Justice for Iran

jedsundwall: First female Afghan pilot graduates. Afghan Air...

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:09:23 -0700

First female Afghan pilot graduates.

Afghan Air Force 2nd Lt. Niloofar Rhmani walks the flightline at Shindand Air Base, Afghanistan prior to her graduation from undergraduate pilot training May 13, 2013. Rhmani made history May 14, 2013 when she became the first female to successfully complete undergraduate pilot training and earn the status of pilot in more than 30 years. She will continue her service as she joins the Kabul Air Wing as a Cessna 208 pilot.

Apartment No.1 by AbCT Architects, Iran Winner of the 2013 Agha...

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:23:42 -0700

Apartment No.1 by AbCT Architects, Iran

Winner of the 2013 Agha Khan Award

"Your love should never be offered to the mouth of a stranger, only to someone who has the valor and..."

Mon, 13 May 2013 09:54:57 -0700

“Your love should never be offered to the mouth of a stranger, only to someone who has the valor and daring to cut pieces of their soul off with a knife and weave them into a blanket to protect you.”

- Hafez

photojojo: Brandon Stanton is widely known for his Humans of...

Sat, 11 May 2013 09:25:34 -0700

photojojo:

Brandon Stanton is widely known for his Humans of New York series, where he photographed over 5,000 individuals to create a visual census.

Recently, he brought his skills in portrait cataloging to the rarely photographed people of Iran.

A Glimpse At Iran Though a Series of Portraits

via Pinterest

"Every child has known god, not the god of names, not the god of don’t, not the god who does..."

Sat, 11 May 2013 08:14:04 -0700

“Every child has known god,
not the god of names,
not the god of don’t,
not the god who does anything
weird,
but the god who only knows four words
and keeps repeating them, saying:
“Come dance with Me.”
Come
Dance.”

- Hafez

Through Story, a Look into Iran | Time

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:01:18 -0700

Through Story, a Look into Iran | Time

Khomeini or Thomas Jefferson? Who did more for religious freedom?

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:00:21 -0700

timesopinion:

Oliver Kamm

In a post last week I noted a new book that purports to expose Western propaganda about Iran’s nuclear programme. Its co-authors are Peter Oborne, the Telegraph columnist, and David Morrison, an obscure figure whose denial of the demonstrated historical facts of the Srebrenica massacre places him on the sinister fringes of political opinion.

Even so, before reading the book, I was prepared to accept that the authors’ depiction of Iran as a civilised country was nothing worse than an unfortunate ambiguity. It is beyond argument that, as a Times leader put it not long ago, “the civilisation of Persia is among the greatest in history”. I had assumed that this is what Oborne and Morrison meant too.

Our argument as a newspaper is that Iran has an historic civilisation and an appalling regime. Now that the publisher has sent me the book, I can see that my assumption that Oborne and Morrison would also make this distinction was wrong. Here is how they explain (pp. 19-20) the breakdown of relations between Iran and the US after the 1979 revolution: “One of the greatest theologians of all time, [Ayatollah Ruhollah] Khomeini’s teaching contained insights which went far deeper than anything the rationalists and materialists of the United States could imagine.”

Oborne and Morrison don’t say what these insights were, but I’m sufficiently hidebound an empiricist to suspect that they fell short of, say, Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, stipulating “that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish enlarge, or affect their civil capacities”.

I can understand an argument critical of the diplomatic policies of recent US administrations. But I’m stupefied that Oborne and Morrison favourably contrast the philosophy of a repressive theocrat with that of the author of the seminal argument for religious liberty.

The authors complain (p. 15), by the way, that “western newspapers and television channels have disseminated fabrications which have fuelled hatred and suspicion, and sowed misunderstanding”. Yet one notable fabrication that they refrain from mentioning at all is Holocaust denial, and specifically its espousalby President Ahmadinejad of Iran.

