Speakers for Protest Against Ahmadinejad at UN

There are many reasons to protest against Ahmadinejad. Above is a sign I created and encourage all to print out and bring. It has not received an endorsement from WIMV-NY, but it adheres to their non-divisive guidelines.

Following is a press release from http://whereismyvoteny.org/

*UPDATED RALLY INFORMATION *

For those who would like to be there when Ahmadinejad is scheduled to
arrive at the United Nations, you will need to gather as early as
8:00-8:30AM to meet his motorcade.

The WIMV-NY program and rally will begin at 10:00 AM, when the United
Nations session is convened and during Ahmadinejad’s scheduled
address.

*The program information is as follows:*

*WHEN: *Monday, May 03, 2010 at 10:00 AM* *

*WHERE: *47th Street and 1st Avenue (Dag Hammarskjold Plaza)

*FEATURING*:

*Reza Aslan*, Best-selling Author, Scholar and
Commentator on the Middle East

"*Hadi Ghaemi*, Director of International Campaign for Human Rights in
Iran

"*Shirin Neshat*, Prominent Iranian Artist, Filmmaker, and Colleague of
Imprisoned Filmmaker Jafar Panahi

"*Faraz Sanei*, Researcher with the Middle East and North Africa
division of Human Rights Watch

"*Ali Akbar Mousavi-Khoeni*, Former Iranian Member of Parliament and
Political Prisoner

"We ask that you please refrain from bringing any national flags. We
all love our countries and their symbols but at this action we strive
for a united event with a message that doesn’t appear factional."

Iran's Bait and Switch

by Julie Jigsawnovich

After visiting Iran, I learned that women there have fewer rights than women in many other predominantly muslim countries including Syria, Egypt and Malaysia. It seemed peculiar that the IRI recently withdrew their audacious attempt at membership in the U.N. Human Rights Council, only to announce their plans to join the U.N. Commission for the Status of Women. This resembled a grasp at straws of ethical respectability, especially after the regime's brutal crackdown. The rape and murder of female and male opposition candidate supporters has been widely reported not only by the international press, but also addressed by elected officials inside Iran including Mehdi Karroubi.* 

Tuesday S.B. Anderlini, Hadi Ghaemi, and Dokhi Fassihian reported  that the UN's Commission for the Status of Women (CSW), comprising 45 countries, is the principal global policy-making body dedicated exclusively to the advancement of women. Its mandate is "to evaluate progress, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide."


"Iran does not deserve a spot on the commission; it should earn it by providing Iranian women their basic human rights. Yet on Wednesday, Iran is likely to ascend to the CSW because it agreed to pull out of running for the Human Rights Council in exchange for securing an uncontested seat for the CSW. That it can do so, with such ease, is a denigration of the very principles for which the CSW and UN stand." 

Israel Nukes? Iran Nukes? U.N. Review of Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Opens Next Week

Haaretz reports: "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will likely be granted a visa to attend the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference that opens in New York next week, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

The "May 3-28 conference at U.N. headquarters…is intended to assess compliance with the landmark arms control pact."

"Egypt and other Arab states are demanding that any final declaration that might come out of the conference include a renewed call for the creation of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East - meaning that Israel, which is assumed to have nuclear weapons - would have to disarm."

Israel is widely believed to have a sizable nuclear arsenal although it has not acknowledged it.

Egypt is also demanding the convening of an international conference next year with Israel's participation to discuss that issue. Diplomats said the United States and Russia are trying to find a way to satisfy Egypt's demands."

Strategies for Green Outreach in Iran

by Julie Jigsawnovich

An Iranian friend asked me, "What do you think is the best method to get the Green Movement's aims across? The outreach is to get less well-off people in Iran to support the movement. If they do, we will succeed". I answered:

1. Give children's shoes to poor people. kafsh-e bachche be mardom faqir dahid.
2. Volunteer to teach people to read. mardom khaandan aamuzesh daad.
3. Volunteer in health clinics. dar darmangah ha nirooye davtalab begirid.
4. Volunteer in shelters for people at risk. dar panaahgah ha baraye mardom nirooye davtalab begirid.
Charity work matters a lot. Some mothers in Iran don't send their children to school because they don't have money to buy shoes for their children. And some mothers enroll their children in religious schools because they don't have enough money for other schools. Basij recruits are often from poor neighborhoods. There seems to be a lot of class snobbery in Iran. Maybe poor people are frustrated, and think the only way they can enjoy a reasonable standard of living is if they work for the security forces. Show them alternatives. Show how the Green Movement would improve their education, etc. for a better life--so they don't have to brutalize their fellow Iranians as their job. Another Iranian friend pointed out that, "Ahmadinejad gave poor people some foods and fruits before the election--then they submited their vote for him".

