IRANIAN MARKS 100TH BIRTHDAY BY SHABNAM REZAEI

Dr. Ghaffari's Next High Achievement

Dr. Abolghassem Ghaffari, who helped put man on the moon as a mathematician with the U.S. Space Agency, marked his 100th birthday in Los Angeles on June 15th, 2007. Ghaffari was born in Tehran . He was educated at the Darolfonoun School before going to France in 1929 with a full scholarship to study mathematics and physics at Nancy University . He received his doctorate from the Sorbonne. In 1936 he worked at the Paris Observatory on celestial mechanics, the foundation of his later work calculating how much power was needed to get a rocket into orbit around the moon without overshooting. Ghaffari returned to Iran in 1937 to teach at the University of Tehran . He was drafted into military service from 1938 to 1941 where he directed field work leveling parts of northern Tehran to prepare it for the army. In 1950, by invitation of Harvard University and as a Fulbright Scholar, he worked as a research associate to lecture on Differential Equations and to continue his research on Gas Dynamics. Dr. Ghaffari and Dr. Mohsen Hashrudi, were among the first Iranians to become Fulbright Scholars. Hashrudi's area of study was also mathematics at Harvard at the same time Ghaffari was there. After the war, he frequently traveled to Britain and the United States on research. In the early 1950s, the proud Iranian worked alongside Albert Einstein in Princeton 's Institute For Advanced Study on the Unified Field Theory of Gravitation and Electromagnetism. Einstein was very curious about Iran and asked Ghaffari, 'so how did Persia become Iran ?'

Robert Oppenheimer was director of the Institute at the time and befriended Ghaffari. The first time Ghaffari met Oppenheimer, when finding out that Ghaffari was Iranian asked him if he knew Dr. Kamal Genab, who was a physics student of Oppenheimer's at Cal Tech. Ghaffari was invited to the White House when President Johnson gave Oppenheimer the Enrico Fermi Award in 1963. President Kennedy was supposed to have given the award to Oppenheimer, but he was assassinated the week before the ceremony. 'I felt pity for Dr. Oppenheimer, because his guilt and smoking had taken a real toll on him over the years. He was sick (with cancer) and was hobbling around with a cane. I could feel the end was near,' Ghaffari said. Oppenheimer died of throat cancer four years later at the age of 62.In 1956, Ghaffari moved permanently to the United States to take a position with the U.S. National Bureau of Standards in the mathematics division. Part of his work there involved calculations of the motion of artificial earth satellites. In 1962, the Bureau of Standards granted Ghaffari permission to start working at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a part-time consultant for the Goddard Space Flight Center. He was the first Iranian to work for NASA. In 1964, three years into the manned space program and when his projects were finished at the Bureau, he became a full-time staff scientist at NASA, where he worked on Apollo missions 11 and 12. His chief responsibility was to determine out how to get a rocket to the moon. He had to account for the gravity of the earth and the gravity of the moon and calculate how many and how powerful mid-course corrections would be required to place a rocket into orbit around the moon. An error would send the rocket crashing into the moon or soaring passed it into deep space. For the manned space program, he also had to get the rocket back again.

Ghaffari and his colleagues on the Apollo missions were invited to the White House by President Nixon in 1969, where they were given medals for their service on Apollo 11. At the event, footage of the successful landing was aired, a reporter was there and asked Ghaffari, 'Did this really happen or was this shot in Texas ?' Ghaffari was too shocked at his comment to respond. 'I never got around to asking him what media outlet he worked for,' Ghaffari said. Ghaffari was awarded in recognition of his exceptional contributions to Aerospace education during the first decade of space exploration in 1970 by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.He retired from NASA in 1972 , three years after the Apollo program placed the first men on the moon and got them back safely.In 1998, Ghaffari was asked by the Millenium Committee what his prediction was for the biggest scientific event of the millenium. Ghaffari responded, ' If NASA's budget doesn't get cut, a manned mission to Mars will occur by 2010.'Ghaffari was awarded the distinguished scholar award for outstanding achievement in the advancement of science by the Association of Professors and Scholars of Iranian Heritage (APSIH) in 2005. Ghaffari's mind is very lucid and in much better condition than his body. When asked about how it feels to be 100, he said, 'I'm not happy, because I can't work in an office anymore. I do get to do some independent research at home though.'

Beverly Hills mayor Jimmy Delshad will be giving Ghaffari a special certificate honoring his birthday from the city of Beverly Hills . Ghaffari plans to mark his 100th birthday at home with his wife and daughters. Happy Birthday Dr. Ghaffari! For more info on Dr. Ghaffari and his achievements, please go to www.ghaffaris.com. Photos 1 & 2: Dr. Abolghassem Ghaffari Photo 3: Dr. Ghaffari was honored at the APSIH event (left to right): Dr. Najmedin Meshkati, Dr. Ghaffari (seated), Dr. Jamal Abedi, professor of Education at UCLA, and Dr. Firouz Naderi of JPL, who headed the U.S. Mars exploration program. Photo 4: Dr. Abolghassem Ghaffari today at 100
This article was contributed by SHABNAM REZAEI, Senior Contributor for PersianMirror.

Two men try to ram SUV into Glasgow airport: police

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070630/scotland_airport_070630/20070630?hub=TopStories

Associated Press Updated: Sat. Jun. 30 2007 12:21 PM ET

GLASGOW, Scotland — Two men tried to ram a sport utility vehicle with flames pouring from it into the main terminal of Glasgow airport on Saturday, crashing into the glass doors at the entrance and sparking a fire, witnesses said.
Police said two suspects were arrested.
The green SUV barrelled toward the building at high speed before crashing into security barriers. Witnesses said two men fled the SUV, one of them engulfed in flames.
Two men were arrested, Strathclyde Police spokeswoman Lisa O'Neil said.
The British Broadcasting Corp. says the Glasgow airport -- the largest in Scotland -- was evacuated and all flights suspended.
"The jeep is completely on fire and it exploded not long after,'' witness Stephen Clarkson told the BBC.
"It exploded at the entrance to the terminal. ... It may have been an explosion of petrol in the tank because it was not a massive explosion.''
Other witnesses said two men were in the SUV and one of them was engulfed in flames.
BBC News executive Helen Boaden, who was at the airport, says a traveller tried to restrain the man.
"Then the police came over and wrestled him to the ground -- the fire was burning through his clothes -- and finally put him out with a fire extinguisher,'' she said.
Boaden described both men as South Asian. Both were detained by police, reports said.
SKY News television also reported another witness saying the car was stopped by security barriers and police tackled a man who fled from the car.
TV footage showed flames and huge plumes of black smoke rising from the building.

History of Dareh Shahr Ploughed by Tractors

http://www.cais-soas.com/News/2007/June2007/29-06-history.htm

LONDON, (CAIS) -- Continuation of agricultural activities in vicinity of national heritage site of Dareh Shahr located in Iranian western province of Ilam has posed real harms to this historic city.

According to Behzad Faryadian, head of Seimareh Cultural Heritage Base, Dareh Shahr historic city was registered as the tenth national heritage sited in list of Iranian National Heritage sites in 1932. However the area of this national heritage site since early 1980s has reduced from 200 to 60 hectares due to activity of tractors in the region.

So far, agricultural activities have razed a large amount of historical evidence to the ground and have resulted in destruction of a large number of remained historical buildings.

According to head of Seimareh Cultural Heritage Base, the project for preparing the map of this historic city has already been started and the areas which have been occupied by farmers and villagers have been identified and introduced to authorities of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization to be decided upon.

Based on official documentations, currently the farmers who have occupied the lands do not have title deeds and just have joint deed. Faryadian further added that considering that there was no control over the lands during the last decades a large area of the lands of this territory have been occupied and gone under cultivation by local farmers.

He has also required the governmental and provincial authorities to do something in this regard through introducing the high value this cultural heritage site in national and international level and providing the budget for redeeming the surrounding areas of this historic city.

