tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3319141540527260952024-03-19T17:56:07.135-05:00YazmaA blog about Iran, Muslim women, Turkey and the EU and Islamsaidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-87705591078454905872012-03-01T00:05:00.003-06:002012-03-25T13:41:09.711-05:00Today Was the New York Times day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYz9d-c0ENtsWBsQ8Kdg2lNVRRAu3kSSTyoRwW2AIfSl-yrXbT66YPygu2x8D02IYQ514Ph4XDTiH68BG3CDbVAujrrg5A8HqxyUgfzFTFREt3DyBZ7t8q4ztMkU7g0z8S2HIEmpr00Rz/s1600/IMG_0045%255B1%255D.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714806917395603938" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYz9d-c0ENtsWBsQ8Kdg2lNVRRAu3kSSTyoRwW2AIfSl-yrXbT66YPygu2x8D02IYQ514Ph4XDTiH68BG3CDbVAujrrg5A8HqxyUgfzFTFREt3DyBZ7t8q4ztMkU7g0z8S2HIEmpr00Rz/s200/IMG_0045%255B1%255D.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7X-zvDjKAelsPfxIT38Spd6dIGj-To14a9MvehIZsmdXUgrNJv8fVQxT1PfcSL7QTgnQqmQNxknUP7hBr5ZkGARM2zsGUGcaJVcHIJll27b0ie0i-4CA9LGkG3qow2z1KCf5F1oVKG0x/s1600/IMG_0043%255B1%255D.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714806461969551922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7X-zvDjKAelsPfxIT38Spd6dIGj-To14a9MvehIZsmdXUgrNJv8fVQxT1PfcSL7QTgnQqmQNxknUP7hBr5ZkGARM2zsGUGcaJVcHIJll27b0ie0i-4CA9LGkG3qow2z1KCf5F1oVKG0x/s200/IMG_0043%255B1%255D.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Today was the<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/"> <i>New York Times</i></a> day. I had to read the paper. I had to start my day with pouring words into my brain, my soul, my being. I was starving. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Yet, stupidly enough, I knew I was going to be very angry and disappointed by reading news about my beloved Iran. But could I stop my desire to read today’s paper? Absolutely not. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But, where I live,<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/"> <i>New York Time</i></a> is not a common commodity. The only place I usually get my NYT is Starbucks on the State Street in Madison, Wisconsin.. Madison is a tiny political, liberal town in the north of Midwest. In order to get my NYT, I had to walk less than a mile, about 25 minutes, to get myself into the State Street. Yet, I wasn’t sure whether they still have the NYT at that time of the morning. Oh, bummer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> I asked, either helplessly, from the beautiful short-hair blonde girl who was making my soy-late at the<a href="http://www.aldoscafemadison.com/"> Aldo’s Café i</a>n Discovery building that whether she knew any newsstand around there. “I want the New York Times,” I said. A woman who was close enough to hear our conversation said there were a few newspaper kiosk by the bus station on the other side of the street. “But she is looking for <i>New York Times</i>,” the blonde girl said. “Oh, I do not know about that one,” the woman said. I smiled and thanked her anyway. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By that time, my coffee was ready. I picked it up and walked through the exit door. Before reaching the door, I saw a paper on a table. It was obvious that someone had left it there for the next person to read. I went closer. It was the beloved <i>New York Times</i> on a table, unattended. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I grabbed the paper. Then I looked behind. The woman was looking at me, she was smiling. I smiled back and left. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The big picture of Mit Romney, in his jean pants, smiling at the crowd didn’t caught my attention as much as the word “Iran” on the front page, right beneath Romney’s pic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I started reading the report. I was through the second paragraph where I<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/29/world/middleeast/us-sees-iran-attacks-as-likely-if-israel-strikes.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=iran&st=cse"> put the paper down and started breathing fast and heavy</a>. I was furious and extremely angry. “In what way a nation can allow itself to attack another nation with a false and baseless accusations? what the Israelis think? Whey there is no one to stop them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But, I suppressed my anger and started reading the rest of the article. I was able to manage to finish the report. Well, at the end I liked the authors approached, and I liked the people they picked to interview. I knew Vali Nasr and Karim Sadjadpour. I have interviewed Nasr myself. And I heard Sadjadpour’s reports on Iran on NPR. Yet, I was still angry after reading the article. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I was thinking about my cousins in Iran. I was thinking about my 7-foot cousin, Ali, in Tehran, or about my newly-married brother. I was thinking about Maryam, my aunt, and Mahsa, my other cousin. “What happen to them if Israel attack Iran?” I thought. “Will they be killed?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I was breathless again. I was at the verge of cry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I collected my stuff including my Starbucks mug and left the building. I needed a fresh air. I needed cold air, and boy, we have plenty in Madison. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I walked for more than half an hour until I felt I was calmer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I reviewed the situation in my head. I kept asking what do Israelis lose if Iran acquires nuclear weapons. Why are they so afraid? What Netanyahu tries to achieve by convincing Obama in his next Monday visit to attack Iran? Why is he so determine?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Israel is the lonely wolf in the ocean of enemies. It is a tiny country at the heart of the Middle East where every other Arab nation despises them, even though if the Gulf nations have diplomatic relationships with Israelis, they view themselves as bastards who turned their back to their Palestinian brothers. They feel aweful about themselves, and they despise Israel for making them to feel that way. Jewish people feel they are not welcome there. They live in the stage of constant fear and retaliation from their neighbors. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">And now, by the unrest in Egypt and Syeria, Israelis feel that they are more vulnerable and “unwelcomed” than ever. The Muslim brotherhood is distributing anti-semitism resentment against them, and they are paralyzed by the fear of having Nuke Iran. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The questions are, can a nation punish another nation for what they haven’t done yet? Didn’t we, in the US, humiliated ourselves for not being able to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? Can we learn from our mistakes? Do we understand that Iran is not Iraq, neither she is Hisbollah nor Afghanistan? Have Netanyahu ever estimated, or underestimated the power of Iranian-American in the US? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-50770161355587798222012-01-25T12:39:00.003-06:002012-01-25T12:50:14.351-06:00The Breast<a href="http://files.dailycontributor.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/golshifteh-farahani-topless.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 370px; height: 277px;" src="http://files.dailycontributor.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/golshifteh-farahani-topless.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">An artist’s body, in the cinema business, is considered an art piece. Many actors and actresses, consciously or unconsciously, treat their body as an art piece. They try to display the most pleasant and beautiful art work to their audiences. For that matter, Golshifteh Farahani’s body, as an artist and a movie star, fits in the same category, an art work that needs to be displayed and appreciated. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">But the controversy over<a href="http://www.teluguone.com/tmdbuserfiles/Untitled-1(27).jpg"> Ms Farahani's one naked breast</a>, since she is showing only one of her beautiful breasts to the visual-oriented Western audience in a French magazine, has created such a buzz. Why? Because she is a Muslim; or better to say she is from a Muslim-majority country. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">The questions are that didn’t she know what she was doing when she posed in front of the camera? didn’t she know she might create a loud noise in Iran? <a href="http://jkalternativeviewpoint.com/jkalternate/?p=2294">Didn’t she know that the Iranian officials will try to sabotage her effort and ruin her reputation in Iran</a>? Didn’t she know that she might be abandoned to go back to Iran to visit her family, if she hadn’t been already abandoned, after showing her naked breast? <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">I bet she has done many of these calculations before posing in front of the French camera. But why did she takesuch a drastic dicision? <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">In the job market, each profession dictates its own rules to the people who want to consider professionals in a particular job. In the world of cinema, an artist must have a beautiful body. To define beauty in this job market is a different matter altogether. But a cinema artist must fit in accepted category of being beautiful in the eyes of cinema critics. If s/he doesn’t fit in this category, there is a little chance to be called “a professional.” One of the rules that the cinema business dictates to its professional performers is to be nakedly beautiful. Ms. Farahani has dared to successfully fit herself in this category. <o:p></o:p></span></p>saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-35917470054935641862011-12-13T21:16:00.010-06:002011-12-13T22:05:12.892-06:00Saudi Arabia Women Cannot Drive<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm4hDJ245fyeYiMYwJG5RmgWEYySLKslq7ZIKlfp30QnBKx4_-ioLNKdpzvEoOuzpdUtSxwqftUBMVA9yiuvbaXxKvDobfUc9JSMP6VjXlo2wVyttyRuLFNbINjZweRfjjyAZS_UvE1xsc/s1600/asifa+3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 220px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm4hDJ245fyeYiMYwJG5RmgWEYySLKslq7ZIKlfp30QnBKx4_-ioLNKdpzvEoOuzpdUtSxwqftUBMVA9yiuvbaXxKvDobfUc9JSMP6VjXlo2wVyttyRuLFNbINjZweRfjjyAZS_UvE1xsc/s200/asifa+3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685823422664362450" /></a><div><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">I published this article on <a href="http://www.bestthinking.com/articles/politics_government/legislation/national_legislation/women-cannot-drive-in-saudi-arabia">Bestthinking.com</a></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">The Saudi regime is giving conflicting messages about its intention to expand women’s rights in the country.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">In September, King Abdullah, 87-year-old Saudi monarch, surprised his ultraconservative nation by announcing that for the first time women have the right to vote, run for local office and serve on the all-male Shura Council.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">But two days later, a Saudi court sentenced Shaima Jastina, a 30-year-old mother, to 10 lashes for defying the kingdom’s ban on women driving. The sentence was removed by the king a few days later.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Such contradictory stances lead to hope, fear and frustration. However, the recent Arab uprising in the Middle East encouraged women in Saudi Arabia to ask for more rights from their government, especially concerning women’s driving. <a href="http://www.bestthinking.com/articles/politics_government/legislation/national_legislation/women-cannot-drive-in-saudi-arabia">Read more....</a></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">The photo: <a href="http://www.law.wisc.edu/profiles/aquraishi@wisc.edu">Asifa Quraishi</a>, Islamic Law professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. (all rights reserved)</p></div>saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-89524987404143227242011-12-12T09:54:00.005-06:002011-12-12T10:07:23.411-06:00Iranian-American Must Understand How to Talk with Law Enforcements<a href="http://www.niacouncil.org/images/content/pagebuilder/Ferrari_photo.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 233px;" src="http://www.niacouncil.org/images/content/pagebuilder/Ferrari_photo.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px; ">I met Erich Ferrari in the National Iranian American Council, or <a href="http://www.niacouncil.org/site/PageServer?pagename=NIAC_index">NIAC</a>, conference in Washington DC last October. <a href="http://www.niacouncil.org/site/PageNavigator/About/LeadershipConference.html">NIAC organized the conference</a> to talk about the US policy to impose more sanctions against Iran. Ferrari was one of the speakers in that conference. He talked about the sanction against Iran from a financial perspective. I interviewed Ferrari and asked him about his views on new sanctions. