DOCSLIB.ORG

Onwards to Freedom in Iran

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Onwards to Freedom in Iran ONWARDS TO FREEDOM IN IR AN BIPARTISAN VOICES CALL FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE A Special Report Prepared by The Washington Times Advocacy Department and the Organization of Iranian American Communities – U.S. Iranian dissidents call for regime change BY THE WASHINGTON TIMES whom also voiced support for the plight of Saturday’s rally was a marathon that She also referred broadly to a “resis- the National Council of Resistance of Iran. included more than nine hours of speeches tance” movement that she claimed has Yet the most vitriolic remarks at the and musical performances. The National grown inside Iran during recent years even LE BOURGET, FRANCE | Tens of thousands rally, which occurred Saturday, came from Council of Resistance of Iran has come to as the government has cracked down on of supporters of a dissident Iranian opposi- the American delegation, which included be known during more recent years as per- opposition. tion group filled a vast convention hall here former governors Bill Richardson and Tom haps the only dissent group on the planet “Despite the intensification of the sup- over the weekend to call for the downfall Ridge, former George W. Bush adminis- with enough money and political juice to pression over the past couple of years, we of Iran’s theocratic government. tration U.N. Ambassador John R. Bolton rally tens of thousands of supporters in have witnessed a growing interest among The massive and boisterous event, — and included a presentation of video the heart of Europe each June behind a the Iranian people, especially women and which occurs annually in this town just statements from several current members collective call for the overthrow of Iran’s youth, toward the Iranian Resistance,” north of Paris, was led by the controversial of Congress. Shiite Islamist government. Mrs. Rajavi said. “The opposition to the National Council of Resistance of Iran, a Mr. Gingrich stoked the crowd by la- No one disputes that the National Coun- regime is expanding. The Resistance’s network inside Iran is much more active in terms of organizing strikes, protests, sit-ins and other protest acts inside the country and even inside prisons. The Resistance has had numerous achievements in this regard.” She also pushed back against charac- terizations of the National Council and its various affiliate organizations as acting like a cult. “The source of these allegations is the Iranian regime’s intelligence ministry,” she said. “The regime’s lobbies in the West paint the Iranian opposition as a ‘cult’ or ‘terrorist group’ lacking popular support. By doing so, they want to perpetuate the notion that there is no other alternative for Iran except dealing with the ruling religious dictatorship. ENT “I have said repeatedly that we are not m T fighting to obtain power in Iran,” Mrs. Ra- ar javi said. “We are not even fighting for a dEP share of power. We are fighting to create a y C situation where the people of Iran are able a to freely elect the people they choose. I OC and our movement will certainly support dv a anyone who is elected through the ballot s E box in the course of free and fair elections m I monitored internationally.” T PHOTO: TME On a separate front, the National Coun- ton g cil leader said that state political freedom IN France-based umbrella group for Iranian menting the Obama administration-backed cil has influence — some even describe it and human rights have only worsened in exiles that brought dozens of former U.S., nuclear deal. The accord went into effect a as the largest Iranian dissident group in the Iran since the inking of last year’s nuclear Wash European and Middle Eastern officials year ago this week and saw many economic world. But the organization’s persistence deal. E together to speak out on its behalf. sanctions on Iran lifted in exchange for an and tactics have given it a double-edged “The pace of executions has intensi- Th y A bipartisan clutch of Americans, in- agreement by Tehran to curtail its long- reputation even among some of Iran’s fied,” she said. B d cluding former House Speaker Newt Gin- disputed nuclear program. Western critics. While the Obama administration lifted E grich, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, The “dictatorship” in Iran “cannot be National Council leader Maryam Rajavi many economic sanctions on Iran under ar EP former FBI Director Louis Freeh and a host trusted,” Mr. Gingrich said, adding that headlined Saturday’s rally with a demand last year’s nuclear accord, the State De- r of others was on hand. “the agreement made with it is insane.” that Washington abandon the Iranian partment has continued to list the nation But perhaps the most eye-opening Mr. Bolton went even further. “There is nuclear accord and take a far more aggres- as a state sponsor of