Harmful Effect of Poisonous Gases are Gradually Destroying Persepolis

http://www.cais-soas.com/News/2007/June2007/29-06-harmful.htm

LONDON, (CAIS) -- Scientific researches carried out by geologists from the University of Shiraz on the negative outcomes of setting fire to wastages in agricultural lands in vicinity of Persepolis in Iranian Fars province shows that the poisonous smokes produced by this action will change into carbonic acid during night time which will cause real damages to the stones of this world heritage site.

Announcing this news, Maziar Kazemi, interior manager of Persepolis World Heritage Site told Persian service of CHN that geologists of University of Shiraz have explained in detail that the heavy smoke which is created by incorrect agricultural methods which are practiced by farmers in vicinity of Persepolis has put the safety of this world heritage site in danger.

During recent years setting fire to the remnants of last year’s agricultural products instead of ploughing them during the months of May and June in district of Persepolis has become a matter of controversy which not only poses a real threat to the stones of this world heritage site but also disturb visitors to Persepolis.

Despite all promises have been made so far by authorities of Islamic Republic’s governor office of Fars province as well as governorship of Marvdasht region for stopping this harmful measure, unfortunately once again this year we are witnessing the repetition of such a wrong activity in the area.

According to Cultural Heritage Enthusiasts Association of Fars province, continuation of this event will not only pose a real harm to Persepolis and blemish its beauty but would also deal a blow to the tourism industry of this world heritage site due to the inconvenience it causes for visitors.

Kurdish/Median And Iranian Girls

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr8gsMz0q0Y

U.S., allies to Iran: No new sanctions if enrichment stops

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/06/29/iran.nuclear.ap/index.html?eref=rss_world

VIENNA, Austria (AP) -- The United States and fellow permanent U.N. Security Council members have told Iran they will hold off on new sanctions if it stops expanding its uranium enrichment activities as they seek to restart talks over Tehran's nuclear program, diplomats said Friday.
They said the Iranian government had not yet responded to the proposal, which was made earlier this month by the six powers seeking to engage Tehran -- the five permanent council members and Germany.
The public stance by Washington and its key backers remains that Iran should cease all enrichment, but the offer reflects a readiness to accept Tehran's current program -- at least initially -- in hopes of reducing tensions and creating an atmosphere for negotiations.
It picks up on the idea first raised by Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, who called for a "time out" both on enrichment and on a third round of U.N. sanctions against Iran for defying a Security Council demand that Tehran freeze such work.
Iran says its enrichment work is intended only to produce fuel for nuclear reactors that would generate electricity, but the United States and others suspect Tehran really wants to enrich uranium to a higher level for use in nuclear bombs.
Diplomats told The Associated Press earlier this month that Britain, France and Germany were studying the "time out" proposal as a way to get talks going again to pursue the West's goal of getting Iran to rein in its nuclear program and allay fears it is developing atomic weapons.
On Friday, the diplomats said Britain drafted the proposal that was submitted to Tehran earlier this month on behalf of the United States, the three European nations, China and Russia.
They said the offer was delivered by the European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, to Ali Larijani, Tehran's chief international negotiator.
"Sadly, they did not [yet] take it up," said a European diplomat familiar with the issue, suggesting, however, that the offer remained on the table.
"It would only be a 'time out' because it is limited," he said, saying the Security Council would not indefinitely stand by with Iran continuing to run its present enrichment activities.
The diplomat, and others who discussed the offer with the AP, insisted on anonymity because the issue was confidential.
There have been other indications of movement in the impasse. Iran recently pledged to answer key questions on nearly two decades of its nuclear activities, most of which were conducted clandestinely until revealed by a dissident group four years ago.
Besides demanding an enrichment freeze and a halt to construction of a plutonium-producing nuclear reactor, the Security Council has called on Iran to provide answers to the International Atomic Energy Agency on activities that could be linked to a weapons program. The council has slapped two sets of sanctions on Tehran because of its defiance.
While the key issue remains enrichment, any follow-through by Iran on its decision to share sensitive information with the IAEA could feed sentiment for a compromise that would allow it to retain some elements of its enrichment program.
Officials told the AP last month that Iran had considered stopping some -- but not all -- of its enriched-uranium producing centrifuges last year in exchange for negotiations. But the United States, Britain and France continued to insist on a full freeze.
Multilateral talks with Iran broke off in August 2005 after Tehran rejected an offer of political and economic incentives in exchange for a pledge for long-term suspension in enrichment and resumed that work.
Iran's stated goal is to ultimately run 54,000 centrifuges to churn out enriched uranium. It now has more than 3,000 operating and producing small low-enriched quantities.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Khaled Hardani at Risk of Imminent Execution

Friday, June 29, 2007

Khaled Hardani at Risk of Imminent ExecutionKhaled Hardani is an Iranian Political Prisoner whose execution date has been set for July 4th 2007. Mr. Hardani was first arrested in January of 2001 when along with 11 members of his extended family he attempted to Hijack a 30 seater passenger air craft. He wanted to attempt and force the plane to fly to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Reportedly the family was trying to escape the extreme poverty and discrimination they were facing as members of Iranian Arab Minorities. Mr. Hardani along with two of his brother in laws were sentenced to death on charges of acts against national security (egdam aleyhe amniyat) and Moharebeh or enmity with god, not in relation to specific charges regarding the hijacking of the plane. Khaled Hardani has been in prison for the past seven years under severe physical and psychological torture. He was originally sentenced to hang on January 19, 2005, however the head of Judiciary ordered a stay of execution, so that his lawyer could appeal the sentence. Two months ago Mr. Hardani was transferred to Raji Shahr Prison which is one of the worst prisons in Iran. Numbers of his family members including his wife and small child have also been imprisoned in the past. On June 7th 2007 he was informed of his new date of execution which is set for July 4th , 2007. He has appealed to all human rights activists and organizations to help save his life. Although we have become aware of his situation at the last minute, there is still time to try to help. We may not be able to stop the execution but we can certainly try. History has shown time and again that international pressure does work. Executions have been stopped, people have been saved from torture and death sentenced have been commuted thanks to international pressure. Please write to your MP’s, contact different human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights watch as well as write about him on your websites and blogs. Lets get the word out as fast and as wide as possible. Sayeh Hassan

Tomb of Firuzan (Abu-lolo) in Kashan Destroyed

http://www.cais-soas.com/News/2007/June2007/28-06.htm

Mohammad-Ali E. from Isfahan

LONDON, (CAIS) -- The tomb of Firuzan commonly known as Emāmādeh Abu-lolo (or Abu Lulu) in Kashahn, Isfahan province is being destroyed by the order of the Islamic Regime.

A large crowd of Iranians have gathered outside the governor's office on Tuesday, June 26th, to voice their objection regarding the destruction of the Iranian heritage, and a shrine which was one of the symbols of Iranian resistance against the Arab invaders in 7th century CE, and to some, a Shia and a revered Sufi.

Umar al-Khattab, the second Moslem Caliph was put to death by Firuzan in 645 CE. It is said that Firuzan was a POW captured after the fall of Ctesiphon in what is today known as Iraq, and sold as a slave. A parvenu Arab leader called Mughira ibn Shu’ba bought him and took him to Medina in Arabia for slavery work.

Most probably Firuzan was a Zoroastrian (by some accounts he was a priest), as the majority of Iranian were at the time of Arab occupation of Iran in 7th century.

“His [Firuzan] action was in response to atrocities that were committed by Arab-Muslim invaders in Iran, which resulted in massacre, rape, looting of our country – we Iranians never forgot nor forgive their crimes against us”, said one of the protestors.

Some Arab, as well as committed Muslim historians, in order to undermine Firuzan’s bravery and heroism have claimed (ultimately all derived from Ibn Shihab account) that he murdered Umar, and an argument over the tax levy.

During the Safavid era and the rise of Shia Islam to power, the dynasty named him Bābā Shojā ul-Din (the one who is brave in the cause of religion) and claimed that he was a devout Shia and a martyr.

Another angry protester said: "they say he is not buried here - or some say he wasn't Muslim at all - so what? - as far as we concern this edifice represents him, our faith and resistance against the uncivilised invaders" - and another one added: "if Abu Lolo was an Arab, they would have erect a golden dome on top of his shrine, rather than destroying it - but no, no - they destroy his shrine, just because he was an Iranian - a noble Iranian - this is an insult to Iranian nation".

