I am in the process of preparing a post on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to US - specifically his talk at the Columbia University.

 In the meantime, enjoy these clips: Matt Lauer spends some time trying to get a sense for "real" Iran. If you have missed it here are the four sections on Youtube.

Matt Lauer in Tehran 1 of 4, 2 of 4, 3 of 4, 4 of 4.

  why do you call yourselves persian sometimes?
what is the difference?
are you persian?
where is persia?
do you speak persian or iranian?
what is farsi? 

my friends from iran can relate - you must have been asked these questions or similar many times - i am going to tell you now what i think the answers to these questions are. please feel free to challenge me.

iran became "iran" when during the reign of reza Shah, father of the former shah of iran the name changed from "persia" to iran in 1935. Here is a more detailed article: "a brief history of names, by fouad kazem". Although I agree with certain historical facts in the article, there are certain points that kazem and I do not agree on. Namely the word farsi.

when i first left iran, anyone who asked me where i was from i said i was from "persia" so i could distance myself as much as possible from the craziness that i had left behind. i was correct to assume that iran only meant extremism, terrorism, hostage taking, war, wife beating, backwardness and in one word: trouble.

slowly, specially over the years once i began to come to terms with myself, and my past and my heritage, i began to wonder why i should run where i can confront.

now i openly speak farsi with my children in public, i try to make eye contact with other iranians i meet specially those clearly visiting from iran or who are new comers, and i welcome any questions i get from anyone that wonders "just what the hell is that language i am using ... that sounds like french but isn't ..."

this is what makes sense to me:

persia was the old name. it changed in mid thirties. whom ever uses it now is to distances him/herself from today's political landscape of iran and to show their affiliations. persians are a race like those who migrated to india centuries ago and now are known as parsi people. iran is a country of many races living in harmony and relative tolerance with each other: kurds, turks, afghans, arabs, turkmans, ghashghayees, baloochis, gilanis, etc ... and of course parsis. they all make up what is today known as iran. farsi is the name of our language that is the official language of iran. however, other iranian nationalities each have their own dialect. in general everyone lives under the flag of iran in harmony.

i have to admit though, it is so much more pleasant to say "i am persian", because sometimes i like the idea of being associated with romantic images of scheherazade telling stories and reciting hafez while reclining on a fine persian carpet, drinking shiraz and stroking a persian cat.

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a little clip on youtube - talended maz jobrani - on iranians, arabs and persians - and now that you are at it, here is another one.

I try to stir away from politics on this site. At least I try my hardest to represent two sides of each story. After all, Iran's government in its present form would not have survived this long had it not have its supporters ... till now. this time things are hitting home a little too close.

In June 2006, following a peaceful demonstration in Iran on women's rights, several women and organizers were arrested and charged with various crimes. This tid bit of news is not in itself that significant only because this has been going on seemingly for ever in Iran.

The next day pictures surfaced showing these women being attacked by police women armed with batons, pepper spray and cameras. And perhaps it was the mark of a slow news day. Pictures were published - of all places - in Metro News, Vancouver edition. A daily scrappy newspaper, featuring local news, advertising and limited international news.

We were shocked to see the photos and quickly the shock turned to horror as we recognized Delaram among the faces. Delaram Ali, a passionate social worker and women rights activist - she is family. This time this was personal.

I had to think hard about what I was going to write on the subject matter. I wasn't sure if I was ready to break my own rule and write about Delaram and my opinions so I decided to take a more indirect road.

So, in March 2007 I wrote an article, translating a blog written by a friend of several activitst who were arrested while participating in peacful demonstrations on women's rights issues. I will update the link to that article once I can relocate it. At the moment it seems to have been "misplaced".  

Earlier this month Delaram's sentence was handed to her to dismay and disbelief of everyone, including her high profile lawyer, Shirin Ebadi ... Remember her? 

What is most frustrating about this whole affair is that even though appeals are planned, even though Groups in Orkut have been formed and even though letters have started to be written on her behalf, she is only one of many. My heart is breaking, thinking of her unjust and unfair sentence, considering what a wonderful human being Delaram is. She most likely will end up having to go to jail,  in a common ward among hard core criminals.  I have lost count of how many similar cases I have heard of, of those who have been forever changed and broken because they have had to experience the notorious Evin Prison and its brutal guards.

Read on. At least be informed of what is going on. Perhaps knowing is half the battle. Scilence is the posion that lightens the hand of the enemy.