terrorism, and inter- speech came from a key figure of the Saudi only one answer here: to support legitimate sive posture toward Tehran. national sanctions remain on the Islamic ECTION P ECTION s royal family, whose posture toward Iran’s opposition groups that favor overthrow- Mrs. Rajavi has led the movement since Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). al leadership has grown increasingly tense ing the military theocratic dictatorship in its founder — her husband, Massoud Ra- But Mrs. Rajavi suggested the remain- during the year since world powers put Tehran,” he said. “Let me be very clear: It javi — went into hiding in 2003. In an email ing sanctions were irrelevant. PECI s in place a major nuclear accord with the should be the declared policy of the United interview ahead of the rally, she said par- She criticized, for instance, the prospec- a THE WASHINGTON TIMES THE WASHINGTON Islamic republic. States of America and all its friends to do ticipants “represent the voice of millions of tive agreement that has made headlines | Prince Turki bin Faisal Al-Saud, the for- just that at the earliest opportunity.” Iranians who are being oppressed in their recently between Boeing and the gov- mer longtime Saudi intelligence chief, drew Both men appeared on stage with Mr. country and who seek regime change and ernment in Tehran, asserting that if the loud cheers and applause from the Iranian Richardson, a Democrat, who said he was the establishment of a democratic, pluralist deal goes through, planes made by the dissident crowd when he exclaimed that he “proud to be here with Speaker Gingrich and non-nuclear government based on the American aerospace giant “will directly too wants the government in Tehran to be and Ambassador Bolton,” and told the separation of religion and state.” or indirectly be used by the IRGC” and overthrown and that their “fight against the crowd that American “Democrats and “Their expectation of the next U.S. “will facilitate the regime’s activities for regime will reach its goal sooner or later.” Republicans are together here fighting president, as with other Western leaders, sending forces and arms to Syria and other In a sign that Arab frustration toward with you.” is to abandon the policy of appeasement, countries in the region.” Tehran reaches far beyond Saudi Arabia, All three were flanked by multiple which emboldens the Tehran regime to This article is excerpted from a staff Thursday • July 14 • 2016 14 • July Thursday Prince Turki was preceded on stage by a movie screen-size displays carrying the intensify the suppression of the Iranian report that appeared in The Washington delegation of several other former and cur- slogan: “Free Iran. Our Pledge: Regime people while continuing the policy of ex- Times on July 11, 2016. 2 rent officials from 12 Arab nations — all of Change.” porting terrorism to the region,” she said. The Iranian people will eliminate the dictatorship the dictatorship is coming together to as a threat to civilization. important act of citizenship... that you end the regime and bring freedom back What you are doing by being here — are making a difference, that you are part to Iran. by bringing all of these delegations who of history, and that with your contin- We are in the middle of an election ued commitment you are winning the campaign in America, and the nature of argument. the Iranian dictatorship is a big key issue We are in the middle of And that’s part of what having in that election. There are no moder- an election campaign Prince Turki Al Faisal meant. The fact ates in the dictatorship. The dictatorship that he would come here is a tribute to cannot be trusted. The agreement made in America, and the your commitment, it’s a tribute to your with it is insane. Giving money to the nature of the Iranian involvement. And so I want you to know leading state sponsor of terrorism makes dictatorship is a big key that the message I will take home to no sense, and every single day, when issue in that election. America is that there are thousands and they rejected the U.N., the dictatorship thousands of Iranians who are prepared, has said to the West, “We’ll sign anything There are no moderates who are ready, who are committed and you want. It just has no meaning. Give us in the dictatorship. The who believe that we can truly bring PHOTO: TME the money.” They have methodically out- dictatorship cannot be democracy to Iran. Newt Gingrich maneuvered the diplomats of the United Let me say for the years we’ve been States and European countries. trusted. The agreement Mr. Gingrich, a Republican, is former together, the times we have met both We have an obligation with your made with it is insane.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Gulf Takes Charge in the MENA Region
