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Iranian Prospect
Qmkl Mem rieri,1ranian Journalist in this webiog c ls to s tu tiQn of
democr cy a d vil society and peci IIy youth in Iran today.. .and talk about
some daily events... and some personal experiences
Tue day, April .20, 2904
The dragons and the assocaitions
Some of the reformists have established an NGO to support the
rights of political prisoner. I think this is the new way for reformist
to look forward their goals. At the same time the entry of politician
will have some dangers for the civil society sphere. Because during
the recent years, conservatives were not sensitive to this section
but now it will change. Of course there will be not any danger for
the NGOs who are working on humanitarian aids or supporting the
patients of even development NGOs. But NGOs which are near to
human right and freedom express will have more problems. The
dragon pays attention uncier his feet. Civil society organizations are
the next purpose for dragons. But this time they are vary careful.
What will they do? They will build a counterfeit civil society. How?
Whenever the democrats (I prefer to use democrats instead of
reformists) establish a civil association they establish another one
with a similar name. So our civil society has two faces. In many
conferences they attend as the representative of real civil society.
But they are not. I want to write a comment on this subject.... But
its too late....it is 4 am Woh!!!!!!!!!
Posted t Y Omid / 4/20/2004 Q4 : 2:
It is 2 am. I can not spleep these days. i have to work hard. now I
am working on a paper about microcredit in Afghanistan.
Aifier it I will edit an interview and then finish a unfinished
comment. ..I think it takes long even till 5 a.m.
Posted y: Ornid / 4/20/2004 02 :3 :l0 PM
Peace Prize winners honored
Dalai Lama, Tutu and Ebadi visit B.C.
VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Three Nobel Peace Prize winners were honored
by the University of British Columbia yesterday for their non-violent
resolutions to world conflict.
The Daiai Lama, retired South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu
and hurnan-rjghts activist Shirin Ebadi spoke to a gathering at the
university before being granted honorary degrees.(Continued...)
(Thank you charlie for sending the link)
Posted by: Omid / 4/20/2004 09:47;44 AM
__http://www.omidmemarian.blogspotcom/
LinI s
Gooy website
Women 0 r n
Hoder(Hoss n ber hsha@)
Mohammad ji Abta)'u
Tehran Avenite
Masoud l3ehno d
GOc)ya PoDular Websi e
‘f hoo Phot
View from rar1 ,.
Edit-Me
SPOO 147
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OS/O 1/2003
09/01/2003
10/01/2003
11/01/2003
12/01/2003
02/01/2004
03/01/2004
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Archiv
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Iranian Prospe
Page 2 of 11
Th,e dragons and the ass.ocaitions
Soi e of the reform ists have establishes an NGO to support the rights of political
pilsoner. I think this s tI e new way for reformist to look forward their goals. At the
same time the entry of politkia will have some dangers for the civil society sphere.
Because during tlierecen years, conservatives were not sensitive to this section
byt now wfl change. Of course there will be not any danger for the NGOs who are
working hurnariiiarian aids or supporting the patients of even development
NGOs. But NGOs which are near to human right and freedom of express will have
more pr e ns The dragon pays attention under his feet. Civil society organizations
are the !lext purpose for dragons. But this time they are vary careful. What will they
do? They w l! build a counterfeit civil society. How? Whenever the democrats (I
prefer to use democrats instead of reformists) establish a civil association they
establish another one with a similar name. So our civil society has two faces. In
many conferences they attend as the representative of real civil society. But they
are not. I want to write a comment on this subject.... But its too late.. it is 4
Posted by: Oniid / 4/20/2004 04:30 48 AM
An oLicial Iranian delegation is in Baghdad at Washington's request to help resolve
the impasse between the US occupation authorities and Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr.
Middle East analyst Dilip Hiro says this underlies the influence that the
predominantly Shia Iran has on the neighbouring Iraqi Shias.
