Clipmarks | arifsali's 'iran' clips

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.

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

Where Are Those Iranian Weapons in Iraq?

Thu, 22 May 2008 20:39:12 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.ipsnews.net

The U.S. military command in Iraq continues to talk about an alleged pipeline of Iranian weapons to Iraqi Shiites opposing the U.S. occupation, implying that they have become dependent on Iran for indirect-fire weapons and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs).

But U.S. officials have failed thus far to provide evidence that would support that claim, and a long-delayed U.S. military report on Iranian arms is unlikely to offer any data on what proportion of the weapons in the hands of Shiite fighters are from Iran and what proportion comes from purchases on the open market.

When Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner was asked that question at a briefing May 8, he did not answer it directly. Instead Bergner reverted to a standard U.S. military line that these groups "could not do what they're doing without the support of foreign support [sic]." Then he defined "foreign support" to include training and funding as well as weapons, implicitly conceding that he did not have much of a case based on weapons alone.

Tags: iraq, iran, united states, politics, weapons, war

11-Year-Old Wins National Geographic Bee

Thu, 22 May 2008 20:24:25 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: news.nationalgeographic.com

Eleven-year-old Akshay Rajagopal knew, and with the answer—Bolivia—he won the 20th annual National Geographic Bee today in Washington, D.C.

The national finals tested the geographic knowledge of 55 U.S. students in fourth through eighth grade—each contestant was already a winner at the state or territory level. Each finalist is allowed one wrong answer.

Asked what country lies east of Iran and holds the city of Balkh—the supposed birthplace of the ancient 13th-century Persian poet Rumi—Rajagopal wasn't sure.

With magic marker, he wrote "Afghanistan" on his card. His guess was right.

(Watch video of the final tense minutes of the bee.)

Tags: knowledge, geography

Baha'is worried about Iranian community

Wed, 21 May 2008 03:06:44 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.jpost.com

The head of the Baha'i International Community, based in Haifa, said Tuesday that last week's arrest of seven Baha'i leaders was the latest in an ongoing wave of persecution in Iran that has been escalating since the beginning of 2008.

"The latest incident is a ripple on the top of a wave," said Albert Lincoln, secretary-general of the Baha'i International Community. "It is just the tip of the iceberg."

Lincoln said that over the past few months, there have been numerous incidents of arson, threats, kidnappings and beatings directed at the Baha'i community of 300,000 in Iran.

"People's houses and shops are being burned or bulldozed down, they are being kidnapped and beaten. Baha'i cemeteries are being plowed up, and members of the Baha'i community who have worked for the state of Iran for decades and are now retired are being asked to pay back the pensions they have received," he said.

Tags: iran, minorities

Iranian Clerics Tell the President to Leave the Theology to Them

Wed, 21 May 2008 02:51:08 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

TEHRAN — In his almost three years as president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been harshly criticized in the West. But he is increasingly drawing fire from Shiite clerics here, who accuse him of using religion to distract attention from his government’s failure to deliver on promises of prosperity and political freedoms.

In a news conference last week, the president lashed out at those who were “insulting and mocking” him about a Shiite belief that he said was based on Islamic teachings.

“Mr. Ahmadinejad’s remarks are common beliefs in Shiite Islam, but they were never brought up in politics and for political purposes by a noncleric,” said Farid Moddaressi, a religion reporter in Tehran. “Mr. Ahmadinejad’s views come from a religion which is defined by its clerics, but they believe that he is not a religious authority to make such remarks.”

Tags: iran, religion, politics

Tehran Opens Controversial Women-Only Park

Tue, 20 May 2008 03:36:56 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: So what do they do in this park which we can't see?

Clip Source: www.rferl.org

In an official ceremony in Tehran this week, Mayor Mohammad Baqir Ghalibaf opened a new, sex-segregated park designed exclusively for women's leisure and sport.

In the new park, called "Mothers' Paradise," women can walk, jog, and engage in other athletic activities without having to cover their heads.

Men can reportedly not see inside the park since it is surrounded by green walls and covered by bright-colored materials.

Some Tehran residents welcomed the launch of the park as an opportunity for women to act freely. Many others, however, criticized it as yet another step in what they call widespread discrimination against women.

Tags: women, iran

US confession: Weapons were not made in Iran after all

Wed, 14 May 2008 20:56:07 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.campaigniran.org

In a sharp reversal of its longstanding accusations against Iran arming militants in Iraq , the US military has made an unprecedented albeit quiet confession: the weapons they had recently found in Iraq were not made in Iran at all.

According to a report by the LA Times correspondent Tina Susman in Baghdad: “A plan to show some alleged Iranian-supplied explosives to journalists last week in Karbala and then destroy them was canceled after the United States realized none of them was from Iran. A U.S. military spokesman attributed the confusion to a misunderstanding that emerged after an Iraqi Army general in Karbala erroneously reported the items were of Iranian origin. When U.S. explosives experts went to investigate, they discovered they were not Iranian after all.”

