From: Mustafa Akgul (akgul@Bilkent.EDU.TR)
Date: Wed 25 Jun 2003 - 08:04:24 EEST
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See this article:
Proliferating Iranian weblogs give voice to taboo topics
By Michael Theodoulou | Special to The Christian Science Monitor
June 23, 2003
NICOSIA, CYPRUS – In a recent entry, LadySun - the handle used by a
feisty online diarist - takes aim at the strict dress code for women,
grumbling about a guard who wouldn't let her into a hotel, "cuz I
wasn't wearing socks!!"
It is easy to see why she is celebrated by her fans as the "emotional
voice of Iran's Generation X." Whether the subject is partying or
politics, football or feminism, she writes with feeling, and often
humor.
See:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0623/p07s02-wome.html
An longish excerpt from:
http://ladysun.blogspot.com/
posted by Lady Sun @ 5:35 AM
comments(0)
An Excuse?
I have written a lot these days, but haven't posted them. My friends
advise me not to post whatever I write. Sorry if my notes seem like
the diaries of a senseless potato, . . .
posted by Lady Sun @ 4:54 AM
comments(0)
Monday, June 23, 2003
ayandegan.blogspot.com
Here's another weblog writing about the recent events, giving link to
different websites and articles in both Persian and English.
posted by Lady Sun @ 1:24 AM
comments(0)
Sunday, June 22, 2003
Sign plz.
On June 16th, 2003 CNN has published an article in its TECH
section titled:
Prostitute diary tops Iran Web hit
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/06/16/iran.blogs.reut/
This article was published based on the report by Firouz Sedarat,
Reuters news agency reporter in Tehran titled:
Iran Internet Use at Risk from Conservatives
http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=2943120
This clear fabrication, and manipulation of news headlines can lead
to disastrous results for Iranian Internet users. Such provocative
headlines are the best excuse for tougher regulations on the Internet
freedom of speech, which is currently being discussed in the Iranian
parliament and judiciary. Ironically this comes at a time when
personal websites, and weblogs have become the most valid news source
from the Iranian nations continuing struggle towards democracy.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-
bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/06/20/MN293330.DTL&type=p
rintable
Iranian Internet users have organized a protest, in the form of an
online petition, against this form of biased reporting from CNN. I
urge you to read and consider signing this petition to protect
freedom of speech in the time when it is most needed for the Iranian
nation.
This petition is located at:
http://www.persianblog.com/petition.asp
posted by Lady Sun @ 2:24 PM
comments(11)
Saturday, June 21, 2003
Human Rights Watch executive director's letter to Khamenei, the
leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, about the recent events
posted by Lady Sun @ 1:53 PM
comments(0)
The Residents of Hell
It seems the riots are somehow continuing, this time with a different
nature. It's not the peaceful protest of university students anymore.
Everyday we hear from a different corner of the city that people,
specially the youth, have been out protesting. Of course, wherever
the people are, the members of pressure groups are there as well.
If you go near universities and dormitories in the evening, you'll
see plenty of police vehicles guarding the area. The Iranian
opposition satellite programs cannot be received due to the strong
interference noises produced by microwave rays sent from nobody knows
where. (There are rumors about the harmful effects of these waves on
human reproductive functions.)
. . .
I don't know who is paying and supporting these pressure groups. If
the pressure groups go on with their crimes, people will not tolerate
them, and the protests will become more serious. Then a bloody
revolution may start. It seems strange if all this has been planned
by the hardliners. They will dig their own graves by doing so. I
don't think they're that stupid. Some strongly believe the pressure
groups are supported by US rightists, some say by the monarchists. I
don't care who is supporting them. I just want all this massacre to
end. I want my childhood play-mate neighbors back home. I want the
injuries heeled. I want this disgraced generation of students gain
their respect and peace back. It's not only me who wants this, all
the Iranians want it. Those who are killing and committing murders
and violence, all those heartless members of pressure groups, all
those authorities that are supporting them are not considered as
Iranian. They don't have the right to be called Iranian. They are the
residents of hell; a hell made of their brutality and ignorance.
posted by Lady Sun @ 1:51 PM
comments(13)
Thursday, June 19, 2003
W.I.I
Women in Iran (English Monthly Edition) is updated!
posted by Lady Sun @ 3:06 PM
comments(0)
A president for all seasons!
I was surprised by my last post's feedback. The most interesting
point for me was the fact that my post was not political at all, but
it has been interpreted as a political post mostly.
I was angry and sad when I wrote that part, mostly because of seeing
the pictures of that boy who was beaten in his dorm while sleeping,
and I have to confess that I was more emotional rather than logical
while writing that.