The Iranian influence is exercised through different channels - a phenomenon
helped by the fact that there is no single, centralised authority in Iran
Posted by: Omid / 4/20/2004 03:11:05 AM
r fl ceL P!i! 2$rna.t
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CARSON, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Galaxy and Iran national team canceled their
April 28 match because of problems securing the necessary paperwork for the
Iranians to travel....
Posted by: Omid ! 4/20/2004 03:04 55 AM
Shirin Ebadi and Dalai Lama
http://www.omidmemarian.blogspot.com/
4/20/2004
Iranian Prosp :t
Page 3 of 11
His Holiness the l4tbpalai Lama (C), Professor Shirin Ebadi of Iran (L) and South
African Archbishop Des.fliondTutu leave the stage after receiving honorary degrees
from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, April 19, 200& Tenzin Gyatso,
has lived in exile in India since 1959, but he is still considered by many to be both
the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people. The Dalai Lama kicks oTh his
19 day tour of Canada with four days of lectures in Vancouver. REUTERS/Lyle
Stafford
Posted by: Omid / 4/20/2004 02:53:03 AM
Today the weather is rainy. Another newspaper will publish in the early weeks.
They called me to have cooperation with them. But I am really busy these days.
Today i have come to my sister home. Her Husband has gone to the China for
business and I spend my time with her. We are twin.
Posted by: Omid / 4/20/2004 01:20:18 AM
The similarities between Iranian civil society and European civil society especially in
women NGOs
I had an interview with Simon Susskind the chief of Action in Mediterranean and
adviser of a minister in Belgium. She had implemented many projects about
dialogue between women in many countries. They have an exchange program
between Iranian women and Belgian women in next month with my institute. I will
publish the complete interview in a Persian newspaper next week. But here is a part
of it in English (Only two question and answers). Thank you Simon for your
kindness and sorry if it is not high quality edited...
ot .COmJ
4/20/2 004
Iranian Prospe t -
Page 4 of 11
1-Do you think that there are any common points in the Iranian and the European
civil society?
You know I am astonished to discover once again. There are many common points
between women In Iran and Europe. Until this morning that we met Dr. Jaleh Shadi
Talab and she told us how long and how diLicult it was for her to establish the
womens study center at university of Tehran. She was telling that when Mrs. Habibi
started working as an advisor of president Rafsanjani, she said listen we had one
home and now we have two homes .she explained that to get to this women center,
she had a fight to get it. They wanted to reach and .... But they wanted a center, a
women study center. So at the end, she explained they how had got the agreement
of the minister of the education. She had a copy rushed to the president of the
university, and finally she said that we will give you one home and he said that we
are not giving you any funding ,and you have to have it your self, then she started
to find the funding . And then she said that you have to attention to the rules, and
she did it. And it is exactly what happened in Europe it is not different at all. The
same fight is going on in Europe .here people believed that we have achieved any
thing in Europe. I will give you an example We had once in Belgium, a woman who
became a minister in Sweden. She called Aria Lind. She came for a conference. We
organized the conference on parity between men and women in Belgium. And she
told us that in Sweden they had more women than men in the government. They
have 43 % of women in the parliament .but in the field of university professors,
10% of women there are .and so on .... So we had much to do to push the women in
these fields like university and ... There is always something that we have to do.
And it is also very interesting that some women were saying what we have
achieved for instance”. Really we dont have women in government, but we have
achieved in the medium level a lot. Women in academia, in civil society, we have
developed very much in the last year. And this is also very important. So I see many
similarities, the tone is diLerent but the way is the same...
2-Are there any diLerences between instruments that women use?May be this is an
advantage. We blow the principle that we are equal. I will give you an example.
