There are comments on this article as posted on Iranian.com. That site has an amazing number of page views per day. It's a great site, and a great community. http://www.iranian.com/main/blog/jigsawnovich/irans-sepah-more-secular-or-simply-more-severe
by Julie Jigsawnovich
Dictators may or may not be religious. There is speculation in the US about whether Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Sepah, will become less and less religious as they seize more and more control over businesses and industries in Iran. The following news story might reinforce this speculation. But does it really mean that Sepah is becoming more secular? And if they did become more secular, would this result in an easing up on laws supposedly based on religion in Iran? Would the great irony of brutal secular dictators granting more personal freedoms of expression--as long as they did not challenge the State--occur? Well, from what I've seen, don't hold your breath for that. Religion is a mighty power in Iran, and a useful one. Sepah may instead be simply positioning themselves to perpetrate an even more severe round of political repression, exceeding even that of the clerics.
Some of my Iranian friends are secular and some are devout Muslims. Those who are religious resent the regime's exploitation and corruption of Islam as a means to the end of brutal repression. Those who are secular deeply resent having religion and Sharia laws forced upon them, and would prefer a separation of religion and state. Within the context of awareness of their concerns, I read the following article with great interest.
www.ayandenews.com/news/14482/
via Tehran Bureau headlines
"IRGC Chief: Preserving regime more sacred than Islamic prayers
According to Sepah News, the official website of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Guards, in an IRGC meeting in the city of Urumiye on Wednesday, said "Preserving the Islamic Republic establishment is even more vital [a duty] than performing namaz" [Islamic daily prayers, the main pillar of Islam].
[This is the first time an IRGC commander appears to be issuing a religious edict. Some suggest it is a reformulation of an existing 1988 fatwa by Ayatollah Khomeini.]
'No one dares to claim that the Islamic Republic regime must be destroyed, and no one must dare to challenge the principles of this establishment,' Jafari added.29 Oct 2009"
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Seeking Refuge: Mahdyar Flees the Crackdown on Iran's Hip-Hop
Photo by Farbud Akhtarryby Julie Ashcraft (A.K.A. Jigsawnovich)
18-Oct-2009
At the tender age of 17, Mahdyar Aghajani produced the critically acclaimed, top-selling album, Jangale Asphalt (Asphalt Jungle) by Iranian rapper, Hichkas. Taking an art form that sprang from the streets of New York into their own hands, Mahdyar and Hichkas teamed up to create a uniquely Iranian Hip Hop sound, with Mahdyar incorporating traditional Persian instruments and tonalities. Yet, Hip Hop is forbidden in Iran, and the authorities there soon came looking for Hichkas and Mahdyar. Hichkas remains in Tehran, but Mahdyar fled the country. He spoke with me a few days ago, from Paris.
What are you working on now?
Mahdyar: Six albums, one film. The albums are Reveal, Quf, Bahman Ghobadi, my own instrumental album, a London based alternative band, and Hichkas' new album. And the film is 60 Seconds about Us by Bahman Ghobadi.
Plus, you told me that you made two songs for, and play yourself in, Ghobadi's film, No One Knows About Persian Cats--which won the Un Certain Regard and the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. This film is about the underground music scene in Tehran. Do you miss Tehran yet?
Mahdyar: Sometimes...somethings...'someones.' But the thing is, right now I have lots of things to think about. I'm in a kind of survival mode.
Was it a culture shock coming to Europe--women wearing fewer clothes, etc.?
Mahdyar: Not at all. My friends in Berlin, they were like, "Look at this building, look at this bar, look at these chicks--why aren't you surprised?!" And I was like, "I traveled outside of Iran a few times when I was a kid. Maybe that's the reason."
Where did you go when you were a kid?
Singapore, Malaysia, Emirates and Turkey. But I think that's not the reason.
Are private parties in Tehran like parties in other countries?
Mahdyar: They are like parties here in Paris, exactly the same.
You are finding it easy to adapt to living in Europe?
Mahdyar: Because of cultural differences, or because of starting a life from zero?
I was thinking of cultural differences. Starting a life from zero would probably be hard anywhere.
Mahdyar: There is no cultural difference, I think. I mean, we were living the same, except we were living "underground" that way.
The big difference is your music is not illegal in the West. You don't have to fear being arrested and imprisoned just for making a particular genre of music. That's a big change.
Mahdyar: Yes it is. And it's the main reason I got out of Iran.
What is it like to have freedom of expression now?
