Monthly Archives: January 2009

Turkey Doesn’t Deserve This

Posted on January 30, 2009 by Abbas Djavadi
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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s fiery exchange with Israeli President Shimon Peres on January 29 at the World Economic Forum in Davos may earn him votes in Turkey’s next municipal elections in March this year or sympathy on Arab … Continue reading →

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Don’t Rush to Judgements!

Posted on January 27, 2009 by Abbas Djavadi
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These pictures are quite popular in the West: Iranian women covered by a black veil, “chador,” as they call it, from head to feet, with only the noses visible and a glimpse of their faces and eyes. And the “burka” in … Continue reading →

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Threatening Ethnic Conflicts in Iraq, Turkey, Iran

Posted on January 25, 2009 by Abbas Djavadi
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Occasionally, I have heated discussions with my Turkish and Kurdish friends. Most of those from Iraq’s Kurdistan region, emboldened by the region’s semi-independence from Baghdad and its current relative stability, warn that it would declare independence if things fall apart … Continue reading →

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Leave the Dead in Peace!

Posted on January 24, 2009 by Abbas Djavadi
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South of Tehran, there is a cemetery called Khavaran with hundreds of individual and mass, unmarked graves. In the past, it was used as a graveyard for religious minorities such as Hindus, Christians, and recently Baha’is. Between August 1988 and … Continue reading →

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“Banu, Our Lady…”

Posted on January 23, 2009 by Abbas Djavadi
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Simin Behbahani, prominent Iranian poetess and women’s rights activist, received the “Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Women’s Freedom” in Paris on January 21. The prize recognizes the work and actions of individuals who contribute to the freedom of women around … Continue reading →

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The Specter of “Soft Overthrow”

Posted on January 22, 2009 by Abbas Djavadi
Alaei Brothers, Drs. Arash and Kamyar Alaei

A specter is haunting the Islamic Republic of Iran — the specter of “soft overthrow.” A week ago Iranian authorities announced that four individuals were soon to face a court process for plotting a “US-backed soft overthrow” attempt. Soon it … Continue reading →

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Thank You, America!

Posted on January 20, 2009 by Abbas Djavadi
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Could you imagine a Saudi Arabia where you have a parliament with elected representatives of the people elected by the people who select a government to run the country… with a king who just represents the country and keeps it … Continue reading →

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Past And Future And Our Region

Posted on January 19, 2009 by Abbas Djavadi
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“The Gaza conflict is a fitting end to the Bush presidency,” said Francis Fukuyama, author of The End of History, to Financial Times. “Israel is applying the original Bush doctrine in Gaza, which says that politics can be changed on … Continue reading →

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Gaza War Over: And Now The Results…

Posted on January 18, 2009 by Abbas Djavadi
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First the news: Israel declared a unileteral ceasefire in the Gaza strip on Sunday meant to end three devastating weeks of war against Hamas militants who have been shelling Israel with rockets. Hours after the truce, militant fired a volley … Continue reading →

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Baha’is Persecuted in Iran

Posted on January 15, 2009 by Abbas Djavadi
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This is actually “no news” for today’s Iran. Iranian human rights organizations report that last Wednesday security forces raided the homes of 10 Baha’i families in Tehran, confiscated religious books, documents, and computers; and arrested six people. One of them … Continue reading →

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Israelis and Turks — Far But Still Close

Posted on January 14, 2009 by Abbas Djavadi
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Israel waged the Gaza offensive to crush the extremist Hamas group that has been shelling Israel and acting as Iran’s “proxy.” One cannot avoid civilian casualties when the enemy has mixed with civilians in a densely populated small piece of … Continue reading →

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The Oriental Colors of Hypocricy And Double Standards

Posted on January 14, 2009 by Abbas Djavadi
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Last Tuesday two men were stoned to death in Mashad in north-eastern Iran. They were accused of having sexual relationship with married women. Iran’s Justice Authority says stoning and lashing are in accordance with the Islamic law, the Sharia. Thanks … Continue reading →

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Hellooo …, Anybody Listening?

Posted on January 11, 2009 by Abbas Djavadi
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On Friday, Human Rights Watch issued a report on the situation of the Kurds in Iran. The message is: The government of Iran should amend or abolish broadly worded national security laws used to stifle peaceful dissent in the country’s Kurdish areas … Continue reading →

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Would Disabling Hamas Benefit All?

Posted on January 10, 2009 by Abbas Djavadi
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Last week, a few dozen militant Iranian “students” staged a sit-in at the Tehran Airport, demanding to be sent to Gaza to fight along with Hamas against Israel. OK, nobody asked how they wanted to fly to Gaza while the Yassir … Continue reading →

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Shirin Ebadi for President!

Posted on January 8, 2009 by Abbas Djavadi
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Why Not? She is a citizen of the Islamic Republic of Iran, an accomplished Iranian lawyer. She has defended people regardless of their social class and wealth, loyalty to the government or political tendencies, their religion, and sex. She has … Continue reading →

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How Much Does An Iranian Worker Earn?

Posted on January 7, 2009 by Abbas Djavadi
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Approximately 200,000 tuman, means 200 dollars. The poverty line is at 500,000 a month. Mehrangiz, the wife of a worker from Ahwaz tells RFE/RL’s Radio Farda: “My husband earns 220,000 tuman ($220) at best while our monthly rent is 150,000.” … Continue reading →

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The Ashura: Back Then and Now

Posted on January 6, 2009 by Abbas Djavadi
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Today is Ashura, the 10th day of the month Moharram of the Islamic calendar, the day of martyrdom of Imam Hossein, the Prophet Mohammad’s grandson, in the year 61 of Hijra (AD 680). I grew up in a very traditional … Continue reading →

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A Radio for Iran’s “Tomorrow”

Posted on January 6, 2009 by Abbas Djavadi
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“It seems Ahmadinejad should better be the president of Palestine or Lebanon and not of Iran,” reads an SMS message from Koorosh in the southern Iranian city of Kerman. A phone message from Ahmad in Teheran counters: “Give Mr. Ahmadinejad … Continue reading →

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Iranian Reflections on Gaza, Hamas

Posted on January 6, 2009 by Abbas Djavadi
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Forget about all the fiery speeches at Teheran’s Friday prayers and the headlines of the daily Kayhan: “Hamas will win at last!” And Ali Larijani, speaker of the Iranian parliament says: “Israel started the war, but they won’t be those … Continue reading →

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Gaza: Oiling the Wheels of Conflict, Hate

Posted on January 5, 2009 by Abbas Djavadi
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How did it start? The easy answer is that Hamas last month decided not to extend a truce with the Israelis and resumed firing random rockets from Gaza into southern Israel. In turn, Israel launched a week of air strikes … Continue reading →

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