Mohammad Salim Al'awa, the Secretary-General of the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS), who believes God have "created women for pregnancy and childbirth" purposes speaking to Al-Arabiat New-agency said: "the request for its destruction was delivered to Iran by a group of Arab representatives a few months ago, after the Doha assembly at the beginning of the year. At the assembly a large number of Sunni scholars asked Iran for the destruction of the tomb".

"Imagine the Germans asking Britain to destroy the graves of the brains behind the British plan to kill Hitler [Operation Foxley] during WWII, sine it is considered an insult to Protestants - would the British accept that? - the murder of Omar by Firuz[an] wasn't to do with religion, it was simply removing a despot and a tyrant from the face of the earth - as the British wanted to do the same with Hitler", said N. one of the protestors outside the governor's office in Kashan.

Firuzan mausoleum located on the road from Kashan to Fins consisted of a courtyard, porch and conical dome decorated with turquoise coloured tiles, and painted ceilings. The Original date of it's construction is unknown, but in second-half of fourteen century it was fully restored and a new tombstone was placed over his grave.

EU keeps Iranian opposition group on terror list

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1183043965625&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

European Union governments decided Thursday to keep an Iranian opposition group on its terror blacklist, European diplomats said.

The 27-nation bloc was asked to review whether the Paris-based People's Mujahadeen Organization of Iran should be taken off the list after an EU court ruling.
The diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because the decision had not been formally announced, said EU governments rejected the group's arguments that it should be removed from the list.

The group, which advocates the overthrow of the Iranian regime, is also on the US State Department's list of terrorist organizations. Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein allowed the group to operate camps in Iraq from which it launched attacks inside Iran, although the group now says it has renounced military action and its militants in Iraq have handed weapons over to US-led forces there.

Police: car bomb may have been inspired by al-Qaida

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,,2114961,00.html

Vikram Dodd, Mark Tran, Hugh Muir and Sandra LavilleFriday June 29, 2007Guardian Unlimited The junction of Coventry Street and Haymarket in central London is cordoned off as police officers investigate a 'viable explosive device'. Photograph: Clara Molden/PA Senior police and Whitehall sources today said the failed attempt to inflict mass murder in central London was the work of al-Qaida or those inspired by its ideology.

One senior source said: "You only have to read past cases of those convicted for terrorism to realise they have been plotting to blow up nightclubs and putting gas cylinder bombs in cars."
The device was described by counter-terrorism sources as similar to car bombs used in Iraq.

The Tiger Tiger club in Haymarket, near Piccadilly Circus, had hundreds of people inside, and more were milling around on the street. The security services and police have been trying to boost the intelligence they have about violent extremists. But this attempted attack was "off the radar".

Scotland Yard's head of counter-terrorism, Peter Clarke said: "There is no intelligence whatsoever that we were going to be attacked in this way." Britain's threat level remained at "severe general", with sources saying there was no specific intelligence of more attacks to come.
Hours after police defused the device, part of London's Park Lane was closed to traffic, and nearby Hyde Park was being cleared of people after reports of a suspicious vehicle. The police has also increased its presence in the capital. "At this stage we are deploying an enhanced level of patrolling in key areas in central London and across the capital," a police statement said. "This is to provide a visible reassurance, and is not in response to any specific threat." The more visible police presence followed this morning's incident, when a bomb made from gas cylinders, petrol and nails was found in a car in Haymarket, one of the capital's main nightlife districts.
Police said the device could have killed or injured many people. At a news conference, Mr Clarke said the device could have proved deadly.

"Even at this stage, it is obvious that if the device had detonated there could have been seriou injury or loss of life," he said. "It was busy, and many people were leaving nightclubs." Mr Clarke said police had gathered CCTV evidence, but it was too early to speculate about who was responsible. The incident began when an ambulance was called to a nightclub around 1am to treat a person who had fallen ill. The ambulance crew noticed a Mercedes parked outside the club, and saw that the vehicle appeared to have smoke inside it.

Mr Clarke said experts called to the scene found "significant quantities of petrol, together with a number of gas cylinders ... I cannot tell you how much petrol was in the car as we have not had a chance to measure it, but there were several large containers." Witnesses said they had seen the light metallic green saloon car being driven erratically earlier. It then crashed into bins before the driver ran away. Police are searching landmark sites across London for further devices, and are unsure whether there was only one bomb or several deployed across the capital. No warnings were received and the foiling of the plot was sheer happenstance. The car was later loaded on to a lorry and taken away. It would most likely have been taken to the forensic explosives laboratory at Fort Halstead in Kent, the site of a specialist facility known as the Igloo.
The security scare poses an early test for the new prime minister, Gordon Brown, and his home secretary. Cobra, the government's emergency response committee, met this morning to discuss the situation.

Amid speculation that the bomb had been timed to coincide with the changeover of government, Mr Brown said the alert underlined the continuing threat to Britain. "The first duty of the government is the security of the people, and as the police and security services have said on so many occasions, we face a serious and continuous threat to our country," he said during a visit to a school in north London. "We should allow the police to investigate this incident and then report to us. But this incident does recall the need for us to be vigilant at all times and the public to be alert at any potential incidents. I will stress to the cabinet that the vigilance must be maintained over the next few days." Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, the new home secretary, Jacqui Smith, said the UK faced a "most serious and sustained threat" from terrorism. Ms Smith stressed the bomb could have caused "significant loss of life" had it exploded. "We can never completely eliminate risks but the government, police and security services are all doing everything possible to protect the public," she told reporters on her first full day in the post. Ms Smith spent the morning chairing the Cobra meeting before attending a cabinet session. The defence secretary, Des Browne, told BBC Radio Scotland: "It does appear to be a very serious incident.

"My first reaction to this is, thank God that we have police and explosives experts who can make these devices safe, and that nobody has been injured." Earlier this year, the Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, warned that what is happening on the streets of Baghdad - where car bombs explode frequently - could eventually reach London. It emerged that anti-terrorist police last month spot-checked lorries on the outskirts of the city amid growing fears that extremists would use a bomb in a vehicle. It is almost two years since four suicide bombers brought carnage to London's transport network, killing 52 people, on July 7 2005.

The current threat level for terrorism in the UK, set by MI5, is "severe" - meaning an attack is likely. It is just under "critical", the highest level of alert, and it is not yet known whether the level will change in light of today's events. Senior police sources have stressed they have no direct intelligence that any group or individual is planning such an attack on London

PAN IRANIST MOVEMENT

http://www.paniranist.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-Iranism

Persian Poetry with Violin and Santoor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OzekweVtgw&mode=related&search=

Persian Musical Poems (Bijan)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YTdbDxdZCQ&mode=related&search=

Rumi Poem and Natural/Historical Iran

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjn7iIsFjzI

Iran is an orphan today

On Wednesday June 27th, 2007 news began to circulate on Internet which illustrated that how Iranian people in Iran began to seize the streets and burning down anything which stood before them. Iranian people were no longer mouse; they turned into beast like lion, and were defending themselves against tyrannical theology state in Iran which had ruled them with Iron Fist for past twenty nine years. This bravery of Iranian people left unnoticed because of two reasons, one reason is because of media outlets refrained from reporting the event, and last comment that Iran is orphan today.

On Wednesday June 27th, 2007 Iranian people poured outside of their home and seized every corner of Iran spontaneously and there is no doubt that the Mullahs began to forecast their own gloomy future which was pending on horizon of light for Iranian people. Iranian people no longer could sit quietly in their home and to be silent about brainwashed, Iron Fist ruling of the clerics in Iran, Iranian people from land of noble took their own destiny in their own hands. As the news are being spoon feed to Iranian in exile, the news are showing that Iranian people have revolted against the theology state in Iran, and Iranian people have taken over state owned building and burning down the building, and in this battle of Good which is Iranian people against Evil which is theology state in Iran major media outlets are refraining from reporting the above event, and in future it will appear to Western people that Iranian people are passive and do not care about their future.