    The Gulf takes charge in the MENA region Edward Burke Sara Bazoobandi Working Paper / Documento de trabajo 9797 April 2010 Working Paper / Documento de trabajo About FRIDE FRIDE is an independent think-tank based in Madrid, focused on issues related to democracy and human rights; peace and security; and humanitarian action and development. FRIDE attempts to influence policy-making and inform pub- lic opinion, through its research in these areas. Working Papers FRIDE’s working papers seek to stimulate wider debate on these issues and present policy-relevant considerations. 9 The Gulf takes charge in the MENA1 region Edward Burke and Sara Bazoobandi April 2010 Edward Burke is a researcher at FRIDE. Sara Bazoobandi is a PhD candidate at Exeter University. In 2009 Sara completed a research fellowship at FRIDE. Working Paper / Documento de trabajo 9797 April 2010 Working Paper / Documento de trabajo This Working paper is supported by the European Commission under the Al-Jisr project. Cover photo: Ammar Abd Rabbo/Flickr © Fundación para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Diálogo Exterior (FRIDE) 2010. Goya, 5-7, Pasaje 2º. 28001 Madrid – SPAIN Tel.: +34 912 44 47 40 – Fax: +34 912 44 47 41 Email: [email protected] All FRIDE publications are available at the FRIDE website: www.fride.org This document is the property of FRIDE. If you would like to copy, reprint or in any way reproduce all or any part, you must request permission. The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FRIDE. If you have any comments on this
    [Show full text]
  • The Poetics of Commitment in Modern Persian: a Case of Three Revolutionary Poets in Iran
    The Poetics of Commitment in Modern Persian: A Case of Three Revolutionary Poets in Iran by Samad Josef Alavi A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern Studies in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in Charge: Professor Shahwali Ahmadi, Chair Professor Muhammad Siddiq Professor Robert Kaufman Fall 2013 Abstract The Poetics of Commitment in Modern Persian: A Case of Three Revolutionary Poets in Iran by Samad Josef Alavi Doctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern Studies University of California, Berkeley Professor Shahwali Ahmadi, Chair Modern Persian literary histories generally characterize the decades leading up to the Iranian Revolution of 1979 as a single episode of accumulating political anxieties in Persian poetics, as in other areas of cultural production. According to the dominant literary-historical narrative, calls for “committed poetry” (she‘r-e mota‘ahhed) grew louder over the course of the radical 1970s, crescendoed with the monarch’s ouster, and then faded shortly thereafter as the consolidation of the Islamic Republic shattered any hopes among the once-influential Iranian Left for a secular, socio-economically equitable political order. Such a narrative has proven useful for locating general trends in poetic discourses of the last five decades, but it does not account for the complex and often divergent ways in which poets and critics have reconciled their political and aesthetic commitments. This dissertation begins with the historical assumption that in Iran a question of how poetry must serve society and vice versa did in fact acquire a heightened sense of urgency sometime during the ideologically-charged years surrounding the revolution.
    [Show full text]
  • “Transfer” XIV: 1-2 (2019), Pp. 49-72. ISSN: 1886-554
    “Transfer” XIV: 1-2 (2019), pp. 49-72. ISSN: 1886-554 “SOMETHING FOREIGN IN IT”: A STUDY OF AN IRANIAN TRANSLATION OF WHITMAN’S IMAGE Behnam M. Fomeshi (ORCID: 0000-0001-6821-9699) TU Dortmund University (Germany) Reception date: 02/02/2018; Acceptance date: 15/03/2018 Introduction What happens to Whitman when he enters Iran? What does the Persian Whitman look like? What does his Persianness or his foreignness tell us about Whitman, Iran, and the interaction between the two? This essay answers these questions to elaborate on the dialogue created between American poetry and contemporary Iran through translating Whitman. Studies of the reception of a writer in another culture primarily deal with the translation of the works into the target language. Such studies usually ignore the translation of the writer’s image. The present essay focuses on the translation of an American writer’s image into a contemporary Iranian context. In this study, “image” refers both to visual representations, such as pictures or photographs, and the mental conceptions held in common by members of a group, such as is the subject of imagology. Walt Whitman (1819-1892), commonly referred to as the father of American free verse and the American poet of democracy, has frequently been studied in terms of his reputation, reception, and influence in other countries. Blodgett’s 1934 book, Walt Whitman in England, the first formal reception study of the poet in an international context, was followed by Betsy Erkkila’s Walt Whitman among the French: Poet and Myth (1980), Walter Grunzweig’s 49 “Transfer” XIV: 1-2 (2019), pp.
