Kamangir (Archer)

An Iranian looking at Iran as a foreigner…

Archive for November, 2006

Ahmadinejad (PBUH) Addressed Americans

By Kamangir • Nov 30th, 2006 • Category: Iran

Ahmadinejad recently wrote a letter addressing the American nation (see). This is how Nikahang, an Iranian cartoonist, interprets the letter. The text reads “You the American people! Believe in me!”
p.s. Read the whole “letter” here.



Balatarin Goes Higher

By Kamangir • Nov 29th, 2006 • Category: Iran

Balatarin (means “The Highest”) is the three-month old Persian lounge where Iranians around the world communicate links (also see this). Compared to the other available link-posting websites, including the famous Sobhaneh, Balatarin is attracting more people, because of a very simple rule; it tries to be a democracy. It was interesting to see that in [...]



Yonatan Shapira, The Music

By Kamangir • Nov 28th, 2006 • Category: Iran

Yonatan Shapira, touching story and fantastic music. Translation and link are from Lisa and she has more.
Twenty-four years old, 1 metre 60 and a bit
Green eyes and almost-black hair
Looking for The One and waiting to be swept away
Wanted: Groom. Wedding dress already purchased.
Twenty-four years old, interested in a boyfriend
Tall, understanding, up to 30 years [...]



“The Problem With Islam Today”, Or When Every Word Is Published

By Kamangir • Nov 28th, 2006 • Category: Iran

This post is updated, please refer to the end for a follow up.

My first impression from democracy, and the fabulous society in which it is implemented, was based on a picture in a history book that I read when I was almost twelve. There, a man was leaning against a wall, passionately discussing with a [...]



Fishy Republic of Iran

By Kamangir • Nov 27th, 2006 • Category: Iran

A plane carrying Sepah crew and their families took off from Tehran for Shiraz, but landed in Tehran, all burnt out. Sepah’s chief commander first addressed the incident as something “carrying significant information”, because “it has happened in the Basij week [a week in the clanedar is assigned to appreciating Basij's rule in the society]” [...]



Scenes from Friday Prayers

By Kamangir • Nov 25th, 2006 • Category: Iran

He is the youngest Mullah I have ever seen.



Islamic Republic Supporters

By Kamangir • Nov 25th, 2006 • Category: Iran

To all the curious people who ask who will fight for the Islamic Republic. When you have lost half your life for something, you are very likely to defend it, to implicitly defend yourself. Any way, I was thinking how it feels to walk in front of a huge banner which carries your own face…



When A Nation Commits Suicide, or Crack In The Toilet

By Kamangir • Nov 24th, 2006 • Category: Iran

Like many other countries, the average Iranian is a serious fan of sports, especially football. Unlike many of those countries, most of these fans have nothing else valuable in their lives. In a country where sex before marriage is illegal, listening to “good” music is technically an offense, and you may have to pay a [...]



Israel, You Are The Reason

By Kamangir • Nov 22nd, 2006 • Category: Iran

It seems to be a military thing to show their physical preparedness by kicking vases and doing Karate, while no one really uses these old ways of killing and amputating people any more. Any way, there was a 12,000-member Basij-of-workplace meeting in Tehran. Although, Basij is a volunteer group with no connection to the state, [...]



UCLA Abuse.2, Or Muslim Against Muslim

By Kamangir • Nov 21st, 2006 • Category: Iran

The victim of the UCLA incident was an American abused by the American system. However, many of us preferred to look at him through his connections to Iran or Islam. Still, we are not sure if Mostafa Tabatabainejad can read Persian or if he says his prayers, but after all, this was a good [...]



Idiot of The Year

By Kamangir • Nov 20th, 2006 • Category: Iran

People of the world! Help! Time is carrying out a poll to find the man of the year and guess what, Ahmadinejad is enjoying most votes. I really don’t know what some people find in him, but any how, please! Help! And let’s cheat, the Youtube guys deserve the vote, not only because Youtube is [...]



The Trouble With Islam Today, A Book To Read

By Kamangir • Nov 20th, 2006 • Category: Iran

I have just found the book “The Trouble With Islam Today“. The Persian, Arabic, and Urdu versions of the book are freely available now. Let’s see what she has to say.



