VIEW

I didn't take it in that way

I didn't watch this movie and immediately condemn all Iranians in a certain way. I saw it as one story and do not think badly of Iranians as I feel that would be extremely racist. I think different people will take this movie differently. Some will watch it and form a very biased view of Iranians and Muslims but others, like me, will take it as one story of one village. Besides, I thought in the case of Hashem he was put in a very difficult position. If he stood up to Ali he would also have been killed and his son,another innocent, would have been left to fend for himself or possibly harmed by Ali.

My review of the novel:

My review of the novel: //iranianforaryans.blogspot.com/search?q=kite+runner

To Fatima

Thank you Fatima!

It was such a great video...I didn't know how horrible these moslems living in those other countries were...doing these terrible crimes to their own daughters and wives and mothers and sisters...WOW. I love Wafa Sultan! Such an amazing brave woman!

I will share it on my Facebook with all my non-Iranian/non moslem friends!Everybody should know about these crimes against humanity.

BTW, I wonder in the Kite Runner movie, were you one of the Talibans or the woman who got stoned by Taliban? I was really moved by the stoning scene in the Kite Runner (the book I mean). Didn't you think that Talibans were committing acts of Terrorism against their own people?

Now, since you love "research", I suggest that you read Hosseini’s second book (a thousand splendid suns) about the tragedy of two women born in an Islamic country worse than Iran and the crimes committed by Talibans (more "khoonkhaar" than IRI). If you’re not much into reading books, then you have to wait for the movie to come out…:-)

BTW, have you heard about Mitra Farahani's movies? She was arrested in Tehran on june 17th because she has made a few movies about the issue of sex and desire in Islam...Parts of her movie Tabous was featured by JJ (It had a naked woman in it, but still... thank you Jahanshah!)

Mitra (a friend of my best friend) is an Iranian artist making her movies in Iran and has nothing to do with Neo-cons and David Horowitz, etc..! If Sahebjam's book is the story of one single woman being victim to cruel islamic laws, but Mitra is criticizing the whole Moslem societies. Do you think Mitra deserves to be stoned too?

Fatima...enough kidding with you! It seems that your hatred and racism has made you numb and blind to the pain of others, many of them believing in the same stuff as you do! Plus, they are your own compatriots (if you are an Iranian...)!  

Azarin

Kite Runner

Bijan, unlike you I do my research. The writer of the book Khaled Hosseini worked with the production and director of Kite Runner to make sure that extra special care is taken to distinguish between "terrorists" and Muslims and I respect them for that which is why I chose to work on that movie and got a credit on it, I highly suggest that you do your homework before you post here.

And before you call facts nonsense, go watch the video that clearly shows how Horowitz, the neo-cons and Nowrasteh are are working together:

//malaysia.video.yahoo.com/watch/2342836/7340...

THE ABOVE IS A VIDEO CLIP OF CYRUS NOWRASTEH AT A DAVID HOROWITZ EVENT WHICH EXPOSES THE REAL AGENDA BEHIND THIS MOVIE, CYRUS COMES ON AT THE LAST 5 MINUTES OF THIS 1 HOUR HATEFUL, WAR-MONGERING, ANTI-MUSLIM, ANTI-ISLAM PANEL.

Fatima

How did you like the movie "Kite Runner"? Was that produced by horowitz or Nowrasteh? Was that Also a plot by the Neocons and zionists to promote hate against Islam?

What a bunch of nonsense....

More on Cyrus Nowrasteh and David Horowitz

The David Horowitz event that Cyrus Nowrasteh was part of was the "David Horowitz's Restoration Weekend", Palm Beach, Florida 2007. He was specifically part of the "Women in Islam Panel" (speakers were Wafa Sultan, Cyrus Nowrasteh, Janet Levy, Rosine Ghawji, Nonie Darwish), a panel dedicated to creating hate towards ALL Muslims and Islam while exploiting the issue of women's rights as bait. I found a couple of videos from the event but Cyrus Nowrasteh's speech is now conveniently missing, I had seen it about a year ago and he was part of this same event. This was the same event where Wafa Sultan quite hatefully states:

"We are working hand in hand to change 1.3 billion muslim. They have to realize that they have only two choices, to change or to be crushed."
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=up3yuQDAWKQ

It makes me sick to my stomach how they are using movies like this to generate hate towards 1.3 billion Muslims. These people do NOT care about human rigths AT ALL because in the same breath that they condemn human rights abuses that may occur in our home countries, they also welcome the CRUSHING of 1.3 billion Muslims who may not follow their dictated rules. Wow how "democratic" and "free-thinking" of them!!