Iran is an orphan today, Iran has no father nor mother to defend it from harm of enemy, it is left open for anyone to do anything as wishes to do, and all those people were shouting in front of camera that they will liberate and defend Iran from yoke of Mullahs, they are absent from scene of battle of good vs evil. Even some of them had an elusive view that Revolutionary Guard would join Iranian people when time comes, and so far the Revolutionary Guard did not join Iranian people.

The bottom line, Iran and Iranian people felt victim in hands of those people that they shouted out loud that they will defend Iran and Iranian people against the theology state in Iran and they needed time to built momentum in Iran in order to topple the theology state in Iran. It sound reasonable; whereas today that the momentum is available there is absent of anyone to save Iran and Iranian people from destruction and guiding Iranian people toward liberation of Iran.

How naïve we were.

Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalal_ad-Din_Muhammad_Rumi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I want to become drunk tonight and forget all about my pain that I see before my very own eyes that Iran and Iranian people are burning while Iran is an orphan. There were among us who said that they will lead us to victory, but they fooled us.

Mawlānā Jalāl-ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī[2] (Persian: مولانا جلال الدین محمد رومی, Turkish: Mevlânâ Celâleddin Mehmed Rumi, Arabic: جلال الدين الرومي, shortened to إبن الرومي), also known as Mawlānā Jalāl-ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī (Persian: محمد بلخى), but known to the English-speaking world simply as Rumi, (September 30, 1207–December 17, 1273), was a 13th century Persian (Tājīk)[3][4] Muslim poet, jurist, and theologian. His name literally means "Majesty of Religion", Jalal means "majesty" and Din means "religion".[5]

Rumi was born in Balkh (in present-day Afghanistan, then a city of Greater Khorasan in Persia) and died in Konya (in present-day Turkey). His birthplace and native language/local dialogue indicates a Tajik (Persian) heritage. He also wrote his poetry in Persian and his works are widely read in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and in translation in Turkey, Azerbaijan, the US, and South Asia. He lived most of his life in, and produced his works under, the Seljuk Empire.[6] Aside from his Persian poetry, he also wrote some verses in Arabic, Greek, and Oghuz Turkish.
Rumi's importance is considered to transcend national and ethnic borders. Throughout the centuries he has had a significant influence on Persian as well as Urdu and Turkish literatures. His poems are widely read in the Persian speaking countries of Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan and have been widely translated into many of the world's languages in various formats.
After Rumi's death, his followers founded the Mevlevi Order, better known as the "Whirling Dervishes," who believe in performing their worship in the form of dance and music ceremony called the sema.

Rumi's life is described in Shams ud-Din Ahmad Aflāki's "Manākib ul-Ārifīn" (written between 1318 and 1353). He is described as a descendant of the caliph Abu Bakr, and of the Khwārizm-Shāh Sultān Alā ud-Dīn bin Takash (1199–1220), whose only daughter, Mālika-ye Jahān, had allegedly been married to Rumi's grandfather. However, both claims are rejected by modern scholars.

Rumi by Haydar Hatemi When the Mongols invaded Central Asia sometime between 1215 and 1220, his father (Baha' ud-Din Walad, a theologian, jurist and a mystic of uncertain lineage) set out westwards with his whole family and a group of disciples. On the road to Anatolia, Rumi encountered one of the most famous mystic Persian poets, Attar, in the city of Nishapur, located in what is now the Iranian province of Khorāsān. 'Attar immediately recognized Rumi's spiritual eminence. He saw the father walking ahead of the son and said, "Here comes a sea followed by an ocean." He gave the boy his Asrarnama, a book about the entanglement of the soul in the material world. This meeting had a deep impact on the eighteen-year-old Rumi's thoughts, which later on became the inspiration for his works. From Nishapur, Walad and his entourage set out for Baghdad, meeting many of the scholars and Sufis of the city.[7] From there they went to the Hejaz and performed the pilgrimage at Mecca. It was after this journey that most likely as a result of the invitation of 'Alā' ud-Dīn Key-Qobād, ruler of Anatolia, Baha' ud-Din came to Asia Minor and finally settled in Konya in Anatolia within the westernmost territories of Seljuk Empire.Baha' ud-Din became the head of a madrassa (religious school) and when he died Rumi succeeded him at the age of twenty-five. One of Baha' ud-Din's students, Sayyed Burhan ud-Din-e Muhaqqiq, continued to train Rumi in the religious and mystical doctrines of Rumi's father. For nine years, Rumi practiced Sufism as a disciple of Burhan ud-Din until the latter died in 1240-1. During this period Rumi also travelled to Damascus and is said to have spent four years there.It was his meeting with the dervish Shams-e Tabrizi in the late fall of 1244 that changed his life completely. Shams had traveled throughout the Middle East searching and praying for someone who could "endure my company". A voice came, "What will you give in return?" "My head!" "The one you seek is Jalal ud-Din of Konya." On the night of December 5, 1248, as Rumi and Shams were talking, Shams was called to the back door. He went out, never to be seen again. It is believed that he was murdered with the connivance of Rumi's son, 'Ala' ud-Din; if so, Shams indeed gave his head for the privilege of mystical friendship. Rumi's love and his bereavement for the death of Shams found their expression in an outpouring of music, dance and lyric poems, Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi. He himself went out searching for Shams and journeyed again to Damascus. There, he realized:Why should I seek? I am the same asHe. His essence speaks through me.
I

have been looking for myself![8] For more than ten years after meeting Shams, Mawlana had been spontaneously composing ghazals, and these had been collected in the Divan-i Kabir. Rumi found another companion in Salaḥ ud-Din-e Zarkub, the goldsmith. After Salaḥ ud-Din's death, Rumi's scribe and favorite student Hussam-e Chelebi assumed the role. One day, the two of them were wandering through the Meram vineyards outside of Konya when Hussam described an idea he had to Rumi: "If you were to write a book like the Ilāhīnāma of Sanai or the Mantiq ut-Tayr of 'Attar it would become the companion of many troubadours. They would fill their hearts from your work and compose music to accompany it."Rumi smiled and took out a piece of paper on which were written the opening eighteen lines of his Masnavi, beginning with: Listen to the reed and the tale it tells, How it sings of separation...[9] Hussam implored Rumi to write more. Rumi spent the next twelve years of his life in Anatolia dictating the six volumes of this masterwork, the Masnavi to Hussam. In December 1273, Rumi fell ill; he predicted his own death and composed the well-known ghazal, which begins with the verse: How doest thou know what sort of king I have within me as companion?Do not cast thy glance upon my golden face, for I have iron legs. [10]

He died on December 17, 1273 in Konya; Rumi was laid to rest beside his father, and a splendid shrine, the Yeşil Türbe "Green Tomb"(original name:قبه لخزراء), was erected over his tomb. His epitaph reads:"When we are dead, seek not our tomb in the earth, but find it in the hearts of men."[11]

Teachings of Rumi

A page of a copy circa 1503 of the "Diwan-e Shams-e Tabriz-i"
The general theme of his thoughts, like that of the other mystic and Sufi poets of the Persian literature, is essentially about the concept of Tawhīd (unity) and union with his beloved (the primal root) from which/whom he has been cut and fallen aloof, and his longing and desire for reunity.

The "Masnavi" weaves fables, scenes from everyday life, Qur’anic revelations and exegesis, and metaphysics, into a vast and intricate tapestry. Rumi is considered an example of "insan-e kamil" — the perfected or completed human being. In the East, it is said of him, that he was, "not a prophet — but surely, he has brought a scripture". Rumi believed passionately in the use of music, poetry and dancing as a path for reaching God. For Rumi, music helped devotees to focus their whole being on the divine, and to do this so intensely that the soul was both destroyed and resurrected. It was from these ideas that the practice of Whirling Dervishes developed into a ritual form. He founded the order of the Mevlevi, the "whirling" dervishes, and created the "Sema", their "turning", sacred dance. In the Mevlevi tradition, Sema represents a mystical journey of spiritual ascent through mind and love to "Perfect." In this journey the seeker symbolically turns towards the truth, grows through love, abandons the ego, finds the truth, and arrives at the "Perfect"; then returns from this spiritual journey with greater maturity, so as to love and to be of service to the whole of creation without discrimination against beliefs, races, classes and nations.

