The Iranian Times

Friday, August 11, 2000 / Mordad 21, 1379, No. 1041


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History

Pirooz in China
Defeated Persian army takes refuge

By Frank Wong
August 11, 2000
The Iranian

In 651 A.D., the Persian king Yazdgerd III was captured and beheaded by Arab invaders in what is today's Turkmenistan. His son, Pirooz survived and fled east to China. Here's an account from Chinese historians.

I read the story of Pirooz written in a formal and ancient aristocratic Chinese language. It was quite tough, but with the help of my Chinese friends and associates I got through it. It was written by Prince Nah-shieh (Narseh), who was the son of Prince Pirooz, who was the son of King Yazdgerd III-- the last Sasanid king of Persia. Narseh was a Chinese general stationed in the Tang Chinese military garrisons in what are today's Afghanistan, Tajikistan and parts of Uzbekistan >>> GO TO FEATURE

History

Not too deep
Shortcomings in the study of Iranian history

By Khodadad Rezakhani
August 11, 2000
The Iranian

My concern is that in almost all the universities around the world which offer classes on Iranian history, there is no in depth study of various subjects. Professors and students just satisfy themselves with When and Where, and they take on a little bit of Why, but they don't go very deep. Most only rely on Western sources and what is generally accepted as fact, but they don't try very hard to check those facts or to broaden their understanding. Heroodotus, Sophocles, Procopius, and such Greek and Roman historians, are still the major sources of Achaemenid and Sasanid studies >>> GO TO FEATURE


Outlook

Reform & conservatives

BBC Persian Service

President Mohammad Khatami is to chair a committee of reforms. The committee, a brain child of the conservatives, will oversee a pre-defined set of reforms and as such it is looked at cynically by the moderates. Saeed Yekta discusses with Sadegh Zibakalam whether such a committee can be effective? >>> LISTEN HERE

Iran's delicate balance tips to the right

By Roula Khalaf
Financial Times (London)
August 8, 2000

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader and the ultimate authority in the Islamic republic, has always tried to stay above the fray of politics.

In some of the most intense power struggles between conservatives and reformists in recent years, the senior Shia cleric often struck a delicate balance, warning against speedy reforms but also declaring his support for President Mohammad Khatami, the architect of Iran's political liberalisation >>> FULL TEXT

Life after the revolution

The Independent - London
August 7, 2000

Singer Googoosh was forced into a media exile when Iran became an Islamic republic, but her popularity didn't wane, as this week's BBC Radio selection shows. Here's an interview with Googoosh by Amin Zarghami:

AMIN ZARGHAMI The first question I want to ask is this: after 21 years of not performing, you're returning to the stage. Aren't you afraid?

GOOGOOSH Yes, very. My fear is that I will fail to return all the love and support I've received from people over the years, while at the same time maintaining my own image and allowing for something new >>> FULL TEXT

I mean, really...

Body building: "A world with feminine colors." Hmmm >>> SEE HERE



More Letters

* Respecting soldiers

Masoud writes: I read "At war with your people" and thought to myself we should respect our soldiers and volunteers who sacrifice their lives for our nation and our county.

We may not agree on the war itself or how long it took. But, we should not forget that there were more than a million men and women throughout the war who did the sacrifice and they should not be mistaken with bunch of thugs many of whom never have seen the battlegrounds.

The people you're talking about are bunch of young impressionable patsies. They are basically used by a group of power hungry who have a lot to lose if things are to change.

* Psychological help

R. Mehdipour writes: I want to compliment the writer of the article on the soldiers who can't let the war go ["At war with your people"]. It's time for them to get some psychological help, so they can stop bullying their countrymen and countrywomen. Let the old wounds heal and let the country move into the 21st century.

* Punishing horrible crimes

Bahar Bonyan writes: In his reply to Najmieh Fakhraei's "At war with your people", Mr Navab writes: "In any event I wish Ms. Fakhraei would come to the point to agree that the individuals she has written about are victims of our society and they need treatment. Insulting is a very old approach. I liked it when Mr. Khachatourian, in the recent Saturday gathering in front of the Federal Building sent a message to these victims: we will forgive you, we won't try you in our courts when we win."

I very much disagree with him . There should be fair and open trials for individuals who have been responsible for all sorts of horrible acts during the last 20 years, whatever many years we have to wait until true democracy prevails in Iran. Mr Khachatourian , whoever he is,"az kiseh-ye khalifeh mibakhshand". If anyone has been just a "victim" let that be proven in a lawful and open court.

* Self-discovery

Haleh Vaziri writes: I wish to thank The Iranian for featuring Nina Habibi's "Many me". I appreciate her sharing a creative form of self-discovery and expression, and I will now await her next set of thematically organized images. Her work colorfully remind us that each one of us is indeed "many" images integrated into a whole. We simply choose which image(s) to show the world and which ones to conceal.


Art: Artists at Rumi conference, southern California

Dear Friends,

Here is an invitation to see a great art exhibition and attend an interesting conference on Rumi in southern California. There are least five Iranians in the exhibition! Seyed Alavi, Kamrooz Aram, Termeh Dimi Yeghiazarian, Taraneh Hemami and Nasser Ovissi. Hope to see you down there >>> DETAILS HERE


Books

.