I'd much rather see and support films by people from Iran who are actively involved in working towards positive social change within their beautiful country without any backing from hateful war-mongering neo-cons in the US.

____________________________

PS: AFTER MUCH SEARCHING I FOUND THE CLIPS OF CYRUS AT THE DAVID HOROWITZ EVENT, CYRUS COMES ON AT THE LAST 5 MINUTES OF THIS 1 HOUR PANEL WHICH EXPOSES THE REAL AGENDA BEHIND HIS MOVIE:

//malaysia.video.yahoo.com/watch/2342836/7340...

____________________________

Spot on

I saw this at the Toronto Film Festival, and couldn't help but let go an expletive within ear shot of the director. A lot of good people worked on this project, believing it would shed light on human rights abuses. The problem--beyond even the wince-inducing paternalism--is that the project was most evidently conceived in hatred, and only love can shed light.

Dr. Taghavi,

I must congratulate you for your powerful persuasive writing style. However, I find your motivations somewhat disingenuous. I have not seen the movie and have not even read the book that the movie was based on, but reading through your article I sensed that you are only using the movie as an excuse to lash out at Republicans and that segment of the society (that you have chosen to live in) that have opposing political views.

In all honesty, if this same exact movie was directed by Micheal Moore and produced by Naom Chomsky or Zbigniew Brzezinski or Jimmy Carter based on Sahebjam’s book, would you have screamed so loud about portrayal of Iranians?. I am by no means questioning your true love for a free Iran and the role of women in getting us there. But, truth, is truth as painful and hurtful as it may be. Who do you think prepared the video of the Bsiji in plain cloth stabbing a young Demonstrator. Who are the millions of Basijis who ruthlessly are silencing our braves. Are they paid by Neocons, AIPAC, or the Republican Party? Why denying the facts?

As I said you just wanted to lash out and voice your outrage against the segment of society you oppose and used this movie as a lame excuse to do so. You have been socializing too much with your colleague Ms. Soraya Ulrich.

Fatima

So you're saying that there is no stoning in Iran? Or anywhere else.  Certainly I would understand the outrage if none existed.  It just seems like there is enough substantiated proof that it does.  Or did.  I rather think that awareness will only strengthen support for Iranian human rights... NOT denigrate the growing respect the world has for the brave women in Iran.  Please don't shoot the messenger just because you don't like the message!

Cyrus Nowrasteh and David Horowitz connections

A year or so ago, this movie came to our company for visual effects work for the stoning scene and it was turned it down. I saw the stoning scene before it was finished and it was very one-dimensional and simplistic so immediately did my research only to confirm my suspicion that this movie is part of the Neo-Con propaganda machine to generate a drum beat for war against Iran. Yes women's rights need to be fought for in our home countries. But we must also not allow the fight for our rights back home to be exploited like it was exploited by the Bush Administration and Afghanistan. In my research for the film this is what I found:

1 - There is NO proof that this story is actually true.
2 - The director, Cyrus Nowrasteh, is part of the David Horowitz anti Islam camp, a year or so ago, there were videos of Cyrus speaking at a Horowitz "forum" about how horrible Islam is. I cannot find those videos on youtube any more. I am guessing they have been removed now that the movie is out to prevent people from finding out that Cyrus is part of the Horowitz camp.

If I find them I will post them here.

Thanks,
Fatima Mojaddidy

(Afghan-American Muslim woman who loves her Iranian sisters and brothers)

I'm not sure where the outrage is coming from

Is it because you feel like you're being "picked on" or something?  I don't remember a lot of people feeling outraged when Gladiator came out.  Or when Mississippi Masala came out.  Or The Passion of the Christ.  All of these movies and thousands more have portrayed some ugliness about a country or a nation's past.  Ugly but true.  I don't recall any outrage when movies come out about the South's racism?  So what's the big deal?  You think this movie is going to make people think bad about Iranians?  Not hardly.  Let them come to iranian.com to get a dose of how civil it is... :-)

Why the defensiveness?  Truly it makes non-iranians wonder more... why are you denying it?  Accept that it did and hopefully doesn't continue.  Admit that it's part of your past, just as those thousands of movies that YOU have found entertaining have.  And move past it.  Be proud that your country is moving forward.  Support that progressive movement.  But to lash out and attack those who speak the truth?  Just not sure what you're trying to accomplish.