Loving or hating Bush or any other foreign politician doesn't do me
or my nation any good. I have no right to judge Bush's administration
unless it is related to my country; and unfortunately it is related
somehow. Bush is claiming to set the global order in the world while
I have heard from many people, including both my Iranian friends
living in US or American friends, and I have read in the press, that
Bush has cheated in the elections. That's none of my business if he
has cheated or not. This matter should be taken care of by the
American nation. But I don't want a dishonest person who is quite
notorious in his discourse to decide what is right and what is wrong
for my country and for the rest of the world. I do want people to
support the students in Iran, but I see no point but disturbance in
Bush supporting the students. When he supports them, bells start
ringing in the minds of the hardliners here that most probably the
riots are getting nourished by Bush and his gang. The forgotten point
here is that students didn't start rioting. Everything started from
their peaceful marching to protest against the privatization of
universities. Suddenly the members of the pressure groups attacked
them out of nowhere hitting the students. Everything started when the
innocent students were unfairly beaten by the members of the pressure
group who seems to be immune by a secret power.
When they start hitting you, massacring you, and disrespecting you,
you will become defensive. That's exactly what happened to the
students. But when the defense started it turned out into a riot.
I strongly object anyone who claims that students had plans from
before to oppose the government, and I don't see any point in some of
the foreign media's interpretation of the case as a revolution to
oust the government. But when Bush becomes so excited in defending
the students, the truth hides behind the attractive interpretations
and everyone thinks that students have started a revolution against
the regime.
I don't see any point in revolutionary riots. I believe we have to go
gradually with the reform, start changes from the basic structures of
the society, and we should start it from ourselves. I see no
alternative for the present regime for the time being; any government
is going to be the same for our country unless we change. Unless we
change ourselves, nothing will change. History has proven to us that,
at least in our country, democracy is unreachable by the help of a
foreign power. If we want change, reform, or whatever, we have to
gain it ourselves, and we should not beg it from a foreign power.
Bush attacked and occupied Iraq, but do you really think he is The
Savior? Look what has happened to Iraqi people. Are they better off?
Look at the injured and dead children; look at the picture of the
little child killed yesterday by American troops; look at the
national museum of Iraq; look at … Is that kind of freedom Bush wants
to give my country?
Where was he and his fellow neo-conservative friends when the same
Saddam Hussein (who is now the most despised figure in the world) was
bombing Iran with chemical weapons? Where was this philanthropic
president 'for all seasons' when Iranian girls have been raped and
buried in mass graves by Iraqi soldiers? Who was caring about
Iranians' freedom, democracy and solidarity when cities of Iran were
hit by US made Iraqi missiles?
Why is Bush listing Iran as a country that supports terrorism, and
even if he is right, why is he setting limitations for Iranian
ordinary people who have suffered the most from terrorism? Why are
our movie directors being rejected to enter the States to participate
in film festivals (1 , 2 )? Why are our sportsmen fingerprinted while
entering the country? Why? What kind of support of the Iranian people
is this?
Let us Iranians be suspicious and resentful about any green light
Bush and his gang show us. Let us take care of our own diverse
society and freedom ourselves…
posted by Lady Sun @ 2:35 PM
comments(33)
Monday, June 16, 2003
If only they knew…
The riots are declining. Dormitories are evacuated and in ruins.
Examinations are suspended. Students are wounded, not only
physically, but very much emotionally and mentally.
They were sleeping. I'm talking about students of Tarasht dormitory.
They were sleeping while in the middle of midnight pressure groups
attacked them like wasps. He was probably dreaming of his wife whom
he claims to love more than God when he was hit by the thunderstorm,
thunderstorm of the so-called pressure groups. He was running in the
middle of midnight, injured, scared, and helpless. People helped him,
took him into one of the houses in the area, trying to attend to his
injuries. Members of the pressure groups followed him, entered the
house, and asked to take the wounded student with them out. The
residents of the house didn't allow them, shouted, and the other
neighbors came to help. They sent the pressure groups out. The boy
was dying. They asked for help. The emergency center had run out of
ambulances. Police came and took him to the hospital. Where is he
now? How is he now? No one knows… What is his wife whom he loves more
than God doing? What is God doing?
He was sleeping when the wasps came; many other students were
sleeping as well when they were beaten in the same way. Other
students were protesting peacefully when the thunderstorm hit them
out of nowhere. People in Iran were living their lives when the
thunderstorm hit them. Mortal impact I name it. Where did it come
from? Where does it get nourished? Who is supporting all these wasps,
all this thunder; all these pressure groups; you name it? No one
exactly knows. Or we know and we don't want to admit, or we know and
we are afraid of admitting, or we know and we can do shit about it!