When I finished my studies at university, it was 1970; the women were not allowed
to open a bank account without organization of their husbands. So it is not such a
long time, so what we are fighting now, one of the men fought in Europe for
instance s two fights. One fight is to get in the political decision making. We are
fighting or the par y! We believe that it is important to have equal number of
women in 1 e papIiame or in the government. This is one fight. The other fight
which is not less important is to have agenda mainstreaming, which means that in
4/20/2004
Iranian Prospect
Page 5 of 11
alilevels of the social body, you have taking the consideration this issue of the
equaiity between the men and women. But this is not against men; it is going
together with the men. So these are priorities actually of women in Europe. You
must know also, u tiFhow in Europe, for equal positions, in general, women are
20% less than men, professionally. They have salaries, 20 %, less than men for the
same qualification :So this is an important objective also. I see similarities, which
are same isSueS-X LCafl see. Also the same awareness I can see in Europe, In the
Arab world, inIran, every where. And I believe that we have to reinforce the
networking at:thervational level. Women have understood that they had common
priorities inthe.society, with the differences, with the specifies. The objectives are
very similar.-
Posted by: W .•i& / 4/2012004 01:08:53 AM
Monday, April 19, 20 O•4
A journalist is dying because of long prison period and....
slamait I'ourlzand an Iranian journalist has a hard heart attack in prison and
perhaps in the. next: hours he dies. The security oLicials have sent him to the
hospital b:ut hi's: lirfeis really in danger. He has been in prison for more two years.
The nameofPOurzand was at the top of a list that European countries asked the
offcial to:firee hirn But it seems that the European countries that always talk about
human rightsih the public are concluding their contracts and their show 0Th has
n 1 otany effect of the life of journalist and the other people who are under the
torture andi pressure....
Posted by: 0i ii / 4/19/ 2004 02:57:49 AM
Shirin Ebadi has started a new way
L)uring the last days, Shirin Ebadi the Nobel peace prize has shown a new face of
herself in international scenes. After winning the prize many people talked about
the worthiness of her to achieve this prize. Some of them believed that there are
many other remarkable persons that are more eLective in peace or human rights.
Some of them talked that she has not the capacity for carrying the things that will
happen after it. And also many of people admired her. At that time I wrote a
comment in Yasseno paper and emphasized that the prize belong to civil society and
Ebadi really is worthy for the prize. She had a continually activities in many human
right and of course in civil society related activities. At that time she said that there
is no conflict between Islam and democracy and human rights but at the same time
she didn't use hejab for herself and sail that hejab is only a internal rule for people
in Iran but not something obligatory in Islam. It was the first point to confronting
. . . .. .
.,.
http ://www.omidmernarian:blogspot.cornl
4/20/2004
Iranian Prospect Page 6 of 11
with Islamic rules. Islan ic regime has set hejab as a obligatory rile foe women aifier
revolution. Conservatives and also some of the reformists -even- was astonished.
But she was the winner of Nobel Prize.. it has many expenses for them to object to
her. I remember A. few months before this event that Zahra eshraghi, grandchild of
Ayatollah Khomei i talked with Elaine Schiolino, the reporter of NTtimes about
hejab in Tehi an.. She said that we don't like hejab or something like this....so the
conservatives were, trying to hold demonstrations against her so she was compelled
to deny her interview. So you can see not to use hejab by Ebadi how was important.
It has symbolic meaning.
It passed arid now she little by little talks about things that show she knows the
responsibility of the prize. Many of social activist believe that Shirin Ebadi has to
play an in po!tant role in the. changes after election and it seems s e. !1a heard this
message. During her trip to Europe she has said some critical sentences about the
sit,i ,iat or, q gJ:r ayi. She has charged European countries that they are
transacting with conservatives because they didnt put the name of Iran in the list
of countries which have not observed the human right issues. She said i.gporing
situation of human iig 1 ht :. in iron is an insulting for democratic movem•er t Iran. She
appea re4 as an opposition, Who can believe it?
