June12, 2009

Two years.  The beginning of the end for tyrants in our homeland.  Two more years?  Five more years maybe?  Or more?  The end is near.  It's only a matter of time.  Long live Iran.    

Female Iranian athletes continue to face obstacles from their own government and...

"On Friday, a Bahraini FIFA official banned the Iranian women's national soccer team from playing against Jordan in the second round of the qualifiers for the 2012 London Olympic Games in the Jordanian capital city, Amman."

They forfeited their games and were eliminated without even the touching the ball.  How fair is that?


Here's the link to this informative piece discussing the situation.

Nasser Hejazi (1949-2011)

 
What a way to start the week.  Nasser Hejazi was not only the best goalkeeper in the history of Iranian football, he was a true gentleman.  Always well mannered, yet determined and serious.  My first memory of Hejazi was at the 78 World Cup when he was furious after an own goal in the Scotland game and how he finished the Peru game despite being visibly injured.  Our goal was conquered eight times during the WC, but to Hejazi's credit four goals were penalty kicks and one was an own goal.  Here's a video of Mr. Majid Varess' interview with Nasser Hejazi at the 1980 Asian Nations Cup in Kuwait.  Rest in peace Ghahreman.  Roohet shad.



 

Women on the Frontline: Iran

The Green Movement (موج سبز) is alive and kicking!

Okay so today's demonstrations were not as huge as June or December 2009, but the Iranian nation showed the government and the world that the movement is not dead.  It has been sustained for almost two years and will not die down.  The youth won't let it die down.  The women won't let it die down.  I am in awe of their courage.  They're all my heroes.  Here are the latest videos from today.  Remember foreign press is virtually nonexistent in Iran.  These videos are shot by ordinary (for the lack of a better word -- nothing ordinary about their courage) Iranians while facing danger and precautions.  Long live Iran.  Long live freedom.   

I just had to share this! - What's the big whoop about Egypt's uprising?

Okay this is satirical, but mostly true.  Click here for the hot link.  When you read it, try to go beneath the humor and comprehend what he is trying to say.  I am not one to compare Egypt and Iran.  But come on.  It's hard not to.  Enjoy!

Future

Why so much praise for Tunisians!?

So what began as an act of self-immolation mobilized a whole nation in days, resulting in the President of Tunisia fleeing.  All of the sudden North Africa seems to be gripped in chaos.  There have been demonstrations in Algeria and Egypt so far.  Moreover, many scholars of Iranian studies and pundits alike have already begun comparing Tunisia with the Green Movement of Iran.  Some have even gone to praise the Tunisian people for so called toppling their government so swiftly. 

But wait a minute.  There are more differences between the two countries than similarities.  Actually, Tunisia and Iran are both developing countries with authoritarian regimes with populations that are mostly Muslim.  And that is where the similarities end.  To use Tunisia as point of analysis does not make much sense. 

First, nothing has changed in Tunisia so far other than the President fleeing.  The people in power pretty much remain the same.  Tunisia still has the same Prime Minister and the acting President is the President of the Legislature.  The impact of President Ben Ali’s departure remains to be seen.  The Tunisians are at the beginning of the road.  They didn’t even topple their government.  They just forced the President to quit and flee.  So praising them for toppling a crumbling administration should be done with caution.  I applaud them for what they achieved and wish them the best, but the hardest part is yet to come.  The difficult task of reorganizing their government and political system will not be without setbacks.   

 

Second, there have been some suggestions that Tunisians are more politically advanced than Iranians and the leaders of the Green Movement.  I beg to differ.  Up until independence from French rule in 1957, Tunisia had a long history of foreign rule dating back to Romans.  More recently, they were conquered by Arabs, who changed their language to Arabic and brought Islam.  Since Independence, they have only had TWO presidents including Ben Ali.  They show no signs of political maturity.     

In contrast, Iran has a history of home rule that dates back to more than 2500 years.  While we were invaded and occupied by the Macedonians, Arabs, Moguls, and Afghans, we retained much of our identity including our language.  Our foreign rulers adopted aspects of our culture that they believed to be superior to theirs.  Macedonians adopted our system of appointing local rulers as satraps (governors) in order to better rule their subjects.  Arabs brought Islam to Iran.  I am not here to discuss the dynamics of the Arab conquest, but the Arab dynasties flourished culturally and scientifically because of Persian ingenuity and culture.  Moguls became Muslims after remaining Iran’s rulers for centuries and embraced our culture and literature.   

