to be like this. We can have this concert sometime in the future, whenever you'd like. We'll just have to change the name and the posters.

2003-02-20T21:08:00.000-05:00

"Serious Consequences" of Iraq's Failure to Disarm for The West
Once again an Economist's analysis fascinates me:
The Iraq war has already inflicted needless collateral damage on the western alliance.There are some things for which even The Economist does not blame Saddam Hussein. One of these is the sudden collapse this week of a common western stand against the Iraqi dictator. For this—and for the serious danger that this collapse poses to the health of the Atlantic alliance, the NATO alliance, the United Nations and the European Union—the West has only itself to blame...If Iraq were the whole story, mending this rift might be simple...To make sense of this rift it helps to think in three dimensions. One is geological: the tectonic shifting of attitudes in different bits of the world. Another is institutional: bodies such as NATO, the UN and the EU shudder at the grinding of the plates beneath them. The last is personal. If the West is at sixes and sevens this week it is because the earth moved, the institutions wobbled and a handful of politicians—notably France's Mr Chirac—reacted by taking all the wrong decisions. Geology matters most. Generalisations are odious. But there exists a widening gulf of incomprehension between the people of America and the peoples of Europe...Institutions come second. The argument over Iraq has come just when NATO, the EU and the UN are making delicate adjustments...One victim is the EU itself. Though it was impolite of Donald Rumsfeld, America's defence secretary, to have dwelt with such high glee on the divisions between “old” and “new” Europe, he got it right...A second victim is NATO. With Germany and Belgium, France has tried to stop the 16 other members from responding to a Turkish request for help ahead of any Iraqi war...When Mr Bush took the Iraq issue to the council in September, the unilateralists in his own administration were aghast. They shut up when it passed a unanimous resolution warning Iraq of serious consequences if it failed to comply. Now the perverse Mr Chirac looks set to prove their original point. A body which thinks that “serious consequences” spells “more inspectors” does not deserve to be taken seriously
The most significant risk of France's attempts to burden the US, in my opinion, would be the diclination of UN's effectiveness in the international arena. If the United States goes through a war against Iraq without UN's permission, which is not unlikely, it is UN's power that blanches not US's power. The United States has enough power to invade Iraq with any reason, whether legitimate in UN's point of view or not, so the best way the United Nations can act in this crisis, in order to benefit the world, is to consent France and Germany to accompany the United States, not try to help the French to deepen "the rift" that may challenge the West far more seriously than it does today.
(If you don't have a subscription for The Economist, e-mail me instead of paying $3 for a single article)

2003-02-20T13:50:00.000-05:00

Love Song
Have Bush and Blair fallen in love with each other?!
(via Persian Hoder)

2003-02-19T20:27:00.000-05:00

Another Tragedy...
An Iranian military transport aircraft carrying 302 people has crashed in the south of the country, killing all those on board.
Everyone knows that as long as Iran buys the scrap Russian and Ukrainian planes, these tragedies will be repeated.
Just take a look at this chronicle of plane crashes in Iran:
40 people die when a new Ukrainian plane crashes into a mountain in Iran in December 2002
Russian-made Tu-154 airliner crashes into mountains in March 2002, killing 117 people
80 die when a military plane crashes in north-east Iran in March 1997
Tu-154 crashes into a military plane near Tehran in February 1993, killing 132
And now for the fifth time in the last ten years, a Russian-made plane-- Ilyushin-- causes as many as 302 people die.
My condolences to the families of the passengers.

2003-02-19T15:28:00.000-05:00

Nasty but Cool
Play this game and you'll see the worst analysis of the conflict with Iraq ever.

2003-02-18T14:27:00.000-05:00

Iran Has Arrested 500 Al Qaeda Members
Pakistani military officials help Al Qaeda members to pass Iran-Pakistan borders and take refuge in Iran. Pakistan is under pressure to hand over the members of Taliban and Al Qaeda, two groups that had been strongly supported by the Pakistani government before September 11th. Now that Pakistan has promised to render the terrorists of Taliban and Al Qaeda to US officials, they send them to Iran-Pakistan borders "to get rid of a problem at [Iran's] expense."
Contrary to what Iranian officials claim, Iran is also afraid it will the next target. Therefore, although they declared three days ago that George J. Tenet's claim about the presence of Al Qaeda members in Iran was false, they admitted that they've found and arrested/deported about 500 Al Qaeda members the day after!
(The New York Times)

