Editor: Myself

Khamenei's Assault on Rafsanjani's American Network

This post was blocked in Gulf2000 mailing list by its moderator, Dr. Gary Sick.

One noteworthy observation about the recent arrests in Iran, including that of Haleh Esfandiari and Hossein Mousavian, and also reports about Mahmoud Sariolghalam brief detention, is that they all have close ties to Rafsanjani and his family.

There has been enough evidence in the past few years that suggests Rafsanjani has been trying to create a network of well-connected Iranians in the U.S., with strong ties with neoliberal Americans, especially among the democrats. This network includes politicians, scholars, and businessmen.

One can speculate that now that Khamanei is convinced it is a good time to establish direct channels between Iran and the United States, he wants to do it through his own trusted group of politicians and diplomats, let's say those close to Ali Larijani. Khamanei knows that Rafsanjani has had extended contacts with the Americans for long and since his trust for Rafsanjani has continually declined in the past decade, he doesn't want him to be involved in the sensitive process.

It's a mistake to assume the recent arrests have anything to do with Ahmadinejad or his problems with Rafsanjani, or to think that Ministry of Intelligence is totally under Ahmadinjead's control.

While I'm not ruling out the possibility of espionage charges against Mousavian substantiated, I think the real motive behind the recent chain of events is that Khamanei wants to dismantle the network that Rafsanjani had created in the U.S. for a day like this.

And to be honest, I personally think busniessman-politicians around Rafsanjani are corrupt enough to easily sell Iran's interest in exchange for personal gains.

Tomorrow's presentation

I'm going to speak tomorrow at a small gathering of freinds and foes in Toronto about Internet, blogging, and censorship in Iran. Here is the announcment:

Arash 'Kamangir' Abadpour

I've never been tempted to write under a pseudonym. Except for a while in the beginning of my arrival in Canada when I wrote a few satires under the name of Mohammad Ali Golpaygenai, I've never written a word with anything other than my real anf full name, Hossein Derakhshan. (One video I made with my pseudonym, in which I mocked the then presidential candiate, Ali Fallahian, using a song by Googoosh, became very popular aruond that time.)

Writing under a pseudonym, unless your life or safety is being threatened, means that you you are a coward who can not take responsibility for anything you write or say. It also means, as a sign of hypocrisy, you always want to leave room for changing colors, by killing one pseudonym and creating another one.

One of the exiled Iranians who has continuously guided his personal attacks, has been a blogger under the pseudonym of Arash Kamangir, with a blog under the same name. Except from his own blog, he has also used other platforms to extend his cowardly attacks. (Look how he exploited an Article 19's blog about freedom of expression in Iran against me, while it had nothing to do with the topic of the discussion there.)

Hiding behind an obvious pseudonym and a pair of sun-glasses, the Winnipeg-based Arash Abadpour (or Kamangir) has been trying to conceal his deeply rooted weakness and hypocrisy. I suggest Mr. Abadpour and his like-minded friends to take this opportunity and come out and start showing some respect for their own ideas and beliefs.

Expecting to be taken seriously in a mature debate is very unrealistic when one doesn't even dare to stand by what he or she says.

P.S:
- I found his real name through an old comment he had put on my Persian blog in 2006, mistakenly, under his real name. Read the comment.
- After a bit of Googling, I noticed that, interestingly enough, his real identity has been mentioned at least on two blogs more than a year ago: History News Network and On The Face.
- Ironically, Mehdi Yahyanejad, who runs a website where Abadpour is a moderator, had revealed his real name in May 2006.

Cut the bias (The Guardian)

Read my latest column for the Guardian's Comment is Free on how a press freedom watchdog is distorting the truth in Iran when it comes to freedom of speech on the Internet.

Cut the bias (The Guardian)
By Hossein Derakhshan
Iran doesn't have a policy of imprisoning people for the content of their blogs, as some human rights campaigners would have us believe.

Read the full article.

Nazanin Afshin-Jam: Reza Pahlavi's New Star

The newest star of the Neo-conservatives, after the faded away 'talented' Mr. Amir Abbas Fakhravar, is Nazanin Afshin-jam, a former Miss Canada who can hardly speak Persian and I'm sure can not read or write in Persian. (I interiewed her for BBC Persian a few years ago, when she had just won Miss Canada in 2003 and knew nothing about Iranian politics.)

Her new career, as a pathetic pop-singer, is symbolised with a new album, called Someday, which is also the name of hit single of the album.

Showing pictures of Ghandi, Ahmad Batebi, student protest in Tehran, Serbian and Ukranian 'revolutions', Nazanin repeats the same rhetoric of her real boss, Reza Pahlavi, on the necessity for unity to so 'someday, the dankness fades away.'

P.S: Here is the lyrics of 'someday':

SOMEDAY- (THE REVOLUTION SONG)
By Nazanin & Peter Karroll

VERSE I
They were on the march then
In 1978
They filled our minds with hate
They deceived the nation
In the name of religion
And soon it was too late
When the soldiers came
We were on the run
Our lives forever changed
That was no solution
Regressive Revolution
Together we must stand

CHORUS
Someday
We will find a way
Someday
Someday
Someday
Someday
The darkness fades away
Someday
Someday

VERSE II
I'm calling all the children
Now that were all grown up
Is it time to make a change?
Take this old oppression
With a new aggression
Redeem our rightful place

REPEAT CHORUS

BRIDGE (SPOKEN)
I have a new solution
Its called Progressive Revolution
And someday is right now

CHORUS
Someday
We will find a way
Someday
Someday
Someday
Someday
The darkness fades away
Someday
Someday

CHORUS
Someday
We will find a way
Someday
Someday
Someday
Someday
The darkness fades away
Someday
Someday