You may feel that this silence about a fraudulent claim that demonstrably fuels hatred and suspicion is an odd omission. I’m afraid it makes complete sense in the narrow universe of this tendentious tract.

simyart: Iranian Art Students by Joseph A Ferris III on...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:33:36 -0700

simyart:

Iranian Art Students by Joseph A Ferris III on Flickr.

lovelovelove.

The Iranian authorities have long accused Google Earth of being a tool for western spy agencies, but now they have taken their attacks on the 3D mapping service one step further – by planning the launch of an "Islamic Google Earth"

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 08:16:42 -0700

The Iranian authorities have long accused Google Earth of being a tool for western spy agencies, but now they have taken their attacks on the 3D mapping service one step further – by planning the launch of an "Islamic Google Earth":

Whatever that means.

film-dot-com: CAN AN IRANIAN FILM BE MADE IN JAPAN? A few weeks...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 09:05:00 -0700

film-dot-com:

CAN AN IRANIAN FILM BE MADE IN JAPAN?

A few weeks ago, Columbia University professor Hamid Dabashi wrote a provocative treatise for Al Jazeera on the state of the Iranian cinema, lambasting the Islamic Republic’s continuing campaign of censorship and repression for having created a “brain drain” that’s effectively obliterated the country’s ability to foster a healthy filmmaking practice. Of the many contentious claims made by Dabashi—including his baffling dismissal of the latest films by Jafar Panahi as “self-indulgent vagaries”—perhaps the most challenging is his assertion that Iranian filmmakers living in exile, whether of their volition or by state mandate, are by the nature of their exclusion no longer producing genuine Iranian films. He cites a number of the country’s most acclaimed filmmakers, including Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Bahram Beizai, Sohrab Shahid-Saless, and Bahman Ghobadi, and summarily ejects them from the national cinema to which they once definitively belonged, shrugging off their emigrated efforts as failures to remain culturally relevant.

Abbas Kiarostami, arguably the most important Iranian filmmaker of his generation, has spent the last decade shooting films both at home and abroad, starting with the Spanish-set nonfiction piece “Ten Dedicated to Ozu” in 2003 and culminating in his two latest international efforts, the Tuscan puzzle romance “Certified Copy” and the Japanese drama “Like Someone In Love.” “Scarce his compatriots have seen this films,” observes Dabashi (whose frequent misuse of the word “scarce” is the subject of another post entirely), “let alone have any affinity with them”. Though these last two films, in particular, represent major efforts in Kiarostami’s long and fruitful career—they’re not only among his most widely acclaimed works, but also far and away the most successful internationally—neither “can hardly be called an Iranian film”. Dabashi’s argument relies not only on a conception of a coherent, knowable Iranian cinema, within which he is free to include whichever films he sees fit, but also on a clear understanding of what exactly constitutes a national cinema to begin with.

THIS ARTICLE CONTINUES ON FILM.COM

Your filmmakers are no longer your own.

The films don’t need to be filmed in Iran, in Persian, or about the plight of Iran or Iranians. It’s helmed by an Iranian auteur. That is enough. Besides, the films of all of those directors mentioned, and especially Kiarostami, have always been centered around the universal human condition. Their local and people are just plot devices.

Iran

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:21:09 -0700

Iran

Nowruz 2013

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 08:53:03 -0700

Nowruz 2013

colchrishadfield: Happy Nowruz (New Year) to Persians all over...

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:45:12 -0700

colchrishadfield:

Happy Nowruz (New Year) to Persians all over the globe. Here’s a view of Qods and the outskirts of Tehran from orbit.

This is the best.

nevver: #FreePersepolis

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:45:50 -0700

nevver:

#FreePersepolis

Nowruz 1392 Mubarak to all you lovely Persians,...

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 05:38:00 -0700

Nowruz 1392 Mubarak to all you lovely Persians, Afghans, Azerbaijanis, Tajikistanis, Turkmenistanis, Uzbekistanis, Kyrgyzstanis, Albanians, and Indians.

However you’re spending the day, remember to dance!