    [Show full text]
  • Iranian Resistance Regime Change Within Reach
    ONWARDS WITH THE IRANIAN RESISTANCE REGIME CHANGE WITHIN REACH Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) A Special Report Prepared By The Washington Times Advocacy Department And The U.S. Foundation For Liberty And Human Rights Iranian dissidents rally in France for the overthrow of Iran’s theocracy BY THE WASHINGTON TIMES VILLEPINTE, France — Thousands of supporters of an Iranian dissident group rallied here Saturday for the overthrow of Tehran’s theocratic regime at an event that featured speeches by several Trump admin- istration allies — including Newt Gingrich and Rudolph W. Giuliani — as well as the former head of Saudi intelligence. The boisterous event, held annually in this town just north of Paris, was organized by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, a France-based group of Iranian exiles that brings dozens of current and former U.S., European and Middle Eastern officials together to speak out in support of regime change in Tehran. While the Trump administration’s pos- ture on the issue is elusive, Mr. Giuliani drew loud cheers by asserting that the new U.S. president’s view is far different from that of his predecessor, who led world pow- ers to ease sanctions on the Islamic republic with the 2015 Iranian nuclear accord. PHOTO:TME Mr. Trump is “laser-focused on the a cheering crowd of tens of thousands welcomed National Council of Resistance of Iran President-elect Maryam Rajavi to the July 1 Free danger of Iran to the freedom of the world,” Iran Rally. NT e said Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Hosseini, Mahrokhsadat.Pdf
    A University of Sussex PhD thesis Available online via Sussex Research Online: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/ This thesis is protected by copyright which belongs to the author. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Please visit Sussex Research Online for more information and further details Iranian Women’s Poetry from the Constitutional Revolution to the Post-Revolution by Mahrokhsadat Hosseini Submitted for Examination for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Gender Studies University of Sussex November 2017 2 Submission Statement I hereby declare that this thesis has not been, and will not be, submitted in whole or in part to another University for the award of any other degree. Mahrokhsadat Hosseini Signature: . Date: . 3 University of Sussex Mahrokhsadat Hosseini For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Gender Studies Iranian Women’s Poetry from the Constitutional Revolution to the Post- Revolution Summary This thesis challenges the silenced voices of women in the Iranian written literary tradition and proposes a fresh evaluation of contemporary Iranian women’s poetry. Because the presence of female poets in Iranian literature is a relatively recent phenomenon, there are few published studies describing and analysing Iranian women’s poetry; most of the critical studies that do exist were completed in the last three decades after the Revolution in 1979.