,

Islam and Gender
by Ziba Mir-Hosseini

.

Do gaam beh pish, do gaam beh pas
By Mohammad Ghouchani

THE IRANIAN
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    Poetry

Translation of today's poem by Zara Houshmand:

Ever since my arms let you go

There's no end to my tears that one could see

My heart, my soul, my eyes cannot forget you.

For God's sake, don't you forget me.
-- Rumi
Previous translations



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More news

International criticism mounts over crackdown on Iran's press

NICOSIA, Aug 10 (AFP) - International criticism is mounting over a continuing crackdown on the reformist Iranian press by the country's conservative Islamic regime. After months of successive newspaper closures and the jailing of journalists, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Sunday issued a shock decree banning the new reformist-dominated parliament from carrying out plans to overturn the country's tough press laws >>> FULL TEXT

Amnesty expresses concern over arrest of journalists

Amnesty International, 9 August 2000 -- In a renewed crackdown on freedom of speech in Iran, the authorities have arrested three prominent journalists. One of them is diabetic, and has reportedly found it difficult to obtain insulin in custody. Amnesty International considers the three men to be prisoners of conscience, detained solely for the legitimate expression of their opinions >>> FULL TEXT

MP, who questioned leader, offers to resign under intimidation

08/10/2000, BBC Monitoring, Source: `Iran' daily newspaper web site -- The Majlis deputy from Mahallat and Delijan, Ali Asghar Hadizadeh [who questioned the leader Ali Khamene'i's right of veto over Majlis authority], addressing the Majlis speaker yesterday, said: The presidium of the Majlis is duty-bound to defend the rights and status of the deputies >>> FULL TEXT

Cheney, Iran-Contra link probed

WASHINGTON (AP) - As a member of Congress in 1986, Dick Cheney was present for one of the defining moments in the Iran-Contra scandal - a White House meeting where Oliver North misled members of the House Intelligence Committee. The episode, however, didn't keep Cheney from defending North at the Iran-Contra hearings a year later or from stumping for him in 1994 when North ran for the U.S. Senate >>> FULL TEXT

Iran prisons hoping to cut numbers by freeing women and minors

TEHRAN, Aug 11 (AFP) - Iran's prison system hopes to reduce the inmate population with a measure that would exempt women and minors from serving time, a newspaper reported here Thursday. The Iran newspaper said prison officials are expected to introduce a draft version of a bill to parliament this year that would let women and underage criminals go free on bail rather than go to prison >>> FULL TEXT

Ancient sarcophagus discovered in Iran

TEHRAN, Aug 11 (AFP) - The sarcophagus of a woman, believed to date from at least three centuries before Christ, was discovered in western Iran during digging to lay a gas pipeline, the official IRNA news agency said Thursday. Mohammad-Rahim Ranjbaran, an official with the archeological center in the province of Hamedan, was quoted by IRNA as saying the terracotta sarcophagus would appear to date from the Ashemenides era, which ran from 668 to 330 BC >>> FULL TEXT

Jealous man murders neighbour and stabs wife

TEHRAN, Aug 10 (AFP) - A 70-year-old bus driver stabbed his wife and then shot his 30-year-old landlord dead because he suspected they were having an affair, the press reported here Thursday. The landlord was killed instantly but the driver's seriously injured wife is still alive in hospital, the papers said >>> FULL TEXT

NYMEX crude pulls back on pre-weekend profit-taking

NEW YORK, Aug 11 (Reuters) - NYMEX crude oil futures gave up gains late and settled lower Friday as traders took profits ahead of the weekend, cutting short a rally spurred by worries over tight supplies. September crude settled at last traded at $31.02, losing 32 cents on the day, after soaring to a fresh contract high of $31.85. Before the day's loss, the contract had racked up gains of $2.22 in a two-day rally >>> FULL TEXT

State v. private broadcasting

Tehran , (Jam-e Jam) -- IRIB chief Ali Larijani and communications experts Pirooz Mojtahedzadeh and Hamid Molana debate broadcasting privatization >> FULL PERSIAN TEXT

Iraj: Maybe some other time :-)

Tehran , (Iran daily) -- Iraj's first concert in more than 20 years in Tehran will not take place "for now" >> FULL PERSIAN TEXT

Literature?

Tehran, (Iran daily) -- Mahmoud Motaghedi discusses literature, society, pluralism, responsibility and... >> FULL PERSIAN TEXT

Mahdavi-Kia delivers

Tehran , (Ettelaat) -- An goal and an assist by Mehdi Mahdavi-Kia gives Hamburg 2-0 victory >> FULL PERSIAN TEXT

Wrestling: So far so good

Tehran , (Ettelaat) -- Iran's national wrestling team members (free style) earn eight victories on first day of Asian championships >>> FULL PERSIAN TEXT

Chess: Women

Tehran , (Ettelaat) -- Iranian women's team will take part in world chess championhips >>> FULL PERSIAN TEXT


BBC

Arab Observers still optimistic about Iranian reforms

The Arab World has closely been following the process of reforms in Iran. What impact will the recent restrictions on the freedom of the press leave among Arab observers? Maria Sarsalari reports >>> LISTEN HERE

BBC Persian Service


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Seems so

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-- Ralph Waldo Emerson


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