Breaking News! Today, a mullah said something sensible!!!!

"Chanting death to this and that is not the way to run a country. We have lost our prestige in the world. We are constantly falling behind." said Grand Ayatollah Montazeri.

Anyway, I want to go to the Fajr Film Festival but there's no information in Farsi or English on program times on the website... guess I'll have to pick up a catalogue from Farhang Cinema. A week ago I saw "A Winter's Tale". I enjoyed it greatly but I think I was the only one in the theatre (Talah Vahdat) laughing... which meant no-one understood the jokes... for example

(from The Tech Paulina to Leontes:)
So like to him that got it, if thou hast
The ordering of the mind too, 'mongst all colours
No yellow in't, lest she suspect, as he does,
Her children not her husband's!

It went completely over everyone's heads, because the subtitles weren't working. But people were happy that a foreign theatre group had finally come.

What to see? I want to see "The Fifth Reaction" by Tahmineh Milani, I suppose. Can't get enough of those feminist films. Milani claims she is an atheist. This is shocking to the vast majority of Iranians of course, but one has to admire such independence of spirit in a theocracy. There should be A LOT more of it!

Finished watching Blix and el-Baradei courtesy of Washington Post. Blix was critical, el-Baradei was largely happy with the Iraqi co-operation. Perhaps the most critical issue is that it does seem the Iraqis have contravened Resolution 1441 by not allowing "...immediate, unimpeded, unrestricted, and private access to all officials and other persons...".

(I took a few days to edit this one. Khatami's speech ties in well with what I wrote before.)

What's Khatami been saying in India?

"NEW DELHI JAN. 26. After the collapse of Marxism, the West had to create a "new enemy'' in the form of an extremist vision of Islam, the visiting Iranian President, Mohammad Khatami, said tonight.

Admitting "mistakes'' by some Muslims, he said that the Western world was using "psychological operations'' to make Islam the source of violence. This image would allow the West to unleash more horrible violence in the world."

This is both hypocritical and hilarious. He is constantly playing the "blame game" - he doesn't have the answers for Iran, only a contradictory vision of "religious democracy", and wishes to distract attention away from the failures of the government. He is the representative of a regime whose leaders talk about "enemy plots" like no other. The problem, more than he would like to admit, is that some Muslims DO have an "extremist vision"; this hasn't been "created" by the West; and where, after all, is the Muslim outrage?. Let's look at some articles from the last few days.


FBI report pointed to Bali bombing

Jabarah told the FBI that al Qaeda used specific code words in Asia, including the phrase, "white meat" to describe American interests.

Sharia in Lagos At Last: (from LGF)

To liberate the Muslim world from alleged Western domination and oppression, Professor AbdulKareem suggested that Muslim countries must strive hard to possess international might through:

· the acquisition of chemical and nuclear weapons to check the incessant threat from the West;

Nuclear Warfare is the Solution for Destroying America
(from LGF)

"This is the only way to kill the greatest possible number of Americans."

Imam 'instructed British Muslims to kill infidels'

“This is how wonderful it is to kill a kuffar (an unbeliever). You crawl on his back and while you are pushing him down into the hellfire, you are going into paradise.” ...the defendant had stated that “assassination was lawful” and that a Muslim’s primary task was “to lessen the population of the unbelievers”...The cleric claimed that his talks came “either directly or indirectly” from the Koran, and that if he was on trial, then so was the holy text.

Now, this "imam" has a degree in Islamic studies from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. How could he get Islam so "wrong"? There is certainly a wide range of opinions about what "Islam" is and what "jihad" means. Unfortunately, to a large extent, it is the violent, intolerant Muslims, though a minority, who define what these terms mean to people in the West - they get a greater "mindshare". If you are a Muslim and you think these people (mostly Wahhabis) are wrong, you should speak up! Otherwise, people in the West may consider the silence to be "deafening".

You see the news below (I said it was coming), but Hoder beat me to it, Le Monde Diplomatique in Persian.

"The Economist" survey was wonderful - main theme, "religious democracy" is an oxymoron, which everyone knew anyway (except maybe Khatami).

"The Bills" can't pass for at least 2 months so don't expect any "news" from Iran for a while. If I see something stupid I'll put it here, otherwise if you have any questions just mail me. (Whatever you do, don't believe uncorroborated Ledeen or SMCCDI reports!) Radio Farda is a great source.

"Iran tries to kick its oil habit" another great article from Asia Times. Can't believe I can read it for free...

"Another prominent conservative leader, Mr Habibollah Asgaroladi, charged that the CIA 'published the cartoon on the Internet just two days before its publication in Hayat-e-No daily' and instructed 'its mercenaries inside Iran to use it'." (Straits Times)

Archive.org demonstrates the picture has been there since at least October 1997. These conservative leaders aren't very competent when it comes to the Net, or disguising their lies.

The other interesting news was Radio Farda again...

Italy Warns Tourists against Visiting Iran

* Italy listed Iran among the more than 30 Asian, African, South American and European countries its deems potentially dangerous for tourists. (Ahmad Ra'fat, Rome)

I couldn't find such a list on the Italian advice site, maybe I'm looking in the wrong place.