Now lust: aifier a few montits of winning the prize Ebadi show a picture of a woman
who has started a new way to continue her challenging. Is it a spark? Or it is a part
of process? We have to wait to answer it
Posted by: Omid / 4/19/2004 02:44:45 AM
Friday, April 16, 200 4
It is 3 am. i will work untill 6 . I can sleep untill 12.
Posted by: Ornid / 4/16/2004 03:22:21 AM
Today is friday and everyone is oL but I have to go to my oLice for a meeting. What
a boring day. I have waken up at 6 to prepare a report and then edit a interview for
newpa.per and also perpare the framfork of our next newsletter in our
center...Wohhhhh...
Posted by: / 4/16/2004 01:14 54 AM
T d Y, Apr 11 15,2 004
Wonderful! Q-hu Iranian Rock band. Shahram Sharbaf the vocalist and was my
classmate in high school. we were members of our school football team. He was
smart and kind. They left Iran because Islamic regime never let them to be active in
public, they prepared 2 album but they didnt let them to distribute them.
Posted by: Omid / 4/15/2004 04:35:39 PM
Kidnapped, , , a.led_beaten., over a bloodied T-shirt
Repression goes on while Iran seeks friendship with the West. Dan De Luce reports
from Tehran
Sunday April 4, 2004
The Observer
His handsome face was seen around the world. The photograph, used on the front
of the Economist magazine, showed Ahmad Batebi, his hands holding the
bloodstained T-shirt of a fellow student beaten by paramilitaries. His look of
indignation captured the mood of young Iranians demonstrating for democracy in
the summer of 1999.
4/20/2004
Iranian Prospect
Posted by: Ornid / 4/15/2004 04:07:09 PM
Posted by: Ornid / 4/15/2004 03:52:17 PM
BritamsoUltlrarl's he1j From correspondents in Washington
April 15, 2004
BRITA]Nir vited an Iranian delegation to visit Iraq in a bid to calm the volatile
se -urity si uation in the south and the United States did not object, a senior State
Departrnentofficial said today.
They were invited by the British,” the official said. “Obviously, we did not object.”
Posted by: Omid / 4/1$12004 02:59:07 PM
Page 7 otli
Voices in Iran StruggUng_t o Be.f1earApri [ U 20O4
Posted by: Omid / 4/15/2004 02:51:13 PM
U.N.:_Credibilily at Stake ;. ts ssion
Geneva, March 10, 2004) ? Instead of exposing human rights problems, the United
Nations Commission on Human Rights risks drawing a veil across some of the worst
human rights situations in the world, Human Rights Watch said today ahead of its
annual session.
Posted by: Omid / 4/15/2004 02:43:49 PM
MISSION TO THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN*
Posted by: Omid / 4/15/2004 02:41:10 PM
During the last days I was so busy. I was working on my book. Professor Yoones
p ...
4:
, 4t if CU
4/20/2004
Iranian Prospect Page 8 of 11
(Jonah) Shokrkhah whol was his student in journalism 4 days ago accepted to
write a preface for my hQok I really appreciate him here. I think he liked it. Beside
I am working on a magazine about microcredit funds for National Youth
Organization. At thesarne tinie have joined to a translation group to collect
materials for a book al Out Goed,.Governance. Fortunately a volunteer joined us a
few days ago who iscapable in management and many skills which use in social
activities.
Neverthereles ,: have to pay attention to ma parents who are getting old and need
more kindness T4y brother always helps them and also tries to make better time for
them but I an!:aIways busy. I hate this damned life which has made us tired ....
Posted by: Omid :! 4/15/2004 01:53:21 AM
Wednesday, April 14. 2004
Vaghaye?'w.iJl publish Saturday. During these days I had some interview with some
social acII ists and experts about some social issues and working on 3 reports. So I
was really busy. But i hope I continue writing in my weblog courteously. If you find
any article or news that is related to Iran and people in all and even in the world
please send me the link....
