Kamangir (Archer)

Politics of Testosterone

Kamangir | July 31, 2006 | Category Iran

I was watching the images from couple of protests in Tehran held for condemning Israel’s attack to Lebanon. Basically, the theme of all of them was men shouting with their fists pointing at the sky. Also, there were always a few flags, dominantly US and Israel, burning at the middle of the celebrating crowd. Looking at the people’s eyes the first and the most obvious impression was anger and determination to annihilate.
When you watch CNN it is always showing pictures of people from middle east shouting and spreading hatred. Sometimes I say to myself, hey this is not real. Then, I sadly admit to myself that these picture are very real.

Kids and Obligation

Kamangir | July 31, 2006 | Category Iran

I have a positive sense about this protest. Kindergarten children ask about Lebanese kids’ fate in the war. For a highly politicized environment like Iran having no burning flag is positive.

Good “Infidel”

Kamangir | July 31, 2006 | Category Iran

Lebanon Is Ours

Kamangir | July 30, 2006 | Category Iran

“We are pushing for the enforcement of the UN resolution 1559” the Israelis say.
“The Americans have miscalculated…Hezbollah will never be defeated” says so Ayatollah Seied Ali Khamenei.
“We are fighting for Lebanese people’s rights” claims Hezbollah’s leader.
“A ceasefire is helpful only when it can last” America sends a friendly message to the Israel.
What is it all about?

Tehrani Transportation

Kamangir | July 29, 2006 | Category Iran

This picture does not show some toys. With the increasing traffic intensity motorcycles have become a very good means of transportation in Tehran, encapsulating price and speed at once. Another importance of a motorcycle is that its driver is not very much limited by the funny laws of traffic, at least in Tehran.

“Iranian officials, even further than Israelis”

Kamangir | July 29, 2006 | Category Iran

This is the non-literal translation of a short comment in a right website (see). By this sentence the author means the Iranian officials are worse than Israelis. The piece continues with reporting that the students who left Tehran for Lebanon have been stopped in the Iranian border “because of top officials’ order”. It seems that some people have thought the glorious ceremony of Iranians rushing to Lebanon to help Hezbollah was anything more than propaganda. Unfortunately it seems that, as it was anticipated, at the end of day the Lebanese are those who pay the price of all this.

A member of parliament shows a Hezbollah flag to his colleagues. These flags decorated the Iranian parliament for a day (see).

A Friend

Kamangir | July 29, 2006 | Category Iran

Hugo Chavez is in Tehran (see) and has had a meeting with the Supreme Leader (see). He is also to be granted the most prestigious Iranian government’s medal of honor (see). Probably, Iranians are a bit too welcoming for a two-night stand or maybe not; we need friends for the time of war. And I am not quite convinced what type of help can come from a president who was recently almost overthrown by a coup.

Taking it Too Seriously

Kamangir | July 28, 2006 | Category Iran

Jamejam, a state-run news agency, describes this picture as (see) “Istanbul: a protester angrily hits the skeleton sculpture which is the symbol for Ehud Olmert with his fist”. I suggest they sometimes watch movies.

No Comment

Kamangir | July 28, 2006 | Category Iran

The picture is from here (see).

“Support”

Kamangir | July 28, 2006 | Category Iran

Both news sources and bloggers are talking about Iran’s rule in the war in Lebanon. I understand them but things are not as straightforward as they sometimes seem to be. Please note that I am not trying to draw an innocent picture of the Iranian administration; politicians’ words are sometimes mightier than bullets and at least the Iranian president is not having a good reputation in this respect. For the moment lets try to think in the way someone very ordinary in Lebanon may think. The fact is that they are being bombarded by Israeli planes. I do not think I would give a damn to the possible explanations that kidnapping two soldiers has started all that mess. When a plane comes toward you, your mind works very simply “save yourself and whoever you care for”.