 

Additionally, over a century ago our forefathers drafted a constitution despite the difficulties.  We have had a functioning parliament -- more or less -- ever since.  Our despotic ruler modernized Iran and built a nation around a strong central government at a time when Iran was torn in bits and pieces.  We were the first country that nationalized its oil industry.  The Islamic revolution of 1979 became the greatest revolution of the last century.  Don’t get me wrong.  I am not here to defend it.  It has been a bitter experience and our people are still paying a heavy price for it.  But we have been forerunners of progress in our region.  Because of the Iranian experience with an Islamic government, intellectuals in the Islamic world are staying away from advocating such a system of government.  After 31 years, we have arrived at the Green Movement.  With all of our imperfections in the last 100 years or so, we have made progress through experimentation.  But we have done it in a very chaotic way, paying dearly and heavily every step of the way.  We have taken one step forward, two back, one forward again.  At times, we have moved sideways or have just madly spun until exhausted.  But to say that somehow we failed because we could not achieve what the Tunisian did recently is not only foolish.  It is flat out WRONG.  Think about it!

 

I am not here to offer a solution.  The matters of politics in Iran are very complicated.  The Green Movement has not been perfect.  However, contrary to most preceding movements in Iran it has decided to take the higher road and be nonviolent.  That's good enough for me -- for now.  While we could learn from the experiences of other movements, our solution relies within our own country and our own history.  And definitely not with Tunisia and Tunisians!

Going all the way

So Team Melli seemingly cruises to the quarter-final round of the 2011 Asian Nations Cup. After conceding an early goal to Iraq, our boys have not allowed a goal and have won all of their round robin matches – the only team to have achieved either feat. The next game against South Korea will be a classic, as it is considered by many to be the continent’s biggest rivalry dating back to 1970’s. This will be the fifth consecutive quarter-final game between the two giants in Asian Nations Cup with each winning two games – Iran in 1996 and 2004, South Korea in 2000 and 2007. Team Melli lost a heartbreaker in penalty kicks in 2007.

So in short not only this game is going to be a nail biter, it is perhaps the toughest hurdle in Team Melli’s quest to capture the continental cup. Other than South Korea, of the seven remaining teams only Japan and Australia pose a worrisome threat, both of which have been cited as the preferable choice for a quarter-final match by our Team Melli players. Our boys rather play the South Koreans in the final. I agree, but that is not to be. As it stands, it is Team Melli against South Korea 19:25 local time this Saturday.

But for now imagine this: Team Melli not only beats South Korea, but wins the next two games and becomes the continental champ for the first time since 1976! This is very probable, as we are quickly becoming one of the favorites by football pundits. Most Iranians today (at least 75% of them) were not even born in 1976 or are too young to remember. They are at least two generations removed. This is the continent’s biggest prize that has eluded us for 35 years.

What will happen if we win? Will the Iranians flood the streets in masses to celebrate? Will the government be able to claim the championship as its own? Will it want to do that? What will the security forces do? Will they crack down hard or join the celebrating crowds? We may find out around 9 P.M. on Saturday, January 29.

So I say to the Iranian nation that our players are individuals first and then the soul of our nation. They never have or will belong to any government. They are part of each and every single of us. So go out to the streets and celebrate. What will happen if we all go out like we did in 1997 after qualifying for World Cup 98? DON’T CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM. But for now don’t forget to cheer for Team Melli this Saturday.

Disclaimer: I am in no position to advocate for mass celebrations. My main concern is the safety of the people. With this note, I am just pondering.

Mousavi, Karroubi, and the Opposition in the Diaspora

This is an excellent article by Muhammad Sahimi on a close look at the criticisms voiced in the diaspora and the motivations behind them.  This article provides the most unbiased view of Mousavi.  A must read!

Nike: Just do it.

Ahmadinejad and Morales warming up before a footsal game

Pomegranate

I came across this video describing the wrong way to open a pomegranate. My grandmothers would be turning in their graves if they saw this. She destroys the poor fruit making it bleed, then puts it in the water to get the arils. I was horrified. What are you doing to our national fruit woman? You're killing it. After I posted it online, a friend posted this. Now this is the correct way to do this. Watch and enjoy. This guy needs to be given an award for this.