5. Show a plan for how the Green Movement would manage the resources and economy better. tarhi baraye inke chetor jonbeshe sabz betavanad eghtesad ra edare konad erae dahid.

6.Show people how they could make more money if trade sanctions were removed and normal trade relations established. be mardom neshan dahid ke agar tahrim ha bardashte shavad chegoone mitavanand poole bishtary be dast aavarand.

7. Show that Green Movement is against Israel building on East Jerusalem. That's a big selling point for the regime to attract the attention of Muslims. And they are correct on that point, anyway. It's not a radical position. Israel should not be building on Palestinian land. It's illegal and it must stop--even the chief of the United Nations said that.

8. Show Muslims and secular people working together and respecting each other. neshan dahid ke mardome secular va mardome mosalman mitavanand dar kenare ham zendegi konand va be yekdigar ehteram begzarand. Have secular Green Movement talk about the beauty of mosque architecture. Find Muslims living in secular countries who lead happy lives, do good works and practice their religion--and have them talk about what it is like for them living in a country with no Sharia laws.

9. Show people that the Green Movement is proud of Iranian history, and Eastern culture. be mardom neshan dahid ke jonbeshe sabz eftekhare tarikhe iranian va farhange shargh ast. And bring up the fact that the great Iranian leader Soroush (Cyrus) wrote the first human rights document, allowed people of different religions to practice their religions, and he freed slaves.

10. Show how laws must be reformed so that women's rights increase. neshan dahid ke chegoone ghavanin bayad dobare tadvin shavand agar hoghooghe zanaan bishtar shavad. Show which laws the Green Movement wants to reform so that women have more freedom not only in terms of what they choose to wear, but whether they want their children to live with them after a divorce, how much their testimony counts in court, whether they can be exonerated if they kill someone in self-defense, and whether they have access to abortion and to the morning after pill--at minimum in the case of rape. Address employment discrimination against women. There are more female college graduates than male, but fewer of them are hired. Plus, I've heard there are 100,000 prostitutes in Tehran, maybe more in Qom. Show them how the Green Movement could create opportunities for better jobs.

2nd UPDATE: I've received many responses to the ideas in this article, and will publish more of them soon in an upcoming article. Here's a lengthy response: http://jigsawnovich.blogspot.com/2010/04/basij-green-movement-social-justice-and.html

UPDATE: My friend Dalir said, "I'm all for the aforementioned ideas on how The Green Movement can reach Iranians. I would add: an overhaul of the judicial system, invest in education, technology (non-military), agriculture and medical related issues."

Taliban Makeover

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/world/asia/21taliban.html?hp

Taliban Overhaul Their Image in Bid to Win Allies

"The Taliban’s spiritual leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, issued a lengthy directive late last spring outlining a new code of conduct for the Taliban. The dictates include bans on suicide bombings against civilians, burning down schools, or cutting off ears, lips and tongues.
The code, which has been spottily enforced, does not necessarily mean a gentler insurgency. Although the Taliban warned some civilians away before the assault on the heart of Kabul on Monday, they were still responsible for three-quarters of civilian casualties last year, according to the United Nations."

Artwork Created During Hunger Strike

artwork (c)artist, photo (c)Sara Rahai

reported by Julie Jigsawnovich

On July 22nd, during the first of the three-day of the hunger strike near the United Nations headquarters in New York City in support of Iranian protesters demanding democracy, freedom and human rights, Iranian Architect Soheil Tavakoli created a painting live, on site--combining imagery of Tehran's Azadi Tower, the UN building and protesters bearing signs including one that said, "I am Neda"--a reference to the the slain protest bystander who became a symbol of the movement. With characteristic Iranian forbearance, Tavakoli said he purposely left the work "unfinished so that it could be completed by other people's signatures." Tavakoli has also designed a memorial for the contemporary Iranian poet, Shamlou, who, "during his life just talked about freedom." Tavakoli now plans to also include in the memorial the names of the many persons who have died in the violent crackdown on protesters following the recent presidential election in the Islamic Republic.

The hunger strike continues today and tomorrow, and Tavokoli will be there with fresh canvases and new designs. Hunger strike participants are invited to sign the work. Saturday, July 25th there will be a rally starting at Times Square at 12:30, marching to the Iranian Mission to the United Nations, and then on to the United Nations headquarters at 1st Avenue and East 47th St. Both events are hosted by the New York Chapter of Where is My Vote? For more information, see:
http://strike4iran.com/
http://united4iran.com/
http://www.whereismyvote.org/
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=88843365838
http://soheiltavakoli.com

UPDATE: This painting reportedly sold for $2,000. at an auction on the last day of the hunger strike.
http://img266.yfrog.com/i/61p.jpg/