According to Shahram Shiva, one reason for Rumi's popularity is that "Rumi is able to verbalize the highly personal and often confusing world of personal/spiritual growth and mysticism in a very forward and direct fashion. He does not offend anyone, and he includes everyone. The world of Rumi is neither exclusively the world of a Sufi, nor the world of a Hindu, nor a Jew, nor a Christian; it is the highest state of a human being — a fully evolved human. A complete human is not bound by cultural limitations; he touches every one of us. Today Rumi's poems can be heard in churches, synagogues, Zen monasteries, as well as in the downtown New York art/performance/music scene." According to Professor Majid M. Naini [5], Rumi's life and transformation provide true testimony and proof that people of all religions and backgrounds can live together in peace and harmony. Rumi’s visions, words, and life teach us how to reach inner peace and happiness so we can finally stop the continual stream of hostility and hatred and achieve true global peace and harmony. In other verses in Masnavi, Rumi describes in detail the universal message of love: Love’s nationality is separate from all other religions, The lover’s religion and nationality is the Beloved (God). The lover’s cause is separate from all other causes
Love is the astrolabe of God’s mysteries.[12]

Major works
Rumi's poetry is often divided into various categories: the quatrains (rubaiyat) and odes (ghazals) of the Divan, the six books of the Masnavi, the discourses, the letters, and the almost unknown Six Sermons. Rumi's major work is Masnavi-ye Manavi (Spiritual Couplets), a six-volume poem regarded by many Sufis as second in importance only to the Qur'an.[citation needed] In fact, the Masnavi is often called the "Qur'an-e Parsi" (The Persian Qur'an).[citation needed] It is considered by many to be one of the greatest works of mystical poetry.[citation needed] Rumi's other major work is the Diwan-e Shams-e Tabriz-i (The Works of Shams of Tabriz - named in honor of Rumi's great friend and inspiration, the darvish Shams), comprising some 40,000 verses. Several reasons have been offered for Rumi's decision to name his masterpiece after Shams. Some argue that since Rumi would not have been a poet without Shams, it is apt that the collection be named after him.[citation needed] Others have suggested that at the end, Rumi became Shams, hence the collection is truly of Shams speaking through Rumi.[13] Both works are among the most significant in all of Persian literature.[citation needed] Shams is believed to have been murdered by disciples of Rumi who were jealous of his relationship with Shams (also spelled Shems).[citation needed]

Fihi Ma Fih (In It What's in It) is composed of Rumi's speeches on different subjects. Rumi himself did not prepare or write these discourses. They were recorded by his son Sultan Valad or some other disciple of Rumi and put together as a book. The title may mean, "What's in the Masnavi is in this too."[citation needed] Some of the discourses are addressed to Muin al-Din Parvane. Some portions of it are commentary on Masnavi.

Majalis-i Sab'a (seven sessions) contains seven sermons (as the name implies) given in seven different assemblies. As Aflaki relates, after Sham-i Tabrizi, Rumi gave sermons at the request of notables, especially Salah al-Din Zarqubi.[citation needed]

Legacy

The sarcophagus of Rumi, in Rumi museum in Konya
Rumi's importance transcends national and ethnic borders.[14] Speakers of the Persian language in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan see him as one of their most significant classical poets and an influence on many poets through history.[15] He has also had a great influence on Turkish literature throughout the centuries.[16] His poetry forms the basis of much classical Iranian and Afghan music.[17] Contemporary classical interpretations of his poetry are made by Muhammad Reza Shajarian (Iran), Shahram Nazeri (Iran), Davood Azad (Iran) and Ustad Mohammad Hashem Cheshti (Afghanistan). To many modern Westerners, his teachings are one of the best introductions to the philosophy and practice of Sufism. Pakistan's National Poet, Muhammad Iqbal (November 9, 1877-April 21, 1938) was also inspired by Rumi's works and considered him to be his spiritual leader and addressed him as Pir Rumi in his poems (the honorific Pir literally means old man, but in the sufi/mystic context it means founder, master, or guide).[18]
Rumi's work has been translated into many of the world's languages including Russian, German, Urdu, Turkish, Arabic, French, Italian and Spanish, and is appearing in a growing number of formats including concerts, workshops, readings, dance performances and other artistic creations. The English translations of Rumi's poetry by Coleman Barks have sold more than a half million copies worldwide.[19] Recordings of Rumi poems have made it to Billboard's Top 20 list. A collection of Deepak Chopra's translations of Rumi's love poems has been sung by Hollywood personalities such as Madonna, Goldie Hawn, Philip Glass and Demi Moore; also Shahram Shiva's CD, Rumi: Lovedrunk has been very popular on the Internet's music communities such as MySpace.com. The 13th-century poet of the Seljuk Empire is one of the most widely read poets in the United States[20]

[edit] The Mevlevi Order
The Mevlevi Sufi order was founded in 1273 by Rumi's followers after his death.[21] His first successor in the rectorship of the order was Husam Chelebi himself, after whose death in 1284 Rumi's younger and only surviving son, Sultan Walad, favorably known as author of the mystical Masnavi Rabābnāma, or the Book of the Guitar (died 1312), was installed as grand master of the order.[22] The leadership of the order has been kept in Rumi's family in Konya uninterruptedly since then.[23] The Mevlevi, or "The Whirling Dervishes", believe in performing their dhikr in the form of sema. During the time of Rumi (as attested in the "Manakib ul Arifin" of Eflaki Dede), his followers gathered for musical and "turning" practices. Mevlana himself was a notable musician, who played the rebab although his favorite instrument was the ney.[24] The music accompanying the traditional ritual consists of settings of poems from the "Masnavi" and "Diwan-i-Kebir" or of his son Sultan Veled's poems.[24] The Mevlevi were a well-established Sufi Order in the Ottoman Empire, and many of the members of the order served in various official positions of the Caliphate. The centre for the Mevlevi order was in Konya. There is also a Mevlevi monastery or dergah in Istanbul, near the Galata Tower, where the sema ceremony is performed and accessible to the public. The Mevlevi order issues an invitation to people of all backgrounds:
“
Come, come, whoever you are,Wanderer, idolater, worshipper of fire,Come even though you have broken your vows a thousand times,Come, and come yet again.Ours is not a caravan of despair.[25]
”

Rumi's tomb in Konya, Turkey During Ottoman times, the Mevlevi order produced a number of famous poets and musicians such as Sheikh Ghalib, Ismail Rusuhi Dede of Ankara, Esrar Dede, Halet Efendi, and Gavsi Dede (all buried at the Galata Mevlevi-Hane in Istanbul)[26] Music, especially the ney, play an important part in the Mevlevi order and thus much of the traditional 'oriental' music that Westerners associate with Turkey originates with the Mevlevi order.

With the foundation of the modern secular republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk removed religion from the sphere of public policy and restricted it exclusively to that of personal morals, behavior, and faith. On 13th December 1925, a law was passed closing all the 'Tekkes' (dervish lodges) and 'Zaviyes' (Central dervish lodges) and also the centres of veneration to which pilgrimages (ziyaret) were made. Istanbul alone had more than two hundred and fifty 'Tekkes' as well as small centres for the gatherings of various fraternities. This law dissolved the Orders, prohibited the use of mystical names, titles and costumes pertaining to these titles, impounded their assets, banned their ceremonies and meetings; the law also provided sentences for those who tried to re-establish them. Two years later, in 1927, the Mausoleum of Mevlana in Konya was allowed to reopen as a Museum.[27].

In the 1950s, the Turkish government began allowing the Whirling Dervishes to perform annually in Konya on the Urs of Mevlana, December 17, the anniversary of Rumi's death.[28] In 1974, they were allowed to come to the West.[28] The Mevlana annual festival is held every year in Konya in December. It lasts two weeks and its culminating point is the 17th December called Sheb-i Arus meaning 'Nuptial Night', the night of the union of Mevlana with God.