I understand how you might feel defensive but to call a fellow iranian a traitor because they played in a movie that depicts the truth?  Truth you don't like hearing or seeing on the big screen for sure... but truth nonetheless. 

Instead, be proud of the courageous women who are moving your country forward.  Honor their sacrifices... not deny them.  You have much to be proud of. 

There is no agenda to portray Iranian men as worse than anyone else.  It's just a movie.

What is all this fuss about?!

Why are you guys so amazed to see an iranian denigrading her country and countrymen and exposing a dehumanized version of her native country's culture?

WHY???!! Or "HOW COULD SHE DO SO?"

Stop philosophizing and craving your heads for complicated causes and reasons and just open your eyes a bit... The answer is simple: MONEY!

Yes MONEY, the simple reason for which many people sell easily not only their country and homeland but also their bodies, children and honor.

Give a hundred thousand dollars to most -if not all- the commentators in this website and see how we would instantly trade our nationalistic rhetorics and pride for "whatever" the generous "giver" is asking for!

Sorayah M

Awful movie. Such a weak primitive movie making, sham to Norastah just using his audiences’s emotions to tell the story. People in Iran have hearts , sham on Shohrah Aghdashloo to play this rule. This movie just bring sham to Iranian women and men.
Just curious to know why Zahrah was speaking English to an Iranian-French journalist. The Journalist had no problem understanding the other Villages when speaking Farsi so defiantly he was comfortable with Farsi language, The director was just rush in to making and finishing the movie but not really understanding the culture and the people . He grow up here and married to an American woman and has no connection to Iran.
I don’t understand if S. Aghdashloo doesn’t care about Iranian people or media criticizing this movie and being critical of her playing in this movie why is she all over Iranian media promoting this movie? Ms. Aghdashloo please make up your mind.

Moment ... Moment: in Islam, women are just Semi-Slaves!

I am no Mullah myself, but come from such a lineage, and know all too well how the "proper Islamic treatment" of women is!

Don't fool yourself, women have next to no worth in Islam, and their male-overlords (father or husband or in their absence the brother, the uncle etc) can treat them very much like a semi-slave.

There is a god-damn famous tradition (Hadith) of the Prophet Mohammad (PM) himself, which goes like this:

"A learned Arab woman approaches the PM, and asks: Can a man beat his woman, if he is not pleased with her? PM replies, yes.

She asks: does a wife need her husband's permission to leave the house? PM: yes.

She goes: does a wife need to listen to every order her husband gives? PM says: yes.

She inquires: what is a woman's right in her husband's home? PM says: sustenance and one garment a year!

She questions: what is the proper time to give a daughter to marriage? PM replies: before she has her first period.

The learned woman is upset, and shouts that she would rather not to ever marry according to Islam. PM smiles and replies: you are very wise not to do so!"

Now, some of you are Leftists who think that: "people are people" - WRONG, people can be cruel and hateful even to their own kind. If we allow the Islamists to take over the Middle East; take over our court system with their evil Sharieh Law - the women are going to be their most immediate victims!

what I was thinking and waht happened

 Before I read those comments I have different opinion about this movie ,Now I see great exchange of opinions and point of views , either pro or con,

let's hope we always express our opinion in such a civilized  manner so

it will educate most of us,THanks all for your opinions.

Sam I Am

The Blind Diaspora

Dr. Taghavi,

Thank you for such a wonderful and thought provoking review. I watched the film last week and was absolutely appalled by the portrayal of Iranian men as enraged wife beating pedophiles. Its painfully obvious that the sole purpose of this propaganda film is to further the neo-conservative plan to portray Islam and Persians as the epitome of evil. It's social commentaries like yours that need to be published in order to reveal the underlying movement to annihilate Persian identity, and to educate the blind diaspora.

Thank you!

B.

برو کنار باد بیاد.

خانم فربیا.
من مخصوصا بفارسی مینویسم دختر این مزخرفات چیه نوشتی؟ ایران الان بطرف عصر حجر رفته شما مثلا آبروت رفته با فیلمی که واقعیتی بسی ناراحت کننده و وحشی در نشون دنیا میدهند؟؟؟
وقتی مردم دنیا بدانند با چه رژیم وحشی طرف هستند بهتر هست یا مردم خیال کنند همه چیز در ایران آرام و خوب و انسانی هست؟ شما اگر یک گرم برای انسانهای که بیخود و بیجهت گریبان رژیم ترویستی هستند اهمیت میدادید اینجور قضاوت نمیکردید.

