March 27, 2008
Ahmadinejad made Bush show respect to Iran, people say
So the White House has officially celebrated Nowrooz, the Iranian new year, by setting up a Haft Sin table in the State Dining Room. Another example of public diplomacy? Maybe. Does it fool Iranians to understand how much the U.S. government cares for them? Mmm, I'm not sure.
A random comment I found the other day on an Iranian website would give the White House an idea about how their attempt is being read in Iran.
The commentator basically said when Khatami was appeasing the Americans and talked of dialogue with the U.S., Bush called Iran evil and put it in an axis along with North Korea and Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Now that Ahmadinejad is aggressively standing up against the Americans, the same Bush has started to finally show some respect for the Iranian culture and Nowrooz and have even set up a Haft Sin table -- and even explicitly acknowledges Iran's right for civil use of nuclear energy.
If Iran continues to be defiant and doesn't give up its rights, an average Iranian would argue, the next step would be for the U.S. to acknowledge the right of the Iranian state to exist and accept that the Islamic Republic is a government that a strong majority of Iranians (Not of the type Bush usually gets to meet or get advice from) have chosen and have given legitimacy.
Another term for Ahmadinejad will convince the Americans that the Islamic Republic is Iran is here to stay.
July 21, 2006
Why Iran loves Zidane
It's not very timely to post this. but this what I wrote for the Guardian last week on Iranian populaists and Zidane:
Why Iran loves Zidane (The Guardian)
By Hossein Derakhshan
Outspoken presidents and oil are not the only things Iran and Latin America have in common. There's also football. Which is why the head of the external relations committee of the Iranian parliament, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, has sent a letter to Zinédine Zidane, congratulating him for his "logical" reaction and "timely" defence against insult to his "humane and Islamic" identity. This, in case you missed it, refers to the exchange in the World Cup final last Sunday between the French national team's captain, and Marco Materazzi, which saw the Italian defender mutter something and Zidane react with his head.
Where Boroujerdi led, Kayhan, a radical hardline newspaper and a strong supporter of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad followed. It ran with Zidane on its frontpage, using two big pictures of the infamous headbutt. The headline read: "Zidane's proud farewell - The best player of the World Cup defended his Islamic identity."
The Iranian MP and Kayhan probably don't know that Zidane calls himself a non-practising Muslim and is married to a scarfless, non-Muslim dancer from Spain who has borne him four boys, none with an Islamic name. Nor did they know exactly what went on between the two players. But even if they did, it wouldn't change much. Football is so popular in Iran that the newly elected president likes to use it on any possible occasion to expand his influence among the masses.
Before Iran left for Germany for the World Cup, Ahmadinejad showed up at one of the exercise sessions, with the national jersey and football boots, and kicked a ball with the national team players. His shooting and dribbling skills and his lecture to the players, wishing them success similar to that of the other young Iranians who are driving Iran's nuclear programme, were widely covered by the local media. So was the photo-op later with captain Ali Daei who gave the president a jersey with number 24 on it.
It was the first time an Iranian president had done such a thing, most likely because all previous incumbents were clerics who found it insulting to appear in public with sportsmen's clothes rather than their sacred cloths.
Earlier this year, Ahmadinejad famously decided to rescind a long-standing ban on women in football grounds and ordered his deputy for sports to reserve the best seats for women so that they could also enjoy the games along with their families.
But critics were suspicious. Ahmadinejad's order was soon reversed by the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamanei, and some analysts say the president was expecting this: that he knew all along that the religious establishment would oppose his decision, but his gesture to the large number of young women in the population would position him as a victim of religious fanaticism.
This in fact reveals a truth about Ahmadinejad. He is not a fundamentalist, he is a populist. And football just happens to be a very effective way of reaching the masses.
www.hoder.com
March 20, 2005
Happy new Persian year
1384 years has passed from when prophet Mohammad started his mission and Iranians have never been less religious.
We always say that a good year will be judged by its spring, and by what I've seen so far, I believe we'll have a good year. Both Bush and Khamenei have appeared much more reasonable and easy-going and apparently are listening to people out of their offices.
Therefore, surprisingly, I'm very optimistic about the coming year. Let's wish all people, especially in the middle-east, a more democratic, yet peaceful year.
March 23, 2004
Happy New Persian Year
Up to 100 million people around the world celebrated the Persian new year (or Norouz) last week. But it's rather sad to see the event is not recognized enough in many parts of the world.
But in the U.S. it was not that bad: Governer Schwartzeneger sent a message, as well as some Canadian officals. (I can't find the links though)
November 21, 2003
Dr. Aliakbari, the charlatan
- Fact one: Dr. Mohammad Aliakbari is a native of Iran who is blessed with an unusual gift for healing.
- Fact two: He is a Doctor of Economics.
Source: Biography on his official website
October 20, 2003
Installation art by Blaine
I just think, despite all the controversy, David Baline's stunt act in London was a great example of installation art. I may explain it later.
September 24, 2003
Afleck/Lopez
"The couple's (lopez and Afleck) 21-month-old love story is arguably Hollywood's most closely-watched union since that of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the 1960s." (Source: BBC News
April 19, 2003
Price of a Logotype change
Adweek: "The redesign is the Atlanta company's first in 43 years and will involve changes on thousands of vehicles, more than 250 aircraft, 1,700 facilities, 70,000 drop-off and retail boxes, and more than 1 million uniforms. The entire changeover should be completed by 2009."