Why the Iranian government is scared of facebook. .

Mir Hossein Mousavi, a leader of the Iranian Green movement has a facebook page (and was also named to Time Magazine's 100 most influential people of 2010). While facebook is blocked in Iran (along with Google and a few others) Mousavi still boasts a following of over 125,000 followers on the social networking site. Mousavi doesn't run the site himself but has relegated responsibility over it to Mohammad Sadeghi--an German-Iranian living outside of Iran. Sadeghi also manages the facebook site of Mousavi's wife, Zahra Rahnavard (also on Time's 100 list). The two have utilized social networking sites for some time now--Sadeghi said he christened Mousavi's page the before President Obama's inauguration.

I found the article regarding Mousavi's facebook site on a blog site called Global Voices (it may sound familiar because there is a live feed from their site on the right-hand side of this website). The site interviewed Mr. Sadeghi about his work, his opinions on the elections, and his thoughts on citizen journalism among other things. They ask Sadeghi about the impacts of citizen journalism in Iran--if it has slowed in recent months, if it helped Mousavi. Sadeghi responded as follows, "I would summarize the impact of Mousavi’s Facebook group as a 'process innovation' to incorporate existing social network platforms into the Persian language media bandwidth...[a] second revolution in my opinion has been initiated by Mr Mousavi who called for 'citizen staffs' and hence the automatized use of a wide range of suppressed potential for fundamental change. This decentralized campaign had the opportunity to exploit a wide range of communication methods - as the very tool of a campaign- while working out a consensus for a model of change. The Facebook page initiated and evolved the process of information by transforming the campaign into a non-political atmosphere of social networks" (Source)

Sadeghi is a believer in the power of the PC. It is no secret how much the internet has helped this movement sustain itself even while it has confronted threats and acts of violence, a decentralized leadership, and a whole gamut of other obstacles. The internet's effects on post-election Iran is both undeniable and immeasurable. We value the internet in the US because it lets us stay in touch with our family and friends, check news and scores, etc.; but Iranians have taken things like twitter and facebook--social networking sites that here in the US are pretty trivial and even causes of social development or interactive issues in teens--and have turned them into an all-powerful weapon of mass construction. The Green Movement is lives thru facebook posts, text messages, and YouTube videos. My first "thousand word post" was of a man threatening a violent mulla with the statement "Stop or I'll tweet!" People laugh and remark "how interesting" it is, but the power of that cartoon is not in its hilarity but in its truth. These thug basijis and mullas are running scared--they are terrified of the Iranian people for their ability publicize their crimes and abuses. People like Muhammad Sadeghi are criminals in Iran because of they expose the actions of the government and bolster the opposition. Sadeghi and his associates are prime examples of fine journalists--and more importantly the prime examples of the Iranian regime's worst nightmare.

More coverage of the protests

The LA Times tweeted it had videos of this weekend's events in Iran. Their report states that protests occurred throughout Iran. One instance in small town in the Iranian countryside unemployed citizens clashed with police when they threatened the cops with machetes and sticks.

You can a look at some of the videos and content that the LA Times posted online. I posted one of them before (its one from students protesting Ahmadinejad at Tehran U) but the others are new and pretty good. Quality is iffy because, as in the past, they were taken on mobile devices. Green Iranians now videotape protests or security forces or events by starting to record video and then put the phone to their ear as if they are talking.

They are as resourceful as they are brave.

Protests continue in Iran

The visibility of Iran-related stories on the news seems to have gone down in recent months, (in spite of the fact that foreign media are allowed in once again) spurring a lot of people to think the Green Movement is over and done with. People seem to forget that this is not a single-issue group--they are not so concerned with the election fraud as they are with their civil rights. The Green Movement wants nothing more than a realization of democracy and civil liberties as promised in the constitution that was ratified after the 1979 revolution.

Just yesterday on International Worker's Day, or Ruze Kargar in Persian people across the country--as has been the habit for some time now--protested, perhaps not as vocally as on previous days, but they were absolutely out. Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi called for labor groups to join the Greens in protest against the government. NY Times correspondent Nazila Fathi wrote yesterday how things did not go as planned. Tehran was reportedly packed with security forces as to deter any potential protestors. This video shows security forces are out in strength in Tehran. This one was taken at Tehran University where students protests an appearance by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Keep an eye on Iran because the next month or so promises to be intense, with the one year anniversary of June 12 Election approaching. Any thoughts on where it will go?

Reporters Without Borders awards Iranian Blogger

This year Reporter's Without Borders awarded Iranian blogger and women's rights activist Jila Bani Yaghoob with a freedom of expression award. Her blog, We Are Reporters can be read in both Persian and in English. Bani Yaghood and her husband were arrested in June after the fraudulent election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Reporters Without Borders writes of Bani Yaghood: "Her Persian-language blog deals with the news in Iran, social issues and the subject of women. Jila is in the forefront of the struggle for freedom of expression in her country. She and her family have already paid a high price for her commitment. Reporters Without Borders is proud to award her this prize and through her pay tribute to all Iranian bloggers and journalists who have been arrested, imprisoned for driven into exile these past months" (Source). You can read a full transcript of their announcement here.