Nut case called David Horowitz

//www.huffingtonpost.com/max-blumenthal/the-d...

Excerpts:

During the week of October 21, far-right wing operative and former
communist agitator David Horowitz deployed his allies to college
campuses America to spout crude anti-Muslim invective. He called this
event "Islamofascism Awareness Week." Among Horowitz's stable of campus
speakers were noted Islam experts Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity.

"Islamofascism Awareness Week" was, from the beginning, little more
than a marathon fashion show for the paranoid style. But it was not
until Horowitz muscled his way onto the campus of his alma mater,
Columbia University, on October 26 that his event attained the
commanding heights of reactionary hysteria.

Pacing the stage like a drunken circus clown impersonating some
bygone demagogue, and standing beneath a massive image of a woman being
shot in the head, Horowitz launched into a long, frenetic rant about
his own persecution at the hands of a shadowy liberal conspiracy.

Though Horowitz devoted portions of his tirade to attacks on the
Muslim Students Association, which he sought to paint as a front for
virtually every Islamist group that strikes fear in the heart of his
culturally deprived conservative peanut gallery, he seemed more
comfortable lashing out at his perceived oppressors -- liberal
professors, leftists, and the Democratic party -- than he did at any
so-called "Islamofascists."

When I asked Horowitz about his weird comparison of his own father
to 9/11 mastermind Mohammed Atta in his book, "The End of Time," his
hysteria peaked. My question provoked him to link Jerry Falwell,
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and "Jerry Springer and all his guests" together in
a plot to bring social justice to the world "at the point of a gun."

Listening to Horowitz was like being trapped in a subway car with a
raving derelict for an hour and a half. But unlike in the subway, where
the transit police usually arrive to remove the derelict, the police
came to Columbia to protect Horowitz from the non-existent security
threat he had invoked in fundraising appeals for days leading up to his
speech.

Horowitz's performance had to be seen to be believed. Luckily,
despite being forbidden to film by the president of the Columbia
College Republicans, my co-producer, Thomas Shomaker, and I managed to
smuggle a camera into Horowitz's speech and record it all.

Take a look at our latest video, "The Demons of David Horowitz":

End Excerpts

Video at link

-YT 

Basement Sale: This week's feature "Shohreh Aghdashloo"

Let's consider Aghdashloo's career and stands:

First of all, she's married to Houshang Touzie, but maintains her ex-husband's last name not even her own maiden name. Unlike most Iranian women reading this website.

Her role in Fox TV series, 24; as a moslem undercover terrorist, set the tone for her relationship with Iranians everywhere. Again at a very curious time here in US, serving her neo-con masters, showing us all as terrorists.

I remember hearing her on radio telling Iranians not to send money to their families in Iran so it would lead to downfall of IRI. How can we expect her to have any compassion for our people if she's asking us not to have compassion for our own families!?!

Now her role in this low budget movie put together by Cyrus Nowrasteh and David Horowitz. The objective has never been historical accuracy or human rights. Its about dehumanizing Iranians as part of a systematic approach in movies (like 300) to make it easier to accept bombing them all to hell; as in Iraq.

I encourage you to check out www.horowotzfreedomcenter.org so you can see who is behind this movie. Cyrus Nowrasteh has to explain to all Iranians his association with David Horowitz (without lying as he did in Irvine, CA) so we can see his true face. Wikipedia also talks about Nowrasteh and his connection to "The Path to 9/11". Cyrus, we know who your masters are! Your intentions are very clear.

Professor Taghavi, your article is way over the head of the majority of this audience. Of course some of them are hoping that US would make another Iraq out of Iran. I regard them all as traitors.

Meanwhile Shohreh Aghdashloo is up for sale to the highest bidder. Since no serious artist has offered her diddly-squat, she's wagging her tail for her neo-con bosses.

Simplistic and shallow this film maybe, Dr. Taghavi

nevertheless it does portray uncomfortable truths about certain aspects of life in Iran and, disturbingly, large proportion of the Iranian population.

There is, and has been for centuries, a huge swathe of Iranian people who have remained ignorant and (as a result) highly intolerant of anything anyone that does not conform to their narrow and deeply religious based view of the world. And you might not like to hear this, but cruelty by many ordinary Iranians towards their fellow country men/women, whose only guilt is to have different views and lifestyles, is not as uncommon as you would like to believe. This is because of the brainwashing they have been subjected to for so long.

