Clipmarks | arifsali's 'iran' clips

New Exhibit Examines War-Torn Afghanistan

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:03:56 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.time.com

Living Traditions, an exhibition of contemporary pieces from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, opened in Kabul in October

Clip Source: www.time.com

Blue Period
Khosrow Hassanzadeh's 2008 canvas Ya Ali Madad.

Clip Source: www.time.com

A Rose by Any Other Name

Clip Source: www.time.com

In the Company of Men
Khosrow Hassanzadeh's 2008 canvas Ya Ali Madad.

Clip Source: www.time.com

Faded Image

Clip Source: www.time.com

Faith in Circularity
Endless Prayers (2007) by YZ Kami.

Clip Source: www.time.com

Evening Shadow
Imran Qureshi's 2008 watercolor Time Changes.

Clip Source: www.time.com

Seeing Red
An untitled work by Aisha Khalid.

Clip Source: www.time.com

Reasonable Acts of Compliance 1
A 2005 gouache and by Nusra Latif Qureshi.

Clip Source: www.time.com

Dressing Room
Zolaykha Sherzad, Untitled, 2008, ink, silk and mixed media.

Clip Source: www.time.com

Afghanistan on Show
The Living Traditions exhibition is taking place at Queen's Palace, Bagh e Babur, Kabul.

Clip Source: www.time.com

The Art Crowd
Afghans savor the art at the Living Traditions exhibition.

Tags: photography, afghanistan

Nicholas Burns: We Should Talk to Our Enemies

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:46:07 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: Nicholas Burns started his career as a foreign service officer in 1983. He served in Cairo and Jerusalem, before working in the State Department’s Department of Soviet Affairs. Then in 1990 he shifted onto the National Security Council staff. In 1995 he became Acting Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, and in 1997 he was appointed Ambassador to Greece. In 2001, the George W. Bush administration made him the United States’ Permanent Representative to NATO, and then in 2005 they made him Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs — the number three job in the State Department. This career diplomatic, widely respected and widely experienced, trusted with key missions by the Bush administration, has an article in Newsweek about how yes we should engage in direct, high-level talks with “bad guy” regimes:

Clip Source: www.newsweek.com

One of the sharpest and most telling differences on foreign policy between and is whether the United States should talk to difficult and disreputable leaders like 's or Venezuela's Hugo Chávez.

Are McCain and Palin correct that America should stonewall its foes? I lived this issue for 27 years as a career diplomat, serving both Republican and Democratic administrations. Maybe that's why I've been struggling to find the real wisdom and logic in this Republican assault against Obama.

of course we should talk to difficult adversaries—when it is in our interest and at a time of our choosing.

The more challenging and pertinent question, especially for the McCain-Palin ticket, is the reverse: Is it really smart to declare we will never talk to such leaders?

Tags: united states, politics, diplomacy

How Tenet Betrayed the CIA on WMD in Iraq

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 06:15:59 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: Habbush explained to the British official that Saddam tried to maintain the impression that he did have such weapons in order to impress Iran.

Suskind writes that the head of MI6, Richard Dearlove, flew to Washington to present details of the Habbush report to Tenet, who then briefed National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. Soon after that, the CIA informed the British that the Bush administration was not interested in keeping the Habbush channel open, according to Suskind’s account.

Clip Source: www.ipsnews.net

Journalist Ron Suskind’s revelation that Saddam Hussein’s intelligence chief was a prewar intelligence source reporting to the British that Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction (WMD) adds yet another dimension to the systematic effort by then Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director George Tenet to quash any evidence -- no matter how credible -- that conflicted with the George W. Bush administration’s propaganda line that Saddam was actively pursuing a nuclear weapons programme.

According to Suskind’s new book, ‘The Way of the World’, Iraqi Director of Intelligence Tahir Jalil Habbush al-Tikriti had been passing on sensitive intelligence to the UK’s MI6 intelligence service for more than a year before the U.S invasion. In early 2003, Suskind writes, Habbush told MI6 official Michael Shipster in Jordan that Saddam had ended his nuclear programme in 1991 and his biological weapons programme in 1996.

Tags: iraq, bush administration

Iran: Mobile phones have become more destructive than drugs

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:14:57 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: Hahaha

Clip Source: www.rferl.org

What's worse than the creeping menace of illegal drugs in Iran?

Mobile phones, according to conservative cleric Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi. Persian-language alborznews.net quoted Shirazi as saying on September 15 that mobile phones have become "more destructive" than drugs and are quite simply a tool for promoting moral "corruption." Cell phones are extremely popular in Iran, particularly among young people who use them to pass along jokes, thoughts, and discuss issues that Iranian authorities regard as taboo.