Le Monde Diplomatique is to start publishing a Persian edition soon.

As for news, you know the rest, Hayat-e-no closed for no particular reason, Radio Farda reports music banned in Fars province, and a 19 year old was sentenced to death for drinking (third time, you're out!)

No news on the bill vote date... January 16, the date the Shah left Iran, is coming up, and on that day the Economist Iran Survey also appears. I need to make my own predictions to see if they are in line with theirs.

Back to Tehran. There's a debate on Hoder's weblog about whether women really have been burning their headscarves by the thousands... no-one saw it, and no-one writing about it seems to have realized that Ledeen is just quoting SMCCDI... perhaps the LA stations have been talking about it too.

About three months ago Mr. Alavitabar predicted a "turning point" in Iran within three months. But as we saw, nothing happened. As Elton Daniel commented in A History of Iran, "Scholars, analysts, and journalists in and outside of Iran largely failed to comprehend either the nature or the direction of the Islamic Revolution when it occurred. Since then, many of them have confidently and repeatedly predicted the imminent demise of the Islamic regime whenever it faces a crisis, or its transformation into a "moderate" or "pragmatic" government with every reshuffling of its personnel. This has been due to their determination to make the facts of the Iranian case fit into preconceived models of revolutions and revolutionary behaviour, and they have invariably been proven wrong." So I agree with Mr. Shariatmadari... "It's been almost four years now that they've been saying we are reaching a deadlock. But we don't see any."

Happy New Year 2003.

US officials have a big problem! "FBI Suspect is me, says Pakistani jeweller." So apparently someone is running around with a fake passport in the US and the FBI want to talk to them? I guess the US can thank the Canadians!

An Iranian musician's homecoming. Shahin visits Iran for the first time since 1979 and marvels at the traffic and the openness to Western culture.

A Toronto professor writing for "The Globe and Mail", Ron Deibert, claims that the Internet is censored in Iran! "On another front, authoritarian governments ranging from Syria and Iran to China are busy attempting to block their citizens from accessing what their elites believe is dangerous information by using sophisticated firewalls at router points." What a load of rubbish!! He must be basing this on outdated information. A friend of mine studying political science can't look at porn from his dorm... but for public computers, that's not strange. You can go to net cafes and look at Mr Pahlavi's site any time you like. I did some searches to try to find out what Prof. Deibert's source was... perhaps an August 1999 RSF report The 20 Enemies of the Internet which seems to be inaccurate... or the May 2001 cybercafe closures... or RSF's 2002 annual report... "in November the High Council of the Cultural Revolution, a body headed by President Mohammad Khatami but dominated by the conservatives, decreed that all private companies providing access to the Internet had to dismantle their equipment or transfer it to the public sector." (If you come to Tehran you see endless ads everywhere for net companies... "No Proxy! No Filtering!" I suppose RSF must focus on anything which looks like doom and gloom.)

But then what's this about Iran's banned press turns to the net (BBC August 2002) if there's censorship? What's this about Web gives a voice to Iranian women (BBC June 2002) saying "Contrary to expectation, the internet in Iran is not censored"? Even RSF's September 2002 report The Internet On Probation doesn't mention Iran. I guess that negative myths about Iran just perpetuate themselves somehow. (I feel good for writing something positive about Iran for a change!!) If you want to know what Iran is REALLY like you have to visit yourself; or perhaps chat to people on boards like the Thorn Tree.

I switch back to conspiracy theories. Forbidden opinion polls: confusion and realities by Mr Al-Rashid. "According to the poll results, 70 percent of the people thought that United States and England helped in bringing about the Iranian revolution, Not only is this strange; but it is also wrong." There was an article in the last "Economist" about conspiracy theories:

"As a tool for explaining how the world works, conspiracism has certain drawbacks. It inhibits trust: if everyone else is out to get you, better
have nothing to do with them. It dampens optimism: if ``they'' are sure to frustrate your plans, why bother doing anything? And, of course, it
leads to harmful errors, such as the belief, once popular among Africans, that condoms were yet another ploy to reduce their population."

In the book Religious Minorities In Iran the writer, Professor Sanasarian, explains Khomeini's worldview (which Khamenei has inherited): that enemies were in every corner of the world plotting against him and against Islam. So these beliefs help explain Iranians' apathy: "why bother doing anything?" and also help explain Iran's international isolation and closed society. I see no way out; any change would have to involve Iranians becoming more familiar with what open societies are like, which given the poverty and the difficulties of travel for the average person in Iran is not going to happen. Perhaps the Internet can help?

Ex-President Aboard Iran-140

HAMBASTEGI*

The reformist daily has quoted former president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani as saying he would fly on the home-made Iran-140 plane to dispel security concerns with the plane. "I will fly on Iran-140 in one of my domestic visits to prove the safety of this Iranian-made plane," he was quoted as saying. A joint venture of Iran and Ukraine, Iran-140 was launched last February during the festivities marking the triumph anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

I can't remember the date, but it was earlier this year. I wonder if he'll remember his promise? "Ukrainian air companies have so far purchased just three An-140s in as many years; Russian carriers haven't purchased any. No nation other than Iran had voiced interest in buying now."