Mahdyar: I always had freedom of expression. When you really don't care about being arrested or dying--you always, wherever, whenever you are--you are free.
You are finding it easy to adapt to living in Europe?
Mahdyar: Because of cultural differences, or because of starting a life from zero?
I was thinking of cultural differences. Starting a life from zero would probably be hard anywhere.
Mahdyar: There is no cultural difference, I think. I mean, we were living the same, except we were living "underground" that way.
The big difference is your music is not illegal in the West. You don't have to fear being arrested and imprisoned just for making a particular genre of music. That's a big change.
Mahdyar: Yes it is. And it's the main reason I got out of Iran.
What is it like to have freedom of expression now?
Mahdyar: I always had freedom of expression. When you really don't care about being arrested or dying--you always, wherever, whenever you are--you are free.
I heard Hichkas was arrested a while back. Was the Iranian government looking to arrest you too?
Mahdyar: I was always on the list. I was making all of Hichkas' music. He was mentioning my name in his lyrics. But their first goal was to arrest Hichkas, because he had the most influence on people.
When did they first arrest him?
Mahdyar: Two or three years ago, after releasing the Jangale Asphalt album.
Were there lyrics to songs on Jangale Asphalt that the government didn't like? Or did they dislike it because Hip Hop is "Western music?"
Mahdyar: Both. Mainly because of the political lyrics, but there are so many rappers rapping political lyrics. The thing is, he was so famous. Everyone was listening to his tracks. They liked it, and he had lots of fans.
Which songs had political lyrics the government didn't like?
Mahdyar: "Ghanoon" and "Ekhtelaf." But they didn't say it was because of the lyrics. They said there was a problem because he is a rapper, and he is polluting the culture! And because he was the most known, he was targeted in their efforts to destroy Iranian Hip Hop.
Ghanoon is about things happening in the streets. Everyone is aggressive and all, but it's not their fault. It's because of the government that we have, that everyone hates everyone. And in the chorus he says, "Look, don't handcuff me. Why do you say, 'Shut up,' when you arrest me? I'm just a sacrifice from the jungle," --someone who they kill in Islam like a sheep for the god. I dunno the word in English. He says "I'm ghorbani from the jungle." Ghorbani: the animal they kill for the sake of god.
When he was rapping about them treating him like a sacrifice, did people listening to it think he was criticizing the Islamic regime in a religious way too?
Mahdyar: Yes, of course. He, himself, believes in Islam. But he knows that the government is using and changing Islam against people. He finishes one of his verses in "Ghanoon" like this: "I'm innocent, God is my witness. Or did someone pay God a bribe too?"
Do you express love in your music sometimes?
Mahdyar: Not really. Most of my songs, like 99%, have a sad theme. And I haven't made any tracks about a girl, or love.
There is a lot of "sadness music" in Iran. I think sadness is part of the culture.
Mahdyar: It is.
But the sadness is beautiful.
Mahdyar: I love it. Sometimes I want to be sad. I kinda like the feeling. But for some time now, I'm already so sad, that I'm looking hard for happiness.
It can't be easy, being an artist fleeing political persecution.
Mahdyar: My first night in Berlin was very hard. I was told that someone would pick me up with his car from the airport, and put me in a ready home studio--with a fridge full of food, and a cell phone, and money, and all the things that are needed for a life. So I should only think about my music, and do my music--completely focused and free. But when I came to Berlin, there was nothing, no one.
I rented a room in an apartment. I got to the apartment with the metro--carrying all of my tools and life with me. When I got to the room, the owner wasn't there. Someone showed me my room, and said, "You sleep here." Every door was locked. Just my room and toilet. No food in the kitchen.
The owner was an artist. I didn't know that. In the room there was a lot of blood on the ceiling and walls. And the apartment was in the ghetto. Some drunk guys were fighting each other in the street, yelling.
What happened in that room!? What was the blood from?!!
It was paint, I think. But he put it there like blood. I will tell you about him later. In that situation, I was thinking, "What did I do--leaving the life I had made in Tehran with my own hands for this." But it became right the second night. The artist was a 30yr old, cool guy. He listened to some of my music and he was so excited. We became friends.
In Berlin, after one month, I made a life again. I had a home studio. I had friends and artists around me. The city was great. Everything seemed to be going well again, until my visa expired.
They told me don't worry. You'll go to Paris--again the same--you go straight to your ready home studio and lawyers are going to get you a two year business visa in a day. But when I came, again there was nothing. I couldn't even find a place to sleep.