Tags: iran, united states, politics

Hotelier's passion for Persia given free rein on Iranian island

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:50:31 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.iht.com

The indoor dolphin show was in full swing as Hossein Sabet walked in to a burst of applause from the 1,200 people in attendance. Clad in tight beige equestrian pants and long black boots, he waved at the crowd and went straight to his office behind the pool.

Sabet, 58, an Iranian expatriate who spends most of his time in Germany, is no performer, however. He is a businessman and something of a local legend, having invested more than $300 million here in hotels and attractions like the dolphin show, the only one in the Middle East.

He has built this island's fanciest establishment, the Dariush Grand Hotel, modeled after the Persian capital of Persepolis, which dates from 500 B.C. He also owns 11 hotels in Europe and the Canary Islands.

One of the Iranian islands in the Gulf, Kish is accessible to foreigners without a visa and to Iranians looking to vacation in a relatively relaxed atmosphere, though things are not as relaxed now as they were before President

Ahmadinejad came to power

Tags: iran, development

Silencing the drums of war

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:39:25 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: english.aljazeera.net

Imagine if Muslims, Jews and Christians decided to combat that noise with musical, cultural and religious harmony of their own? Perhaps the three Abrahamic faiths could drown out, and even silence, the war drums that seem to grow louder each day.

Such a strategy is being tested by performers of A Mystical Journey, a 2008 US tour that features dozens of Sufi musicians from across the Muslim world, including Pakistani rock superstar Salman Ahmed, Algerian chaoui (Berber) legend Houria Aïchi and the Dalahoo Sufi Ensemble from Iran.

Their concerts, which premiered in Canada, are spiritually uplifting tributes to the often ferocious joy and love that have long characterised mystical Islam's experience with the divine, and through it, humanity's potential for spiritual transcendence and renewal.

Tags: music, islam, spirituality, war, peace

Iran's National Treasure - Nou Rouz

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:22:58 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.iranian.ws

The ancient Iranian calendar was a solar calendar. The fact is repeatedly documented in the ancient Avesta writings. One of the most important solar festivals is called Nou Rouz - the New Year. Nou Rouz literally means the 'New Day' and is celebrated on the vernal equinox in spring.

It is the time of rejuvenation in nature, the beginning of a new life and what better time can there be to start the New Year than with nature itself.

Nou Rouz is celebrated by the people of the lands that once formed the Persian Empire, irrespective of their present day political borders or religious beliefs. Nou Rouz according to the Persian mythology is believed to date back to about ten thousand BCE, when Shah Jamshid the Pisdadian king celebrated the first spring after the end of the last ice age.

Tags: persia, iran, new year

Iran: Magazines Shut Down Over 'Immoral' Coverage Of Hollywood Celebs

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:20:16 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: Put hijabs on these celebs, case closed!

Clip Source: www.rferl.org

Iranian authorities have closed down nine, mostly lifestyle, magazines this week for publishing photos of "immoral" Western celebrities and reporting about their private lives.

Thirteen other publications were warned to avoid printing similar photos and stories -- or face losing their publishing licenses.

The Culture Ministry announced the closures, accusing them of publishing stories about "immoral and corrupt" Hollywood stars and for promoting "superstitions."

"Sobh-e Zendegi" had recently published photos of actresses Angelina Jolie, Cameron Diaz, and Naomi Watts with short reports about their lives.

The foreign movie stars were pictured without head covering but all were wearing long sleeves and loose clothes -- the practice tolerated in some Iranian state media.

Tags: iran, entertainment

US drops China from list of top human rights abusers

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 22:09:42 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: Happy Olympics

Clip Source: www.dawn.com

WASHINGTON, March 11, (AFP) - The US dropped China from its list of the world's worst human rights violators, but added Syria, Uzbekistan and Sudan to the alleged offenders in an annual report released Tuesday. The State Department's 2007 Human Rights Report showed China, which has raised hopes it will improve human rights by hosting the 2008 Olympics, had parted company with countries like North Korea, Myanmar and Iran. No reason was given for removing China -- which has been a key partner in talks with Washington to denuclearize North Korea -- from the list but the new report said China's “overall human rights record remained poor” in 2007. (Posted @ 23:10 PST)

Tags: china, united states

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

Sassanid coins book to be published

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 21:34:25 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.presstv.ir

The first issue of a book containing pictures of five thousand splendid coins belonging to Iran's Sassanid period is soon to be published.

Sassanid coins are decorated with original Persian patterns and minted in gold silver and copper.

Golden Sassanid Drachma was used only in foreign trade, making them very rare today. Silver coins were used as the main currency and were circulated even in neighboring regions.

Iran's national museum and the British museum are working together to compile a two-volume publication, focusing on pieces belonging to a period between the rein of Ardeshir I and Kavadh I.

Tags: iran