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Delaram's website: Has several English links and articles.

Iranians for human rights and democracy - outlines the history of this particular incident and other activists who are in the same boat.

Rooz (day) newspaper has interviewed Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh, a women’s movement activist on reasons behind the harsh sentences.

Lady sun also writes on the subject in English. Some history and latest news. In fact, I liked her writings so much I am pasting one rigth here. I wish I had said it first. :)

<< Lady sun (khorshid Khanoom) >>
<< June 11, 2006 >> 

Silence is the worst

i have been writing this blog for well over three years. i have had many people ask me why. often readers, friends and acquaintances wonder why do i bother? perhaps it is interesting to note that i have never been asked this question from an iranian. they all seem to get it instantly!

recently i had a request for an interview by an american journalism student who is writing a paper on bloggers who write about iran. this is the most up-to-date compilation of "why i do what i do". i have posted them bellow ... and now you know why. :)

-------------------------------- >>  | email interview by nathan martin, February 24th, 2007 |

I would write about the passions Iranians everywhere and every age have about Iran and the intense love and devotion they feel toward this amazing country. Their devotion and their intense interest in Iran are relentless, no matter where they live. True change will only happen through these committed Iranians. So, I would ask for HANDS TO STAY OFF OF IRAN. To let Iranians do what they will eventually do their own way. This is our dark age. The West had it and now it’s our turn. Religion and culture are extensively intertwined in every level of Iranian society. For it to finally become a personal matter and be separated from state, it takes many years and many generations. Sadly it is this time and this generation who has to live it but the future of Iran will not be the same. The west had its enlightenment and its renaissance. Iran will have it too, only if it is allowed to run its course and come to it when it is good and ready.

no iranian blog seems to be complete without a post like this!

the movie, "not without my daughter" has been a constant thorn in the side of every iranian who i have talked to. a quick search on google will take to many discussion forums that endlessly debate the movie and its merits or lack there of.

for years, i fumed over the idea of this movie, over the quotes and snippets of it that was described to me, over sally field being the lead actress (who i happen to enjoy in "norma rae"). i also have a side connection to this movie because i know dr. bozorg mahmoody, the husband. well not personally, no i don't know him but he is the uncle of a close friend and we have been hearing his side of the story for years - how much he feels misrepresented, how much he misses his daughter, how he suffers from depression over the way things have turned out in his life and so on and so on. not having met him, i can only go by the descriptions of my friend who describes his uncle as a gentle and kind man who would never do the things he was portrayed as doing in the movie.

fast forward to two nights ago, the movie, t h e movie, was shown on TV, an american channel. at first, i had the familiar misgivings about the timing of the movie. more than anything, being an old movie of 1991, why would a TV station choose to show it unless they would think that they would in fact get an audience for it. the timing clearly could not be denied as war of words heat up between iran and US.

but - i have never seen the movie so i sat through it. my emotions ran hight: moving from surprised laughter to sadness to anger and finally to the surprising and perhaps a bit annoying realization that this movie could in fact be telling a true story. bear in mind, that i am not talking about the particulars of this movie and not about whether or not her story is true. the details however, were shockingly too familiar.

as a kid, i did witness a sheep slaughtered and i was just as traumatized by it as mahtob (their daughter) was. i know many women who have chosen to stay in loveless and sometimes abusive marriages because they know their children would go to the father automatically. i know of smothering and demanding mother-in-laws, of intensely patriarchal families and iranian husbands who do in fact demand to be served and catered to on every level and who have very specific expectations from their wives.  perhaps redundant if i were to point out that these issues are not unique to iran. however because we iranians get so very few representations of ourselves in the media, because we so desperately yearn to "enlighten the world" about the true iran, then we find offense in a movie that could be quite true but is sadly the only well known example of iranian society.

which brings me to my main point. i have been hoping i would be able to watch the documentary which rageh omaar of BBC made earlier this year. i was so happy to see that the full version of the rageh's work is now online and how lucky to have now the other side too to look at and perhaps have a better understanding of this complex society. i watched it, glued to the screen and felt that it was quite excellent. i urge you strongly to watch it and send the links to your friends - specially those who have seen only "not without my daughter".

i must have taken it for granted all those years. every party we were invited to, the food was simply divine. everybody's mom was a fabulous cook. there was no shortage of things to nibble on with each season. fruit was available seasonally and the they were fresh, flavourful and plenty to be had.