I found a lawyer the day after, and talked with him. He told me to forget getting a long visa. The only way is to ask for refugee status, and that is so hard to get.
Mahdyar's case is in court. Reveal's album, and Quf's album, will be released soon. Mahdyar is looking for a studio, to master Quf's album.
AUTHOR Julie Jigsawnovich is an artist who visited Iran a few weeks before the election. She lives in New York, and can be contacted at Jigsawnovich1 (at) gmail.com. This article was first published in Persianesque Magazine, and later published on Iranian.com http://www.iranian.com/main/2009/oct/seeking-refuge
Mahdyar: I was always on the list. I was making all of Hichkas' music. He was mentioning my name in his lyrics. But their first goal was to arrest Hichkas, because he had the most influence on people.
When did they first arrest him?
Mahdyar: Two or three years ago, after releasing the Jangale Asphalt album.
Were there lyrics to songs on Jangale Asphalt that the government didn't like? Or did they dislike it because Hip Hop is "Western music?"
Mahdyar: Both. Mainly because of the political lyrics, but there are so many rappers rapping political lyrics. The thing is, he was so famous. Everyone was listening to his tracks. They liked it, and he had lots of fans.
Which songs had political lyrics the government didn't like?
Mahdyar: "Ghanoon" and "Ekhtelaf." But they didn't say it was because of the lyrics. They said there was a problem because he is a rapper, and he is polluting the culture! And because he was the most known, he was targeted in their efforts to destroy Iranian Hip Hop.
Ghanoon is about things happening in the streets. Everyone is aggressive and all, but it's not their fault. It's because of the government that we have, that everyone hates everyone. And in the chorus he says, "Look, don't handcuff me. Why do you say, 'Shut up,' when you arrest me? I'm just a sacrifice from the jungle," --someone who they kill in Islam like a sheep for the god. I dunno the word in English. He says "I'm ghorbani from the jungle." Ghorbani: the animal they kill for the sake of god.
When he was rapping about them treating him like a sacrifice, did people listening to it think he was criticizing the Islamic regime in a religious way too?
Mahdyar: Yes, of course. He, himself, believes in Islam. But he knows that the government is using and changing Islam against people. He finishes one of his verses in "Ghanoon" like this: "I'm innocent, God is my witness. Or did someone pay God a bribe too?"
Do you express love in your music sometimes?
Mahdyar: Not really. Most of my songs, like 99%, have a sad theme. And I haven't made any tracks about a girl, or love.
There is a lot of "sadness music" in Iran. I think sadness is part of the culture.
Mahdyar: It is.
But the sadness is beautiful.
Mahdyar: I love it. Sometimes I want to be sad. I kinda like the feeling. But for some time now, I'm already so sad, that I'm looking hard for happiness.
It can't be easy, being an artist fleeing political persecution.
Mahdyar: My first night in Berlin was very hard. I was told that someone would pick me up with his car from the airport, and put me in a ready home studio--with a fridge full of food, and a cell phone, and money, and all the things that are needed for a life. So I should only think about my music, and do my music--completely focused and free. But when I came to Berlin, there was nothing, no one.
I rented a room in an apartment. I got to the apartment with the metro--carrying all of my tools and life with me. When I got to the room, the owner wasn't there. Someone showed me my room, and said, "You sleep here." Every door was locked. Just my room and toilet. No food in the kitchen.
The owner was an artist. I didn't know that. In the room there was a lot of blood on the ceiling and walls. And the apartment was in the ghetto. Some drunk guys were fighting each other in the street, yelling.
What happened in that room!? What was the blood from?!!
It was paint, I think. But he put it there like blood. I will tell you about him later. In that situation, I was thinking, "What did I do--leaving the life I had made in Tehran with my own hands for this." But it became right the second night. The artist was a 30yr old, cool guy. He listened to some of my music and he was so excited. We became friends.
In Berlin, after one month, I made a life again. I had a home studio. I had friends and artists around me. The city was great. Everything seemed to be going well again, until my visa expired.
They told me don't worry. You'll go to Paris--again the same--you go straight to your ready home studio and lawyers are going to get you a two year business visa in a day. But when I came, again there was nothing. I couldn't even find a place to sleep.
I found a lawyer the day after, and talked with him. He told me to forget getting a long visa. The only way is to ask for refugee status, and that is so hard to get.