2003-02-17T22:03:00.000-05:00

Why Should The United States Let The French Engorge Iraqi Oil Reserves?
After the Gulf War the only country among the three main supporters of Iraq during the Iraq-Iran war that kept its trading partnership with Iraq was France. During the last twelve years France has surfeited the Iraqi oil. By means of partnership with Saddam Hussein, this foul superpower has provided money and power for the survival of a demoniac leader who had killed about 1,000,000 innocent people including 700,000 of my countrymen-- Iranians-- and hundreds of thousands of the people of Kuwait and even its own citizens, Kurds. After years, the United States of America has decided to bring democracy for the people of Iraq and security for the people of the world by ousting this perilous leader. For the most part, Saddam’s deposal will benefit the people of Iraq and the people of Iraq’s neighbours. However, the United States is looking for Iraq’s oil. Why should the United States spend a lot of money, sacrifice many of its citizens, put energy to convince the people of the world that Saddam Hussein doesn’t negotiate with anything other than sword, and still let the French use up the Iraqi oil reserves? France’s opposition doesn’t have anything to do with its benevolence. France is only and only looking for its economic interest. The French know that if the United States succeeds in a regime change in Iraq, they won’t be able to plunder Iraq’s oil as they did before. On the other hand, the opposition of Germans with the military action against Saddam has little to do with Germany’s foreign policy. In fact, Schroder is intending to regain his popularity via this opposition to the war against Iraq (the coincidence of Iraq’s crisis with Schroder’s unpopularity urged him to oppose to war even more strongly than the pampered French). Thus, all of these governments are looking for their national interests but the national interests of the Americans will benefit not only Americans but all nations including Iraqis themselves, while the national interest of the insinuating French will increase the miseries of Iraqis and insecurity of the people of the world by keeping the brutal Saddam Hussein in power.
And for those who may wonder why the great Islamic regime of Iran should oppose to war against a threat that has threatened the lives of all of its citizens and killed 700,000 of them, I shall refer to the avidity of the Islamic rulers for economic cooperation with the EU. Along with their promises about addressing the human rights issues in Iran, they have deemed that by means of opposition to war the EU will become more earnest to start its cooperation with Iran since France and Germany are the two pre-eminent members of the EU. So they may even condone some of the human rights breaches of the Islamic regime if Iran plays an effective role to support and make other neighbours of Iraq support the Franco-German position in this Iraqi crisis!

2003-02-16T17:39:00.000-05:00

Shame, Shame, Shame!
I hadn't seen so many lies in one place before! In this short article, a stupid, loony, moron, jerk, dimwit, illiterate, so-called author, Ambrose Clark, offers a pile of lies titled Wet Burqa Contest. This genius has left only a few peewee mistakes in his article that makes us believe he is a liar:
1. Iranian women don't wear "Burqa". What a minority of Iranian women wear is a Burqa-like garment called, "Chador". The most significant difference between these two garments is that Burqa covers the face but Chador doesn't. On the other hand, what the majority of Iranian women wear is called Manteau which is quite different from Burqa. Manteau is originally a French apparel, and that is a long coat-- which has been cut shorter and shorter day after day in Iran!
For those who are curious, this is a sample of the most common covering for young women nowadays, in Iran.

2. Iranians are not Arab. This guy claims that he is quoting from some Iranians, it means that he has met them and talked with them personally. How can someone interview some Iranians in Iran without even knowing that the name of the language they speak is not Arabic and these people are not Arab?!
3. The name of that pimp about whom Clark writes, Mohammed Benradi, is not a Persian name. "Benradi" is a 100% Arabic family name, so this guy must be Arab-- undoubtedly.
In conclusion, I'm sure that this story either has taken place in an Arab country or is completely false. Our genius has probably had a fiddling typing error-- he has typed Tehran instead of, say, Dubai or may be... Amesterdam!!! I hope that people won't be mislead by the mendacities of Clark-like liars. (Doesn't this rubbish magazine have an editor?)
Even if some people say that "she got pregnant in the baths, I dare say 'the child'll look like the old man that reads the Koran!'"