Speechless! بدون شرح

This day in Iranian history

August 5, 1906 - Official date of the royal proclamation by Mozaffar-e-Din Shah (Qajar monarch) for the formation of Majlis (Parliament) and the drafting of Constitution, finally paving the way for a constitutional monarchy after a hard-fought campaign by constitutionalists. Fast-forward exactly 103 years to August 5, 2009, an illegitimate President's inauguration in front of the same Parliament.

Have we digressed since 1906? Not exactly. We have actually made significant progress, moving one step forward and then sometimes couple of steps back. Or one step to the left and a couple to the right. The net result has been moving forward. We just always had to blaze our way through the path to reform, making mistakes along the way. That's all. Not perfect by any means, but effective nonetheless.

Constitutional monarchy, oil nationalization, 1953 coup d'etat, 1979 revolution, reform movement, June 12 coup d'etat,...

My thoughts او

I drafted this exactly a year ago after I read an article about Dr. Fatemi's letters from prison and his courageous spirit right before facing firing squad.

I thought it's fitting for these days.

اشکها جاری میشوند و گرچه بعد از مدتی خشک میشوند و شسته میشوند زخمی بر روی صورت به جای میگذراند. زخمی که با تکرار اشک ریختنها آنقدر کهنه و عمیق میشود که کم کم به استخوان میرسد. آنوقت است که در واقع نتیجه دیوانگیست! دیوانه وار به در و دیوار میزند. زمین و زمان را به آتش میکشد تا اینکه هستی را نابود کند

و

بالآخره نابود میکند. سکوت خرابی به او آرامش میدهد اما بعد از مدتی درد آن زخم کهنه برمیگردد. اشکها دوباره جاری میشوند و... و

آری. این است سرنوشت ملت ما و اگر کسی حتی بخواهد در مورد درمان این زخم صحبت کند نابودش خواهند کرد

دوشنبه، ٢٤ تیر ۱۳۸٧

Putting things in perspective

So today when the nurse was getting ready to put some iodine on my left arm to draw blood, she noticed some mosquito bites. Because of possible allergic reactions, she informed me that she'll have to draw blood from my right arm if I want to donate blood today. All of the sudden I became irritated and uneasy. Last time a nurse insisted on using a vain on my right arm, I ended up being in a lot of pain with no blood flowing into the tube while the nurse was constantly moving the needle looking for the vain. The result: a lot of pain and no gain at all. That stopped me from donating for over a year.

Suddenly, I came to my senses. So what if I experience discomfort? So what if the nurse tries my right arm and is unable to draw blood? This is nothing compared to what's happening back home. Nothing compared to the sacrifices my brothers and sisters are making these days. So I offered my right arm.

No, I did not feel like I was being heroic or anything. I also did not feel particularly ashamed of being irritated. I just put things in perspective...the best I can do these days.

Don't expect any posts for a while

I'm busy constantly monitoring the events in Iran on facebook...posting links and providing news updates!!!

Too busy monitoring what's going on!

My head is spinning. I'm shocked, numb, yet not really surprised. Hard to tell what's happening there right now, but something ain't right...worried about bloodshed...try to post links to reports that I find somewhat credible. Until now, I've been too busy and occupied trying to make sense of it all. We will never really find out exactly what happened!!!

Who will be Iran's next president? - my predictions

Iran's seventh president will not be elected today, because none of the four candidates will win a majority of votes, 50%+1.

President Ahmadinejad will win a plurality of votes only by virtue of being the incumbent. He will then be followed by Mousavi, Karroubi, and Rezaei.

Next Friday, Mousavi will beat Ahmadinejad in the runoff. It won't even be close.

What do y'all think?

One man's thoughts about the presidential elections in Iran

The following is a series of Facebook statuses from my childhood friend in Iran. He brings up valid points and makes the reader ponder even if you don't agree with him.

They start from May 30th and end today. His mind goes through a series of twists and turns. I find it very interesting! It's actually not as long as it looks.

Enjoy!

