New Website: FreeOurFriends.eu
It is almost a year since Iran detained my friends Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd (and their friend Josh).
It demonstrates just how empty the Iranian government’s claim to defend Palestinian rights really is.
Shane and Sarah – who were living in Yarmouk, a Palestinian refugee camp at the time – have done more for Palestinians and against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that pretty much every Arab and Iranian I know.
Continue reading ‘Why is Iran holding Pro-Palestinian activists?’
I’ve been in Syria for the past six weeks so haven’t been reading the Guardian (or writing on this blog).
However, I just came across a May 22nd copy of the Guardian on Indymedia, which to be frank, was shocking.
The headline of the article reads: Iran’s secret plan for summer offensive to force US out of Iraq.
At this point, you might think: interesting story. However, at the end of the first paragraph, Simon Tisdall reveals his sources, writing “US officials say”.
Wow. How terrible is that journalism? The headline is not even in quotation marks. You don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist to understand the skewed interests of ‘US officials’ and the likelihood of media manipulation.
Imagine if the Guardian broke a ‘story’ on its front page about US plans to carpet bomb Damascus, only to find out further down that their source was Iranian officials.
I must say I’m quite disappointed because I generally read the Guardian, although the Independent does have better Middle East coverage.
***
ps went to the Iranian Cultural Institute in Damascus the other day and was invited to a recital of Khomeini’s poetry. Would have been comedy. Happy 100th birthday AK.
A student at Amir Kabir University in Tehran holds up a piece of paper during a visit by President Ahmadinejad that says: “Fascist president, the Polytechnic is not your place”
Continue reading ‘Iranian Politics in the New Media Age’
December 13, 2006 in
Iran.
On 15 December, Iranians will go to the polls to elect members of their local councils and the Assembly of Experts. These elections will not lead to visible changes in the Iranian regime; however, they provide important information about the direction of Iranian politics.
Continue reading ‘Iranian Elections and Politics 2006′
In the past week, Mohammad Khatami and Jack Straw have both called for British citizens to prioritise their ‘Britishness’. Halfiranian asks why.
Last Wednesday night, I went to hear the ex-president of Iran, Mohammad Khatami, give a talk entitled ‘Tolerance, Moderation and the Dialogue of Civilizations’.
I wasn’t that interested in the subject of his talk, I was more excited to see what kind of man Khatami really is. Unlike the demonstrators outside Chatham House, who see him as just another mullah in a theocracy with blood and torture on its hands, I left the discussion with a positive impression of the guy.
Continue reading ‘Khatami and Straw on “Britishness”’
October 20, 2006 in
Iran.
One of my very good friends in Iran is helping to organise the fantastic 5th Tehran International Animation Festival 2007. In response to the kind invitations that have been sent to universities and organisations worldwide, one US animator sent this:
Karimi,
I am sorry, but I boycott anything that comes from any nation that fosters terrorism, contempt for human life and freedom, and lack of courtesy to your men and women. Why? If you really want to know, read on:
Continue reading ‘How not to build bridges…’
October 16, 2006 in
Iran.
Possibly. But not out of fear of an existential threat – as last Tuesday’s BBC documentary would have you believe. Israel’s real worry is that a stronger Iran will make it more difficult for Israel to force its agenda on the Palestinians, Hezbollah and Syria. Halfiranian argues, perhaps controversially, that by changing the balance of power in the Middle East Conflict, an Iranian bomb may increase the chance of peace in the region.
Continue reading ‘Will Israel bomb Iran?’
“Fashion”, Mohammed assured me, is what these haircuts are called in Farsi. Fortunately they’re not called “fashionable”, but it’s close enough to be worrying.
Continue reading ‘We don’t need no education…’