And, for the most part, you can thank the Islamic clergy institution (Akhundism), that has wielded so much power and influence on people behind the scenes, for this brainwashing, in order to manipulate the ordinary and often uneducated Iranian for its own ends.

This is the tragedy of Iran. And it's a tragedy that's been building up for centuries, not just the past 30 years. It's just that in the past 30 years, these people (the Akhunds) that exercised so much influence in the background and done untold damage to Iran for so long, have, for the first time, taken power directly and openly in guise of the Islamic Republic.

So, if you want to blame anyone for the depiction of the Iranian people in this film that enrages you so, you should be targeting your fury at those who have kept many Iranians in the medieval mindset of ignorance and intolerance. And those are they very people who happen to currently rule Iran.

lets see if I get it !

If you do not like the film and you think that it portrays struggle of Iranian women unfairly, and it demonizes Iranian men as barbarians then  you are an IR agnet.

If you think the film is good and that is how things are in Iran then you are a freedom fighter.

Is that correct summation of the comments? Or am I missing something?

-YT 

Simplistic and shallow this film maybe, Dr. Taghavi

nevertheless it does portray uncomfortable truths about certain aspects of life in Iran and, disturbingly, large proportion of the Iranian population.

There is, and has been for centuries, huge swathes of Iranian people who have remained ignorant and (as a result) highly intolerant of anything and anyone that does not conform to their narrow and deeply religious based view of the world. And you might not like to hear this, but cruelty by many ordinary Iranians towards their fellow country men/women, whose only guilt is to have different views and lifestyles, is not as uncommon as you would like to believe. This is because of the brainwashing they have been subjected to for so long.

And, for the most part, you can thank the Islamic clergy institution (Akhundism), that has wielded so much power and influence on people behind the scenes, for this brainwashing, in order to manipulate the ordinary and often uneducated Iranian for its own ends.

This is the tragedy of Iran. And it's a tragedy that's been building up for centuries, not just the past 30 years. It's just that in the past 30 years, these people (the Akhunds) that exercised so much influence in the background and done untold damage to Iran for so long, have, for the first time, taken power directly and openly in guise of the Islamic Republic.

So, if you want to blame anyone for the depiction of the Iranian people in this film that so enrages you, you should be targeting your fury at those who have kept the many Iranian people in the medieval mindset of ignorance and intolerance and those who currently rule Iran.

Regime apologists at work again

Regime apologists at work again... Of course today's Iran is a dark and medieval society. What the heck...

It is unfortunate . . .

It is unfortunate to see how some of our people are happy in demonizing us, especially those who live in the US.

Stoning is not new to Iran; it took place in many other countries. At end, I will provide a list.

How about Spaniards packing 100,000 stadiums to see a man killing a defenseless bull? How about French people using guillotine to cut people’s head? Etc.

'The Torah of the Jews, which is contained in the Old Testament of the
Christian Bible and as such serves as a common religious reference,
prescribes death by stoning for a long series of offenses, namely:

Touching Mount Sinai while God was giving Moses the Ten Commandments (Exodus
19:13)
An ox that gores someone to death should be stoned (Exodus 21:28)
Breaking the Shabbat (Numbers 15:32-36)
Giving one's "seed" (presumably one's offspring) "to Molech" (Leviticus
20:2-5)
Having a "familiar spirit" (or being a necromancer) or being a "wizard"
(Lev. 20:27)
Cursing God (Lev. 24:10-16)
Engaging in idolatry (Deuteronomy 17:2-7) or seducing others to do so (Deut.
13:7-12)
"Rebellion" against parents (Deut. 21,21)
Getting married as though a virgin, when not a virgin (Deut. 22:13-21)
Sexual intercourse between a man and a woman engaged to another man (both
should be stoned, Deut. 22:23-24)

Soraya Symbolizes So Many Iranians

I appreciate the comments expressed, but I have to say that I was impressed by The Stoning of Soraya M. There were some parts that were simplistic, but a movie cannot be everything to everyone.

The movie highlighted how the spirit of religion in Iran has been lost and it is being used to manipulate society to the advantage of ignorant or selfish people. In general, many people in the village blindly follow the mullah and his machinations. This is exactly what is being raised by so many Iranians inside Iran.

Throughout the whole movie, I thought that Soraya represented the Iranian segment of sociaty that is yearning for justice and a system based on integrity and dignity.

When we look at the past two weeks, we can say that Soraya symbolizes the people being hunted, beaten, and shot at in the streets of Tehran, Shiraz, and the many other cities.