[edit] International Rumi Year

Iranian musician Shahram Nazeri was awarded Légion d'honneur and Iran's House of Music Award for his renowned works on Rumi masterpieces.
Upon a proposal by Culture and Tourism Ministry of Turkey, the year 2007 was proposed as the "International Rumi Year" to UNESCO, but has not yet been confirmed. This is intended for the commemoration of Rumi's 800th birthday anniversary and will be celebrated all over the world.[29] On this occasion Iranian musician Shahram Nazeri was awarded Légion d'honneur and Iran's House of Music Award for his renowned works on Rumi masterpieces.[30] 2006 was declared as the "International Mozart Year" by UNESCO.[31].[32] In honour of Jalal-ud-Din Balkhi-Rumi, one of the great humanists, philosophers and poets who belong to humanity in its entirety, UNESCO issued a UNESCO Medal in his name in association with the 800th anniversary of his birth in 2007 in the hope that this medal will prove an encouragement to those who are engaged in a deep and scholarly dissemination of his ideas and ideals, which in turn would in fact enhance the diffusion of the ideals of UNESCO.[33][34]

[edit] Rumi and orthodox Islam

The idea that Rumi cared little for orthodox Islam has been put forward by translations of poems attributed to Rumi which were actually not composed by him and which express ideas that are not characteristic of him. Some writers have even claimed or suggested that Rumi really wasn't a Muslim, because they believed that the line, "na tarsâ na yahûd-am man na gabr-am na musalmân-am" ("I am not a Christian, a Jew, a Zoroastrian, or a Muslim") expressed Rumi's true attitude toward Islam. But this poem is not in the earliest manuscripts and so probably is not a genuine Rumi poem. R. A. Nicholson first published a translation of this line in 1898, but he admitted that, "The original text does not occur in any of the editions or MSS used by me" (p. 281) Rumi's actual approach to Islam is clarified by the following quatrain composed by him:
“
I am the servant of the Qur'an as long as I have life. I am the dust on the path of Muhammad, the Chosen one. If anyone quotes anything except this from my sayings, I am quit of him and outraged by these words.man banda-yé qur'ân-am, agar jân dâr-am man khâk-é rah-é muHammad-e mukhtâr-am gar naql kon-ad joz în, kas az goftâr-am bêzâr-am az-ô, w-az-în sokhan bêzâr-am — Rumi's Quatrain No. 1173[35]
”
In an article written by Seyyed Hossein Nasr entitled "Rumi and the Sufi Tradition," he states, "One of the greatest living authorities on Rûmî in Persia today, Hâdî Hâ'irî, has shown in an unpublished work that some 6,000 verses of the Dîwân and the Mathnawî are practically direct translations of Qur'ânic verses into Persian poetry."[36]

Gas Rationing Sparks Anger in Iran

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6740008,00.html

Wednesday June 27, 2007 4:31 PM

AP Photo XHS110, XHS109, XHS105, XHS106, XHS101, XHS103
By NASSER KARIMI

Associated Press Writer
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iranians angered by abruptly enforced fuel rationing torched or damaged more than a dozen gas stations in the country's capital Wednesday, while others grumbled and lined up to fill their tanks.

The government has been warning for weeks that it would start rationing, but the announcement Tuesday night - only three hours before the measure went into effect at midnight - startled Iranians and send them rushing to fill their tanks.
Long lines turned violent at several gas stations, witnesses said.

Drivers attacked some stations when the managers decided to stop selling fuel before midnight, saying they had to recalibrate their systems for the rationing.
``This made people who were waiting in line angry so they attacked the pumps,'' said one witness, Rasoul Enayati.

Fire Department spokesman Behrouz Tashakkor said 12 stations in Tehran were set on fire. Iran's police chief Gen. Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam put the total number of damaged stations at 17. Cars and other buildings, including banks, were also damaged.
``The police have called out their forces to control any possible disorder after the implementation of rationing,'' he said. State-run television said some of those involved in the attacks had been detained, but did not specify how many. Under the rationing plan, owners of private cars can buy 26 gallons of fuel per month at the subsidized price of 38 cents per gallon. Taxis can get 211 gallons a month at the subsidized price.

Iran is the second-biggest exporter in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. But because it has low refining capability, it has to import more than 50 percent of its gasoline needs. To keep prices low, the government subsidized gas sales, saddling it with enormous costs.
The issue is hugely sensitive in this oil-rich nation, where people are used to having cheap and plentiful gas. Hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to power in the 2005 election based largely on his promises to improve the faltering economy. But his failure to do so has sparked widespread criticism.

People were still queuing at gas stations Wednesday, though lines were shorter.
``I could not fill my car last night because of the rush. Now I have come to experience my first quota,'' said Hassan Riahi, a 21-year-old engineering student, as he waited at a Tehran gas station guarded by four police officers.
Reports that gas stations in several cities across the country were also in flames could not be independently confirmed.

Conservatives in Iran's parliament, especially those aligned with the country's national oil company, have long pushed for higher gasoline prices to curtail demand and free up government funds for investment in more oil and gas production.
Ahmadinejad had resisted allowing increases because of his campaign promises to share Iran's oil wealth with the nation's poor. The government first said on May 21 that rationing would begin in two weeks, but the move was delayed without explanation.
The president has come under growing criticism - even from conservatives who once supported him - for dramatically rising housing and food prices in the past year. Many fear the increase in fuel costs will further increase inflation.

``This man, Ahmadinejad, has damaged all things. The timing of the rationing is just one case,'' said Reza Khorrami, a 27-year-old teacher who was among those lining up at one Tehran gas station before midnight on Tuesday. Some stations in Tehran had lines more than a half mile long late Tuesday. Minutes before midnight, car owners still caught in the long lines began blaring their horns over and over in protest - sparking arguments with nearby residents trying to sleep. ``Is this good timing, to announce rationing only three hours before it starts?'' complained Ahmad Safai, a 30-year-old shopkeeper who was in line. ``I had no gas in my car's tank when I heard the report.'' Iranian legislators joined the criticism over the decision. ``The rationing could have been implemented in a better way,'' Alaeddin Broujerdi, head of the parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, was quoted as saying on the Web site of Iran's state run broadcasting company. He said he worried about the ``security consequences'' of the decision. Another legislator, Darioush Qanbari, said the measure ``has caused dissatisfaction among people and an undesirable psychological situation in the society.''

Gas rationing triggers unrest in Iran

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iran28jun28,0,7838188.story?coll=la-home-world

At least a dozen filling stations are torched as demonstrators take to the streets after the surprise edict.By Ramin Mostaghim and Borzou DaragahiSpecial to

The Times9:00 AM PDT, June 27, 2007

TEHRAN — Demonstrators took to the streets and torched at least a dozen gas stations after the surprise start of gasoline rationing early this morning, Iranian news agencies and witnesses reported.Under a plan to curb rapidly increasing domestic consumption of Iran's limited supply of gasoline, the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad implemented a program that limits motorists to 26.4 gallons a month at the subsidized priced of 42 cents per gallon.The proposal sparked public fury when it was first announced earlier this year. It had been temporarily shelved, only to be revived Tuesday night just two hours before it went into effect."From midnight tonight, gasoline for all motor vehicles and motorcycles will be rationed," state television said in an announcement quoting the Oil Ministry.Motorists rushed to gas stations to fill up before the plan went into effect. Angry mobs in the capital set gas stations afire. A spokesman for the fire department told the daily World of Industry newspaper that 21 gas stations were burned down, but a source at the Gas Station Owners syndicate told the same paper the number was 16 and others cited the figure 12.Witnesses said demonstrators chanted slogans against Ahmadinejad, calling him a "pimp." Scuffles broke out between pro-government Basiji militiamen and the protesters. Shots of the burned gas stations appeared on national television."I saw a looter carrying a television set on his shoulder from a shopping mall," said Nasser Eimani, a Tehran resident. "A Basiji intercepted him and a fight broke out."Rioters smashed windows of government banks and burned down a gas station in the district of Ghaleh Morghi, in the far south of the capital, said Hassan Karimi, a retired bus driver who lives in the area and witnessed the attacks. A witness also said that a gas station was burned down in Garmsar, Ahmadinejad's hometown.The capital's normally frenetic traffic eased today as motorists stayed home to conserve gasoline or waited in long lines to fill up their tanks at undamaged gas stations, guarded by contingents of police.Despite huge oil reserves, Iran lacks refining capacity to meet rising domestic demand for gasoline and must import fuel from abroad, which it sells at a subsidized rate that costs the government at least $4 billion annually.The new plan allows motorists to pump gas only with a debit card that keeps track of monthly consumption.