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px; "> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px; ">This conversation is especially important because the US is moving towards finalizing its decision to impose sanctions on Iran’s <a href="http://www.cbi.ir/default_en.aspx">Central Bank</a> and Oil industry.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:red">Why imposing sanctions on Iran’s financial system is important for Iranian-Americans?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Many people in the US, who just receive the money from Iran, are the beneficiaries of the transaction coming from Iran. Sometimes those transactions are authorized by a US financial institution, and sometimes they are not. When some of the “unauthorized” transactions come to the FBI’s agent’s attention, or a bank’s attention, they review the paperwork related to the money. However, they do not seek or question the intention behind the money transaction. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">So a lot of Iranian-American people are under investigation for these sanctions violations. These are not really violations but the government has to investigate before coming to understanding that they are not really a violation. This is one of the biggest legal obstacles that face the Iranian-American community right now. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:red">Why do the Iranian-Americans under investigation?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">From my perspective, these people would not get into trouble if they knew that what they did was actually the act of violation. The burden and stress of undergoing the federal criminal investigation is very big. And at that point, they believe that the FBI may well charge them. This devastates families. It is a huge drain because they have to pay for a lawyer, and etc. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">I have seen that tares a family apart, hurt marriages, their relationships with the children, because now you have an FBI knocking at your door, … the FBI agents have asked clients, in certain cases, to put on a wire and go to parties, and ask those to do some sort of business in Iran because they are trying to catch somebody. That is just a very stressful situation to put somebody in, particularly Iranian-Americans. I have seen that they do not have a prior experience with legal law enforcement and these kinds of legal issues. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:red">Can you give me an example?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">My client fell hard on financial times, they ask their father in Iran to send them money to pay their bills. The father in Iran is an older gentleman, about 85 years old. The father has never been outside Iran. He gave the money to a family friend. He said I know you are going to America soon, can you give this money to my daughter. So the family friend took the money and put it into his business account in Dubai. Then he transferred the money into a bank to the United States. In the US, the friend wrote checks from the bank account and gave it to the family. The people at the bank saw this is coming in and going out to these people. They reported it. So the next thing the family know, they saw FBI knocking on their door. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">The FBI agents asked the family where the money came from. The family gave the name of the person, and informed the agents that the money came from Iran. Next think they knew, they violated the law and they have to pay the price and/ or go to jail. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">I had to fly out to Los Angeles to sit in with the prosecutors and FBI agents. These people were just grilling my clients. In a session, the client literarily broke down in tears and said they had never done anything wrong in their life, they have always told their kids to do right things. So the FBI agent says that may be they should tell their kids do not get money from Iran. Without understanding that the money the family is getting is authorized under the law. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">I do not expect the FBI agent to be prosecutors and I cannot expect the prosecutors will be well-versed in every area of law, especially when it is as complicated as this. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:red">What should the Iranian-American individuals do to prevent such unfortunate circumstances?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Through Iranian-American bar association or on my own law firm, I have been trying to educate people of what the law says and how to communicate with the legal law enforcements, with the policy makers so that this kind of unfortunate situation are less likely happen. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">I think it really fall on us, as Iranian-Americans to understand what the law says and to be able to communicate that when this kind of scenarios arise. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:red">Is there any solution?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">I think there should be a direct bank to bank relationship with a private Iranian bank in the United States for the authorized transactions. I think they [government] should say that we know this bank in Iran is a private bank, any transaction, that has been authorized, would be allowed to take place between any US bank and this particular bank, and subject that bank to reporting requirements. And for those transaction that we do impose sanction upon, we should form a channel directly between one Iranian bank and the United States so that fund can flew back and forth. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";color:red">Why the US should care to put forward regulations for money transactions between Iran and the US?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">When the money flew here, it will benefit the US economy. Unnecessary prohibition should be thrown out for the sake of US economy. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-71135257904488371602011-12-08T11:56:00.003-06:002011-12-08T12:00:47.347-06:00Iran's Nuclear Program: A History of International Support and SanctionsKate Prengaman, my classmate and colleague at the U.W. J-school, and I published the below article at <a href="Iran's Nuclear Program: A History of International Support and Sanctions">Best Thinking website</a>. Please give me your opinion about this. <div><br /></div><div><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">On December 1, the U.S. Senate passed a bill authorizing sanctions against Iran’s Central Bank, responding to a climate of increased international concern about Iran’s nuclear activity. The Obama administration does not support the measure, arguing that sufficient sanctions are already in place and that new measures could cause steep global increases in the price of oil.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">The United Nations nuclear watchdog passed a resolution expressing its “deep and increasing concern” over Iran’s nuclear program on November 18. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) asked Tehran to address pressing questions about its nuclear capabilities. In response to this new evidence, the international community is deciding how to impose new sanctions on Iran’s financial and energy sectors.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">In response to the U.N. resolution, the U.S. Press Secretary said that “for years, Iran has sought to defend its growing uranium enrichment program on the pretense that it was solely intended to fuel a civilian nuclear energy program. Yet the Director General’s report and today’s action by the Board of Governors expose once and for all the hollowness of Iran’s claims, and reinforce the world’s demands that Iran come clean and live up to its international obligations.”</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">In the statement, the Press Secretary called for “broad international coalition to pressure and isolate the Iranian regime, including through an unprecedented sanctions regime” However, Reza Marashi, director of research on the National Iranian-American Council, points out that there is a limit to the number of sanctions that the United States and its allies can implement.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">“They cannot really do many more of those sanctions because sanctioning oil and gas or sanctioning Iran’s Central Bank would actually have negative effects on the American own economy and global economy,” Marashi said.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><a href="http://www.bestthinking.com/articles/politics_government/international_politics/middle_eastern_politics/iran-s-nuclear-program-a-history-of-international-support-and-sanctions">Read more... </a></p></div>saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-88045739105110234292011-12-03T20:28:00.008-06:002011-12-03T21:44:37.991-06:00I am from the axis of evil<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAZtbEMncBbIZohJFwzqazAr4paq2zlEW8KFIl8pn_zZQxswaJWEh7nruGlnvSpfOQgcZTzQ6gwyfk9lRSdM4FeaYPZ0zq_O3uqMl-cbX543Yjm4fxxb1q3lFimEfWkqn8bB632ZtMt51/s1600/bush+2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 138px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAZtbEMncBbIZohJFwzqazAr4paq2zlEW8KFIl8pn_zZQxswaJWEh7nruGlnvSpfOQgcZTzQ6gwyfk9lRSdM4FeaYPZ0zq_O3uqMl-cbX543Yjm4fxxb1q3lFimEfWkqn8bB632ZtMt51/s200/bush+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682113638477815826" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">There is one single question that I hate to be asked. The question that I often get to ask: as soon as I open my mouth, EVERYBODY would ask “that question.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">“</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: blue; "><a href="http://articles.cnn.com/2010-04-05/opinion/bayoumi.who.am.i_1_qaeda-al-qaeda-american-muslims?_s=PM:OPINION">WHERE are YOU FROM</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><a href="http://articles.cnn.com/2010-04-05/opinion/bayoumi.who.am.i_1_qaeda-al-qaeda-american-muslims?_s=PM:OPINION">?</a>”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">Almost everybody except one beautiful blond woman asked me the question.</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">Almost a year ago, we were at this professor’s mansion for a Christmas party. There were more than 200 people in this party, mostly psychiatrists and physicians. I was in the food line, so hungry, and couldn’t wait to reach the food. A tall blond woman in front of my started talking with me.</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">It was about 15 minutes into our conversation, and she hadn’t asked the damn question. I eventually started thinking to myself “there is something wrong with this woman. Why hasn’t she asked me ‘the question.’”</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">Right at the end of the line, Sid, my husband, came to me with a woman and he said he wanted to introduce me to his boss’s wife. I said hi and politely asked about her and her kids. Much time hasn’t passed, about 40 seconds, when she asked me “<span style="color:blue"><a href="http://articles.cnn.com/2010-04-05/opinion/bayoumi.who.am.i_1_qaeda-al-qaeda-american-muslims?_s=PM:OPINION">where are you from</a></span>?”</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">“Well, the same country as Sid,” I said. “Oh, was it Iraq?” she asked. “It is close,” I said, “it is one of the countries of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axis_of_evil"><span style="color:blue">axis of evil</span>,</a>” I said. She frowned her eyebrows, and didn’t reply. “I am from Iran,” I finally said.</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">Her husband came after her and brought her to the other side of the room.</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">“You hate this question, Don’t you,” the blond woman asked. “I do,” I said, “it makes me feel so foreign, so alienated.” “I know. My husband is from Sweden and he loathes when people aske him where is from.” She said.</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">I have to confess that I had so much fun during the George W. Bush presidency about the axis of evil. But now, the fun is not about being the axis of evil, it is about explaining how tiny Iran has been questioning the US hegemony in the Middle East.</span><o:p></o:p></p>saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-56989297869421321152011-11-19T12:55:00.003-06:002011-11-19T16:22:07.692-06:00On Going Comedy of Errors<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKtE7pexWU-zIs0njUz6alVZ1BGNeBLzO7oC-l54nF07w6j_7qjxp4xp7rtvSYdZ9jLPZMR9UFIvbwFNaHflvGcQfvWcdKVe0FQ1GyWBSbX18PlXLnBHukbo_Yl6_E5jBo5siXFpLg6IHc/s400/is-sau-attack.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 341px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKtE7pexWU-zIs0njUz6alVZ1BGNeBLzO7oC-l54nF07w6j_7qjxp4xp7rtvSYdZ9jLPZMR9UFIvbwFNaHflvGcQfvWcdKVe0FQ1GyWBSbX18PlXLnBHukbo_Yl6_E5jBo5siXFpLg6IHc/s400/is-sau-attack.