A few days ago, when Hossein Derakhshan’s (a.k.a. Hoder) problems with his hosting had just started, I wrote a post about an anti-semitic remark he had made in his blog, “nothing can stop him [Mehdi Khalaji] and his wealthy influential warmonger Jewish Supporters”. He then wrote another post in his Persian blog in which he also suggested that “Khalaji’s lawyer is also a Jew”. He continued, “I know that Kamangir is now going to write about this in his English blog to make Israelis not let me go in there ever” [Persian]. In fact, it might be to his benefit to be banned from going to Israel. Furthermore, he might even dream about being known as the Islamic Republic’s guy.

It is a well-known fact that Derakhshan lives off blogging. After his quarrels with roozonline.com, one of the last places he worked for as a web designer, it is understandable that he needs to find a source of income. Despite the public rumor that he is paid by the Islamic Republic, I think he is not. That is only what he seems to have started dreaming about lately. Two days ago, he wrote about his new plans to get back to school on September (according to public knowledge, he has not finished his bachelors yet). Mentioning the 16,000 Euros he needs for the tuitions every year, he writes,

I am starting to think that whoever is willing to pay me that money, I don’t care who they are. It can be a scholarship from the US, or the European Union, or the UK, or even the Islamic Republic. I have sent emails and have called everyone I knew in every places. There is no hope yet….I wish it was like the Shah’s time that the regime would support opposition students to go abroad and study. I wish the Islamic Republic, which is using our oil money, would be so tolerant to give financial support to any Iranian who was willing to get back to the country, whether or not they said their prayers, or supported the veil, or ate alcohol and pork, or supported the ideology of the Islamic Republic [Persian].

One of the last supporters of Derakhshan, Nazli Kamvari (a.k.a. Sibiltala), recently asked him about the rumors that he is in contact with the Iranian Embassy in France, the country he has been staying in recently [Persian]. Derakhshan responded angrily to that question and called it a big lie. The recent pace of events seems to indicate that the rumors might have not been so false. I, personally, think the only way for Derakhshan out of the current deadlock is to get back to Iran and to spare himself, obviously after he goes through the confession and self-condemnation ritual. It seems that he is thinking about the same thing.

Update: Bikhaanemoon translates another part of Nazli’s post in the comments,

In the same post, Nazli recalls:

Last year, I complained to Hossein: “Buddy, you went deep down into Israel but you didn’t write a single word about the Palestinians.” He replied: “My trip was sponsored by people who probably wouldn’t be too happy if I had […] encounters with the Palestinians; I wanted to return to Israel and didn’t want to write something to anger them.”

Lisa, who was Hoder’s host in his first trip to Israel, does not agree at all. She writes in the comments,

Did Hoder *really* tell Nazli that he avoided meeting Palestinians because he thought the people who sponsored his trip wouldn’t be pleased…The reason he did not meet any Palestinians is simply that he was pathologically lazy and was not interested in anything beyond going to clubs and cafes in Tel Aviv and being invited out for dinners at nice restaurants.

Update II: A reader finds more falsehood in Hoder’s claims.

After he is kicked out of his host he writes [Persian],

Even more ironic is that a blog I was editing to cover internet censorship in Iran has also been shut down.

The fact is, a short while ago he wrote about the same blog [Persian],

Therefore, although this website has not been updated for almost a year, I now officially shut it down.