Article:Simplistic and shallow By: Fariba Taghavi

as an Iranian who has grown up in Iran I must say that this article was very realistic and reasonable and it showed the correct interpretation of current Iran`s situations by the writer.

Say what?

Hollywood? It seems to be an independent production. The closest place to me house that it is playing is here:

Laemmle's Playhouse 7
673 East Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, CA - Map
1:30  4:20  7:10  9:55pm

That's a 40 minute drive, on the freeway.

Are we supposed to forget the tireless efforts of Iranian feminists, social workers, journalist, and lawyers in exposing the brutality of “hudud” punishments, and their success in forcing the judiciary to declare a moratorium on stoning in 2002?

It seems you didn't do any research on this movie:

//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stoning_of_Soraya....

The Stoning of Soraya M. (Persian: .سنگسار ثريا م) is a 2009 drama film adapted from French-Iranian journalist Freidoune Sahebjam's 1994 novel of the same name. 

He wrote the book in 1994. He claims it is a true story. Your aggression seems displaced when you blame Hollywood and American "war-mongers" for this. If you don't like the film, take it up with the man who wrote the book - who is French-Iranian, and not American.

And PS-Can somebody explaim why the text formatting in this ridiculously bad text control is all messed up? JJ, hire a real Java programmer or license another control, this thing is awful.

ZED :stupid comment!!!

It is the likes of ZED who make the Mullahs look like Einstein. His (ZED) dualistic view of things is like a little boy who thinks the world is either good or bad, right or wrong. This is NOT about the IRI you idiot, it is about neocons trying to make films and propaganda about the people of IRAN. You probably have lived here for the past 30 years and bitch and scream and wait for your nim-Pahlavi to come and free Iran with US bombs.

It is time for people like you to grow up and also get an education. The movie stinks to high heaven. Iranians are being shown on CNN the way they really are, brave, fighting for Democracy, beautiful and intelligent. However, the likes of YOU and Shohreh Aghdashloo try so hard to bring down Iran and just talk nonsense about it. Anyone who criticizes intelligently what your Neocon friends and whacked Fox News buddies, become instantly an IRI representative. I think you, Fox News and those who cheers for a dictatorship of the 20th century under the Pahlavi regime are the real whores. You can have it all in LA, bring your shah and bend over for him and let the people of Iran get on with their struggle for change. You people are the most pathetic Iranians I have even known. Simple minded, Oghdeyi, and evil. But I believe most of it comes from your sheer ignorance.

It is a shame.....

I agree with some points and disagree with some. However, the real shame is some of the comments posted in response to your article. Some are not very different than what you's expect from the people who are/have doing/done the actual stonings in Iran.

Ohhhh, Please

First, one would have thought that the events of the past three weeks would have put an end to this fantasy that the ruling Mullarchy in Iran was simply going to be “reformed” or “morphed’ into a democratic system by the “power of the people”. The brutality that this regime demonstrated on the streets of Iran showed its true evil nature. It showed that this regime will stop at nothing to maintain power and to even prevent an agent of change within the system itself to ascend to the powerless office of the presidency. So, please stop it with this “warmonger” cliché that is getting so old. The only warmonger here is the Islamic Republic and the only war declared on Iranians is the one unleashed by this evil regime.

Second, what is wrong with a little exaggeration? Really, what is wrong? I have not seen this film and cannot say one way or the other that there was exaggeration. But even if what you say is correct, and this so-called exaggeration may stir emotions INSIDE Iran and brings about change, what is wrong with that? It’s even allowed in Islam and the Islamic doctrine. It’s called “Taghiyeh”. You can lie to achieve your goal.

Third, the IRI exaggerates and lies ALL the TIME about pretty much everything in order to stay in power. For God’s sake, it’s even blaming Neda’s death on the CIA! (Incidentally, I have yet to see you write a piece about that and other IRI’s lies and exaggerations. Since you are so concerned about accuracy in media and elsewhere, I am sure that you will be writing an article on that subject, and I will look forward to seeing it soon). So, why not treat them the same way? The opposition to this evil regime not only HAS the RIGHT to stoop to its level, it certainly MUST do so. That is the only way to remove this evil from Iran. You can’t take a knife to a gun fight.

So, please stop this pre-June 12 mentality, stop the clichés, step into reality and stop supporting (intentionally or unintentionally) IRI’s scare tactics and start supporting the people of Iran.