Interview w/Dr. Nahal Akbari @ GWU Iran Blogosphere Conference

This audio file is of an interview I conducted with Dr. Nahal Akbari of the University of Maryland on Monday April 12. Dr. Akbari attended the blogosphere conference at GW and was kind enough to let me interview her about her thoughts on the use of technology and blogs in Iran. Dr. Akbari regularly monitors the goings on of Iran through multiple news sources--blogs, BBC Persian, newspapers from inside and outside of Iran, and NPR among others. Dr. Akbari is not a regular user of social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter but does think that they can be useful. Definitely take a listen to what she has to say.

You can hear it here (give it a second or two to load).

One more thing. . .

One more thing from Dr. Dabashi's website: The video below is in Persian but talks about Israeli cinema. They focus on two Israeli films: "Lebanon" and "Waltz with Bashir." Each film is about Israel's war in Lebanon during the 1980's. It is really fascinating and was unexpected when I first watched the video; I was surprised they were talking about it Israeli film.

It's really cool. If you speak Persian or just want to watch I high encourage you to do so.

Iranian scholarship and multimedia

Similar to George Washington University's conference on the use of technology in today's Iran, Columbia will be hosting "New Generation, New Perspectives, New Media." The event is taking this Saturday April 17th. I wish I could go because there are some great Iran scholars up at Columbia, one of whom, Dr. Hamid Dabashi, I wrote about a few weeks back in Reading List 2.

Dr. Dabashi has a section on his website that features a segment called "Week in Green." "Week in Green" features short clips of Dr. Dabashi covering relevant events or talking with Iranian scholars and figureheads, like Dr. Ervand Abarahimian or reformist cleric Mohsen Kadivar. Most of the clips are in Persian and do have English subtitles so if you are interested in seeing how one of the foremost minds on Iran has utilized multimedia, check out some of the videos.

Also Dr. Babashi has a facebook page, youtube channel, and twitter account--check them all out.

Inside Iran

Great website that encourages internet usage/assistance to Iranians: Inside Iran

This site/organization is run by a panelist from today's conference, Geneive Abdo.

Panel 2

The second panel of the day is focusing its discussion around the matter of engagement. These panelists have emphasized how Internet can be a tool for cross cultural exchange and how the internet can be used to fight the oppressive tactics of the Iranian regime. While the internet is a great tool for helping generate dialogue "it does not replace face to face contact," says panelist Sonya Reines.

From Iran's Blogosphere and Grassroots Voices: Risks and Rewards of Engagement @ GWU

New feature

I just discovered a great blog called Global Voices.Started in 2005, it features blogs from all over the world and is translated into 15 languages. They have more than 200 bloggers working for their site worldwide "who work together to bring you translations and reports from blogs and citizen media everywhere, with emphasis on voices that are not ordinarily heard in international mainstream media." (Source: Global Voices - About)

Their expressed goals are to:
- Call attention to the most interesting conversations and perspectives emerging from citizens’ media around the world by linking to text, photos, podcasts, video and other forms of grassroots citizens’ media.
- Facilitate the emergence of new citizens’ voices through training, online tutorials, and publicizing the ways in which open-source and free tools can be used safely by people around the world to express themselves.
- Advocate for freedom of expression around the world and protect the rights of citizen journalists to report on events and opinions without fear of censorship or persecution.
(Source: Global Voices - About)

What is great about Global Voices is that they allow readers, like me, who have a website or a blog to post a newsfeed to their respective site. In an effort to broaden the information on this page and expand my blog's multimedia capabilities I have added to the right side of my blog a newsfeed of Global Voice's Iran headlines. So whenever anything happens on their site pertaining to Iran, it happens here too.

Enjoy!

Iran's Blogosphere and Grassroots Voices: Risks and Rewards of Engagement

This Monday morning (tomorrow) I will be attending a conference on Iran's Blogosphere at George Washington University. The conference,
"Iran's Blogosphere and Grassroots Voices: Risks and Rewards of Engagement" promises to be greatly engaging and informative, as many excellent speakers, including Iran author and scholar Zar Nafisi (who wrote a superb book called "Reading Lolita in Tehran") will be in attendance.

I plan on keeping both my blog and Twitter well-updated throughout the day so keep an open eye. Also if you are interested in following the conference live you can watch it streaming online here. Check out the conference facebook page and twitter too.

It will be a great time.

Additional Photos of Campus Iranians

Here are some original photos of mine from Iranians on campus. They were taken on by the camera on my phone so please excuse the poor quality. Nonetheless enjoy.

From iranians @ UMD

From iranians @ UMD

From iranians @ UMD

You can also check them out on my very first Picasa photo album. More pictures are on the way.

Visualizations of Iran

Aside from the content that I have posted from local events here in Maryland here are some photos that I found on Flickr through the website Creative Commons. The pictures below are depictions of events that have occurred in Iran in the last nine months. Some of them are political illustrations created in response to the regime's criminal actions. Others are photographs of the protests.