Mahdyar's case is in court. Reveal's album, and Quf's album, will be released soon. Mahdyar is looking for a studio, to master Quf's album.
AUTHOR Julie Jigsawnovich is an artist who visited Iran a few weeks before the election. She lives in New York, and can be contacted at Jigsawnovich1 (at) gmail.com. This article was first published in Persianesque Magazine, and later published on Iranian.com http://www.iranian.com/main/2009/oct/seeking-refuge
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Iran Seeks to Create Blood Refinery
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=107258§ionid=3510210
Iran is seeking to create a blood refinery, steeply accelerating blood product manufacturing. The Revolutionary Guards control the major industries in Iran. And they oversaw the arrest of a reported 4,000 protesters. Was all that plasma was donated voluntarily?
Iran is seeking to create a blood refinery, steeply accelerating blood product manufacturing. The Revolutionary Guards control the major industries in Iran. And they oversaw the arrest of a reported 4,000 protesters. Was all that plasma was donated voluntarily?
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Iranian Street Art: ICY Melts My Heart
by Julie Ashcraft A.K.A. Jigsawnovich
Artist ICY seems to have a heart brimming with the highest form of human love, and it gently reaches out from his art to connect with viewers. Even officers from the LAPD admired his works on paper at the opening of the From the Streets of Iran exhibit at the Crewest Gallery in Los Angeles, California. This may break stereotypes, since ICY got his start as a graffiti stencil artist. ICY told me, "About two years ago, I was working my stencil, Boy in Mindful, in a crowded street of Tabriz, Iran--when suddenly police officers arrested me and took me to a police station. They detained me for about 20 hours. But because this work was not political, they released me."
Undeterred, ICY's work has grown increasingly political, in that it advocates peace from within the context of a regime holding weekly chants demanding death to several countries. For marches celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, ICY made a cardboard cutout painting of a chador wearing woman carrying a child who holds the Persian script word, "Peace." He put this painting on a stick, and it was carried in the marches. I asked him how people there responded. ICY replied, "Some of the people like it, but there are lots of people that reject us and works."
A Tabriz postal worker recently prevented ICY from mailing several paintings to the Crewest Gallery, because the paintings had the color green--associated with the Iranian freedom, democracy and human rights movement. Ironically, a painting by ICY's younger brother, SOT, depicting a man using blood-red paint to cover a stencil of Mousavi's face, successfully made it to the gallery--as Raja Abdulrahim reported in the Los Angeles Times. After suggesting to ICY that perhaps he could enclose his paintings inside more conventional paintings, and attempt to mail them again, I asked whether he did. ICY replied, "No. I sent just two of them, Peace Girl and War against Peace. Protest and Freedom are still in Iran."
Noticing that his fellow artists in the exhibit are all male, I asked ICY whether there are any female Iranian street artists. ICY replied, "Not now, but 5 years ago one female artist, 'Salome,' did some graffiti writing in Tehran."
ICY's work is shown together with work by SOT, FRZ, MAD and CK1 in the exhibit, From the Streets of Iran, which continues through September 26th at the Crewest gallery in Los Angeles. For more information, please visit
www.crewest.com
Monday, September 7, 2009
VIDEO: Palestians protest land seizure
Non-violent Palestinian protests over stolen land are met with tear gas, green slime, arrests, detainment, by Israeli forces. A barrier built by Israel, which even an Israeli court declared illegal, remains.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/09/200994121346155494.html
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/09/200994121346155494.html
Friday, September 4, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Increased Sanctions Proposed Against Iran
Proposed legislation addresses nuclear issues. No mention is made of human rights violations.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.2194:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.2194:
Friday, August 28, 2009
Iran Uranium Enrichment "Slowed"
The UN nuclear watchdog sys Iran has slowed its enriched uranium production, but continues to install the centrifuge machines needed for the process.
The findings are in the latest report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Read the article here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8227975.stm
The findings are in the latest report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Read the article here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8227975.stm
Monday, August 24, 2009
Data on Religions
religious teachings on sex
(Apparently Pagans are off the charts!)
http://flowingdata.com/2009/07/10/religious-teachings-on-sex/
religious geography of the united states
http://flowingdata.com/2009/08/17/religious-geography-of-the-united-states/
(Apparently Pagans are off the charts!)
http://flowingdata.com/2009/07/10/religious-teachings-on-sex/
religious geography of the united states
http://flowingdata.com/2009/08/17/religious-geography-of-the-united-states/
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