PROGRESS

Yaaa Akhiii

Ye Women rights ee Neshoonetoon bedeem ... Hal biyan hesabi.

Al akhi mar haba (in haba)Biar beenam oon Soorat Jalase ro...

IRI and Saudi

on UN women rights commission is very instructive. Adab as ke amokhti - az be adaban!!

FYI/IRI Trying to Lobby itself on UN Women Rights Panel (bbc)

Iran and Saudi Arabia may get seats on the board of a new UN super-agency to promote women's rights, prompting outrage from human rights and women's activists.

Copy and Paste in Your Browser to Read 

//www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11718367

Is that Paul McCartney in Picture 77 ?!!

What is Paul McCartney doing on IC?  LOL...

Payandeh Iran, our Ahuraie Fatherland

FR Jaan I Corrected the link

Thanks for reminding me.

Look forward to having your opinion on this too !

Darius Jaan

Your second link is the same as the first one. Is it meant to be like that?

Remember Mansour Farhang was the first IRI's UN ambassador.

FR

Shame On Mansour Farhang !

Shame on this gentleman :

//iranian.com/main/image/125783

After listening to his arguments here:

//iranian.com/main/news/2010/11/08/columbia-conference-war-iran

I Just want to Throw Up at his hypocrisy ! 

Inferior

Disclaimer: I am not engaging any particular person. Issues were brought up and my response is for all the read. Then decide for yourselves.

I called people who got us into this mess "inferior". I know this is a charged word. If anyone disagrees please explain to me why. People who got us into this mess are "inferior" in:

• Judgment
• Reasoning
• Intellect
• Patriotism
• Diplomacy
• Knowledge of history
• Understanding of human rights
• Commitment to democracy
• Dedication to Iran over Islam.

VPK I have 0 interest in engaging u who's "inferior" as u put it

Everything is sacred

Anonymouse

You are again resorting to personal insults. How about using logic and providing some facts. Why should anyone put any faith in those with a proven failed record? Why should we listen to those whose poor judgment in a known fact.

Someone defined insanity as doing the same thing over and expecting a different result. Well following the old "revolutionary" people is just that. People who got us into this mess. It would be foolish to let them repeat it.

VPK ur ranting again and gasping for air! Khass & Khaashaak!

Everything is sacred

Re: Iranians in support of Islamic Republic

People who believed the Islamic Republic aka Khomeini's promises are idiots. They proved their intellectual weakness by believing in Islam. And double proved it by accepting Mollah's lies. Therefore they are not fit to be dog catchers much less in any high positions. 

I don't care what their calling was nor their intentions. Inferior people must not be in charge. Regarding "activist" that means nothing. There are people all over the world who cannot get a job so they become activists. A great way to live off other people's donations. 

There are millions are intelligent Iranians. The old guard must move and let other people give it a shot. Let people without the Islamic filth all over them try leading..

While I agree with second chances I don't agree with letting the same people who screwed it up do it again.

.....

Hi! Demo,

    Thank you for your swift response!

thanks,

Yolanda

"Akhm" is "Frown" in English. "Frowner" is for "Akhmoo." 

....

Hi! FR,

    What do Akhm and Akhmoo mean? I did searches on net yesterday, I found nothing.

thanks,

I don't know how else I should put it?

What I wrote was not about looking grim or gleeful oit was not about being "akhmoo" or "khandehroo" and I am still being mocked or criticized for having meant these things. All I said, and I still stand by it, was that the photo essay, fantastic as it is, conveys to the viewer the feeling of a party mood rather than that of a gathering affected by some of the worst violation of human rights in the last three decades. That's all! No more, no less.  

Our friend norooz's response reminded me of yet another event, on the eve of norooz, which is not unrelated to the feelings I get from this photo essay. Back in the days when Saddam Hussein was busy sending his missiles over Tehran and other major cities of Iran, the Norooz season was upon us and I was invited to a students New Year reception in the university with which I had an emotional connection and a particular affection for. Reluctantly I accepted it as I was in no festive mood but to show solidarity with my fellow compatriots I went along. After the dinner, a Persian music band was ushered in and the stage was set up for a ery loud and lively music. At that point I got ready to leave as I saw it totally out of place to be in a festive and celebratory party while my compatriots, relatives and friends were sheltering themselves from Saddam's bombing. When my host asked me of the reason to leave and I gave her my reason, she said: "we need to show our oppostion to the mullahs regime who have banned Norooz by doing all the dancing and singing we can! I said true but what about the people who are under the bombs and missile this minute? "They too want us to enjoy ourselves rather than being sad miserable!!", she replied. Well, I couldn't agree with her and so I left.

Now twenty years or so later I am still trying to give a sense of proportionality to my friends.

FR

...

i would like to know if organizations working on behalf of human rights in iran were present at this conference.  in the photos i can see some who represent these organizations but did they set up tables to give information on their past and present work?  if so, which organizations?

thanks for the photo essay.  it was very informative.  and next time when reporting in these kinds of functions, curb your enthusiasm. ;)

Being an "activist" is a great calling in life.