During a recent "morality crackdown," lots of bystanders used their phones to document harsh police treatment and public confrontations in which women were being targeted for their hairstyle or choice of clothing (some of which is here on youtube.)

Tags: iran, religion, culture

"Your honour, we now have the fashion police."

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:10:26 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: Good move by the judge. Though I personally don't like such a fashion, but what would different between America and Iran if we were to institute such measures? And do I see "town voters" backed this petition? Whoa.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

A law that landed a Florida teenager in jail for having sagging jeans that exposed his underwear is unconstitutional, a judge has decided.

The 17-year-old spent a night in jail after police arrested him for exposing 4in (10cm) of boxer shorts in Riviera Beach, south-east Florida.

Town voters backed the law in March after supporters raised a petition.

However, a circuit judge ruled that the law was unconstitutional based on "the limited facts" of the case.

Carol Bickerstaff, defending teenager Julius Hart, had urged Judge Paul Moyle to throw out the law, saying: "Your honour, we now have the fashion police."

Tags: united states, fashion, free speech

Bush's last hurrah will be to attack Pakistan

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:50:49 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.straight.com

The good news is that U.S. President George W. Bush is not going to invade Iran before he leaves office. The bad news is that he is attacking Pakistan instead.

So the White House has gone entirely silent on Iran: no more warnings, no more threats. But about two months ago, according to information that was leaked just last week, Bush authorized U.S. military attacks against suspected supporters of the Taliban and al-Qaeda on Pakistani soil––without the permission of the Pakistan government.

Pakistan is a U.S. ally, even though the great majority of Pakistanis wish that it wasn't. There are few unbreakable rules in international affairs, but not attacking your ally is definitely one of them. Except if you are American, in which case it's okay, or so the White House appears to believe.

Tags: united states, pakistan, politics

BBC NEWS: INSIDE IRAN

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:39:54 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: freedocumentaries.org

Rageh Omaar embarks on a unique journey inside what he describes as one of the most misunderstood countries in the world, looking at the country through the eyes of people rarely heard - ordinary Iranians.

It took a year of wrangling to get permission to film inside Iran but the result is an amazing portrayal of an energetic and vibrant country that is completely different to the usual images seen in the media.

This film is not political at all. It does not discuss the nuclear debate or American intervention in Iran. We posted it because its very interesting and we feel that the Iranian people have been misrepresented in the media. Historically, before every war politicians and the media paint the enemy as very differenent from ourselves. Its easier to hate or fear when you dont understand or relate to your enemy.

Tags: iran, documentary, film

Persian Music

Sun, 09 Jul 2006 23:45:24 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.radiodarvish.com

This site and webcast is dedicated to the Persian traditional music fans.
Music crosses language boundaries and brings people closer to one another.

Tags: persian, iran, music

Forget Harvard—one of the world's best undergraduate colleges is in Iran

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:21:21 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.newsweek.com

In 2003, administrators at Stanford University's Electrical Engineering Department were startled when a group of foreign students aced the notoriously difficult Ph.D. entrance exam, getting some of the highest scores ever. That the whiz kids weren't American wasn't odd; students from Asia and elsewhere excel in U.S. programs. The surprising thing, say Stanford administrators, is that the majority came from one country and one school: Sharif University of Science and Technology in Iran.

Stanford has become a favorite destination of Sharif grads. Bruce A. Wooley, a former chair of the Electrical Engineering Department, has said that's because Sharif now has one of the best undergraduate electrical-engineering programs in the world. That's no small praise given its competition: MIT, Caltech and Stanford in the United States, Tsinghua in China and Cambridge in Britain.

Tags: iran, education

Kiarostami - the godfather of Iranian cinema

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:55:49 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: Looking at Tazieh clearly invites westerners to step into Iranians' shoes. "Of course, I feel pain when I see that my country is considered evil," he says. "So in all my films, my wish is to give a kinder and a warmer image of human beings and of my country. Every morning, when I wake up, I have to say hello to my neighbours. And this is what I like to show in my films: friendship, love between people".

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Kiarostami - the godfather of Iranian cinema, a director who has won so many international awards that he long ago stopped accepting them - still seems very much the outsider in the western cities that celebrate him as one of the greatest film-makers of all time. Unlike other Iranian directors who fled abroad, he still lives in Tehran, despite a regime that has not permitted his films to be shown there for the past 10 years. Yet Kiarostami does not overtly preach politics, saying the regime does its thing, he does his - his thing being to capture Iranians' everyday lives with a tenderness and gentle humour that makes western audiences melt.