2003-02-15T22:19:00.000-05:00

From Iranians to Quebecois
The American people were extremely shocked when they saw Iranians burning their national flag 24 years ago, and even Iranians, themselves, now get shocked whenever they see the photos or movies of flag-burning rallies of those years. But in Quebec City some people repeated that blasted deed:

Scandalous…I’m sure they will regret it one day, as Iranians did.
Forget it.
These days Montreal is so cold that you rarely see people walking on the streets. Despite the unbearable temperature, more than 100,000 peace activists in Montreal, flocked to the city's core to get their message across.
But in Vancouver, with its elysian weather, only 20,000 people participated in the rally against war. In Toronto protesters were even fewer-- 10,000. These numbers are not surprising, though. French Canadians have a strong anti-American sentiment which shows itself in form of peace and anti-Globalization movements now and then, while English Canadians consider Americans their best friends. Even in the House of Commons the difference between the attitudes of the French and the English Canadians is obvious. The Canadian Alliance who is mainly supported by Western Canadians comments in support of military action against Iraq while Bloc Québécois-- Quebec’s main party in the House of Commons-- asks the government to follow the French and Germans in the issue of the conflict with Iraq. However, the sovereign Liberals always talk about a “Canadian strategy,” which in fact means waiting till the last moment and then joining the United States in case of a war-- with contempt.
Update: I couldn't have found any better support for my claim than Bloc Québécois's website's headline: Le Bloc Québécois dit non à la guerre, oui à la diplomatie et oui à la paix (Bloc Québécois says no to war, yes to diplomacy and yes to peace).

2003-02-15T15:55:00.000-05:00

The Survival of The Islamic Protestantism
The Islamic regime of Iran renewed Rushdie's death sentence, but revoked Aghajari's death sentence, today. A few days after the Islamic court issued the controversial death sentence for Hashem Aghajari, Salman Rushdie wrote an article in The New York Times categorizing Aghajari's ideas with his own ideas and claiming that these ideas will finally overcome the Islamic fanaticism and rescue the Islamic world. However, the Islamic regime finally revoked Aghajari's death sentence while confirming Rushdie's sentence. I am in agreement with Rushdie in the fact that his ideas fit in the same category as Aghajari's ideas; both are looking for a basic change in some Islamic beliefs. However, Aghajari's ideas not only provoked a huge support in Iran but also didn't finally result in a death sentence for him. Here are some of the reasons why Aghajari's ideas were more successful:
1. Time: When Salman Rushdie issued his famous book, the Islamic regime was at the peak of its popularity, so when Khomeini issued the death sentence for Rushdie not only the people of Iran but also the people of many other Islamic countries supported it. On the other hand, when Aghajari proposed his Islamic Protestantism ideas, Iranians were exhausted with Islamic dictatorship and fanaticism and supported this proposal as a resort for getting rid of their oppressive regime with its tough Islamic rules.
2. Place: Aghajari had the opportunity to give his speech in a country that "has moved 120 years toward liberalization in just 20 years." A few days after Aghajari's primary death sentence was issued, I asked an Arab guy what his idea about Aghajari's death sentence was, he said that he agreed with this verdict and believed that Aghajari had insulted Islam. At the same time, Iranian students were risking their lives in calling for Aghajari's freedom and the Iranian parliament clearly denounced the death sentence.
3. Rushdie's ideas were very crude in comparison with Aghajari's ideas. Aghajari cited that Islam is basically a great religion but Islamic fanaticism is retrograding Iran, as Christian fanaticism was pushing Europe toward slough during the Middle Ages, and concluded that we need a same process as Renaissance to obtain freedom and make developments like the modern Europe and the Western world. In contrast, Rushdie insulted the faith of Islam so clearly that the wrath prompted in the Islamic world was not so surprising.
Nevertheless, I confess that both Rushdie's and Aghajari's ideas will practically lead the whole Islamic world in the same direction, and this direction is the one that the Iranian people are currently moving in; and that's why Iranians are at least a century ahead of their religiously brother nations!