Posted by: Omid / 4/1412004 09:24:28 AM
I had an interview with Mary-Ann Stephenson a member of national commission of
women in UK. She has talked about the situation of women NGOs in UK.
Posted by: Omid ! 4/14/2004 05:59:55 AM
Two days :ago . Judge Mortazavi selected as the best manager of Judiciary system.
Judge Morta av.risthe man who was involve in the murder file of Zahra Kazemi.
When ma y of people are wondering about the destiny of Zahra Kazemi.
Posted by: Om d / 4/14/2004 02:33:08 AM
Monday, April 12,20 04
During the last days Americans asked the Islamic regime to use their influence to
control the Shiite in south of Iraq. It means they asked Iran to help them...
Congratulation....
Posted by: 0 mid. / 4/12/2004 09.:4 i:i1 AM
Will Iraq Open Kerrys way to presidency?
The restoration in Iraq was the most important issue during the last few days. Now
it seems the face of US is getting more and more notorious in Iraq. Perhaps the US
charge Iran officials to interfere in these conflicts, but as anybody know the face of
US is not as a partisans for freedom. They are occupier an Islamic territory and
killing the occupiers is obligatory for any Moslem and every one of the religious
Moslem can implement the .JAHAD order or the other Islamic orders. After a few
months Iraqi people can see the Americans can not bring them peace and security
and also they afraid about their destiny. They are pessimist about any action of US.
But nobody can hide tendency of Iran about failure of US in Iraq. As it has many
eLects on the Iranian society it costs for them even to invest there. This is a
common feeling in Middle East countries especially in Saudi Arabia and Iraq and
Palestine. In the other hand Americans have many problems to balance the power
between the Iraq is. Many of Iranian believes that if US could solve the Iraq
problem, they would start the case of Iran. So they think this is giifi from the sky for
http ://www.omidmemarian.blogspot.coflhl 4/20/2004
Iranian Prospect i'age 9 0111
conservatives that can lrive in a one way road without any control and
consideration....Becau:se at this opportunity they can rearrange their forces. During
these days they ta! about the failure of American in Iraq and say it is the result of
exporting democr icy with gun. But Iranian society as follow the traditional
approach aifier the. war-between Iraq and Iran, don't pay attention to these events.
Now, I think this i .ab est chance for Kerry to use these entire events as a weak
point of President Bush. President Bush can hardly go out of this predicament. So
now the quest n.i about the eLect of Iraq event on US president process. Iraq
events and th blood of American troops will open the way on next president. Can
you imagine ‘p::
Posted by: Ornid / 4/12/2004 09:33:20 AM
Sunday, April 11,200 4
Civil Soci y Gossip
During the last days the leader has formed a group to work on NGOs and their role
in the society. Leader and some parallel security institutions are trying to know and
compare the effects of this association on the people.
Dur g the lasts month the process of registration for NGOs has become
troublesome and bothersome. The ministry of interior is responsible for this part.
However they are a part of reformist government, they have no picture about
people, NGOs and the other related issues. Sometimes they act as conservatives
ai jwe have to confront with these guys. There is a joke when we fall in this kind of
troubles. Loose ma.i- adpna ake MO l.
(The joke: Once I 1 ra4ona Goes to Tabriz for a friendly match. The coach of Tabriz
had a problem wi Ii th.eir defender so use a inexperienced man. But he do instead of
Maradona to goal fo 1 once and twice and more...Suddenty the coach says: loose
Maradona, tai e. Ghazanfar-name of player)
So we have t say it is better to loose conservatives and take MOl. They goal to
themselves and people.