Islamic Fighter/Terrorist

Kamangir | July 27, 2006 | Category Iran

At the first sight this picture shows a Lebanese woman showing sympathy to Hezbollah. However, the story has another side, the woman is not wearing Hijab (covering). This way it is directly in contrary with what is given by two very different parties, namely the Islamic Republic and Israel. I can imagine that the woman hates Israel for its cruel attacks. Probably then the only source of hope is Hezbollah. I think this picture gives us a clue why some people in Lebanon are supporting Hezbollah. At the same time it shows the caricature of “Islamic Fighter/Terrorist” drawn by Iran and Israel is basically nonsense. I wonder if Israel thinks after the attacks there will be less violence in the region.

Technology

Kamangir | July 26, 2006 | Category Iran

I am wondering what technology is used in the Israeli bombs. The hole seems very deep. However, at the same time, a paper banner a few meters away is intact.

Iran Goes Further

Kamangir | July 26, 2006 | Category Iran

Islamic Republic seems to be asking for a more important rule in the Lebanon war, at least in the propaganda side. Members of a right group close to Basiji students departed Tehran for Lebanon. Carrying their passports and a Quran they do not seem to be planning to bring peace to the region. In another, more strange, event Hezbollah flags were put on some delegates’ desks in the parliament. I am not sure how far they are willing to go.

Update: CNN wows “Surrounded by yellow Hezbollah flags, more than 60 Iranian volunteers set off Wednesday to join what they called a holy war against Israeli forces in Lebanon” (see).

Pornography of The War

Kamangir | July 26, 2006 | Category Iran

This picture shows a baby whose head is smashed in the blast. The horrible picture is stuck in my mind not only because of the sense of violence that it spreads but because of the gesture of the man who is holding the poor baby. Lets try to imagine what has happened in the scene. An Israeli airplane has dropped a huge bomb, probably equipped with a state-of-the-art design. Dozens of people have been injured and killed. Then, right at the scene or later in a hospital a man holds the dead corpse and shouts. I tried to imagine being him, looking at the flesh while I am holding his/its hands. It has not been a pleasant experience, it is for sure. So, why did the man do that.

The picture is from a blog I came up with through a comment in my blog. The blog or photo blog, as it almost only contains images, is dedicated to pictures of dead Lebanese kids (see Warning: It includes graphic scenes). I have tried to find a name for what this blog, which is apparently managed by two Iranians, is doing. The only thing that I came up with was pornography. If you lookup for pornography in Google (see) the first item says “any sexually explicit writing and/or picture intended to arouse sexual desire”. While referring to pornography I am talking about the kind which you are exposed to without your personal intention. Very much like an ad which convinces/tempts you to buy a shampoo through not very relevant pictures of a half-naked woman kissing her partner. To my understanding during the recent war people have learnt how to use the old temptation game to buy people’s sympathy. It seems that whenever an event happens there always are people in the scene with their cameras in their pockets. Thanks to the digital media it really takes less than an hour to have your image posted and reposted in the internet. So, obviously, when the poor Lebanese baby got caught at the middle of a war, which was not very much relevant to him, digital copies of his smashed head found their way to the internet. To this moment it was only human curiosity, plus an undefendable passion for destruction. From that moment on this picture is added to a larger campaign to show how cruel Israelis have been and how miserable and innocent Lebanese are. This is exactly where I think a pornography-style event happens. When we see people killing others probably the first move is to stop and to think and to ask each other what has gone so much wrong. I suspect this deliberation will result in levels of condemnation for the both sides. But as if none of them really wants this deep investigation they turn into plan B. I have seen the old Israeli lady who is crying for his lost beloved ones more than ten times in CNN. Also, it seems that there is only one building in Israel severely damaged by Hezbollah rockets. The Lebanese side is unfortunately more lucky in a sense. While they are shooting light rockets Israelis enjoy multi-ton precise bombs which blow up a neighbourhood in a second. So, we have more Lebanese casualties resulting in more graphic pictures. Frankly, when CNN shows the lady over and over and when I see blogs like that one I start to loose my respect toward the both sides. To my understanding there is a real difference between facts and what you make people think through temptation and solicitation. What these pictures do is the later one.