There are many Iranians who were in support of Islamic Republic's promise after the revolution and toppling a dictatorship.  They all believed in power of the people.

So it is no coincidence that after witenessing so many broken promises and a lapse to another more vile dictatorship under the name of religion that they took their support and joined the opposition. 

So just being part of the Islamic Republic at a time in and of itself is not a sign of being aloof.  Dishing Iranian activists is a hobby for many. 

Everything is sacred

قباحتم خوب چیزیه

جاییکه اعلیحضرت شازده توش قدم رنجه نفرموده باشن، جای خنده و تبسم نیستش...

Farah

I hear you, but is smiling really the problem? Would it makes any difference to you, if they were crying?  Wouldn't you then criticize in a different form as you have before?  I see Shirin Ebadi as serious as always. 

What have you done?  Are you upset for being ignored? Are you jealous?  Aren't you given a top seat and appreciated for nothing?  Are they Namak Nashnaas? 

Back to The Future

Thanks much Dirty Angel, Louie Louie, VPK, Mehraban, Comrade for your illuminating views down here.

PS: FR note about Mr. Royce enhances the possibility of her in fact being Farah Diba herself as it had been offered by a commentator in the past & never denied by her! Is not this conference then like the movie "Back to The Future" with the acting of many of sincere servants of Pahlavi's regime like Mrs. Ebadi, Mr. Gorgin, and Mrs. Kaviani & with Farah Pahlavi as its critique???????    

نازی خانوم

زحمت کشیدی (مثل همیشه) در مورد گزارش لحظه به لحظهء روز کنفرانس و همینطور راجع به این عکسها.

همونطور که جای دیگه ئی تو یه بلاگ نوشتم , شبانه روز تو باید بیشتر از ٢٤ ساعت باشه!

دستت درد نکنه.

Me and Mr Royce

Other issues intervened and distracted me from talking about the most interesting photo of the series - that is,  the most  interesting to me. It opened the floodgates of memory and took me back to nearly forty years ago (should say something about my age!). 

It was early 1970's and one late summer day we were guests at a small private luncheon in Tehran. In addition to the Iranian guests there was also one foreign guest: a relatively short and stocky man in his late forties who was introduced to us simply as Mr Royce. I remember he was an American with a British connection, perhaps of Anglo-American stock or oddly working for the British Council in Shiraz or it could have been that he was the head of the Iran - America Cultural Society in Shiraz who had come to Tehran for a short visit. But there was still some connection to the Brits. Mr Royce was not only incredibly fluent in Persian (including local dialects and accents) but he also had a most impressive knowledge of the leading families of Iran's major provincial towns. So you can imagine that it came as a huge surprise to a peasant girl when he knew by name my great great grand parents plus all the related family tree details that even my my mother had forgotten about - and all that by just asking my family name! In later years I met many Iranologists and Western specialists with varying degrees of historical linguistic and socio-political knowledge of Iran but Mr Royce was the only Westerner with a deep and wide knowledge of  Persian genealogy that there was or pehaps ever been. He  was easily the most interesting, controversial and mysterious of them all.

Years later I learned that Mr Royce had been expelled from Iran on the grounds of activities "incompatible with his status : persona non grata." It is good to see that Mr Royce is still alive and kicking and has kept his relations with the Iranian affairs. He is as usual  up to his old tricks, entertaining the Iranian crowd!

FR

Human Rights

Please human rights is not rocket science or a new idea. We all know what it takes and we don't need conferences. There are many well written documents starting from the Bill of Rights to the Secular Constitution that David ET put together.

To have a lot of discussion is to pretend there is anything to discuss. The reforms are obvious: freedom of speech; freedom of religion; gender equality; democracy; freedom of political activity; banning death penalty; no torture; banning discrimination; freedom of commerce and all the other fine things. 

I am afraid this may be more an attempt to cover up the past of some of the "leaders". As SamSam pointed out people like Karimi are in no position to talk about Iran. In my opinion people are realizing that the Islamic Republic is doomed. They are jockeying for position. One useful thing is to whitewash their pasts. You ask me none of the people who were involved in the Islamic Republic leadership should have a say in a new Iran. They had their chance and screwed it up. No thanks.

A new Iran will need new leaders which are untainted by the Islamist Republic.

There is no denying of good intentions of these fine people

I haven't done one thousand of what these people have done. My point is, I do not see any fruitful result out of all these conferences. Three days of conference and at the end it was just the repeating the obvious. These conferences are becoming like Sunday churches for the good looking people to compare clothing!

And Nikahang Kowsar better stop raising his eyebrow.  Now don't gang up on me for mentioning it.

This video was posted by Benross once; it's brilliant and explains the whole situation very well. Where is he by the way?

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaF-4EHPy4w

Conference? dont know but Professor Karimi hakak is not

my cup of tea.  He is well learned, renowned and master of his domain but to me the gentleman Doctor & God of many is still an ex-socialist kiaan critic who oddly is the spokesman of ancient Iran & an Iranologist. No thank you.  The crux of his fatwas;

"Ferdowsi does not prefer pre-Islamic Iran to post-Sassanid Iran ...time permitted he would have written a book on grandeur of post-Sassanid Iran".