The plan will be in place for four months and then reevaluated, according to the announcement on state-controlled television.Lawmakers huddled with Oil Minister Vaziri Hamaneh in closed-door meetings today to discuss a plan for setting a price for fuel to be sold above the rationing quota.Some experts speculated that the rioting was organized by leaders of smuggling rings that sell subsidized fuel to other Persian Gulf countries for huge profits. Others cautioned not to read too much into the unrest."These types of revolts are not new," said Mostafa Labbad, a Cairo-based Iran expert and publisher of Sharqnameh, an Egyptian journal about Iranian and Turkish affairs. "In Karaj and the outer parts of Iran, there are such rebellions every two or three months. They show the unpopularity of the country's economic policies."Ahmadinejad, a self-styled populist, came to power in 2005 on a platform of bringing a larger share of the country's immense oil wealth "to the tablecloths" of Iran's ordinary people, who are under tremendous economic pressure because of inflation and stagnant government wages.Instead, Ahmadinejad's administration has imposed its conservative religious ideology on the country and stepped up the country's anti-Western and anti-Israeli foreign policy agenda. This week, Ahmadinejad renewed his controversial prediction that the state of Israel would soon meet its end."When I say these words, expansionist powers grow upset and hold sessions," Ahmadinejad said Tuesday, according to the Fars news agency. "But this is a reality that with every crime criminals commit, they come one step closer to demise and death."Iran has been slapped with United Nations sanctions for refusing to halt its uranium enrichment program. The country has faced increasing economic hardship over the last two years despite record-high global market prices for unrefined crude oil, its main export. Sanctions have taken a toll on the once burgeoning private sector as foreign banks and businesses balk at doing business with Tehran."Ahmadinejad promised so much," said Labbad, who frequently visits Iran. "But the economy has not gotten any better."daragahi@latimes.comSpecial correspondent Mostaghim reported from Tehran and staff writer Daragahi from Cairo.

Shell Petition

http://www.terrorfreeoil.org/projects/petition_shell.php

John HofmeisterPresidentShell Oil Co.P.O. Box 2463Houston, TX 77252(713) 241-6161Dear Mr. Hofmeister, It has come to our attention that Shell recently signed a $10 billion contract with the terrorist government of Iran. We don't need to remind you that the Iranian regime is oppressing 70 million people and has been one of the primary sponsors of terrorism for almost thirty years. The terrorist government of Iran controls some of the most notorious Islamic terrorist groups, and the Iranian president has threatened to wipe Israel, our only reliable ally in the Middle East, off the map. Not to mention that Iran is racing towards obtaining nuclear weapons. When you were in Omaha on February 16, 2007 you stated that "Once it [oil] gets into the global trading market, it's just oil. Whether it's sourced from Venezuela or Mexico or Canada, it's really hard to track it. It can be tracked, and it's very hard, and most people don't track it." We agree, it is hard to track oil after it gets mixed. But you know what is easy? You can be 100% sure that an oil pipeline does not contain any oil from Iran if you do not import Iranian oil. The terrorist government of Iran is complicit in some of the deaths of British and Dutch troops in Iraq. More than 150 of them were killed (http://icasualties.org/oif/DeathsByYear.aspx) since 2003, and Shell's blatant disregard for the loss of life of their countrymen is abhorrent. Maybe the Brits and the Dutch are okay with the fact that Shell provides financing to the terrorist regime, but the Americans are not. Being an American, how can you sleep at night knowing that your company gives money to the terrorists who murder American troops? We implore you to do the right thing and sever all ties with the terrorist Iranian regime. We do not wish to put your company out of business, but we urge you to consider the consequences of Chavez' UN speech: Citgo is being re-branded into Petro-Express. Can you imagine the uproar when American people realize thatShell is partly responsible for 3,500+ dead Americans? Maybe Shell could withstand the pressure from the American government; but we highly doubt that it would be able to withstand the pressure from the American people. The undersigned,

Tajikistan: Officials Say Swastika Part Of Their Aryan Heritage

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/12/27f36005-4b37-4ada-87e0-034f33867c8e.html

By Gulnoza Saidazimova

A Tajik emblem that is based on the swastika
(RFE/RL)Like other post-Soviet countries, Tajikistan has taken a fresh look its history following independence in 1991. The result is a state campaign to promote the notion that the Tajiks as a Aryan nation – and the widespread use of the swastika.Prague, 16 December 2005 (RFE/RL) -- The swastika may be known the world over as the symbol of Nazi Germany and it may be banned in some states for that reason, but in Tajikistan it appears on placards, banners, and billboards with the blessing of the state. For officials in Dushanbe, the swastika is above all a symbol of national identity. Most Tajik historians now maintain that Tajiks are of Aryan origin, and argue that Aryan or Indo-European civilization must therefore be studied and promoted. It is an argument now accepted by the state. Indeed, the revival of Aryan culture is now official policy of Dushanbe: 2006 will be celebrated in Tajikistan as the year of Aryan civilization. Changing Interpretations The authorities say the swastika’s now widespread adoption in Tajikistan has nothing to do with Nazism and fascism. “Throughout history, interpretations of this symbol have changed,” notes Abduhakim Sharipov, head of a department in the Soghd regional administration. He, like other officials, emphasizes the swastika is a symbol of Aryan culture that has existed for many centuries. “We all know that fascism used this symbol for its purposes. This symbol therefore carries negative connotations for many…[but] we should not limit ourselves to only one interpretation.” When the swastika first appeared, in India, it was as a sign of eternity and eternal motion. The newer, positive connotations that the Tajik authorities want the swastika to gain were outlined two years ago by President Imomali Rakhmonov when he declared 2006 the year of Aryan culture: the aim of the year is, he said, to “study and popularize Aryan contributions to the history of the world civilization; to raise a new generation [of Tajiks] with the spirit of national self-determination; and to develop deeper ties with other ethnicities and cultures.” Linguistically, the Tajiks are closely tied to the Persians, who since ancient times have used the term Aryan to describe themselves and their language. The Tajik historian and ethnographer Usto Jahonov supports both the state’s desire to raise awareness of Tajikistan’s Aryan heritage and the use of the swastika. Using an argument employed by Tajik officials in numerous speeches, Jahonov contends that it is an inherent part of Aryan culture and a key to building national identity. A stronger national identity is itself “needed now because we live among [non-Aryan,] Turkic nations” that are, he says, rewriting “their history by claiming that they emerged in this area [Central Asia]. We should therefore go back to Aryan history, demonstrate and prove to others where our place is. Each nation should know its place.” An Ancient Symbol In The Shadow Of A Modern Taboo But it is hard to rid the swastika of its negative associations. For many people in the West, the swastika is a taboo, synonymous as it is with Nazism, fascism, and white supremacy in general. Post-war Germany outlawed the swastika and other Nazi symbols for all but scholarly purposes. Continued sensitivities were highlighted earlier this year when Britain’s Prince Harry was criticized for wearing a Nazi swastika armband and a Nazi uniform to a fancy-dress party. The incident led to calls from German politicians for a ban on all Nazi symbols across the European Union, which was then followed by a debate in the European Commission in Brussels. For similar reasons, the new prominence of the swastika is touching on sensitivities in Tajikistan, recently prompting a group of Tajik World War II veterans to write a letter to Rakhmonov asking him to end the use of the swastika. The Tajik president has so far not responded. “I am a veteran of World War II,” says one Tajik former member of the Soviet army. “We veterans demand that this fascist cross, the swastika, be removed from placards. We fought against the Nazis, who had the swastika. Why should we propagate it now?” The use of the swastika by skinheads has made the symbol even more controversial in recent years. Due to high levels of unemployment and poverty, many Tajiks have had to work as illegal migrant laborers abroad, overwhelmingly in Russia. Many have been subjected to harassment and intimidation. Several have been killed by racist groups in recent years. The most prominent case was the murder, in February 2004, of a 9-year-old Tajik girl in St. Petersburg by a group of teenagers armed with chains, metal rods and knives. Khursheda Sultanova’s father and her 11-year-old cousin were also savagely beaten. Divided Opinions This and other cases have provoked public outrage in Tajik society. For one woman interviewed, both objections to the swastika originate close to home. “My grandfather died in a battle against Nazi Germany,” she told RFE/RL, and “last year, my neighbor’s son was killed by a group of skinheads in Russia.” “I am amazed to see [the swastika]. Why does our government recover and propagate the [hooked] cross now?” This Tajik woman says she welcomes a rediscovery of the Tajik nation’s history. But, she argues, historians should not forget the nation’s recent past just to revive its ancient heritage. (RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service correspondent in Tajikistan, Alisher Akhmedov, contributed to this report.)
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Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty © 2007 RFE/RL, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Fight for Iran