Peace and Propaganda

Kamangir | July 26, 2006 | Category Iran

I can’t play around with a video embedded from Google. This is a video from Google (see). The link is from Morph (see). I really suggest spending an hour and half to watch the commentary. It is definitely worth the time.

Religion

Kamangir | July 25, 2006 | Category Iran

This photograph is taken during a protest by religious students in Qom, the Iranian Vatican. It shows a man entering a shrine. Holding a picture of Nasrollah, Hezbollah’s leader, the man is kissing the shrine’s door. To my understanding this picture is a very short and yet precise description of what is really going on in Lebanon and may happen in Tehran too. Forget morality and humanity, but never mess with people’s religion like what Israel is doing.

Hezbollah, The Mystery is Solved

Kamangir | July 25, 2006 | Category Iran

There are two very important questions regarding the current situation of Lebanon. One, is it true that there are two Lebanese authorities, namely the Lebanese government and Hezbollah? Two, is it true that Hezbollah is inspired and also supported by the Islamic Republic? During a short trip in Tehran the parliament speaker Haddade Adel solved both mysteries. He first visited the Lebanese embassy in Tehran. The first picture shows him with Adnan Mansour, the ambassador. Then, he visited the Hezbollah office in Tehran. The second picture shows him and Safieddin, Hezbollah’s representative in Tehran. So, basically, there are two Lebanese identities. From the photographs published in Mehr News Agency it appears that he met the two men in two different buildings (see) (see). Also, read the caption of the images in Fars (see). So, the first mystery is solved. Regarding the second question just imagine why Iranian supreme leader’s picture should be hanging in Hezbollah’s office. I am sure the Islamic Republic would not hesitate to help a few million dollars to its devotees.

Problem with Niyazov

Kamangir | July 25, 2006 | Category Iran

Ahmadinejad traveled to Turkmenistan and was greeted by Saparmurat Niyazov (see), the not very much elected head of the state. They seem to have a fine time together. The only problem is that if Niyazov comes to Tehran he may not be able to enter governmental buildings with his tie. He also has to change from his short-sleeve shirt into a more moderate one.

Kids: Israeli or Iranian

Kamangir | July 21, 2006 | Category Iran

Read Lisa’s respond to the famous Israeli girls’ picture (see). She writes,

…Sometimes people do silly things when they are under emotional stress. … Especially when they fail to understand how their childish, empty gesture might be interpreted. … I wonder why so many people seem to take satisfaction in believing that little Israeli girls with felt markers in their hands - not weapons, but felt markers - are evil, or spawned by an evil society…

I completely agree but there is a tiny problem here; at the time of war what people are looking for are dramatic scenes which can describe what is happening. When you see people so angry and so determined to kill others the first question is why. And this picture is a “good”/”convincing” answer. I think Lisa is very lucky because she is from a country where people do these silly things once a while. Then she can show the other side of the coin and calm everyone down. This morning, I was looking at the Iranian news sources and as always I was finding tons of protests in different cities. As always, there were lots of kids involved. A girl was carrying a sign which read “Death to America, Death to Israel”. A boy had a headband with “Ready for Martyrdom” written on it. Couple of others were thoughtfully walking on the American flag. Starred at the camera a girl was holding Nasrollah’s picture with her other hand showing V. I do not think those Israeli girls are evil. They are doing a funny/silly game which then becomes serious and adultly when it is sent all over the world. My question is are we ready and willing to look at the world, The entire world, and start to think like Lisa? Take the extreme example of an adult shouting “Death to Israel” in Tehran. Is he really aware of what he is doing? Isn’t he doing that only because the national television has bombarded him with pictures of corpses, the type that you can only find in rotten.com? Then, is he responsible for what he is doing? What’s the morally acceptable reaction there? To send a rocket, force sanctions, and deny giving student Visas?