    [Show full text]
  • Simin Behbahani, the “Lioness of Iran” the Economist, Aug 30Th 2014 | from the Print Edition Simin Behbahani, Poet, Died on August 19Th, Aged 87
    Simin Behbahani, the “Lioness of Iran” The Economist, Aug 30th 2014 | From the print edition Simin Behbahani, poet, died on August 19th, aged 87 EVEN as a child, she knew how poetry should sound. The rhythm of the rhyme her teacher gave her to recite—“I am a yellow rose, the Sultan of all the flowers, the Sultan of all the flowers”—was wrong. She envied the verse bestowed upon a friend, which scanned so much more sweetly, as much as she coveted the red ruffles of her dress, so much finer than her own yellow organdy. So, at the age of 12, Simin Behbahani began writing her own rhymes. She wrote in the style of the old Persian poets: Hafez, Rumi and Sa’adi. Her contemporaries had abandoned traditional forms such as the ghazal, a sonnet of sorts, with its stiff, restrictive structure. With heads full of modernism they used rhymeless, formless verses to criticise their country and its rulers. But she embraced the old ways. After all, that was the sort of poetry that Iranians knew, the sort they could recite from memory, the cadences of their history. She borrowed the styles of the masters, but not their substance. They wrote of goblets of wine, and nightingales, and laments for their beloved. She wrote of love, too, but also of politics and of life’s darker realities. “O moaning starving masses, what will you do? O poor anguished nation, what will you do?” asked the first line of her first published poem. Later she wrote about prostitutes hustling in the streets of Tehran, and about the pain of a mother unable to afford pistachios for her son.
    [Show full text]
  • Thirty Years of Sino-Saudi Relations
    Strangers to Strategic Partners: Thirty Years of Sino-Saudi Relations STRANGERS TO STRATEGIC PARTNERS: Thirty Years of Sino-Saudi Relations JONATHAN FULTON ATLANTIC COUNCIL 1 About the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative The Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative honors the legacy of Brent Scowcroft and his tireless efforts to build a new security architecture for the region. Our work in this area addresses the full range of security threats and challenges including the danger of interstate warfare, the role of terrorist groups and other nonstate actors, and the underlying security threats facing countries in the region. Through all of the Council’s Middle East program- ming, we work with allies and partners in Europe and the wider Middle East to protect US inter- ests, build peace and security, and unlock the human potential of the region. You can read more about our programs at www.atlanticcouncil.org/programs/middle-east-programs/. STRANGERS TO STRATEGIC PARTNERS: Thirty Years of Sino-Saudi Relations JONATHAN FULTON ISBN-13: 978-1-61977-114-7 Cover image: China’s President Xi Jinping and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz attend the Road to the Arab Republic—the closing ceremony of the artifacts unearthed in Saudi Arabia—at China’s National Museum in Beijing, China, on March 16, 2017. Photo credit: Reuters/Lintao Zhang/Pool This report is written and published in accordance with the Atlantic Council Policy on Intellectual Independence. The au- thors are solely responsible for its analysis and recommendations. The Atlantic Council and its donors do not determine, nor do they necessarily endorse or advocate for, any of this report’s conclusions.
    [Show full text]
  • Persian Optional Subject
    Optional Subject: Persian PAPER – I Unit-1 - 1. Short essay in Persian (Compulsory.) Unit-II - 2. (a) Origin and development of the language. (Old Persian, Pahlavi, Modern Persian). (b) Applied Grammar. (c) Rhetorics. (d) Prosody (Bahr-i-Hazaj Kamil, Bahr-i- Motaqarib Mahzuf/ Maqsur, Bahr-i-Rajaz Kamil).Asbab,Autad, Fawasil, Haruf-i-Qafia. Unit-III - 3. Literary History, Criticism, Movements; Socio-cultural influences, Modern Trends. (a) Samanid Period: (Important Poets and Writers) (b) (Firdausi) Rumi, Masud Sad-i-Salman, Tarikh-i-Baihaqi) (c) Saljuquid Period : (Anwari Attar, Khayyam, Kimya-i-Saadat, Chahar Maqala, Siyasat Nama). (d) llkhanid Period : (Sa'di, Rumi, 'Jame'-ut-Tawarikh, Tarikh-i-Jahan Kusha). (e) Timurid Period : (Hafiz, Salman Saoji, Khaju-i-Kirmani, Zafar Nama-i-Sharfuddin Yazdi, Tazkira- Daulat Shah Samarqandi, Jami) (f) Indo-Persian Literature : (Aufi, Khusrau, Faizi, Urfi, Naziri, Abu Fazl, Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi of Barani, Chahar Chaman of Brahman, Ghalib, lqbal) (g) Safavid to Modern Period : : (Mohtashim Kashi, Qaani, Malik-ushshu'ara Bahar, Nimayushij, Parwin E'tesami, Simin Behbahani' Sadiq Hedayat, Jamalzada, Hejazi, Sabki-Khurasani, Sabk-i-Eraqi, Sabk-i- Hindi, lslamic Revolution of lran) Unit-IV - 4. Translation of ten out of fifteen simple sentences of Urdu into Persian (Compulsory). Downloaded from: www.studymarathon.com PAPER - II The paper will require first hand reading of the texts prescribed and will be designed to test the candidates critical ability. Unit-I - Prose - 1. Translation from the following texts : (a) Nizami Aruzi Samarqandi, Chahar Maqala (Dabiri and Sha'iri). Saadi Shirazi Gulistan (Der Sirat-i- Padshahan and (b) Dar Akhlaq-i- Derwishan) Ziauddin Barani, Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi (Wasaya-i-Sultan (c) Balban be Ferzand-o-Wali Ahd-i-Khud).