چرا کاندیداهای ما هرکدام یک رنگ از پرچم ایران را از بقیه جداکرده اند و آخری مشکی را ازکجا اضافه کرده است؟

به قرمز و زیبایی گل سرخ و توت فرنگی و سرخی لبان یار میاندیشم و احمدی نژاد و ... چهار سال دیگر؛ یک احمدی نژاد دیگر کافیست تا پایان همه کارها و راهها

کار ما شاید اینست .... که در افسون گل سرخ شناور باشیم

چرا وقتی میشه بعد از حد کثر 4 سال از شر خیلی چیزها راحت شد 20 سال صبر کنیم تا برسیم به چشم انداز! من بین بد و بدتر هیچکدوم رو انتخاب نمیکنم اما هرکسی بدتر رو انتخاب کنه باهوش تره؛

بنظرم احمدی نژاد مرديست كه برای گفتن حقايق اين دوران سی ساله از آبروی خودش هم مايه گذاشت و حتی آقای موسوی هم نتوانست پاسخ مناسبی در مقابل سوالات او ارائه دهد ولی در كل توجه دوستان را به تاييدات هردونفر به تمام بيكفايتيهای 30 سال گذشته جلب ميكنم! همه اين 4 نفر به نوعی از بيكفايتيهای خود و منش سياسيشان و همينطور 30 سال دروغگويی و دخالتهای ديكتاتور مآبانه آرمانگرايان و انقلابيون در قانون و حتی قوانينی كه خود وضع كردند

هيچكسی به اندازه احمدي نژاد از شجاعت بيان و جسارت گفتار در ميان دولنمردان گذشته تا كنون ايران ندارد؛ گو اينكه برخي دلايل و براهين ايشان ظاهرا كذب محض است ؛ اما در باطن نشان از اسراری دارد كه حقيقتا از نزديك آنها را لمس كرده ام هرچند مدركی براي اثبات آنها هم كسی نتواند ارائه دهد حقيقت حقيقت است و بهترين دليل همان وضعيت فعلی است؛ كه برايند اين سی سال حكومت بسته

اينكه احمدي نژاد و موسوی برای دفاع از خطاهای خود دخالت رهبری وقت خود را به عنوان شخصيت فراقانونی اعلام ميكردند مساله ايست كه نشاندهنده آلت دست بودن ريس جمهور است و نهايتا تداركاتچی

احمدي نژاد مساله اش دفاع از خودش بود در مقابل اتهامهايی كه كانديدای معرفی شده هاشمی رفسنجانی به او ودولت وارد كرده بود و بسيار هم هيجان زده بود و اين نشان از صداقت او دارد ؛ آقاي موسوی از ابتدا تمام سوالات احمدی نژاد را با وارد كردن اتهامهای مختلف بي پاسخ گذاشت و خونسردی او نشان از تعليم ديدن در مكتب رفسنجانی است يادمان باشد دروغگويان حرفه ای در خونسردی كامل بدون بروز دادن تلاطمات درونش دروغ را مثل راست بيان ميكند

در كل نمايش كمدی هيجان انگيزي بود كه ماهيت نظام را برملاكرد

هر كدام كه رئيس جمهور بشوند فرقی نميكند اگر بخواهند نظامشان بماند بايد اقتصاد بازار آزاد واقعی را راه اندازی كنند. لازم دارند اقتصاد آزاد را به سمت توليد و حمايت از توليدات صادراتی هدايت كنند چون ميزان استخراج نفت ما ديگر فقط صرف مصرف داخلی ميتواند بشود پس فرقی نميكند كدامشان بشود مجبورند برخلاف گذشته كه فقط فيلمش را بازی ميكردند مجبورند واقعا به آن بپردازند

به این فکر میکنم : احمدی نژاد با فاش کردن خلافهای دیگران تنها گذشته افراد را زیر سوال برد و عملکرد آنها را و نه دیکران؛ رضایی ، کروبی و موسوی با زیر سوال بردن احمدی نژاد و نسل جوان طرفدارش نه تنها اورا بلکه اهداف آموزشی انقلاب را که از ابتدا پیاده سازی کردند زیر سوال بردند! ممکن است بگویید دیگران هم نسل جوان بعد از انقلاب هستند اما واضح است هیچکدام از این دیگران در سالیان گذشته از آموزههای آنها طرفداری نمیکردند

مخالفان احمدی نژاد (کاندیداهای دیگر) مبانی اعتقادی خود را نفی میکنند زیرا آنچه احمدی نژاد کرده درسهایی است که پای منبر این آقایان فرامیگرفته ؛آنها گذشته خود و عملکرد خود را نفی میکنند همه میدانیم یک گزاره شرطی فقط در یک صورت همیشه صحیح است وقتی که قسمت اول گزاره همیشه نادرست باشد . آیا آنچه منجر به ظهور و بروز احمدی نژاد و انتخاب همفکران او شد ، عملکرد و آموزه های مسئولین پیش از او نبوده است!؟؟؟؟؟