I am bitter, sentimentally angry, and dreadfully sad. Monarchists are
killing themselves rambling about a new revolution, a protest, an
opposition… I hate monarchy, we hate monarchy, we hate any sort of
dictatorship. I hate this stupid Bush who is releasing statements in
support of the students. I hate him who has no idea what kind of
people Iranians are. I hate the monarchists who think we are that
stupid to put the red carpet for Reza Pahlavi, the late Shah's sun. I
hate the pressure groups who are literally massacring their fellow
Iranian citizens. I hate our reformist government who can do shit
about all this chaos. I hate our 'real' Government who has closed its
eyes on the reality and seeks for popularity and stability in
suppressing people. I hate all the students including myself who can
do nothing. The biggest thing we can do is just playing the role of
scapegoats, victims of the ignorance, brutality, whatever...
If only they knew how small the amount of freedom we are seeking is…
posted by Lady Sun @ 2:07 PM
comments(52)
Friday, June 13, 2003
Our E-magazine's Anniversary!
Cappuccino, our electronic magazine, has celebrated its first
birthday. It was about a year ago that five other bloggers, and I,
gathered in a coffee shop, talking about creating Iran's first online
weekly. In a week the design was ready and we released our issue no.0
right before the FIFA World Cup, to have an exclusive issue for the
occasion.
We named our magazine Cappuccino, since we had our weekly meetings in
coffee shops. Now the magazine itself looks like a coffee shop to our
readers, where they can come and have a cup of our magazine, reading
our articles about different issues such as cinema, music, internet,
social reports, stories, satire, panorama, and etc.
It's really hard to believe my eyes, seeing our 53rd edition as our
anniversary edition. My baby cappuccino has successfully overcome all
the problems, and now is ready to start its second year of existence
more professionally.
Khodadad, one of our friends residing in London, has written a piece
in English in our special edition about Cappuccino called Cappuccino
and I: The Chronicle of a Love Affair.
posted by Lady Sun @ 12:08 PM
comments(4)
Sunday, June 08, 2003
Speech on the Rights of Women in Norway (sounds like Iranian women
rights, doesn't it?!)
This evening Women in Iran website had a meeting at Women Internet
Cafe in Banoo Cultural Center. We invited Nina Kristiansen, the
director of Norwegian Information and Documentation Center for
Women's Studies and Gender Research (Kilden), to have a speech about
the rights of women in Scandinavian countries.
Our audience was almost entirely women from different NGOs and there
were also some individuals interested in the rights of women as well.
Nina talked about very interesting things, including the equal
participation of men and women by all means in Norway. For example
she talked about bringing up the children and the equal maternity
leave offered to both mothers and fathers. She talked about rape and
she mentioned the most common type of rape in Norway, and supposedly
any other country, is getting raped by husbands, i.e. a woman getting
forced to have sexual relationship with her husband against her own
will. It was really interesting since you hardly ever hear about such
a thing in Iran. As far as I have seen, and heard in my life, women
have no special right in their sexual relationships. They hardly talk
about it, and hardly ask themselves if they really want to do it or
not. If their husbands wish to have sex with them, they obey
automatically, and gosh nobody ever talks about women getting raped
by their husbands here!
Another interesting point she mentioned about rape was the law they
have in Norway for raped women that prevents an investigation of a
woman's background prior to being raped. That means no one can accuse
a woman for her conduct or the kind of clothes she wears; no one can
say that a woman has deserved to be raped because of a special
conduct (e.g. being tempting or wearing tempting clothes.)
About the women movement in Iran she said our movements are mostly
connected with the government and that won't work in the long term.
She said women in Norway have struggled so hard to reach their goals,
and at the beginning of every movement, every campaign, there were so
few women participating. She said after a while, after any success
they've reached, people have started to approve their causes
gradually, and I'm sure by that she meant that we haven't struggled
enough in Iran and I do agree with that.
She recommended the women movements in Iran to do documented
research, submitting the facts resulted from the research to the
government, and base their struggles on those documented facts so
that they won't be opposed by the government.
She talked about so many other things and the women presenting there
were so amazed by all the types of freedom or equality a woman can
enjoy in her life. The meeting ended up with the audience's questions
about women rules in Norway at 8 pm, while most of the audience was
late to go home and cook their husbands and children's dinner!
posted by Lady Sun @ 12:28 PM
comments(5)
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