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=28860

By Kenneth R. TimmermanFrontPageMagazine.com June 25, 2007[Paris – June 21, 2007] – Iranian opponents to the Islamic Republic of Iran have remained in exile these past 28 years because they can’t agree on the basic principles for how their country should be governed.

While diversity of opinion is normally a good thing, in this case diversity has generated paralysis – a paralysis that has been encouraged and secretly nourished by the intelligence services of the Tehran regime.

Should Iran be a constitutional monarchy? A Republic? A federal state, with regional governments allotted to major ethnic groups such as Kurds, Balouchis, Azeris and Arabs?

Advocates of each side see their ideas as exclusive. It’s them or us, they have been saying for 28 years. And that’s why they are still in exile and the Islamic Republic is still in power, despite its extraordinary lack of governing skills.

The conference I attended last weekend in Paris to announce the creation of a new opposition movement, Solidarity Iran, ran head on into these contradictions. Rather than announce a plan for action against the Tehran regime, as the organizers had hoped they would be able to do, the conference attendees decided that they had to resolve these basic contradictions before they could move forward together to confront the regime.

So is there any common ground among these three apparently opposing visions of Iran’s national identity and future government? I think so.

Why do we care how Iranian exiles conceive of their country? Because in a matter of months, Iran’s apocalyptic regime – to borrow a term from Dr. Assad Homayoun – will have nuclear weapons. Without a coherent, well-financed, and broadly-supported opposition project, Iran’s apocalyptic leaders soon will have the means to enact their chiliastic vision of a final showdown with their opponents within the Muslim world, the Dar al-Islam, and the non-Muslim West, the Dar al-Harb, or House of War.

Here in a nutshell are the arguments that each makes.

Constitutional monarchists argue that only the institution of monarchy can guarantee Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and unite the fractious opposition.

Dr. Ramin Parham, a Monarchist intellectual I encountered in Paris shortly after the Solidarity Iran conference, compared the Iranian opposition to the national Iranian soccer team.

“We’ve got terrific individuals, world-class players. And yet we lose every time, even against second-ranked teams, such as Qatar or Dubai, because those players don’t play together as a team. Why is that? Because they have no good coach, and no team identity. That’s what we need with the Iranian opposition. That’s what the institution of the monarchy can bring.”

Republicans, such as former political prisoner and leader of the July 1999 student uprising, Roozbeh Farahanipour, argue that Iranians don’t want to bring back the Pahlavi dynasty, whose mistakes directly led to the 1979 revolution. They prefer a strict republican form of government, similar to America, with popular sovereignty delegated by the people to their elected representatives.

Proponents of a federal state come primarily from among Iran’s non-Persian ethnic components, who by all estimates comprise over 60 percent of the population.

I met with Hassan Sharafi, the deputy secretary general of the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran, shortly after the Paris conference as well. He argues that Iran’s minorities believe in a single, unified Iranian nation, but want regional autonomy as a guarantee that their distinct cultures will be respected within the confines of a single, united, federal Iranian state.

Iran has been a nation for over two thousand years. “You don’t need to do nation building in Iran,” Ramin Parham told me. “You need to do state building, to build the institutions of a modern democratic state.”

I think Parham is right, and that the fear-mongerers among the ultra-nationalists are wrong. They fear that any concessions made to Iran’s ethnic components will be the first step toward the dissolution of a united Iran.

The KDPI’s Hassan Sharifi was not speaking as an individual when he told me solemnly that he considers himself an “Iranian nationalist.”

Iran is a mosaic compromised of many different nationalities, each with their own cultural identity and language. “Together, we make up the Iranian people,” Sharafi said.

Similarly, without the support and consent of the Kurds, the Azeris, the Ahwazi Arabs and the Balouch, Iran can never be a nation at peace with itself or with the world. Nor can it ever get rid of the Islamic Republic.

So what about the complaint of the republicans, who fear –not without justification – a return of an absolutist monarchy?

I think the answer to that question lies with the monarchists themselves. Are they willing to impose strict restraints on the powers of a future king through a constitutional framework? “We look for example to Juan Carlos of Spain, a monarch who became the symbol of national unity,” Parham said.

Parham noted that Iran’s monarch had rallied the country in moments of crisis, such as the Soviet invasion of northwestern Iran right after World War II. While there had been long periods where monarchs did not behave as they should, he said he believed that a constitution could create strict limits on a king’s authority.

Do these through groups share common grounds? I think so.

“We have never had any issues with regard to identity and are crystal clear on and quite aware of our identity,” the nationalist Roozbeh Farahanipour tells me.

“To form a union, to become unified, everyone involved must agree on a common geographical area - country, and a common flag and a common nation. The words "nationalities" or "sects" can be used, but we only recognize the Iranian Nation. Our national unity is based on our being Iranian not on a supermarket style union: 2 women, 1 student, 3 workers, 2 Lors, 4 Azeris, etc.”

When you listen to these leaders carefully, the outlines of a national concessus clearly emerges. But they alone can work out the details.

How do you go about state-building? By hammering out the details of a national constitution. The Constitutionalist Party of Iran, which did not attend the Paris gathering because of differences over national identity, argues that the 1906 constitution establishing limits on the monarch is a unifying document.

But clearly, it is not. Iranians old enough to remember the final years of the former shah know well how that earlier constitution was ripped into shreds by the very monarch whose powers it was designed to limit.

Some opponents of the regime, such as former Hezbollahi Amir Farshad Ebrahami, argue that Iranians should set their differences aside until after they have gotten rid of the mullahs.

While from a distance, that sounds like a reasonable proposal, it falls short when it comes down to motivating people such as the Kurds or students or labor groups inside Iran to risk their lives to oppose the regime.

Risk their lives for what? That’s a legitimate question, and they ask it all the time.

Khomeini came to power in 1979 with a clear (if deceitful) program. He said he planned to abolish the monarchy and institute an Islamic republic. He eventually put that question to the people of Iran in a referendum that passed overwhelmingly – in part, because he was never clear what his Islamic republic would look like until later.

There may be no better time than now for Iranian constitutional lawyers to gather to write a new constitution, a document that resolves the contradictions of the three positions I’ve outlined above.

Is it possible to achieve a historic consensus uniting a limited, symbolic monarch to a federal republic that guarantees the rights of Iran’s ethnic communities while protecting every Iranian as an individual from the tyranny of the state?

Maybe yes, maybe no. That will be up to Iranians to decide.

But the time for them to work toward that historic compromise is now, while they are in exile and the most powerful weapons the different factions possess are words.

I have no doubt that a unity document would transform the Iranian opposition and terrify the ruling clerics in Tehran. Nor do I doubt that such a document would confer an immense legitimacy on the opposition, who could travel the capitols of the world with a project, a leader, and a pledge for the future.

Are the Iranians ready for this? Participants at the Paris conference gave themselves three months to resolve most of these issues. We will know soon enough whether they are up to the challenge, or whether they will have to remain in exile another 28 years until this generation dies off.