Pirates Of The Caribbean, Zionism, and Conspiracy

By Kamangir • Nov 20th, 2006 • Category: Iran

Please watch this video to know the relationship between Pirates Of The Caribbean, Zionism, and conspiracy. Thanks to Western Wall for the link.



For The Record,

By Kamangir • Nov 19th, 2006 • Category: Iran

Only for the record: Tehrani “students” clashed with police in front of Azerbaijan’s embassy. It seems that a newspaper in Baku has published another blasphemous article. Frankly, I don’t even care.



I Hate So I Am

By Kamangir • Nov 19th, 2006 • Category: Iran

The recent event in UCLA brought about new insight into the hidden layers of our e-society.The story began from blogs. Personally, I first heard of the story in Iranian Truth. I was so shocked that I copied the post (which is now modified) in my blog and also in here. Then, I tried to [...]



Life in The Airport (Updated)

By Kamangir • Nov 19th, 2006 • Category: Iran

“We Drink and Bathe from the Toilets” — Iranian Dissident Trapped 73 Days in Moscow Airport - Exclusive Pajamas Media Video (see).

Lisa says she is to be sent back to Iran on Monday. If that happens she is likely to end up in prison.
Sign a petition to support her (see)



Update: Petition to Condemn UCPD

By Kamangir • Nov 17th, 2006 • Category: Iran

Please sign the petition (see).

We condemn the recent excessive and unnecessary force used in the case of the Iranian American student abused at the UCLA Powell Library. This is a case of police brutality and warrants immediate action taken against the police involved. Please support this cause by signing the petition to further investigations in [...]



T-Shirt For The UCLA Student

By Kamangir • Nov 17th, 2006 • Category: Iran

Designed by Esra’a and Sankar from Mideast Youth.
p.s. When I checked a few hours ago, more than 500,000 people had watched the video in youtube.



More News (2)

By Kamangir • Nov 16th, 2006 • Category: Iran

This is an excerpt of this piece.

But according to a study published in the Lancet Medical Journal in 2001, a charge of three to five seconds can result in immobilization for five to 15 minutes, which would mean that Tabatabainejad could have been physically unable to stand when the officers demanded that he do so.
“It [...]



More News

By Kamangir • Nov 16th, 2006 • Category: Iran

More information is coming out regarding the horrible treatment of Mostafa Tabatabainejad, 23, an Iranian student in UCLA, by the police (see). AP Wire says “Tabatabainejad encouraged others at the library to join his resistance. When a crowd began to gather the police used the stun gun on him”. He actually did, by screaming, though. [...]



Iranian American Student Abused By UCLA UCPD With Tazer Gun

By Kamangir • Nov 16th, 2006 • Category: Iran

This is copied from Iranian Truth. He also links to a video showing the scene. This is bizarre.

UCPD officers shot a student several times with a Taser inside the Powell Library CLICC computer lab late Tuesday night before taking him into custody.
No university police officers were available to comment further about the incident as of [...]



Sinking Ship and The Drunk Captain

By Kamangir • Nov 15th, 2006 • Category: Iran

Imagine that you are in a ship, which is sinking, and that at the middle of the disaster you have to watch the captain dancing nude on the deck with a silly music. This is basically who many Iranians feel these days. To have a sense of it read these,



Clergy Salute

By Kamangir • Nov 12th, 2006 • Category: Iran

For your information, you can salute with an Ammameh (the clergy’s hat)* (see).
*- As I remember, at least in the Iranian army code, you can salute only if you are wearing a military hat.
p.s. Clergy-soldier is another one of the Islamic Republic’s inventions (see).



Intimidation, Conspiracy, Satellite, and Internet

By Kamangir • Nov 10th, 2006 • Category: Iran

The four red arrows show the words intimidation, conspiracy, satellite, and Internet. The picture is taken from Ahmadinejad’s speech in a Basij-related annual meeting. Link for Iranian viewers (see) (see).
p.s. It also lists brain drain, which Ahmadinejad does not believe in.

p.s.2. The Persian word used here means “stealing brains”, not brain drain.



The Mandatory Religious Experience

By Kamangir • Nov 10th, 2006 • Category: Iran

Religion, especially Islam, and it effects on the individual and the society have been a constant subject for my posts, in my blog and elsewhere. Having asked the same questions over and over, I have come up with typical answers.
To justify the claim that religion has nothing to do with the daily pictures of terror [...]