i must have forgotten it all because when i went back to iran after 8 years - my first visit back - the taste of my first tomato almost made me dizzy. the burst of flavour in my mouth was blinding to the point of discomfort even. and then once the initial shock wore off (quite quickly i might add!) then there was no stopping me. everything had a new look, new flavour, new aroma, new colour. never mind i had grown up on these stuff all my life.  NO FOOD was without taste in iran.  how i have survived on cardboard flavoured meals since leaving home is beyond me. :)

how could i not laugh out loud once i read farah ravon's little intro to her wonderful photo essay? it is my story too. hope you enjoy the images. i wish somehow the technology was there so i could pass along the aromas too ...

i know m. very well. beside her being a relative, she has also become a close friend over the years. i have been with her through a lot of issues in her life including her struggles for earning a living as a single mother in iran. she always liked sewing and it was always her dream to one day start her own sewing school. she passed her courses and her certification with flying colours, earning various awards for her hard work and dedication. she was poised to start her school for young women who wanted to learn how to sew.

her challenges were numerous: finding start-up capital, people to hire, convincing her parents, obtaining a business license, picking a name that would not offend any religious or political factions in iran, bribing all the right officials, finding a suitable location, finding students, getting officially recognized by the ministry for higher eduction as someone qualified to award certificates to her graduates and so on and on and on ....

i would like to talk about one of these challenges in particular - finding a location, because this one sure surprised me the most. apparently in iran, if you are about to open a business that caters to women only like a hairdressing salon or fitness center or a school as in this case, then you will have to jump through so many hoops that its a wonder how so many of these establishments ever get to operate.

she had to find a location that was not street level, did not have view from outside, all windows needed to be painted black so students would not be looked at from neighboring apartments. the adjacent businesses were also as important: not near a school specially one for boys only* (in iran, all schools are segregated), not near a shopping promenade where there is too much foot traffic, not in a shopping mall, not in a business building unless entry and exit points could be controlled strictly and so on and so forth. Whenever I would hear of her woes in being turned down for another suitable location which has taken her weeks to find I would listen patiently, and shake my head from wonder and admiration for her tenacity.

she did finally find a place that magically seemed to fit the bill, managing to not only please the authorities, but to appease the minds of restrict husbands and fathers who would pay for their wives and daughters to attend the school.

where you ask? a building that was attached to a privately owned mosque in their neighborhood. 

after that, it didn't take long for her to set up shop and the rest was quite easy really: every necessary mustache was greased* (persian saying, meaning bribing someone), minimum equipment was purchased and true to the famous mantra, she built it and they came - in hordes in fact, so much so that she quickly had to add more and more classes, both morning and afternoon and offer classes 6 days a week.

through-out her years of staying at that location, she had no shortage of surprise visits from this inspector and that, often when a new one would take over from the old, the new inspector would come for a filling of her own pocket and they were always women inspectors of course.

no business in iran that wants to survive, do well and prosper can do this without all kinds of "gifts" to those in charge and sometimes to those who imagine themselves in charge* (bureaucracy in iran is often a very complicated labyrinth with endless steps and approval stamps you need to acquire from anyone who can possibly have a say in that matter).

About a year ago, she went through the EXACT same ordeal to find a bigger and better location because she simply did not have enough room for all her students, work tables, sewing machines and the rest.

i said all this to build you up for what i am about to say: about a couple of months ago she was officially informed that this second location is simply not suitable. her father, frustrated by the system frantically called around to see who was not bribed enough, and how could they get around this new hurdle. usually notices of this kind have been verbal and there were clear requests for money but this time things were official and the notice came without warning. the official reason was that the location was simply too "posh". who knows what that means.

the make the story short, it took tremendous love and tenacity of her fathers part to make it all work out for her. she is still in the same location but every day something new can happen. in iran, everybody who can will have a hand in your pocket. those with connections, and money to burn sail through the established order, playing the game. those without connections, money or willingness to play by the rules are punished with constant harassment and one stumbling block after another. i repeat myself: in situations like this i am often left in awe and wonder at how these kinds of people, specially women are still able to make something of themselves in today's iran.

iran is truly a land of contradictions. unlike so many other countries believed to have democratic countries, in iran, you can actually be somebody if you work hard enough. even if you are a woman - till your money runs out or you just die away from exhaustion. :)