Posted by: Omid / 4/11/2004 02:59:10 PM
A political tremor
Apr 7th 2004 I BAM
From The Economist print edition
The hopeful consequences of real democracy in Barn
(THanks Charlie to send this article
BEHIND the dark.ciouds, a glimmer of hope. Last week, the mayor of Barn confessed
to aid workers that Iran's government had done a rotten job of helping survivors of
the earthquake that razed his city in December. Surprise at the mayor's candour
turned to delig it atIIe prospect of local democracy when a well-knownsociologist,
Siyamak Zand-Razavi, stood up to announce an earthquake of his own For the
authorities a e supporting his proposal that the survivors should elect petitioners to
present their concern to the government. The authorities hopethis will prevent a
recurrence of last month's rioting, when buildings were gutted and police fired on
demonstrators. For his part, Mr Zand-Razavi is attacking the secrecy and
paternalism that have made Barn a byword for oLicial
failure.
Most of the people in the tens of thousands of tents that line the roads and fill the
empty spaces of the shattered city are jobless and glum. Not long agothey regarded
the government's main relief agencies as their saviour; now they curse it. UN
people rue the government's failure to communicate with the people. From the
beginning, government oLicials neglected to impress on the survivors that most of
the almost $500m pledged by foreign donors would come, not in the
form of handouts to the needy, but as help towards rebuilding. More recently, the
Iranian authorities promised to provide temporary houses for all by April 5th, yet
4/20/2004
Iranian Prospect Page 10 of ii
only a few have been built.
Squabbling between diLerent departments has contributed to the gloom. It took an
unseemly public outburst in March before Iran's Red Crescent Society secured
nearly $2m of international aid that the foreign ministry had received but
seemed reluctant to hand over. Most survivors believe that powerful institutions
have pilfered the juiciest aid.
Behind the disquiet is a collision between two cultures: Iran's nanny state, which
resents foreigners, and the freewheeling agencies that disburse international aid.
Yaqoub Der a i, a Bam councillor, blames foreign organisations for raising
expectatior s an d causing a “division between peopleand the state”. The truth is
that sustarned scrutiny has highlighted Iran's crippling insularity. Many more
temporary houses would have been built, were it
not for the: authorities' insistence that Iranian firms should build them. Mindful of
its obligations to Iran, the UN is said to have earmarked as much as $lm for the
governr ier s efforts to reunify families split up in the quake's
chaos, yet UN workers on the ground are quietly seeking out non-governmental
outfits bet ter able to do the job.
Despite misgivings, the authorities have had to tolerate unprecedented outside
inter ference. The UN is using school reconstruction as a pretext for modernising
teaching methods. Tl ie government is being obliged to stifle its ingrained
hostility to independent do-gooding bodies, whether foreign or local.
By the end of this year, Mr Zand-Razavi predicts, Barn will have enshrined popular
participation as never before in Iran. It will have two representatives, a man and a
woman, for every 30-40 households, plus an operating staff of 120
for the town. Barn's representatives may be the only elected Iranians to escape
verification for t-l eu! loyalty to revolutionary tenets, a process that led to the
disqualification of. over 4,000 candidates in February's general election. The
possible consc.. 9 uences of more democracy in Barn have not been lost on the old
guard of revolutionaries. More reverberations may be expected.
Posted by: Omid / 4/11/2004 02:40:04 PM
The “Vagheve e Ettefaghieh 1 ' the next reformist newspaper will publish next
Saturday. I have a weekly page about civil society in it and also daily column. But I
am involved in ICTRC as you know. This is center for training and research for
NGOs. I love working in t!lis center. We have a good team and also are focusing on
subjects that are really i terest ig for me. Last month our centered a book about
the “Civil Society” by Dr. De or i. He is one of consultant of our center. I like to
follow my interests abou 1 t c vil society in our centers that we have established very
hard during the last years. how ever in the journalists capacity in am involve in
many issues. i prepared my first page last day. If there is any interesting subject
a bout NGOs or civil society in whole that I can use by translating in farsi send me a
link please friends...!
Posted by: Omid / 4/11/2004 12:02:29 AM
-‘
PL WE.RE.D Y
j:BLOGTFP
http://www.omidmemarian.b1ogspot.com/ 4/20/2004
