Azadeh Forghani, one of the 34 women arrested in the March 4th protest has given a piece of her mind to Empress Farah Pahlavi, who has jumped the western wagon of propaganda against Iran in the past weeks.:[K]indly come and do us a favor, lady! Spare us your messages. Please advise others to do the same. What I say concerns the US Department of State, that “freedom room,” that newly transferred group under the auspices of Bush, and all official and unofficial foreign media. Obviously, in a world where news is blocked and killed, the value of healthy and unmediated news, critique, and analysis is very high and respectable. But do not represent us as being dependent on you; do not politicize us and do not drag us into your world. We are social activists. We don’t come from any other line and will not join your world.
20 comments:
Thank you so much for visiting me at Morning Martini. I hope we may become cyber friends in our march toward all that is fair and right for human beings around the world.
I believe we have the same view of many things and we both realize no one should be muted for their beliefs. Here's to freedom! Here's to nature! Here's to new friends.
Hi Patricia, Thanks for visiting back. I usually lose the milestones along my visiting paths; but I believe people of like minds will aggregate. You're enlisted as a b-friend now :)
Cheers!
I had a friend caught up in the recent arrests, just last night I was hearing the stories from Evin prison - not nice stuff, but not Gitmo stuff.
Hey Naj, while we're trading links: http://www.mideastyouth.com/2007/03/15/not-farsi-not-iranian-just-persian/
Keep up the good work.
Hi david,
Prisons are never good places, are they?
And we Iranians love the Evin dramas in general.
Thanks for the link. was funny. Left a message up :)
Thanks for the names in the previous post.
In the 70s I walked to school with a girl who came from Iran, and she told me then of the problems.
At that age, I listened and we shared a great friendship. I felt then there was more she would talk about, but stayed away.
Thanks again!
stayed away?
In the 70s, I was a child; but because of my parents, uncles, aunts I was quite exposed to different political opinions. I got to hear from old aristocrats who hated the Pahlavis, from nationalists who wished for reforming Pahlavis, from those deeply devoted to Pahlavis, from those deeply devoted to Islamists, from those with communist sentiments, and from those like my father who cared about no one other than safety and security of people caught in the cross fire of a revolution that seemd to be fueled by foreign intervention.
The late years of the 70s saw depletion of Iranian bureaucracy, economy and culture of its greatest talents. They either fled the country--that mysteriously fell in the hands of zealots--or were executed in revolutionary courts (which meant there were no trials--or were alienated and labled anti-revolutionary--which meant their ability to be a part of the social sphere was completely denied.
My childhood suffered almost all the above! But that was a blessing for me and the generation that is constituting the current forces of reform in Iran.
This generation has strayed away from ideological politics; and is demanding social reforms. for example, the women movement is the strongest and the most successful form of resistance in Iran.
This generation is independent, self-confident, and feels a great need for taking control of the counry's destiny.
We are tired of foreign intervention! And we are sensitized to the dynamics by which it exerts its influence on our lives.
There are a group of delusional monarchists or Mojahedin-e khalgh, who claim the governance of Iran, and who are beating the drums of war against "mullahs". But they are too disconnected from the reality of the Iranian society to deserve any attention.
People who are willing to risk their life FOR Iran, LIVE INSIDE IRAN. They are Ganji's, Ebadi's, Amir Entezam's of Iran; not Reza Pahlavis or Maryam Rajavis of the world!
That which seems to have chained the Iranians the most, has been the key to their liberation. As we no longer are the lazy consumers of the almighty West--their embargo and economic santions have taught us how to stand on our feet. Although, perhaps if they cared for our freedom, they would let our economy flourish so we would have the means for social reformation.
I respect the way you view the Islamic rejime in Iran, although you are apparently a non-conformist liberal woman.
It reveals an idealistic vision devoid of parochial limitations, or else it could be political pragmatism on your account. One way or the other, I cant judge-i just like the perspective!
That Azadeh chick I mean she rocks!
It’s not often that I quote a Persian fundamentalist Pharisee, but for her I’ll make an exception:
Imam Ruhollah Khomeini once (I think it was back in 1987) chastised his hapless generals and told them something along the lines of “you incompetent fools! Ah if only you had one drop of Saddam’s blood in your veins”
How true.
If only Saudi (or Kuwaiti or Lebanese or Egyptian) women had a single drop of Azadeh’s blood in theirs veins, the Arabs might have a vibrant civil society- as opposed to say state-controlled mafias, Islamist opposition groups, belly dancers and illiterate youth watching the latest episode of “Star Academy” while the Neocon raze Bagdad.
Hi Amre,
Thank you for your interest.
Speaking of conformism or liberalism, I am not sure if I am or am not any of those.
I am non-conformist to the western style of liberalism, I am also non-conformist to the Islamic version of prochialism. I am in no contact with any of the Iranian NGOs. I am in no contact with diasporic Iranian activism either. My contribution to Iran, tries to be as a-political and as objective as it can get: thus scientific. In that sense, I am a pragmatist.