    [Show full text]
  • Why Bahrain's Move to Make Peace Is Especially
    Selected articles concerning Israel, published weekly by Suburban Orthodox Toras Chaim’s (Baltimore) Israel Action Committee Edited by Jerry Appelbaum ( [email protected] ) | Founding editor: Sheldon J. Berman Z”L Issue 8 5 7 Volume 20 , Number 3 6 Rosh Ha shana September 1 9 , 20 20 Why Bahrain’s Move to Make Peace Is Especially Courageous By Oded Granot israelhayom.com September 8, 2020 Defying Iran. but has a free market economy that doesn't rely just on oil. Bahraini King Hamad al - Khalifa surprised no one by The Bahraini economy is the fastest growing in the Arab following in the footsteps of the United Arab Emirates, world and opens up a plethora of opportunities for broad exposing his country' s long - standing clandestine relations commercial ties between the countries. On social issues, with Israel, and establishing diplomatic ties with direct too, such as wome n's rights, Bahrain is ahead of many flights between Israel and Manama. Arab countries. In the cultural realm, meanwhile, more And yet, this was a courageous move on his part, no books are published there than any other Arab country. less daring and perhaps even more so than the UAE Beyond all this, Bahrain, similar to the UAE, is an leader's trailblazing m ove last month to normalize relations exemplary model of religious moderation, as a with Israel. This is because Bahrain, a tiny island nation off counterweig ht to the radical political Islam spearheaded by the Saudi coast, is more susceptible than the UAE to Iran, Turkey and Qatar. Mohammad Bin Zayed, the crown national security threats posed by Iran.