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif""></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif""><b><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%; ">Act one, scene one:<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Iran: Israel must be wiped off the world map.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Israel: fuck you. You want to wipe me off the map. I will bomb you.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Iran: Israel doesn’t have the power to do anything against Iran<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Israel: I don’t have power? I’ll show you. I just sent out my Mossad agents to blow up your military base in ben Ghada, south of Tehran. You just lost 17 people this morning. This is only the BEGINNING. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Iran: you damn son of a bitch. You, occupier of the Muslim world, you, the illegitimate child of the Great Satan. Down with you and your Big Brother. No, you are too small to conduct such an operation. Ben Ghada was an accident.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Israel: fuck you and all of your stupid mullahs, your bloodthirsty regime, your … <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Iran: I hate you<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Israel: I hate you. Down with you, you biggest of the SOBs.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Act one, Scene two:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Iran: you know, I didn’t really mean when I said I will wipe you off the map. Who am I to do that. The power is in the hands of almighty god. I would never dare to do such things. I am so sorry. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Israel: oh, sure, I understand. People sometimes make mistakes. I am sorry that I said I will bomb you. No this is not true. We are friends, aren’t we?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Iran: of course. We are friends. Why don’t you send your nuclear scientist to help us finish up our five main nuclear plants. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Israel: of course I will send you my top scientists. We will help you to finish up the nuke power you started in 1967. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Iran: oh brother, you are such a gentleman. Can you do another favor for me? Can you sign up with the NPT to allow IAEA inspectors to come to your facility and check on your nuclear warheads? <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Israel: What do I get in return?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Iran: Oh, if you do that, I will recognize you as a sovereign nation in the Middle East; I will start trade and business with you, I will let all of my Jews travel to Israel whenever they please, and I will advocate for your sovereignty in the region. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Israel: really. That’s good. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Iran: I have another request?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Israel: what is it?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Iran: Can you give all of your nuclear warheads to the United States of American. It really makes me nervous that you have those 200 nuclear warheads. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Israel: what do I get in return?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Iran: the US and I will make a coalition to have all of the Arab countries in the region declare that you are a sovereign nation and that they should start trade and business with you. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Israel: really? Would you really do that?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Iran: yes, of course.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Israel: Oh brother, I love you<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Iran: or brother, I love you too. But please be careful about your affection. I do not support same sex relationships and there are definitely no gay people in my country.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Israel: I understand. Yet, I still love you darling. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Iran: me too. <o:p></o:p></span></p>saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-42320221133370651302011-11-05T05:34:00.006-05:002011-11-05T06:03:36.549-05:00What Women Want in Saudi Arabia<a href="http://abna.ir/a/uploads/147/5/147517_m.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="http://abna.ir/a/uploads/147/5/147517_m.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Let’s say there is an issue in your community. This issue really bothers you. You want to do something about it. You want to raise awareness on that specific issue. What do you do? <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">You probably talk about the issue and give examples or tell stories about it. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Last week, I told you a story of a group of women who were raped by a taxi driver in Saudi Arabia.</span></p><o:p></o:p><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">But, why did I tell you the story? <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">I am, like Jamie, who commented on my story, disgusted by the fact that Saudi government does not allow women to drive. I was very angry at the “taxi driver” who raped three Iranian women in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecca">Mecca</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Would the incident have happened if women were allowed to drive their own cars? I am flabbergasted that the Saudi Government plays the role of “bad guys.” Why are they the only government on this planet who do not allow women to drive?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">I am not an expert on Saudi Arabia; but I am very curious about the Saudi rules against allowing women to drive. My curiosity led me to ask questions of Asifa Quraishi, my professor at the University of Wisconsin. I am taking a class with Quraishi called Islamic Law. She <i>kindly</i> agreed to talk with me. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">In our discussion, she said that she believed the harms caused by the rule of banning women to drive must be documented. This would allow people to know about the result of this particular rule.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">“Any fiqh rule should not cause harm. This is the principle of Islam,” Quraishi said. “The Shariah is for the good of the people. If you can show to the <i>fiqh</i> scholars, or Islamic legal scholars, that this rule, that the government relies on so much, is actually causing harm, they may do a new ijtihad, or research, on the question,” she said. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">Women like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT-3I5jg1xg">Manal Al-Sharif,</a> who posted a video of herself at the wheel on the internet last summer, are requesting that Saudi <i>fiqh</i> scholars to revisit the regulations. Al-Sahrif was a part of a small but striking movement of women determined to do something about the driving ban in Saudi Arabia. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">In fact, this is not the first time women protested the government’s regulation against women drivers. </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Back in 1990 more than 47 women were arrested for driving on the streets of Riyadh. They were arrested and punished severely for breaking the unwritten law. They lost their jobs for two and an half years. Although rehired, they have never been promoted. They were banned from traveling and condemned by clergy as harlots. Their fathers and husbands were also punished. Some of them lost their jobs in government. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">“When the state is making the rule, the general principle is that it should serve the “maslaha” or the public good of the whole society,” Quraishi said. “But if the rule leads to bad things, then the state has to recalculate.” <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">Women in Saudi Arabia want to change a social norm in the society, because it is working against them. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Women’s quest to drive is not “a desire.” They are not asking to be like the West, Quraishi argues. They are asking for change in social norms and values. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Saudi Arabia is a very strange country. The political and social systems of the country are so resistant to change. However, just imagine what would be the reaction of Saudi Government if they knew that a group of Iranian women were raped inside their holly land. What if the incident could have been documented? What if the <i>fiqh</i> scholars could have seen the impact of their fatwa on women?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">I always think that if something changes in Saudi Arabia, it means the world of Islam has been shaken up and the Saudi government has received the aftershock. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">And they did receive the aftershock. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">At the end of September, Saudi Arabia allowed women to run and vote in the municipal elections. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">After the Arab spring, Saudi Arabia is, at least, acknowledging its women. But is this enough? Is the Saudi government merely trying to make headlines? Is this what women want? Or d<a name="_GoBack"></a>o they want to have the right to drive? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/28/saudi-woman-lashing-sentence-car"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 115%;">photo: from The </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Guardian</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 115%;"> Newspaper</span></span></a></span></p>saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-84173972421738979652011-10-24T04:21:00.008-05:002011-10-24T10:38:23.275-05:00A Shocking Unpublished Story<a href="http://www.kidsolo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/saudi-women_2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://www.kidsolo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/saudi-women_2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px; "><a href="http://yazmajam.blogspot.com/2011/10/does-god-prohibit-women-in-saudi-arabia.html">In my previous post</a>, I wrote about Saudi Arabia’s unwritten rules prohibiting women to drive. Yes, it is right. There is no line in Saudi Arabia’s law that says women cannot drive, but it is against the custom and tradition of that country.</span><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">However, the purpose of this post is not about Saudi’s rules and regulations. It is about an important story I heard from a very reliable source: a distant family member of mine. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">In order to protect the identity of my family member, I call her Shireen khanoom, which means Ms. Shireen in Persian.<span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">I was in <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=seattle&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x5490102c93e83355:0x102565466944d59a,Seattle,+WA&gl=us&ei=1TWlTuO_O4qugQeEjJXOCQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CDEQ8gEwAA">Seattle</a>, visiting Shireen khanoom, who just came back from Tehran. In a beautiful unusual rain-free Seattle, she suggested that we took a walk to the closest park. We were walking together and enjoying the beautiful weather when she started telling me the following story:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Aghdas Khanoom, Ms. Aghdas, my friend in Tehran came back from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecca">Mecca</a> pilgrimage last month, just a few days before I returned to America. I called her up, congratulated her for taking the “haj” and asked her when she might have time to visit. She said she had been ill right after coming back from Mecca and she was not accepting any visitors. I insisted. I said I am going back to America and would not see her any time soon. I asked her if I could come over, even briefly, to visit. She agreed. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">I went to her house the next afternoon. As soon as she opened the door, I was shocked to see her. She had lost a great deal of weight, her face was so pale, her body so fragile. She could barely stand up. We went inside. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">“Aghdas khanoom, how are you? Are you OK?”I asked. She suddenly broke into tears. “No Shireen khanoom, I am not OK. You are my friend, you are the only person I can talk with about an incident that happened in Mecca.” Then she started. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">“We were a group of women in Mecca. After the first day of the Haj ritual, we decided to go to a very big shopping mall that everybody was talking about. We were three women, my 18-year-old daughter and my other friend. We took a taxi from the main square and told him our destination. He started driving. After a few minutes of driving, we saw he exited the main road. We asked him to stop, but he didn’t listen. The next thing we knew, we were in the middle of nowhere. In a desert. There was no one, not even a snake for goddamn sake. The driver was very big. He was black. His neck was thicker than a thousand-year-old tree. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">“He ordered us to get off the taxi. He pulled out a big sharp knife. He said he will kill us if we do not get undressed. He beat us. He put the knife up to my friend’s throat. He said he would kill her if we did not take off our clothes. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">“At the beginning, we didn’t understand what he was talking about. He was speaking in Arabic. But when he put the knife on my friend’s throat and tore her clothes, then we knew. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Aghdas knanoom couldn’t stop crying. At this point, her cry was too loud. The only thing I could understand was ‘he even raped my virgin daughter.’ “<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">I was so shocked. I couldn’t believe these things might ever happen in MECCA, the house of worship, the house of God. “What did they do?” I asked. “Didn’t they go to the Iranian embassy? Didn’t they report the incident? Did they talk with anyone? What did they do?” I was in a panic. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">“Nothing.” Shireen khanoom . “They couldn’t do anything. They were too embarrassed.” <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Then she continued. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">After raping them all, the driver returned them to the hotel. Aghdas khanoom, her daughter and their friend came back to Iran with the next day’s flight. They didn’t finish their Haj ritual. After they came, they did not allow anyone to visit them. Aghdas khanoom’s daughter has been glued to bed since they were back. Aghdad khanoom hadn’t told the story to her husband. She just told him that she got sick in Mecca and returned to Iran right after.” <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">I was outraged. I was so angry. “Can I call Aghdad khanoom and talk to her?” I asked Shireen khanoom. “Can I file a law suit against the Saudi Arabia on their behalf?” I said.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">“ooohhhh khoda margam bedeh” “death be upon me” She said. “What do mean to talk to her. She wants no one to learn about the story. She will kill me if she knows that I have told you her story. Forget about it. It was a mistake to tell you this. No no no.” <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">“but you cannot just sit there and watch your friend suffer,” I urged. “You must do something about it.” <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">“No dear,” Shireen khanoom said. “I have to respect her will and never mention the story to anyone. She doesn’t want anyone to know about this.” She said. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">“But what if other women fell in the same trap, what if other women get raped. At least she can talk about it and urge the government to do something about it.” I said<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">“Why you journalist make things always more difficult than what already is?” she said “my uncle was the same. He always made a big deal out of everything. I think we should respect her and leave it to her. Besides, if you ask anything about the incident, she will deny it. In addition, by mentioning anything, you will ruin my relationship with her,” she concluded.<span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">We walked back to home silently. I think she was sorry to tell me the story. I felt sorry to put her in such uneasy mood. However, I think the matter of Rape is never an easy subject. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">A few minutes later, inside Shireen khanoom’s home, my migraine started. The pain stayed with me for the rest of my trip. I came back to Madison sick. I am still sick. I am sick of conservatism, backwardness and stupidity. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">I lived under restrictions, under scrutiny, under pain. I know how it feels to be forced to SHUT UP. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">I hate to ask loaded questions, but how much do you think that we, in the Muslim world, are responsible to give power to the Ulama to issue stupid fatwas? Why have we, in some of the Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran, allowed them to stay in power. Is it because they kill us, or…. What do you think?<span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Shireen khanoom story really really bugged me. When I got a chance to pursue a story in “Short-Form Journalism” class with <a href="http://mediatrope.wordpress.com/">Sue Robinson</a>, I knew what I want to write about. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">In my next blog, I write about my conversation with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asifa_Quraishi">Professor Asifa Quraishi</a>, Islamic law expert, at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">To be continued….<span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-88380206792536554412011-10-19T23:12:00.004-05:002011-10-19T23:42:16.510-05:00Does God Prohibit Women in Saudi Arabia to Drive?<a href="http://www.iloubnan.info/uploads/image/ArticlesV3/Societe/womendrivingKSA.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 236px; height: 240px;" src="http://www.iloubnan.info/uploads/image/ArticlesV3/Societe/womendrivingKSA.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif""> Is there a verse in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quran">the Quran</a> that has banned women from driving? Have you come across a verse saying that “ye women, ye should not ride camels, or donkeys or cars. If you do, you are committing a sin, and therefore you should receive 10 or 50 lashes.” <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">I confess I have not read the Quran cover to cover, and I do not claim to be a good Muslim. But let me tell you, I KNOW there is no verse in the Quran in which God would talk about women’s camel-riding, or donkey-riding or car-riding. If there were such a verse in the Quran, almost all of <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulama">Ulama, faqihs</a></i> and scholars of jurisprudence would have talked about it. For example all Ulama, have “fatwas” against wine drinking because it is something mentioned in the Quran.<span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Why have women been banned from car-driving in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Arabia">Saudi Arbia</a> then, if driving is not forbidden in the Quran? If there is no rule for that, why is Saudi Arabia banning half of its population from driving? <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Let us contemplate this issue. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif""><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecca">Mecca</a> is a city in Saudi Arabia and a place so dear to Muslims. As a Muslim, you are supposed to go to <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=mecca&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x15c21b4ced818775:0x98ab2469cf70c9ce,Mecca+Saudi+Arabia&gl=us&ei=jaOfTofSFdTJsQKU-OmwBQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=2&ved=0CD4Q8gEwAQ">Mecca</a> at least once in your lifetime. There is a special ritual involved with the whole trip. Muslims call this ritual trip, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hajj">“Haj,”</a> and those who have gone to Mecca for the purpose of Haj are “Hajis.” <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Even before Islam, Mecca was the center of trade and travel. After Islam, the Prophet Mohammad called Muslim-converters to get together in Mecca to meet with each other, to meet other Muslims from different region, and to exchange culture. Since then, Mecca, and the Haj for that matter, has been considered a congress for Muslims to meet, hear, and learn from each other. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Due to the special place that Saudi Arabia holds in Muslims’ hearts because of Mecca, we, in the West, we think that whatever happens in Saudi Arabia symbolizes Islam. We identify Islam with Saudi Arabia. So, if women in the land of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Saud_of_Saudi_Arabia">King of the Al-Saud</a> (where the name of the country comes from), are banned from driving, you should suspect to be able to trace it back to the Quran. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">REALLY????????<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">“WOMEN” in Saudi Arabia WANT to drive because they want to practice their rights, because they are fed up with stupid rules, they are fed up with private drivers’ harassments, they are fed up with Ulama who want to run the country according to the Islam in 632 CE. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">There is an important story that I want to share with you. Because of the importance of the story, I will dedicate an independent post for it. Will you follow me with the next post?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.iloubnan.info/socials/actualite/id/64485/titre/Women-driving-toward-gender-equality-in-Saudi-Arabia">The photo is from this website</a>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-89015323773188019242011-10-07T22:40:00.004-05:002011-10-09T06:06:53.877-05:00Noble Peace Prize Winner<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://in.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20111007&t=2&i=512541903&w=460&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=img-2011-10-08T000057Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_India-597638-2"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 450px; height: 308px;" src="http://in.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20111007&t=2&i=512541903&w=460&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=img-2011-10-08T000057Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_India-597638-2" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;Times New Roman","serif"font-family:";font-size:12.0pt;" >For the second time ever, a Muslim woman from the Middle East won the <a href="http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/">Noble Peace Prize. </a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;Times New Roman","serif"font-family:";font-size:12.0pt;" >Tuwakkul Karman, 32-yer-old Yemeni writer, mother of three, fought against Ali Abdullah Saleh government along with her male compatriots during the Arab spring. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;Times New Roman","serif"font-family:";font-size:12.0pt;" >Karman’s Noble Peace Prize draws attention to the role of women in the Arab Spring. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=" line-height:115%;Times New Roman","serif";background: whitefont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;color:black;" >“We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society,” <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/08/world/nobel-peace-prize-johnson-sirleaf-gbowee-karman.html?pagewanted=all&src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB">said</a></span></span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/08/world/nobel-peace-prize-johnson-sirleaf-gbowee-karman.html?pagewanted=all&src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="line-height:115%;Times New Roman","serif"; background:whitefont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;color:black;" > </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height:115%;Times New Roman","serif"; background:whitefont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;color:black;" ><span style="color:#004276;">the citation</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="line-height:115%; Times New Roman","serif";background:whitefont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;color:black;" > </span></span></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height:115%; Times New Roman","serif";background:whitefont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;color:black;" ><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/08/world/nobel-peace-prize-johnson-sirleaf-gbowee-karman.html?pagewanted=all&src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB">read by Thorbjorn Jagland,</a> a former Norwegian prime minister who heads the Oslo-based Nobel committee. (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/08/world/nobel-peace-prize-johnson-sirleaf-gbowee-karman.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all&src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB">New York Times report</a>) <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=" line-height:115%;Times New Roman","serif";background: whitefont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;color:black;" >Only few minutes after the phone call, people contacted Karman to congratulate her. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=" line-height:115%;Times New Roman","serif";background: whitefont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;color:black;" >Karman won the 1.5 million Noble Peace Prize along with other 2 female activists. Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and her compatriot, Liberian peace activist Leymanh Gbowee. <span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=" line-height:115%;Times New Roman","serif";background: whitefont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;color:black;" >This is a stunning news for Karman and all women who engaged in the Arab spring. Cogratulations to Karman and all women in the world. </span></span><span style="line-height:115%;Times New Roman","serif"font-family:";font-size:12.0pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style=" line-height:115%;Times New Roman","serif";background: whitefont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;color:black;" >Photo:<a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/10/07/idINIndia-59763820111007?feedType=RSS&feedName=globalCoverage2"> Reuters</a></span></span></p>saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-69496187930167691242011-05-27T10:56:00.004-05:002011-05-27T11:07:16.023-05:00Saudi Women Driving Campaign<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJkZySpWmBXoNhpjQ__9Kf1O0QZf3c0XR1OxtKzIkB4v3rsI0sshhzEHh5g8pXNIfBIDQXyulzAuLblgdv0a3TAyyvDAOAmB4WJS4d1UU3CovvamV23U0sJSUDnnsGL75SeeQvLrVa-GZp/s1600/Women+Driving+in+Saudi+Arabia.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJkZySpWmBXoNhpjQ__9Kf1O0QZf3c0XR1OxtKzIkB4v3rsI0sshhzEHh5g8pXNIfBIDQXyulzAuLblgdv0a3TAyyvDAOAmB4WJS4d1UU3CovvamV23U0sJSUDnnsGL75SeeQvLrVa-GZp/s200/Women+Driving+in+Saudi+Arabia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611427313557585682" border="0" /></a><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:applybreakingrules/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/24/world/middleeast/24saudi.html?_r=1&ref=saudiarabia">New York Times reports</a>: <p>RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — The government of Saudi Arabia moved swiftly to extinguish a budding protest movement of women claiming the right to drive, a campaign inspired by uprisings across the Arab world demanding new freedoms but at risk Monday of foundering. </p> <p>Manal al-Sharif, 32, one of the campaign organizers, was detained Sunday in the eastern city of Dammam for up to five days on charges of disturbing public order and inciting public opinion by twice driving in a bid to press her cause, said her lawyer, Adnan al-Saleh. </p> <p>Ms. Sharif was arrested after two much-publicized drives last week to highlight the Facebook and Twitter campaigns she helped organize to encourage women across Saudi Arabia to participate in a collective protest scheduled for June 17. </p> <p>The campaigns, which had attracted thousands of supporters — more than 12,000 on the Facebook page — have been blocked in the kingdom. Ms. Sharif’s arrest was very likely intended to give others pause before participating in the protests in a country where a woman’s public reputation, including her ability to marry, can be badly damaged by an arrest. </p> <p>“Usually they just make you sign a paper that you will not do it again and let you go,” said Wajiha Howeidar, who <a href="http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/24/saudi-womans-driving-video-preserved-online/" target="_blank" title="Video of the protest on The Lede blog">recorded Ms. Sharif</a> while driving on Thursday. “They don’t want anybody to think that they can get away with something like that. It is a clear message that you cannot organize anything on Facebook. That is why she is in prison.” </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p>saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-89385884450272652342011-05-23T11:29:00.004-05:002011-05-23T11:52:51.858-05:00Iranian Students Won the Multiple Entry to the USA<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLoa34eBNNEvl5whJpTPp77TH5PlxQZ383iwTARkspFEfU7tDQkKx4F_4osgv-OxPF-SNLZuEibZDjO7RloQeN6fJxoUrnW3H66ikVC2fA7mh1dIQ6FrTCHxZ5ACiT1GktxH62UlsZg-f/s1600/Iran2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLoa34eBNNEvl5whJpTPp77TH5PlxQZ383iwTARkspFEfU7tDQkKx4F_4osgv-OxPF-SNLZuEibZDjO7RloQeN6fJxoUrnW3H66ikVC2fA7mh1dIQ6FrTCHxZ5ACiT1GktxH62UlsZg-f/s200/Iran2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609955388005857474" border="0" /></a><br />My friend’s voice was shaking on the phone. “I can go back to Iran and visit my maman and baba,” she said with exuberance. She was almost at the edge of cry. She was so happy. <p>She (do not mention her name to respect her privacy) has been in the US to study PhD in computer science for the past three years. She missed her parents a lot, she says. Although her parents applied for the US tourist visa, they were denied to grant the visa for ambiguous reasons. She was so upset and outraged. “Why I cannot see my parents like any other international students at the university?” she told me once. </p> <p>Now, she can visit her brothers, nephews, nieces, cousins, friends, and more importantly, her parents. </p> <p>The story broke on May 20<sup>th</sup> with the <a href="http://www.niacouncil.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=7356http://">National Iranian American Council </a>press release: "As a result of our longstanding efforts, the State Department called to inform us that they will now issue multiple-entry visas for Iranian students." NIAC, along with Iranian student groups around the country, has been campaigning to lift the restrictive visa requirements that have been imposed on Iranian students who are pursuing their studies in the United States.</p> <p>"We want more dialogue and more exchange with those of you who are shaping Iran's future. We want to be able to share what we think is great about America,"<a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hKQ_nYl3D1rn1svqLb-edDw50nrQ?docId=CNG.5449d35b30cae0a9c8d1371153c12502.5d1"> said</a> Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in announcing the measure. "Because as long as the Iranian government continues to stifle your potential, we will stand with you. We will support your aspirations, and your rights." To learn more about Clinton's announcement via YouTube (Farsi subtitles), click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rytZFOlOAWIhttp://">here</a>. </p> <p>I am so glad for my friend and for the opportunity that she, along with my other Iranian students, has given to go back to Iran to visit her family without worrying about whether or not she can come back to the US.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p>saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-45900453209714109442011-05-12T06:45:00.000-05:002011-05-13T15:49:37.172-05:00Bhutto and Democracy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2007/0711/bhutto_fresh_1109.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 295px; height: 340px;" src="http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2007/0711/bhutto_fresh_1109.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><a href="http://www.bhuttothefilm.com/"><i>Bhutto</i></a> is a documentary about the life and legacy of Benazir Bhutto,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benazir_Bhutto"> the first Muslim Pakistani woman elected to the high-ranking</a> prime ministerial office, not only once, but twice. In 2007, she returned to Pakistan, from her comfortable exile, knowing that she might get killed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">The movie packs an impressive amount of information about Benazir Bhutto, her family, history of Pakistan, and controversial issues around her life and death in just about 111 minutes. PBS is airing the movie on its Independent Lens series.<a href="http://wptschedule.org/episodes/6908/Independent-Lens/Bhutto/"> Wisconsin Public Television</a> is broadcasting the movie tomorrow at 9:00 PM.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">To put a life of a foreign leader into a context and explain it to an American audience is a daunting job. In the United States, we learned to leave the matters of foreign policy in the hands of White House, and only get involved when we, as American audience, cannot ignore the reality anymore. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">I believe<a href="http://www.bhuttothefilm.com/filmmakers.html"> Duane Baughman and Jonny O’Hara</a> have rightfully tried to explain the situation of an important country like Pakistan, the US allies against the war on terrorism, by featuring the life of one of its controversial leaders: Benazir Bhutto. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Benazir Bhutto was emotionally wounded by her father’s execution.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulfikar_Ali_Bhutto"> Zulfikar Ali Bhutto</a> was executed for the charges of corruption by the order of Zia Ul-Haq, the Chief of Army Staff. After the father’s death in 1979, Benazir took the leadership position of<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_Peoples_Party"> Pakistan People Party</a>, or PPP, which was originally founded by her father. Her party won numerous seats in the congress. Benazir was elected Prime Minister later.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Bhutto’s cabinet was dismissed the first time in 1988 for the vague charges of corruption. The young 35-year-old Bhutto didn’t really understand the power of military rules in the country. She was wiser in her second term in 1993. Yet, she couldn’t finish her term as the Prime Minister and her cabinet was dismissed, again, by then-president Farooq Leghari for the charges of corruption. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Bhutto acquired a sense of mission and personal courage. She returned to Pakistan again for the last time to examine her fate. But this time, she couldn’t escape the fate. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">The movie is not a biography per say. Duane Baughman, the director, gives an ample time and attention to all-around celebrity and journalist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatima_Bhutto">Fatima Bhutto</a>, daughter of Benazir Bhutto’s brother Murtaza. Fatima has accused her aunt of complicity in the murder of her father in 1996. She has written a book entitled “<a href="http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/non-fiction/article7082779.ece">Songs of Blood and Sword: A Daughter's Memoir</a>.” However, Duane also criticizes Fatima. In a scene, Sanam, Benazir’s sister, claims that Fatima is making a lot of noise by using Benazir’s name. in the movie, Sanam claims that no one would ever know Fatima without Benazir.<b> </b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">To see a woman as a Prime Minister of a Muslim nation is something we, in the West, are not accustomed to. Although Bhutto is not the only woman reached to the high Office, Tansu Ciller, Turkish Prime Minister is another example of women leadership in Islamic country. But I think it is significant to see a female leader for Pakistan since Pakistan political background is very different than Turkey.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">What was your reaction when you heard the news about Bhutto’s assassination? Do you think Bhutto would challenge the image of a Muslim Woman in Westerners eyes? </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"> </p>saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-30385185061351364532011-05-01T22:57:00.006-05:002011-05-02T00:05:55.321-05:00The Devil Is Dead<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.deadseriousnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/obama.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 290px;" src="http://www.deadseriousnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/obama.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />President Obama reported that Osama Bin Ladan is dead. I am so happy. extremely happy. the devil is dead.<br />I feel the same emotions when the cease fire ordered between Iran and Iraq in 1988. I was a child then, but I understood the importance of the cease fire. I told to myself that there wouldn't be any bombing and no more mass killing. I feel the same emotions. I tell myself that there wouldn't be any more mass killing. I am thrilled, happy, exuberant. This is the best news I can hear in years.<br />God Bless the United States. Hurray to Obama.saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-23279761482830988002011-04-30T22:26:00.005-05:002011-04-30T22:49:44.857-05:00The Poppet More Powerful Than The Sultan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cdn.wn.com/pd/8e/ef/4c0db72a515ec311fc507ba00c0c_grande.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 296px; height: 234px;" src="http://cdn.wn.com/pd/8e/ef/4c0db72a515ec311fc507ba00c0c_grande.