Kamangir (Archer)

Holocausts’ Anniversaries

Kamangir | April 25, 2006 | Category Iran

For those who did not know, like myself, today was Holocaust’s memorial day (see). Kamran writes “with sirens whistling loud everything stops for 2 minutes in Israel” (see). I was searching for the event and I found this “the road to Auschwitz was built by hate, but paved with indifference” (see). Nice an Sad. This year two Holocausts’ anniversaries coincided, namely the Jewish Holocaust (see) and the Armenian one (see). The picture shows Iranian Armenian people demonstrating in Tehran to ask for condemnation of Turkey’s central rule in the event.

Birds of a Feather

Kamangir | April 25, 2006 | Category Iran

Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir is visiting Iran. To be hospitable, I assume, Khameneii offers to help Sudanese in developing their own “non-military” nuclear technology (see) (see). Omar grasps the idea in the air, “last month we started some research to conduct a non-military nuclear program”. Birds of a feather flock together! I think the administration is planning to reduce country’s dependency on exporting oil. From now on, Ahmadinejad can export other products such as “non-military” nuclear technology. At the end, Khameneii wished success for “the largest Muslim country in the world” which is “under pressure by the west because of its independent attitude”. He also wishes “the problem in western Sudan will soon be solved just like how the problem in the south was” (see). I think those tiny “problems” that he is referring to have something to do with the massacre of non-Arabs in Darfur (see).

A Favor for a New Friend

Kamangir | April 25, 2006 | Category Iran

… Tegnelia [director of the Pentagon's Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)] said the State Department and the Pentagon are developing a proposal for a $100 million effort to help Libya get rid of tons of mustard gas and some precursor chemicals being stored in the Libyan desert. “The Libyans requested some support” from the U.S. government, and a DTRA team has visited Libya to consider various options for eliminating the weapons, he said. (see)

I am just trying to imagine what Lybians wrote in their first letter.

Dear G. W. Bush
As you very obviously know, we have stored tons of chemical agents, which we were planning to use against you, in a desert. Would you please help us get rid of them, or we accept passionate Iranian’s fantastic bid.
Your’s Muammar al-Qaddafi

The Link Between Being Married and Watching a Game in the Stadium!

Kamangir | April 25, 2006 | Category Iran

President’s deputy in the sports organization says President’s order about “letting women enter the stadiums” is only about married women (see). Hence, single girls are still banned from watching a game. Frankly, tell me, do you know any funnier administration in the world?

Women in Stadiums? Not, Yet

Kamangir | April 25, 2006 | Category Iran

Top clerics are concerned that Ahmadinejad’s order to let the women watch football in the stadiums is against Islam. Fazel Lankarani (آیت الله فاضل لنکرانی) issued a Fatwa that “women’s presence in public sports places includes their intercourse with men”. He added “even devoting special locations of the stadiums to women will not solve this problem”. He proposed to “build separate locations for women’s sports” (see) (see).
The political wing of the Islamic Republic seems to be not very welcoming, too (see). A member of parliament from the fraction of sports says “President’s order was not a new bill, the limitations were devised for moral reasons”. He worries that “there is strong opposition to this proposal and it may not actually be carried out”. Some other members of parliament advocate the decision but still say “gradual steps are necessary”. Another member of parliament says “when there are spectators that destroy public assets after the game who is going to guard women”. Fateme Rahbar, a female member of parliament, says “women’s presence in stadiums should comply with Islamic morality” she concludes “giving women their rights should not obstruct other people’s and the society’s rights”. She is worried that the decision may result in disrupting “society’s modesty”. I conclude that women should be kept out of the stadiums because of other people’s rights, probably men’s. So, women can not watch a game live because there is a chance that a man may loose his modesty. The fascinating part of it is that a women mentions this theory.

Images: Left, Grand Aiatollah Fazel Lankarani, Right, Fateme Rahbar, Top, Women protesting in front of Azadi Stadium (courtesy of parastood (see)).

p.s. Azadeh has a very good proposal. She says “why not having two stadiums and then playing each game in both of them”. In this way, each game will played twice, once for men then for women. Then, the results are averaged, which results in less variation.