    [Show full text]
  • Magazine Are Those of the Authors and Are Not Necessarily Those of This Magazine
    exiledexiled ink!ink! Iranian writers and literature in exile poetry prose articles reviews price £3 Editorial Team David Clark Isabelle Romaine Miriam Frank Soheila Ghodstinat Jennifer Langer Richard McKane Nathalie Teitler Design and Layout Angel Design EWI Patrons Alev Adil Lisa Appignanesi Moris Farhi MBE Esmail Khoi Howard Jacobson exiled ink! Julia Camoys Stonor Exiled Ink! is published by Exiled Writers Ink EWI Artistic Advisory registered as Charity No.1097497 Committee Ghias Al Jundi Mir Mahfuz Ali Marion Baraitser Miriam Frank Choman Hardi Richard McKane Hom Paribag Isabelle Romaine Darija Stojnic Nathalie Teitler Editorial Office Exiled Writers Ink 31 Hallswelle Road London NW11 0DH Tel: +44 (0) 20 8458 1910 [email protected] www.exiledwriters.co.uk Printed by: The cover image is by Afshin Shahroodi and appeared in Ali Abdolrezaie’s collection Shinema which was partly censored in Iran. Material may not be used without the written expressed permission of Exiled Writers Ink. Views ex- pressed in the magazine are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of this magazine. Every effort has been made to contact all the authors regarding permission. ISSN 1744-149B Iranian Writers and Literature in Exile Contents: 4 Editorial 5 Iranian Women and Contemporary Memoirs Farideh Goldin 9 Writing Out Terror Hammed Shahidian 12 Hatred and other poems Esmail Khoi 12 The Doves/Cemetery Reza Baraheni 13 Love is the Colour of Lemon/Collage Poem 2 Ziba Karbassi 15 Standing Upright They Were Tall Enough/Forrough Ali Abdolrezaie
    [Show full text]
  • Rizi, the Acoustic Screen PROOF
    The Acoustic Screen: The Dynamics of the Female Look and Voice in Abbas Kiarostami’s Shirin Najmeh Moradiyan Rizi Abstract: Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, the representation of women in post-revolutionary Iranian cinema has been one of the main concerns of Iranian officials. This concern caused the enforcement of cinematic restrictions on Iranian cinema in 1982, known as the Islamic Codes of Modesty. The prohibition of the close-ups of women’s faces was one of these cinematic limitations. Since then, Iranian filmmakers have used a great amount of creativity in their films to not only represent Iranian women on the screen, but also to criticize the gender-segregated laws of Iran. Their creativity and efforts have gradually challenged and changed the modesty regulations. Abbas Kiarostami’s film, Shirin (2008), stands out in this regard as the film provides an unprecedented portrayal of Iranian women through the use of close-up shots of 114 actresses throughout the film. This paper examines the aesthetics and politics of Kiarostami’s cinema through a feminist analysis of Shirin in order to locate Kiarostami’s film within a larger socio-cultural context of Iran. The main focus of this study, therefore, is to show how Kiarostami uses the cinematic apparatus to highlight female subjectivity not only in literary and cinematic platforms, but also in Iran’s history and society. Keywords: Abbas Kiarostami; feminism; gender; Iranian cinema; Iranian women; Shirin. he post-revolutionary cinematic works of Abbas Kiarostami have been the sites of film critics’ and media scholars’ analyses and debates over the years.
    [Show full text]
  • James Turrell Awarded the National Medal of Arts
    153 SEP- OCT 2014 Vol. XXIV No. 153 A Thousand Years of the Persian Book Remembering Simin Behbahani Volleyball Diplomacy Enlightening: James Turrell Awarded the ISSD Registration National Medal of Arts 2014-2015 Branch I, Sunday, September 7 Branch II, Thursday, September 11 • We Are Way Pasts the Wake-Up Call ... • Where did all the good people go? • Getting Started With the School Year • Back-to-School Anxiety Photo Essay • How Much Alcohol is Too Much? Salaamaat from Jalazone No. 153/ September - October 2014 1 153 Since 1991 By: Shahri Estakhry Persian Cultural Center’s We Are Way Pasts the Wake-Up Call ... Bilingual Magazine Is a bi - monthly publication organized for literary, cultural and information purposes We must accept the fact that so long as hunger, illiteracy, and poverty exist in the world, even Financial support is provided by the City of hoping for peace is in a distance far away. According to the United Nations, every 25 seconds San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture. a child dies of hunger. According to UNESCO, over 26 percent of the world’s adult population is illiterate, and around 93 percent of the people of the world do not have a roof over their head. Persian Cultural Center Conversely, according to Forbes magazine (March 3, 2014), this past year a record-breaking 6790 Top Gun St. #7, San Diego, CA 92121 Tel (858) 552-9355 number of billionaires made the list of the world’s richest people, with an “aggregate net worth Fax & Message: (619) 374-7335 of $6.4 trillion.” The contrast is so devastating it boggles the mind! Email: [email protected] Web site: www.pccus.org www.pccsd.org To have a million dollars is nothing extraordinary, at least not in California.
    [Show full text]