Wow,,step aside Nostradamus here comes Mr Karimi the fortune teller..

"The idea that Islamic regime is against pre-Islamic Iran or works of Ferdowsi is, he said she said baseless gossip". 

"Reforming the Persian language from Arabic with erratic zeal is the work of biggots & purists....choosing pure Persian words such as shahrdari, shahrbani, daneshgah, dadgostari, for Arabic acronyms such as Al Baladyyah, Al Nazmyyah, Al Dar'al moaalemoon, Al Adlyyah was nothing but basterdization of Farsi...".

come again ostaad Iranologist .

"The claimes on extreme brut force used in Arab conquest of Iran are more fairy tales & exagerations than reality".

The good doctor sounds a lot like Akhoond Bahram Moshiri.

Path of Kiaan Resurrection of True Iran Hoisting Drafshe Kaviaan //iranianidentity.blogspot.com //www.youtube.com/user/samsamsia

Louie Louie, if it is any consolation

That "truth"  applies to vast majority of us. However, we are good at one thing for sure and that is "neshastan kenare goud ve bego lengesh kon"

As If there should be any wonder why we have been ruled by some uneducated, backward Mullah for over 30 years.

My gratitude and appreciation to all these folks like Lady Shirin Ebadi who have risk much and worked so tirelessly to advance human rights in Iran.

Mehrdad

Smiles and human rights: we should all try it, too!

Thank you friends for your comments.

This conference was entitled "Toward A Culture of Human Rights and Democracy in Iran." The idea is that each and every one of us have to make ourselves available to learn, and to teach others, about human rights, making it a part of our dialogue, arts, writings, and approach. That is why you can see journalists, artists, and lifetime activists at the conference. The session that featured Parastou Forouhar, for example, was a presentation of her research of the artistic works of Iranian artists who have tried to promote awareness and human rights amidst censorship, persecution, and prosecution.

I think we should all consider ourselves "invited" to the concept and make it a part of our lives. In doing so, are we supposed to lose our humanity? Smiling and laughing are some of the most human things we could do. To suggest that people are "smiling too much," well, makes me want to smile a lot!

As for who these people are, for years, when not many voices could be heard talking about human rights in Iran, we could all hear Dr. Abdolkarim Lahiji. A long time before a Nobel Peace Prize, Shirin Ebadi was an activist looking for equality for Iranian women and state responsibility for street children. I first heard Hadi Ghaemi's voice when he was a spokesperson with Human Rights Watch, looking into Zahra Kazemi's death inside Evin Prison. Asieh Amini, a prominent women's rights and anti-stoning activist, followed stoning executions and on at least one occasion, collected bloody stones as evidence that stoning had taken place. She knew about Delara Darabai before anyone else did; in fact Asieh is one of the reasons we all learned about the sad story of Delara Darabi and many similar stories.

I think we should be fair to those who have actually taken action despite threats and persecution of themselves and their family members because of their human rights work, and work harder on doing something ourselves. Let me remind us that many people don't even sign petitions that come across their emails. I can only imagine that if we all do whatever we can to safeguard human life and dignity, we will be able to smile a lot more.

We Are A Conferencelike People

From reading the report all I gather was like this:

-Human rights violations (Really? didn't know that!)

-No violence (We all knew that)

-We shall unite ( Well, thanks for the reminder)

Do not be surprised if you find out amongst all these beautiful people, a little weasel signed a multimillion dollar contract with the abuser. That's how it's been done and will be done in the future!

And please don't tell me, well why don't you do anything for you country? The truth is, I am good for nothing and useless as these conferences!

It is not about "akhm"

Dear friends

I can see that my message is misunderstood by a few of you. Anahid is right in saying that without being present in the place or knowing the people, it is not fair to judge the book by its cover. Unfortunately, the "cover" is all that is available to me and to most of us. Of course i know the background of some of the organizers and that is what makes me concerned too.

But the photo essay and its captions is like a window into the event. Fortunately, Merhaban's comment and the particular instance that she referred to serves as further insight into the format or nature of this conference.

Just to inform myself I would like to aske# a few questions and would be grateful if anyone would venture to answer:

• Were there any picture/vidoe/audio exhibitions of or related to the victims of the atrocities that have taken place in Iran in recent years or months?

• Did the conference have representative in their panels and speakers any members of ethnic, religious and political groupings who have been subjects of inhuman treatments under the regime?

• Was there a report by or a representative of the Amnesty International present in the conference?

• Was there a collection in the aid of the Iranian refugees in stranded in Turkey?

I am sure there are many other questions that remain to be answered but perhaps the most revealing would be this: did the participants leave the conference feeling better informed and consequently more concerned and determined to do something about the fate of their fellow compatriots back in Iran or were they happy that the conference was over and they could go about their normal life/business as usual?  

Mehrban jaan: Thank you for your informative comment.

FR