همه کسانیکه احمدی نژاد را محکوم میکنند در اصل آیده آل ها و اهداف اسلام انقلابی و انقلاب امام خمینی را نفی میکنند ؛ نمیخواهم انقلاب را به نفع یک گروه خاص مصادره کنم ! نه اما بیایید صادق باشیم برایند آموزه های 24 ساله قبل از احمدی نژاد باعث شد تا مردم او را انتخاب کنند؛ اما نمیدانم چرا عوام که بسیار هم احساساتی هستند؛ فقط به احساس زمان حال خود فکر میکنند و نمیخواهند کمی هم به عواقب بعدی تصمیمات خود بیاندیشند؟؟؟؟!!!؟

می اندیشم برای اینکه غده سرطانی را از بدن بیرون آوریم نیاز به عمل جراحی داریم

آیا تا بحال فکر کرده اید چرا مردم به احمدی نژاد رای دادند 4 سال پیش؟ آنها از اصلاح طلب نما ها قهر کردند! چون آنها هم مثل احمدی نژاد بعد از انتخاب شدن آرای مردم را برای خودشان مصادره کردند و همه چیز را بین هم فکران خودشان تقسیم کردند؛ موسوی هم مستثنا نیست! بخصوص که ایده ای برای حمایت از نهادهای مدنی مستقل ندارد؛

شما بگویید با شرکت در انتخاباتی که نتیجه ای جز رشد طرفداران ایده آل های انقلاب ندارد بهتر نیست به کسی رای دهیم که جدی تر و سریعتر به سمت این ایده ها حرکت میکند؛ چرا میخواهید اینقدر به کندی و با اتلاف وقت انقلاب را پبگیری کنید؟احمدی نژاد از هر لحاظ کامل ترین شخص برای این مقصود است؛

با آسپیرین بچه ها نمیشود سرطان بدخیم را معالجه کرد؛ موسوی همین آسپیرین بچه هاست

معلومه که بیمار سرطانی از شیمی درمانی و جراحی خوشش نمیاد؛ جامعه ما هم از احمدی نژاد خوشش نمیاد!

من اصلا با انتخابات این جوری مخالفم ...!!! کجای حرفم طرفداری از احمدی نژاده .... اینکه سیاست یعنی حقه بازی

اصولا دجال دارای يك پيكر است با سر های بيشمار؛ هر كدام از اين سرها يك صدايي دارد كه سليقه يك عده اي را بيان ميكند و هيچكدام از اين سرها استقلال ندارند و برای يك بدن ارتزاق ميكنند

آيا به اين فكر كرده ايد : مير - حسين - موسوی ----- --------------------------باراك - حسين - اوباما

بنظرم اين حسين است كه ارزش دارد -نه موسوی نه اوباما

از دوشنبه تا حالا دارم فکر میکنم با این جمعیتی که توی خیابونها هستند خدا بخیر کنه ؛ الان وقت اغتشاش و حرج و مرج نیست ؛ به اندازه کافی همینطوری همه چی رو هوا هست!!!؛ بعضی ها منتظرن یکی از رو جوی آب بپره دنبالش

در یک انتخابات دموکراتیک پس از تایید صلاحیت نامزدها مراکز قدرت سعی در حذف دیگر کاندیدها نمیکنند : جمع کردن فتوای مراجع به عنوان این که پیروان آنها شخص را ترد کنند یا تکفیر کاندیدا خدشه دار کردن یک چهره هرچند چهره ای که مورد اقبال مردم نیست قبل از برگزاری انتخابات یعنی مراجعه نکردن به آرای مردم و این یعنی حذف رقیب با زور آقایان اگر داعیه دیکتاتور نبودن دارند ملاک رای مردم است ؛ امام معصوم به رای مردم احترام گذاشت

اگر انتخابات یعنی احترام به رای مردم دخالت آقای هاشمی یعنی توهین به شعور و اراده مردم درست این بود که اجازه میدادند مردم منتخب خود را با دادن رای خود اعلام میکردند ؛ هر چند که شخصا موسوی را بیشتر از بقیه برای اهداف خودم مناسب میدانستم و در کل تفاوتی بین این 4 نفر قایل نیستم ؛ اما آنهایی که دم از دین میزنند نباید مخالف خود را با روشهای غیر منصفانه از میدان خارج کنند ؛ این انتخابات غیر دموکراتیک است