President Obama on Nowruz 2013

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:15:39 -0700

President Obama on Nowruz 2013:

“Dorood. As you and your families come together to celebrate Nowruz, I want to extend my best wishes on this new spring and new year. Around the world, and here in the United States, you are gathering at the Nowruz table—to give thanks for loved ones, reflect on your blessings and welcome all the possibilities of a new season.

As I have every year as President, I want to take this opportunity to speak directly to the people and leaders of Iran. Since taking office, I have offered the Iranian government an opportunity—if it meets its international obligations, then there could be a new relationship between our two countries, and Iran could begin to return to its rightful place among the community of nations.

I have had no illusions about the difficulty of overcoming decades of mistrust. It will take a serious and sustained effort to resolve the many differences between Iran and the United States. This includes the world’s serious and growing concerns about Iran’s nuclear program, which threatens peace and security in the region and beyond.
Iran’s leaders say that their nuclear program is for medical research and electricity. To date, however, they have been unable to convince the international community that their nuclear activities are solely for peaceful purposes. That’s why the world is united in its resolve to address this issue and why Iran is now so isolated. The people of Iran have paid a high and unnecessary price because of your leaders’ unwillingness to address this issue.

As I’ve said all along, the United States prefers to resolve this matter peacefully, diplomatically. Indeed, if—as Iran’s leaders say—their nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, then there is a basis for a practical solution. It’s a solution that would give Iran access to peaceful nuclear energy while resolving once and for all the serious questions that the world has about the true nature of the Iranian nuclear program.

The United States, alongside the rest of the international community, is ready to reach such a solution. Now is the time for the Iranian government to take immediate and meaningful steps to reduce tensions and work toward an enduring, long-term settlement of the nuclear issue.

Finding a solution will be no easy task. But if we can, the Iranian people will begin to see the benefits of greater trade and ties with other nations, including the United States. Whereas if the Iranian government continues down its current path, it will only further isolate Iran. This is the choice now before Iran’s leaders.
I hope they choose a better path—for the sake of the Iranian people and for the sake of the world. Because there’s no good reason for Iranians to be denied the opportunities enjoyed by people in other countries, just as Iranians deserve the same freedoms and rights as people everywhere.

Iran’s isolation isn’t good for the world either. Just as your forbearers enriched the arts and sciences throughout history, all nations would benefit from the talents and creativity of the Iranian people, especially your young people. Every day that you are cut off from us is a day we’re not working together, building together, innovating together—and building a future of peace and prosperity that is at the heart of this holiday.

As you gather with family and friends this Nowruz, many of you will turn to the poet Hafez who wrote: “Plant the tree of friendship that bears the fruit of fulfillment; uproot the sapling of enmity that bears endless suffering.”

As a new spring begins, I remain hopeful that our two countries can move beyond tension. And I will continue to work toward a new day between our nations that bears the fruit of friendship and peace.

Thank you, and Eid-eh Shoma Mobarak.”

thatandycohen: So true, ’70s Iran, so true.

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:42:33 -0700

thatandycohen:

So true, ’70s Iran, so true.

Chicago Students Protest ‘Persepolis’ Ban

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 09:01:33 -0700

Chicago Students Protest ‘Persepolis’ Ban

Persian letters

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:31:31 -0700

Persian letters:

catherinewillis:

from Poemas del Rio Wang blog.

Wonderful. Thank you, Catherine.

lacma: When designing this banner, my goal was to show a...

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:46:52 -0700

lacma:

When designing this banner, my goal was to show a specific Nowruz tradition in a very contemporary and minimal style. Haft-sîn, which literally means “seven S’s,” is the traditional Nowruz table-setting which includes seven items starting with the letter Sîn, “S.” Each one of these items symbolically represents something in life. For instance, an apple, or sib in Persian, symbolizes beauty and health. Haft-sîn is probably one of the most major traditions of Nowruz that has stayed with people for many years.

Designs for Nowruz: Q&A with Sheida Koufigar | Unframed The LACMA Blog