Frankly, I like Lisa’s argument and I understand it, because I have lived through it. Unlike her I am not surprised. This is the way Iranians have been judged for a long time. Probably because we have too many girls like those and our adults still have an important part of the minds not really grown up.

The Other Side of the Coin

Kamangir | July 21, 2006 | Category Iran

It’s the wee hours of the morning, still dark outside. A guerilla force comes out of nowhere to kidnap a soldier. After hours of careful movement, the force reaches its target, and the ambush is on! In seconds, the soldier finds himself looking down the barrel of a rifle. A smash in the face with the butt of the gun and the soldier falls to the ground, bleeding. The kidnappers pick him up, quickly tie his hands and blindfold him, and disappear into the night.

…

This description, you’ll be surprised to know, has nothing to do with the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit. It is the story of an arrest I carried out as an IDF soldier, in the Nablus casbah, about 10 years ago. The “soldier” was a 17-year-old boy, and we kidnapped him because he knew “someone” who had done “something.”

We brought him tied up, with a burlap sac over his head, to a Shin Bet interrogation center known as “Scream Hill” (at the time we thought it was funny). There, the prisoner was beaten, violently shaken and sleep deprived for weeks or months. Who knows. No one wrote about it in the paper. European diplomats were not called to help him. After all, there was nothing out of the ordinary about the kidnapping of this Palestinian kid. Over the 40 years of occupation we have kidnapped thousands of people, exactly like Gilad Shalit was captured: Threatened by a gun, beaten mercilessly, with no judge or jury, or witnesses, and without providing the family with any information about the captive. When the Palestinians do this, we call it “terror.” When we do it, we work overtime to whitewash the atrocity.

…

The day Gilad Shalit was kidnapped I rode in a taxi. The driver told me we must go into Gaza, start shooting people one-by-one, until someone breaks and returns the hostage. It isn’t clear that such an operation would bring Gilad back alive. Instead of getting dragged into terrorist responses, as Palestinian society has done, we should release some of the soldiers and civilians we have kidnapped. This is appropriate, right, and could bring about an air of reconciliation in the territories. Hell, if this is what will bring Gilad home safe-and-sound, we have a responsibility to him to do it.

See the complete article here (see). A Persian translation can be found here (see). The links are from Ali’s blog (see).

Spitting on the Cat

Kamangir | July 20, 2006 | Category Iran

I think an important aspect of the Iranian life style is having a strong sense of humor. Some researchers say as Iranians have long been under oppression they have adopted ways to carry the meaning but not to be specific, and so face prosecution. I do not have any theory for this but I know that sometimes jokes get a bit confusing.

Nice Side of Iran

Kamangir | July 19, 2006 | Category Iran

A tunnel was opened in Tehran. It has been long under construction and is assumed to be a cure for parts of the deadlock of traffic in Tehran. The ceremony began with Ahmadinejad saying prayers. Then the official opening was carried out by ten newly-wed couples passing through the tunnel. I am sorry folks, we have nice things in the Iranian politics, too.

To Israel with Love

Kamangir | July 19, 2006 | Category Iran

Iraq, Sudan, Qatar, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine. These are only some of the names written on this missile shown during the anti-Israeli protests in Tehran. It seems that the Iranian administration not only does not bother ask its own people they also presume they can represent the whole Islamic world.

Fashion Show in Iran

Kamangir | July 19, 2006 | Category Iran

Following an exhibition for Islamic decent clothes there was a fashion show in Iran. As much as I remember it is the first nationally praised incident of this type. The show opened with a covered face lady but then it proceeded with nice, and yet completely covered, clothings.

Two Israels

Kamangir | July 19, 2006 | Category Iran

Apparently, earth has two sides. Also, it seems that there is an Israel in either side. The Israel of where I live is benefiting from and enjoying the world’s silence to destroy Hizbollah. But, the other Israel is striving to stay alive under the storm of rocket attacks.