Wednesday, March 5, 2008
By: IranVNC
Published: Wednesday, March 05, 2008
*Blogging Social and Political Events:
In his (now, 13 March 2008, suspended) website, Akbar A’lami, a current Islamic Republic parliamentarian (7th Majles) who has been disqualified from participating in the upcoming elections (for 8th Majles), reports about what went on during the meeting that would decide his disqualification:
“I asked the authority surely my file contains a collection of speeches, talks and interviews I’ve given, right? He answered, yes, your positive and negative stances have been gathered here. I said: so you have started an inquisition for detection of beliefs! Then the authority started to recite some 12 to 14 marked sections of my talks and speeches, which would give the reasons for my disqualification. […] Then he requested that “First of all [should] try to get along with … [blank in the original]! Secondly, avoid biting language in your talks and speeches!” […]
A’lami, who would be disqualified and his website evidently blocked, went on to say:
In the near future and the time that I still have in my term as Majles-deputy, in the framework of my speeches and notes, I will expose unsaid matters about the background and modus operandi of some members of the Guardian Council [the body that (dis)qualifies candidates] their children and other relations…”
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
http://www.akbaralami.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=90&Itemid=1
Hobabion85 in a weblog linked to “garden agriculture and natural resources” department of University of Tehran called “independent, free, suspended,” has a brief report about an Iranian ambassador to a European country, who is collecting signatures in order to prolong his tenure in that office:
“In a religious ceremony, one of Iran’s ambassadors to a European country has resorted to strange operations in order to renew his appointment.
In the religious ceremony attended also by Iranian nationals residing in this European country a petition was circulated by the ambassador who asked those present to sign it in order to renew his appointment.
This ceremony had been held at the ambassador’s residence.
It is noteworthy to mention that many at the ceremony resorted to signing the petition, lest the consul would not be helpful with their diplomatic needs aboard should they decide not to sign…”
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
http://hobabion85.blogfa.com/post-134.aspx
On 9 March 08 posting in his weblog “With eyes: on the margins of word, voice, and text,” Amir offered a long entry replete with many pictures of imprisoned or persecuted women and demonstrations for women’s rights, to commemorate International Women’s Day. After an introduction to the event, he relays memories of recent celebrations of this event in Iran filled with “persecution, escape, arrest, intimidation, bail…” After this Amir gives an anecdote about an interaction he’s had with one of his “Hezbollahi” professors after giving a presentation on women’s issues in an “international institutions” class. This post echoes the daunting circumstances of students in Iran who in trying to do academic work come across rock-solid ideological and unqualified professors:
“On that day I started the discussion of my topic by introducing my sources and said that I was thinking about conducting a survey, but found women I was looking for in prison. The professor was visibly bubbling over as I went on put more emphasis on imprisonment of women and the filtering of websites. He was obviously barely containing himself. […] After the historic introduction to March 8 was over and I wanted to continue with my presentation, the professor had a marvelous idea, and that was to say that this organization is not “international”!
This was to be a beginning of an ongoing discussion between the professor and me, until one day in his office he told me: “Don’t bring such ‘references’ to my class anymore; if you like them so much go and get your grade from them!”
Perhaps you might guess what grade awaited me at the end of the term. Barely above passing grade for me to alleviate his illiteracy and petrifaction of brain.”
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
http://tirehgan.blogfa.com/post-25.aspx
* In the cultural sphere:
In a recent posting in the weblog entitled “my sensualities,” the relationship between culture and civilization is brought up. The writer who is trying to diagnose the problems in the Islamic society from an Islamic perspective, against the contemporary wave of western civilization and what Islamic societies and particularly Iran can do about it, writes:
“The challenge of Islamic Republic of Iran to the dominant contemporary civilization only turns into a serious concern as far as the maximizing interpretation of religion that is after dominating values and axioms and foundations compatible with its own culture and slogans like “neither west nor east” and escape from the leveling tendency of the world, would remain alive in it. Otherwise, the minimizing interpretations of religion are nothing beside Islamic justification and interpretation of expansion according to its famous narratives of it, and thinking that by doing so, one has made it Islamic. This prepares the road for setting the western face of culture in the center and pushing Islamic culture and civilization to the margins.
Islamic awakening is troublesome for the west then, when it is after forming of Islamic civility, politics and economics, and in these arenas offers acceptable models, otherwise one could be a harmless Islamic Malaysia or an Arab Sheikhdom without any essence, which wakes up for the evening prayer with the call coming from a new series of Nokia cell phones, and from there on, gets all its other models also from the west.”
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
http://www.nafsaniat.blogfa.com/post-61.aspx
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