However, because I live in the west, because I vote in the west, because I pay my taxes in the west, because with my expertise I contribute to the western society, I act politically in the west.
That is my duty as a citizen of the country I have chosen to live in. If I were living in Iran, and if I heard falsehoods being spread about American people or American system, and if I saw those disinformations were political tools that the Iranian government was using without regards for the interests of the Iranians and global peace and security, I would have put up the same defense for America.
The neoconservatives are aiming for CLASH of civilizations. And I think I have a sufficient understanding of both of these civilizations to give credit to their theory. But I also think there is a GOOD CHANCE to avoid it, by building on the commonalities, instead of exacerbating the differences. The polarization project of the "new Century" chills my spine with fear!
Good to see you Dr V :)
did you know Azadeh means "liberal"? rather "independent", "free", "aloof" something like that.
I love the way she is dressed. That is the outfit of Iranian women in the turn of the century; when they were becoming more and more political and socially active during the Constitution revolution. She clearly is making a statement with the way she is dressed: heavily made up; yet dressed in a century-old outfit!
Speaking of Saddam ... he WAS an Ameican puppet, Dr. V. and I think megalomanics lend themselves well to becoming marionetts of someone else's party!
What I meant: "stayed away" was, as a teen I was shy, she was shy, so, we talked but not at any great length as we would now as adults.
I've always been accepting of people and grew up in a mixed neighborhood in SF and really knew nothing else.
Color, labels never mattered and still don't.
I especially get irritated that people put "all americans" as being accepting of the republican administration or democratic who both don't really do too much for anyone in this country! ; (
Hi coffee Messiah,
I totally understand your frustration of stereotypification! (is this a word? it rhymes though :) ) I get very irritated when people throw blanketing statements about the Middle Esaterners too.
Yes America is by and large an accepting society.
But the system is run by the Democrats and the Republicans; they define the nation; and because the nation doesn't seem to show signs of dissidence against the ruling parties, then one can fall in the trap of assuming that Americans are what their leaders seem to be.
You know, the fact that there are so many Americans who are fed up with their politicians, and the fact that they seem to be unable to really have their representatives do much for them, makes me wonder what kind of "free democracy" this democracy really is.
Hi Naj,
thanks for dropping by, I can't believe the royalists are hanging around like ghouls. Probably angling to be put into power by US firepower, Royals need power like junkies yearn for heroin. I'm reading and writing about David, then I'll write up about neo-resistance, I've mooched about a bit and you're really on top of things. You'll have to school me on the Persian/farsi deal but it's great to connect I really truly hope that people can bypass the govt's and make warmongering totally unacceptable.
Speaking of Saddam ... he WAS an Ameican puppet, Dr. V. and I think megalomanics lend themselves well to becoming marionetts of someone else's party!
Hmm…
For once I’ll have to disagree with you my dear Naj.
Saddam was his own man.
The fact he sided with Nixon against Brezhnev at a time when most of the Middle-East’s non-monarchic autocrats (think Libya, Syria, Egypt before 1974, and Yemen) rooted for the reds only serve to prove that Saddam was a pragmatic secular nationalist- secular as opposed to Islamist thug such as Khomeini or Bin Laden!
;)
Also, there’s an Iranian dude who posted on my blog asking you to “show more respect to the president”
I kid you not.
Naj, thanks once more for giving me -- exiled from reality in the U.S. -- insights into Iran which I would otherwise never have. I hope many Americans read your blog. We have almost everything to learn about life within Iran.
Hi Naj,
Kudos for the lady.
By the way I have a request. I am in your blogroll under the category of iranian bloggers, thanks for the honor but I believe it is a misrepresentation of my blog. I am a Lebanese blogger getting a bit chauvinistic these days. The middle east exists and it is not only Iran !
Sophia, you are under my favorite bloggers, not under Iranian bloggers.
The Iranian blogger is a LINK that goes to a site that's listing Iranian bloggers and because I am sorting things alphabetically, yours is falling under that.
If you click on my favorit blogger list, you will notice most of them are NOT Iranian.
And although my blog is Iran facts, it is not about the Middle East! In fact, I do not care much about the middle east, I care about peace wherever it happens to be in danger. And I tend to write about what I know best, which is Iran.
If you like to be removed from my favorite links, I will gladly oblige.
With all due respect my dear Dr V. I will not put Khomeini under the same category as Bin Laden.
For better or worse, Khomeini was an educated man; and not a construction contractor on American payroll.
Re Saddam, I didn't say he was Middle East's puppet, but America's puppet. I don't see how siding with Nixon makes him an Americanly-independent man?!
En tout cas, Saddam is dead.
... no point beating the dead horse.
Now I shoudl see who wants respect for which president :)
Fleming,
I am glad you find this informative.
I just wish teh events of past years have encouraged Americans to not trust the integrity and truthfulness of their socalled free media and esteemed democracy.
In spite of all havoc, with his disregard for diplomatic, Bush has dome humanity a wonderful favor by exposing the ugly truth about the way the first world conducts business.
Yes Furgaia ... Iran has had its revolutionary experience. Reform is what we seek; and transformed this regime shall be.
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