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:targetscreensize>800x600</o:TargetScreenSize> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> 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locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> I was in Tehran in 2005, visiting my family and friends. I chose to be there on June 15,<span style=""> </span>just two days before the election day. I arrived at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehrabad_International_Airport">the Mehrabad Airport</a> around 3 AM. The air was dense. I could feel a rage of emotions in the air. The air was heavy, happy, frustrated, anxious, exuberant and nervous. I asked my brother to drive me around the city with his black French-made car of 2005 Peugeot. The scenes in Tehran’s streets were so fascinating. The streets were covered with torn pictures of different candidates, large posters of promising slogans, and hopeful writings on large billboards. Chinese, European and American photojournalists were still busy taking pictures. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I was so worried. I wanted to know who would win the election. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Two days later, I took all of my extended family members including grandmother, grandfather, mom, dad, sister, brother, 2 aunt, 4 cousins, 2 of my aunts’ husbands, my dad’s aunt, my mom’s uncle, my older cousin’s husband, my other 247-pound aunt, her daughter, and the daughter’s husband and others <span style=""> </span>to the poll. I advise them to vote for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mostafa_Moeen">Mostafa Moeen</a>, the reformist candidate. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">When the election took place for its run-off, I advised my army to vote for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akbar_Hashemi_Rafsanjani">Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani,</a> the other pragmatic reformist candidate. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">When <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Ahmadinejad">Mahmood Ahmadinejad</a> won the election, I contacted my friends in <a href="http://www.hamshahrionline.ir/">Hamshahri</a>, Aftab Yazd and Shargh Newspapers. They all told me that the government ragged the election. They said they cannot report on that. They said they have an order from the judiciary to keep quiet. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Towards the end of June, I went to Hamshahri Newspaper to visit my master-mind friend who can give me a through and perfect picture of Iran’s politics. “Now, Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader, has to mediate between Ahmadinejad and the conservatives,” he said “Ahmadinejad is more conservative than any other conservative in Khamenei’s camp. So, <i>the Agha</i> [referring to Khamenei] now has to mediate between him and his conservative friends.” He then said something interesting. “I can view Ahmadinejad to become a threat to the Agha.” “But everybody says that Ahmadinejad is a poppet in the hands of the Agha,” I said bewilderedly. “Everybody says that Ahamadinejad couldn’t be in power without the direct help of the Agha.” I said. <span style=""> </span>“I know what people say,” the master-mind said. “Wait until he starts his second term.” </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">It is 6 years later and my master-mind friend’s speculation turned out to be correct.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Ahmadinejad has been absent for his cabinet meetings for the past 8 days, and he didn’t attend the Supreme Council for Cultural Revolution meeting, of which he chairs the council. He was also absent in Majlis to discuss and defend his national budget proposal. Ahmadinejad’s reason to be absent: he wants the Agha to back off. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Last week, the Agha forced Ahmadinejad to dismiss Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi from his cabinet. Before, the Agha also forced Ahmadinejad to dismiss Moshaei, the president’s chief of staff. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Why? </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/:%20http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2011/04/mass-poison-pen-text-aimed-at-mashaei-ahmadinejads-chief-of-staff.html">Tehran Bureau reports: </a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">On Sunday, a <a href="http://www.roozonline.com/persian/news/newsitem/article/-03ab675734.html" target="links">text message</a> was sent from within the Ministry of Economic and Financial Affairs to thousands of people around Iran, including many journalists. In the text, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's chief of staff, was accused of having links with foreign powers, of being behind several oil contracts with Chinese and Venezuelan corporations whose details have been kept secret, and, most important, of having installed eavesdropping equipment in the office of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Ahmadinejad was also accused of being aware of Mashaei's economic activities and of taking no action. The text also accused Mashaei of traveling to Dubai, nominally as part of an economic team, but meeting with security officials of the United States there.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">For the first time in Iran’s post-revolution history, <a href="http://www.insideofiran.org/component/content/article/25-1389-11-29-10-03-18/2921-1390-02-10-19-58-19.html">a person dares to stand against Agha</a> in support of his group and friends. The person, in this case: the president of Iran, wants the Agha to back off and let <i>him</i>, the president, to run the country.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">As my master-mind friend said, Ahmadinejad is challenging the Agha's authority, something unknown in Iran's recent history. And now, this is Ahmadinejad who wants to run the business of the country and not the Agha. <br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><br /></span>saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-67283912234392644572011-04-10T11:53:00.003-05:002011-04-10T12:12:58.667-05:00God Against the Miss Universe and a Taxi Driver<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51639000/jpg/_51639565_zahida1.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 512px; height: 288px;" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51639000/jpg/_51639565_zahida1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:targetscreensize>800x600</o:TargetScreenSize> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> 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unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> <span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Growing up in an Islamic country, I wondered whether God prefered men, or had an equal views on men and women; whether he was a male figure himself and he wanted to give more power to the gender<span style=""> </span>like him; or he had an objective mind toward women’s rights and responsibilities. I wonder whether we, humans, have made distinctions between the better and the worse in order to rule and classify?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >I do not want to go in details, here, to analyze God’s will and aim. I just want to talk about two Pakistani women who challenged the patriarchal society by their actions, and then talk about god’s passion toward gender segregation. But first, let me tell you the stories: </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/12860407"> </a></span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/12860407">Shanna Bukhari is a beautiful Pakistani Muslim model</a> in the UK who is bidding to become a woman to represent the Britain in the world Miss Universe competition. Bukhari, 24-year-old model lives in Manchester, said that she has been sent racist and abusive messages since she has made to the beauty contest’s UK final. Muslim groups have accused her of disrespecting Islamic rules for agreeing to appear in front of a crowd and TV sets with swimmwear. However, she said she will be wearing a one-piece swimwear and a sarong. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12680075">Zahida Kazmi is Pakistan’s firlst female taxi driver.</a> Kazmi has driven from the crowded markets of Islamabad to the remote tribal country in the north. She began her job as a taxi driver in 1992 when she became a 33-year-old widow mothering 6 children. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><span style=""></span><span style=""></span>Both Bukhari and Kazmi are challenging Patricarchial rules of an Islamic country in different ways. One’s quest is to live the life as the way she wishes, even if it is a Western style; and the other one’s quest is to be able to work in an occupation who is male dominant jobs in order to make more money for living. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >These women are not asking for God’s permission to do things, they are not challenging God authority by becoming a model or a taxi driver. Their decisions have nothing to do with god. But men in muslim groups are using the restrict Islamic interpretations to force them to change their minds. These women are pushing against the red lines by asking the society to respect their decisions. That’s all.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><span style="font-size:85%;">photo's source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12680075 </span><br /></span></p>saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-68883715978146038682011-04-05T16:22:00.002-05:002011-04-05T16:29:02.243-05:00The US Interests Are More Important<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cbsmiami.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/us-missile-strike-libya.jpg?w=195&h=146&crop=1"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 146px;" src="http://cbsmiami.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/us-missile-strike-libya.jpg?w=195&h=146&crop=1" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> 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Even if we “Americans” have to kill them in hundreds of thousands, even then, we care about our interests. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >The first president Bush declared in the first Gulf war of the US diplomacy of “engaging in the hard diplomatic work of obtaining most of the world’s support for our actions.” </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >We engage in hypocracy and double standard to ensure our interests. In the recent war against Libya, we brough Britain, Togo, France and others to secure our interests. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >In a comment that I got from my professor Deborah Blum on the U.S. double standard over Libya, she wrote: <span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >Agreed, complete double standard. But slightly misleading in that the coalition in Libya is a multinational one, urged by the French, Italians and British in part because of fears about the disruption of oil supplies and their own investments in Libya. The Italian press in particular is full of this issue. I actually never object to criticizing the US but in this case, I think the story somewhat misses the point.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >The points are: </span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><span style="">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >The U.S. wants to maintain a low-key profile in its war against Libya</span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><span style="">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >We want to go multilateral in order to share the burden with others </span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><span style="">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >We want to ensure that Libya wouldn’t stop its oil supply. Libya is the ninth largest oil producer with 41.5 barrels a day. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >The question is that how come the United States has rushed to oust the Libya’s <span style=""> </span>dictator Muammar Gaddafi but not its strategic allies like Yemen and Bahrain. 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name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><br /><a href="http://thisiskhaledm.com/">Khaled M</a>, Libyan-American artist, inspired by the people of Libya, and wrote his newest hip-hop song called “<a href="http://thisiskhaledm.com/music/">Can’t Take Our Freedom</a>.”the lyric is about some of the gruesome crime that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muammar_Gaddafi">Muammar Ghaddafi</a> and his regime had committed. <span style=""> </span>The aim is to create an awareness about the situation in Libya. The song has hit more than 50,000 on You-tube. </span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >In one verse, <a href="http://thisiskhaledm.com/2011/03/official-cant-freedom-lyrics/">Khaled raps about his dream about Libya</a>: “And now I’m having visions and dreams I shouldn’t see/ Like could we be this close? Nah couldn’t be/ But if the people in Egypt and Tunis could do this, decide their fate… then hwy wouldn’t we/ more than 40 years he done brought the nation under occupation/ we can not be waiting/ we gon’ stop debating.” </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Khaled grew up in Lexington’s Libyan community in Kentucky. He graduated from University of Kentucky, and listened to Lauryn Hill, Tupac Shadur and Nas. To follow his dream in music career, he came to Chicago. He has created a few songs while living in Chicago. <span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Khaled’s father, Mohammad Ahmed, was a Libyan political prisoner from 1972 to 1977, after leading student groups against Gaddafi. Ahmed was able to escape the prison before executed. He led opposition groups from outside Libya. After going country to country and running from Ghaddafi’s men, they decided to root in Kentucky and raise Khaled and his two brothers in Lexington. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Khaled lives in Chicago and organizes demonstrations against the Libyan government.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >While in Chicago during the spring break, I saw a demonstration on Michigan avenue’s <a href="http://www.aviewoncities.com/chicago/grantpark.htm">Grant Park</a> from my hotel’s window. Curious to know what is going on, I went down and asked whom I could speak to about the demonstrations. Everybody pointed out Khaled to me. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Khaled has never been in Libya. “I have bee in Egypt,<span style=""> </span>Chad, Tunisia, Sudan, surrounding countries, but never in Libya,” he said. “I hope I can go back there sometime.” <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><span style="font-size:85%;">photo by Saideh Jamshidi</span><br /><span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-36366705232364786512011-03-24T11:36:00.005-05:002011-03-24T12:02:53.097-05:00The U.S. Double Standard Toward Bahrain and Libya<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTDjgKuRCh0J2jAmeKlStoFNBlAp8WJZ381X4yJVa9yFLR6OlTNjqFd0_Nh9e4eoewhX6inuPdirlpg-Po7qGuJUdcCVGgyGadWqkfaB5yQf-vtyK6Z52RSBDZnVzDtBc3TV0sR9YEQHKo/s320/Middle+East+Revolution2.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTDjgKuRCh0J2jAmeKlStoFNBlAp8WJZ381X4yJVa9yFLR6OlTNjqFd0_Nh9e4eoewhX6inuPdirlpg-Po7qGuJUdcCVGgyGadWqkfaB5yQf-vtyK6Z52RSBDZnVzDtBc3TV0sR9YEQHKo/s320/Middle+East+Revolution2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><style>@font-face { font-family: "Arial"; }@font-face { font-family: "Arial"; }@font-face { font-family: "Calibri"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri; }a:link, span.MsoHyperlink { color: blue; text-decoration: underline; }a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { color: purple; text-decoration: underline; }p { margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }span.internallink { }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri; }.MsoPapDefault { margin-bottom: 10pt; line-height: 115%; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }</style> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">The dramatic changes in the Middle East and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_League">Arab league</a> are happening in extreme speed. Just looking at the map reveals important realities about the events: <span style=""> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="">Tunisia: </span></b><span style="">on </span><span style="">January 14, 2011 </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunisian_Revolution" title="Tunisia: President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali forced out"><span style="text-decoration: none;">President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali steps down</span></a><span style=""> and flees the country following weeks of anti-government protests and clashes with police. <b></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><strong><span style="font-size:12pt;">Egypt: </span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12pt;" >on </span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:12pt;" >February 11: </span></strong><strong><span style="font-size:12pt;"> </span></strong><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >After tens of thousands people take to the streets across Egypt in angry protests, </span><a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/201121125158705862.html"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Hosni Mubarak resigns as president and hands over power to the army</span></a><span class="internallink"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >.<span style=""></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="">Yemen: </span></b><span style="">on </span><span style="">February 28: <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/22/yemeni-president-warns-civil-war">President Ali Abdullah Saleh warns that the country will fracture</a> if his regime falls.<span style=""></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span class="internallink"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Bahrain: </span></b></span><span class="internallink"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >on </span></span><span style=";font-family:";" >February 14: Demonstrations in several Shiite-majority villages.</span><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ></span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="">March 16: <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/bahrain/index.html">Saudi Arabian troops enter the Bahrain’s capital to remove protesters</a>.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Syria: </span></b><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >on </span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >March 18, Demonstrators <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/syria/index.html">demanded the realease of 15 school children who</a>- influenced by the protests in Tunisia and Egypt - wrote the popular revolution slogan on the wall. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="">Libya:</span></b><span style=""> on </span><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">February 14: </span></strong><span style="">Three days after the fall of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosni_Mubarak"><span style="">Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak</span></a><span style=""><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosni_Mubarak"> </a>demonstrations in Libya against long-time dictator, Muammar Gadhafi took place. Gadhaffi has ruled over Libya for more than four decades, and had supported theMubarak during the Egyptian uprising.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style=""> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">Although new revolutions and quest for more freedom are important matters in the Middle East, the US response over the bloodsheds in Bahrain and Libya has raised so many questions.</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates have been U.S. allies for so many years. The unrest in Bahrain made the Saudi Arabia’s King so worried. Earlier, Saudis witnessed the flee of President Ben Ali, then Egypt’s mass protests and Mobarak’s resignation, then Yemeni president’s ambitious decision to run for another term, and later the Libyans mass protests didn’t leave so much room for Saudis to risk another period of silence. They had to act. </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">Saudis and UAEs sent troops to Bahrain to kill the demonstrators. </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">The United States of America did not raise an eyebrow and let the Saudi-led military kill peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators. </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">But when it came to Libya, the U.S., all of the sudden, became electrified and changed against the “humanitarian disaster” in Libya. </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><a href="http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist-238752-bahrain-and-libya-a-tale-of-western-double-standards.html">The U.S. double standard </a>has raised so many questions all around the world. The Obama administration has emphasized of multilateral act against Libya. But, yet, the Arab world has only seen the U.S. fingerprint on the attack against another Muslim country. </p>saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-89022551735134000752011-03-10T21:32:00.006-06:002011-03-10T22:25:51.098-06:00Forceful Power<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>AR-SA</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> 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mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The first successful nonviolent resistance in 21<sup>st</sup> century happened in January 25 in Egypt’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahrir_Square">Tahrir Square</a>. The Egyptian resisters gathered in the square demanding <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosni_Mubarak">Hosni Mobarak’s</a> dictatorship to go away. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The symbolism of January 25 was that it was the Police Day which is celebrated by Egyptians each year to mock the national holiday. How can Egyptians celebrate a day where the police, who are supposed to protect them, instead arrest them, torture them, <span style=""> </span>put them in prison or kill them? But the January 25, 2011, was a different day. Just about 11 days before, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunisian_Revolution">Tunisians</a> toppled down their dictator <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zine_El_Abidine_Ben_Ali">President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali</a>. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In order to get ready for this day, Egyptians started to organize for their nonviolent struggle on April 6, 2008. Mohamad Adel, a 20-year-old blogger and April 6 activist, went to Belgrade, Serbia, to attend in classes at<a href="http://www.canvasopedia.org/legacy/index.htm"> Center for Applied Non Violent Action and Strategies, or CANVAS,</a> and learn about Serbia’s successful youth movement strategy who ousted Solodan Milosevic. When Adel came back, he and Ahmed Maher, a young technology savvy activist, started a facebook page to support the textile workers, who were planning to protest low wages and high prices, in the industrial town of El-Mahalla El-Kurba on April 6. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/revolution-in-cairo/inside-april6-movement/">The April 6 Movement</a> invited about 300 people to join its Facebook page. Within a day they had 3000 members and a few weeks later, they had more than 70,000 fans. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The Egyptian revolution has been the most nonviolent struggle, so far. But I always wonder why a nation needs a nonviolent revolution to get rid of a dictatorship? But if they have to participate in nonviolent uprising, what changes should they expect? </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In my rigorous research to find an answer, I came across <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Sharp">Gene Sharp</a>, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Massachusetts and Noble Peace Prize nominee, <span style=""> </span>research and studies. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In his book <a href="http://www.aeinstein.org/organizations/org/FDTD.pdf"><i>From Dictatorship to Democracy: a Conceptual Framework for Liberation</i></a>, Mr. sharp explains four nonviolent mechanisms that produces change in a society. The four mechanisms are: conversion, accommodation, nonviolent coercion and disintegration.<span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Conversion: when members of opponent groups are moved emotionally and come to accept the resisters cause; persuaded that the cause is fair and just; the opponents accept the resisters aim.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Accommodation: if the demand of the opposition is not threatening and nonviolent resistance has imbalanced the power structure, the political power tries to reach an agreement with the opposition in order to defuse tension, to create an impression of fairness, and to polish its international image.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nonviolent coercion: the mass has changed the structure of power, and the power relationships undermined the dictators ability to control economic, social and political situations. Although the rulling party stays in power, its ability to act effectively has been taken away. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Disintegration: the ruling power loses its legitimacy. The opponent refuses to obey and they deny the ruling power of any rights. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Sharp argues that in planning liberation, these strategies should be kept in mind. Each strategy would work depending on the nature of the dictatorship and the people’s goals for change. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Looking at the Egypt’s revolution, I think Egyptians were at the stage of disintegration. They just didn’t want to have anything to do with the ruling power. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Egypt is only one of the many countries in the Middle East that persuaded change. Countries like Kuwait and Yemen are at the stage of accommodation and Lybian resisters at the stage of nonviolent coercion, although I do not know how much longer can they stay nonviolent.<span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Liberation needs strategy. Countries need to act effectively and to apply the most appropriate strategy for their respective countries. </span></p> <br /><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </p><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ></span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" > </span><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-43262597125213615102011-02-20T12:01:00.007-06:002011-03-09T11:30:46.939-06:00Iran's Economy Is Ahmadinejad's Achilles Heels<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.dailypolitical.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Mahmoud-Ahmadinejad-Iran%E2%80%99s-Nuclear-Swap-Deal-with-Turkey-Resolves-the-Long-Standing-Nuclear-Dispute.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 402px;" src="http://www.dailypolitical.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Mahmoud-Ahmadinejad-Iran%E2%80%99s-Nuclear-Swap-Deal-with-Turkey-Resolves-the-Long-Standing-Nuclear-Dispute.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />In order to survive, Iran depends on its oil revenue. Although the oil price per barrel, for the past 7 years, has grown consistently, Iran’s economy has weakened each year. <a href="http://www.iraninternationalmagazine.com/issue_40/text/picture%20of%20iran%27s%20oil.htm">According to Masoud Nili</a>, Iranian senior economist, Iran’s dependency on the oil revenue is a serious problem. He argues:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">"in 1998, average oil price stood at 10.8 dollars per barrel and oil revenues grew fourfold in about 7 years. Meanwhile, state budget in 1998 was less than 71,000 billion rials, but Iran's budget for 2006 has been estimated at 600,000 billion rials.<br />The Third Economic Development Plan aimed at reducing government's dependence on oil revenues to less than 12 billion dollars, but it actually soared to more than 40 billion dollars in 2006. Therefore, the government's budget experienced such a great leap in 14 months from January 2005 to march 2006, when the government was determined to offer the Parliament with a budget supplement. Considering this reality, one can conclude that the country witnessed one of its biggest financial developments in the Iranian year, 1385.<br /></span><br />Due to a dramatic fluctuation in oil price, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Khatami">Khatami, the reformist</a> president between 1997 and 2005, decided to open the “<a href="http://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B5%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%82_%D8%B0%D8%AE%DB%8C%D8%B1%D9%87_%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B2%DB%8C_%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86">Foreign Exchange Reserve Account </a><a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fa&u=http://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%25D8%25B5%25D9%2586%25D8%25AF%25D9%2588%25D9%2582_%25D8%25B0%25D8%25AE%25DB%258C%25D8%25B1%25D9%2587_%25D8%25A7%25D8%25B1%25D8%25B2%25DB%258C_%25D8%25A7%25DB%258C%25D8%25B1%25D8%25A7%25D9%2586&ei=TglgTYqyG4LGlQfok_yDDA&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDcQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%25D8%25AD%25D8%25B3%25D8%25A7%25D8%25A8%2B%25D8%25B0%25D8%25AE%25DB%258C%25D8%25B1%25D9%2587%2B%25D8%25A7%25D8%25B1%25D8%25B2%25DB%258C%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox%26hs%3DPsC%26rlz%3D1R1GGLL_en%26prmd%3Divns%20">(google's English translation)</a>.” The goals of the account were to stabilize the crude oil reserve revenue, to use the oil revenue to invest and develop other types of manufacturing activities, and to create job opportunities in non-governmental sectors.<br />When the ultra-conservative <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Ahmadinejad">Ahmadinejad</a> took office in 2005, the account was running a surplus. Just two years through his presidency, the account started showing a deficit. As one can see from the above financial analysis, Ahmadinejad’s government has never been successful at using the petrodollars logistically, although the price of oil has been increasing consistently.<br /><br />Ahmadinejad’s terrible economic decisions caused a further account deficit. For instance: in the summer of 2008, he converted all revenue dollars from the sale of oil into Iranian rials, flooding the market with liquidity and exacerbating the problem of rising inflation, he replaced nearly $100 billion of government subsidies on fuel, electricity, and food . He used the Foreign Exchange Reserve Account to balance out the deficit. according to the latest report, the account's balance is zero now. <br />The Iran’s economy has been Ahmadinejad’s Achilles heel. And as a matter of fact, he, Ahmadinejad, has targeted the heel.saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-61707016731080942102011-02-16T14:50:00.007-06:002011-02-17T11:27:57.271-06:00Iranian Mistake: To Islamisize Women<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20110201&Category=NATION&ArtNo=102010395&Ref=AR"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 502px; height: 384px;" src="http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20110201&Category=NATION&ArtNo=102010395&Ref=AR" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I would have never believed I could have seen, in my lifetime, such turn around in the politics of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East">Middle East</a>. People in Bahrain and Egypt are fed up with seeing how their leaders insult their intellects with nonsense, being the puppet in the hands of the United States, and fattening their bank accounts in Swiss banks. People understand that if they want change, if they want to see: a better future for their children, world-standard education, more human rights, a better social and political life, they have to stand up for their rights. I applaud them. <br />But what is missing is the presence of women. <br />For the case of Egypt: I am following the news: of how two young opposition leaders met with <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/world/middleeast/15egypt.html?scp=1&sq=egypt%20army%20sets%206-month&st=cse ">military leaders</a>, how they <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/facebook_inc/index.html?inline=nyt-org ">Facebooked</a> their negotiations, how they were fascinated to see the military leaders are LISTENING to them, how they are going to write the new constitution, when the next election would be. But I wonder why there is no woman among the negotiators; why the voice of women hasn’t been covered; why women has been marginalized. And I wonder if Egyptians are going to repeat “Iranian mistakes” if they wouldn’t allow a woman representative in their circles. <br />I do not want to segregate men and women in this uprising. They are all the people of Egypt. Although, I still remember my mom saying: why the cleric opposition leaders want to put "chador" on my head, why they want me to shut up and go to kitchen, why they are pushing me away? <br />It was an Iranian mistake to Islamisize the country, to push women aside, to make a mess out of politics and religion. <br />But the Iranian mistake during the revolution in 1979 created one big movement: the Iranian mistake energized women to form a <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7879797.stm">women movement</a> and to fight for their rights. And boy, they went so far ahead.saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-48747281661112521632011-02-09T17:19:00.005-06:002011-02-09T18:45:40.311-06:00I've Missed Iran<span style="font-weight:bold;">Week one:</span><br />My husband panicked when I said I am going back to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran">Iran</a> to visit my family. <br />“They will arrest you right from the airport, they will take you to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evin_Prison">Evin Prison</a>, you know no one returns from Evin, they will torture you, they will rape you, they will make you to be sorry to be born.” He said.<br />“I do not care,” I said. “I want to visit my family,” <br />He changed his face. His eyes were bigger than a table spoon. “They arrested <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hossein_Derakhshan">Hossein Derakhshan</a> right at the airport, they even didn’t let him to set his foot on Iran’s soil, no one knows where he is at right now (our discussion was before Derakhshan's trial), no one even knows whether or not he is alive. Besides, he is not a journalist and hasn’t said half the things you have said and reported on Iran.”<br />“I am not famous, no one knows me,” I said. “I have missed my brother, my aunt, my cousins, I am going and no one can stop me.” <br />You really want to go, don’t you,” he said. “What if I arrange for visiting of those you really love. I will do it for you. just promise do not go back to Iran.” <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Week two:</span><br />My husbands sent me an email: Have you heard? They arrested <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roxana_Saberi">Roxana Saberi</a>? <br />I e-mailed him back: Oh crab, they will release her in a split of a second<br />Another email: she is been in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evin_Prison">Evin</a> for more than a week now? Her father is really worried? You know Iran. she may get killed like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zahra_Kazemi">Zahra Kazemi.</a><br />I e-mailed him: Oh hell no. she is an American. No one kills an American girl. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Week three:</span><br />We were at our dinner table in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyde_Park,_Chicago">Hyde Park Chicago</a> eating <span style="font-style:italic;">ghormeh sabzi</span>, a very tricky Iranian dish. Each time I cook <span style="font-style:italic;">ghormeh sabzi</span>, I come up with a different taste. This time, the dish was very delicious. <br />“I talked with your father yesterday,” my husband said. “I suggested we meet in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey">Turkey</a>.” He stopped eating, looking at me, waiting for my reaction. But I was making no sound. So, he continued. “I think your brother and family can come to Turkey. They do not need to obtain a visa, they can just travel to Turkey. We can meet in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbul">Istanbul</a>. What do you think?” <br />“I do not know,” I said. “what about my cousins, my grandma, my grandpa. I want to see them all.”<br />“I understand,” he said. “but let us elect a liberal president next time, someone like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Khatami">Khatami</a>, so you can go back to Iran.” <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Week nineteen:</span><br />The plane finally landed on Istanbul airport after 9 hours flight. I was happy to get rid of boring Turkish movies. I watched 10 to 20 minutes of all of the 12 movies on my seat’s screen and finally decided to read my Economist magazine. Nothing is like American French movies. <br />We got out and went to the custom. I got my fourth visa stamps on my American passport. Tired, but excited, we went to the baggage claim. While waiting for the baggage, I heard my name on the airports’ speakers: Saideh Jamshidinin arkadashleri kapinin yakininda onu bekliyorlar.” <br />“listen, they called my name. I think Iranian government know I am here and they had sent their agents to arrest me,” I said. “Was it you to let them know I am going to be here?”<br />“yes, I was.” He got the joke <br />My brother, parents, aunt and some of my close cousins were waiting for us, impatiently. They had the airport pager to page us. My husband saw them first. After lots of hugging, kissing and crying, we went to the hotel with the airport van. <br />Istanbul was amazing. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Week twenty one:</span><br />I am back home, to the United States. But still, I am missing Iran.saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331914154052726095.post-38966715646932590572011-02-05T22:52:00.001-06:002011-02-05T22:54:55.284-06:00The ResponseMy friend finally emailed me back. He said, “the voice of the people must and shall be heard; the sun must shine again and dark nights of oppression shall departure forever. That’s what is history taught us.” <br />I remember him saying he wish that people would do something about the dictatorship; they would come to the streets and shout their sufferings, they would organize their message and they would mobilize for change. I am glad his dreams come true. But realizing a better future for Egypt is a very long way to go.saidehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266108432845832203noreply@blogger.com2