Lastly, "Iran News" is rather scathing...

Kashani says something positive (sort of). Christmas miracles?

Conversation on the beach from Herzliya, Israel (or "Occupied Palestine" if I'm writing for an Iranian government newspaper). Really scary, I hope the Palestinian (or "Arab" if I'm writing for a right-wing Israeli newspaper) is not representative of his people. If there are any Palestinians out there who are against suicide bombing I can't h-e-a-r them. Have you heard of any Palestinians like Jeff Halper who I saw on BBC World once? (OK, Elias Chacour is the best example I can think of. Perhaps Iranian and Western media is biased somehow, so that I don't hear peaceful Palestinian voices.)

Crash: Conspiracy theories again.

"...a conservative Iranian newspaper, Jam-e-Jam, speculated that there could have been a "Zionist" (Israeli) conspiracy behind the crash.

"Considering the presence of Russian experts, sabotage is not out of the question," the paper said, noting the presence of Mossad agents in Turkey where the plane had stopped to refuel."

Yes, Merry Christmas everybody. Before I forget I need to link back to the geographical blog index that lists me.

Saudi Arabia teaches children hate.

Sheikh Majed 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Firian recently stated in the Suleiman Bin Muqiran mosque in Riyadh: "Muslims must ... educate their children to Jihad. This is the greatest benefit of the situation: educating the children to Jihad and to hatred of the Jews, the Christians, and the infidels; educating the children to Jihad and to revival of the embers of Jihad in their souls. This is what is needed now ..."

Usenet article about Iran crash. "Never put all your eggs in one basket."

Another article about Antonov safety. I wouldn't fly in an Antonov or Tupolev... but it's still safer than the road, no? I vaguely remember something about Rafsanjani saying this year he would fly in a certain kind of plane to prove it was safe... had to be this one, didn't it? I'll try to find the quote.

There was a priceless comment to the previous article:

begin quote

Media coverage of the event in Britain and abroad has skewed decisively in favor of the rioters, with many editorials urging their readers to consider the centuries of oppression Catholics have suffered at the hands of the English. Most dramatic of all was Independent columnist Robert Fisk, who called a press conference to express his solidarity with the rioters before attempting to nail himself to a cross.

The day's events were punctuated by a statement from Pope John Paul II, who, despite his advanced age and physical frailty, had strong words for the British government. "O God," said the Pontiff to the ululating throng below, "shake the ground under Tony Blair's feet. Shoot lightning bolts up the Queen's ass. Destroy your enemies the Presbyterians, the sons of pigs and monkeys."

When questioned about his remarks afterward, the Pope replied, "I got a right to be hostile. My people been persecuted."

end quote

Truly hilarious "little green footballs" piece about the reaction of British Catholics to a BBC documentary.

"Following the broadcast of a BBC documentary suggesting that Jesus may have been conceived as the result of an illicit affair or of Mary's rape by a Roman soldier, enraged British Catholics poured out of churches after evening mass, smashing store windows, overturning cars, and attacking anyone of Middle Eastern appearance. "

While randomly trawling the net, I came across an Iran hostage's recollections. Are there any lessons about or for the Iran of today there?

"[Hossein, a captor] began by telling me that it was all over, that we were all going home, and that Iran was finally going to be free from outside interference so Iranians could have the kind of country they wanted. I responded that it sounded good, but that I was sure it was not going to happen because, in my view, Iranians lacked the necessary self-discipline to keep the past from repeating itself.

Hossein said he did not understand. I noted that governing a nation and permitting at least some degree of freedom (which Hossein and his cohorts always maintained would be the case in Iran) required great tolerance on the part of the authorities. I said that the government of such a country could not lock someone away or execute them just because someone with the power to do so did not like something the person said or did. I told him that rules and laws had to be applied to all citizens equally and that it took governmental and personal self-discipline to make this work. Looking him directly in the eyes, I told him that nothing I had seen, heard, or experienced in my time in Iran gave me any indication he and his fellow Iranians had any understanding of this. The revolutionary government was unwilling to grant its citizens any measurable degree of true freedom, and there was not, in my opinion, a snowball's chance in hell that it would.

Hossein rebutted my comments, using the same idealistic revolutionary rhetoric that I had heard so many times, from so many Iranians. He ended by repeating that all Iran's problems had been caused by outsiders, most notably by America, and that now everything was going to be good in Iran. I did not carry the debate further. He tried to chitchat for a few minutes, but, when he realized that I had no interest in a congenial farewell, he said he had many things to do. He then stood and wished me good luck. I shrugged, and he left."

What was that Santayana quote again?

Saddam's son wrote a 320-page thesis on the future of the Arab nation. I don't think Arabs have much future, so how can he write that much? If you see any discussion of this on the net I'd be interested to hear of it.

OK, Student's Day passed. What's my evaluation...? Over the last 16 days I don't believe all that much happened. The people are apathetic and weary, "bi bokhar" (without steam). Besides Tehran is too cold for protests. And too cold for me too, but I'll return there soon.