At a time when Iran has been cast as the very axle of the "axis of evil", Kiarostami reminds us that there are real people living there; his work invites us to form a bond with them, creating "a feeling of empathy between people who have nothing in common". He says: "That's really my definition of art. Art's only mission is to make people feel closer

Tags: iran, art, films

Iran's stunning wooden village

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:02:56 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: deputy-dog.com

Tags: iran

Women of Cover

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 05:22:15 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: Interesting blog post

Clip Source: www.paulstravelblog.com

In our travels thus far through the Middle East, we've seen a variety of different styles of cover for women, and I thought that it would be interesting to compare them. Please note that this is intended to be something of a fashion post, rather than a post debating the hejab (Islamic dress code) itself. [Note: None of the individuals pictured was a source of any information for this or any post.]

Young women in Syria. In Syria, the scarf is very much a fashion accessory in addition to a religious and customary expectation. In the big cities, many women choose to go without.

Ladies' police uniforms, Bahrain

Television personality, Bahrain

Trendy mother and daughter, Iran

We never confirmed this, but this style of headscarf must be required in schools and certain jobs, as they are quite common in Iran.

Getting away with showing a lot of hair, Iran

Kuwait. Kuwaiti women all seem to wear their hair in huge buns.

Bahrain

A bedouin woman, looking quite stylish in Aleppo, Syria

India

Tags: women

Iran: Fashionistas Push Back Against Strict Dress Code

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:50:50 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.rferl.org

Ali Mohammadi -- or Ali M., as he likes to be called -- spends most of his salary on trendy clothes, haircuts, and expensive skincare products. He is just one of many Iranians for whom fashion -- besides being fun -- has become a form of protest against the country's strict Islamic dress code.

A woman in custody after being rounded up for a dress-code violation in Tehran in July

"I just got a new haircut and had my eyebrows shaped," Ali M. says over the phone from Tehran, jokingly but with a hint of pride in his voice.

In recent months, Iranian authorities have cracked down hard on Iranians who violate the dress code, which requires women to wear the head scarf and prohibits men from wearing short-sleeve shirts or ties. But that hasn't stopped legions of women and men from dressing as stylishly

Tags: iran, culture, religion

The dilemma of anti-extremist Pakistanis

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:03:00 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: The whole piece is worth reading.

Clip Source: icga.blogspot.com

Yesterday the New York Times ran a front-page article on the growth of al-Qaida in Pakistan and the failure of the Bush administration to devise any strategy to confront it.

(Instead they are apparently thinking again about attacking Iran.

As usual, the Times article presented the alternatives as do nothing, Predator missile strikes, or invasion by U.S. Special Forces, without any discussion of competing Pakistani and Pashtun political agendas for the tribal agencies.

American hypocrisy has played into the hands of Islamic militants. They have been vigorously promoting the notion that this is a bipolar conflict of Islam, which they claim to represent, versus imperialism. Many Pakistanis, who desperately want someone to stand up to the Americans, buy into this.

According to Khattak, one part of the "government of Pakistan" is at war with groups created by another part of the "government of Pakistan." A policy toward "Pakistan" cannot address this problem.

Tags: terrorism, united states, pakistan

Afghanistan’s international donors

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:37:09 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: This is a good break down of what people have committed and have delivered, I would click on the source to see it in color to make some sense. You may also find recent news at the source on the conference which was held with all the top statesmen of the world.

Clip Source: ismailimail.wordpress.com

Reuters - Afghanistan will ask international donors at a Paris conference on Thursday for $50 billion over five years to bolster its economy.

Following is a breakdown of the nearly $25 billion donated for Afghanistan’s reconstruction since 2001

DONOR AID DISBURSED / AID COMMITTED BUT NOT DISBURSED

United States 5022.9 5377
Japan 1393.52 16.9
United Kingdom 16.3 188.87
European Commission 1074.1 646.68
World Bank 852.72 750.72
Germany 767.84 458.2
Canada 730.71 48.12
Asian Development Bank 547.8 1009.7
Italy 424.41 0
Netherlands 407.1 85.5
Norway 277 122.3
Sweden 217.26 41.15
Iran 213.87 13.89
ECHO* 207.68 2.23
India 204.26 650.85
Australia 194.81 0
U.N. agencies** 171 0
Denmark 152.79 59.38
Russia 139 0
Aga Khan Foundation 119.3 0
France 79.93 29.47
Saudi Arabia 76.9 30
Finland 64.06 29.92
Switzerland 51.55 43.96
China 41 20.35
Spain 25.6 37.15
Turkey 20.8 22.82

Tags: afghanistan, aid