2003-02-13T13:28:00.000-05:00

A Secular Mullah
Mr. Abtahi, President Khatami's parliamentary counsellor, had an interview with a teenage magazine called Cappuccino a few weeks ago. In this interview, Abtahi appeared so friendly and hand in glove that the interviewers dared to dissect his private life by means of their simple questions. Assuming that this interview won't have any political repercussion, Abtahi revealed some facts about his life and his ideas which might not be revealed in a serious interview. For instance, when talking about the control that he puts on his children, Abtahi said, "I am not aware of everything that my children do. In fact, there is no reason for me to intrude their privacy. They, themselves, decide what to wear, where to go, what kind of music to listen to, and which web sites to visit." or he admits, "As a clergyman, I believe that the most effective way to reinforce the role of religion in the society is to minimize the religion's intrusion in people's social life."
Contrary to Abtahi's assumption, this interview has provoked hardliners' fury. They have blamed Mr. Abtahi for his words and have claimed that he is not worthy of the name, Mullah. Ali Motahari, a hardliner clergy, has called Abtahi's secular attitudes, "regrettable," while another hardliner, Mohammad Nourizad, has alluded to meeting Abtahi accidentally on a beach in Beirut wearing shorts and T-shirt, and accuses him of not being a real clergy.
(via Persian Hoder)

2003-02-13T11:35:00.000-05:00

Poor Ericsson!
Ericsson's oeuvre in helping the Islamic regime disturb sattelite broadcasting in Tehran, may result in the bankruptcy of its vendors in Iran.
Iranians are boycotting Ericsson.

2003-02-13T11:10:00.000-05:00

Russia Rejects
According to this, Iran will lose Russia's companionship in its nuclear programs.
Russian Deputy Atomic Energy Minister Valery Govorukhin here on Tuesday stressed that Moscow has rejected Tehran's repeated requests to develop uranium deposits, stressing that Iran has no capabilities to create its own uranium fuel cycle, IRNA said.
The Itar-Tass quoted Govorukhin as saying that Moscow has repeatedly told Tehran that Russia's cooperation with Iran in the area of nuclear activities is confined to the construction of one nuclear power unit in Bushehr, nuclear fuel supplies throughout the unit's life cycle and recycling of spent fuel in Russia.
Well, seems that Russia in not going to help Iran fulfill its nuclear ambitions any longer. However,
Iran had started excavating uranium ore from a mine, 200 km from the central city of Yazd, to produce fuel for its nuclear plants.
Would Russia's noncooperation in uranium excavation be useful if Iran, itself, has started excavating uranium ore?

2003-02-12T15:00:00.000-05:00

Les Ballets Persans?!
(via Nikkan)

2003-02-12T13:31:00.000-05:00

Terrorists Against Terrorism
According to this news, India and Iran are to sign an agreement to set up a joint working group on terrorism and security during a visit by a senior Indian home ministry official to Tehran this week, a report said Wednesday.
Al Qaeda will also sign an agreement with, say, Mafia to set up a joint working group on terrorism to provide peace and security for their leaders in the next few days!
Seriously, the looming military cooperation between Iran and India may lionize hardliners and their militia, Basij, which will result in more repression of the Iranian people. Someone should try to stop these types of cooperation among Iran, India, and Russia. If such a military triangle forms, peace will never return to the Middle East.

2003-02-12T12:56:00.000-05:00

Farmänraväyän; Dar Räh-é-Takabbor va Pasti
Rulers; En Route to Swagger and Doggery

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami warned the United States on Tuesday not to use Iran's domestic troubles to try to oust its Islamic rulers.

(photos via Iranian Girl and Nikkan)

2003-02-12T10:42:00.000-05:00

Tahrim-é-Shädi
Rarely have I seen Iranians celebrating Valentine's day. ~~I'm pretty sure that most of Iranians don't even know what day Valentine's day is~~. So I ~~can't~~ confirm that this news is completely authentic. However, I have no doubt that if one day some Iranians decide to celebrate Valentine's day, nothing better than this would happen, because:
"The police are opposed to love and affection. They don't want us to be happy because Valentine's Day promotes happiness."
Don't they know, " It only creates hatred. It only backfires" ?
Daft Mullahs!
Update: The news was originally provided by Associated Press and is confirmed by some other sources from inside Iran, so it must be credible. Not surprising, though. Well, they are Islamic fanatics. What else can we expect? Alas!

2003-02-11T23:36:00.000-05:00

Maräm-Nämé
"I am writing only for my shadow, which is now stretched accross the wall in the light of the lamp. I must make myself known to him."
The Blind Owl, Sadegh-é-Hedayat