Also check out this great website, Sabz Photo ("Sabz" is Persian for "green"). It is a superb site that regularly posts high quality photos--sometimes artistic, sometimes not. It is an endless bank of photos relating to the Green Movement. Take a moment to take a look at it.


(Source http://www.flickr.com/photos/arasmus/3629543561/)


(Source http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamed/3636927440/)


(Source http://www.flickr.com/photos/harrystaab/3653879028/)

Photos from Nowruz

I want to first and foremost thank my classmate Sahar for giving me permission to use some of her photos from Nowruz. These are hers and she very graciously let me use them, knowing that they were relevant to my blog--so thank you, Sahar-jan!

These are just a small sampling of the unreal time that was Friday night.

ISF's Nowruz 1389 Celebration

Hello again.

Our most recent class assignment requires that we being to incorporate relevant multimedia into our blogs. Over the last few weeks I have tried my best to involve content beyond just plain text--most specifically found in my "one thousand word" posts and links. It's time to take it to the next level. As basic and essential as text is to a quality blog or publication, the most advanced news sources have begun to include audio and video into their output. While many go as far as to include viewer-produced content others like the NY Times will not put articles online without some sort of interactive video or chart to supplement the article. Maybe taking it a step further CNN has a segment called iReports which is composed of viewer generated material. My point is that multimedia is the new media; instead of just getting an article they give you that and then some. It's awesome.

For my topic, Iran and Tech, its a little tougher than I'd like to generate original content from Iran. So with Prof. Yaros's permission I will begin posting some content regarding Iran that occur on campus. Hopefully in the near future it will be easier to go to Iran and post and publish the facts without fear of being arrested--but until then I'll be covering whats going on here at Maryland. The first of such goings-on is from this past Friday.

On Friday night the Iranian Student's Foundation (ISF) hosted its annual Nowruz celebration. It was a great time to say the least. They hosted over 250 guests from around the Washington DC Metro area as well as students--both heritage and non. As in years past, this years event was held in the Grand Ballroom at Stamp and was decked out with lights, dance stage, and ridiculous food spread. Below are some videos of the awesome time it was. I apologize ahead of time for the poor sound quality--between the DJ's really loud speakers and my crappy phone it wasn't easy. But nonetheless here is the first series of multimedia on Iran and Iranians at the University of Maryland. If nothing more this should serve as a glimpse in to life at Maryland and its incredibly vibrant and awesome Iranian community.

Enjoy!

A Happy YouTube Nowruz

A few days ago Iranians all over the world celebrated the Persian New Year, Nowruz. Nowruz literally means "new day" ("now"=new "ruz"=day) and is the first day of the spring season and emphasizes new beginnings and hopes for good days ahead. Many Iranians celebrate the holiday by gathering with family and friends and eating really, really good food.

In the hopes of creating a dialogue with the government of Iran and goodwill with her people, President Obama posted online an unprecedented New Year's video message. Never before had any US official--let alone president--offered such greetings to the Islamic Republic since 1979. He offered an open hand and dialogue to the Iranian regime and expressed hopes for a bright and open future between the two nations.

This year President Obama has sent another Nowruz message to the leaders and people of Iran. Again, the president expressed his hope for cultural exchange and understanding, hoping to somehow find common ground on the big issues--Iran's nuclear program and human rights violations. Obama also emphasized his desire to provide all Iranians opportunity to open access to information and internet. Unfortunately, in his own Nowruz message Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rebuffed Obama's offer, continuing the trend of ignoring pretty much anything anyone from the West has to offer. It is terribly unfortunate that Iran's government chooses to further isolate itself from the rest of the world, on top of brutally oppressing Iranian citizens.

The internet has proven a valuable tool for the Obama administration in its efforts to reconstruct the US's reputation around the world, especially with regard to its Iran policy.. The president ran his campaign knowing full well the powers of the internet--it is not a mistake: he recognizes that it is a growing force--one key to the spread of democracy and free society.

The Murder Seen Around the World

I would like to start this post by thanking my classmate Sahar for suggesting I cover this topic in my blog. Also please note that many of the videos linked below are violent.

The events of post-election Iran were vastly affected by the use of the internet. One of the most infamous internet videos from the protests was the filmed death of Neda Agha-Soltani. On the evening of June 20th, just eight days after election day, at a time when millions of other Irans flooded the streets in protest of the fraudulent elections, Neda Agha-Soltani, accompanied by her music teacher was walking through the streets of Tehran. It was then and there that she was shot in the chest. Ms. Agha-Soltani died moments after being shot, a spectacle seen the world over because of a video taken by nearby witness. The video is violent and painful to watch; but it galvanized millions of people from within Iran and without. Everyone witnessed the shamelessness and brutality of the Iranian government forces. The death of this young woman was a watershed moment in the life of the protest movement. It was the single most significant use of the internet in the short existence of the Green movement. While many videos that were posted showed basij and government forces beating, wounding and arresting protestors, this video was the most powerful of all. Many others had already surfaced (like this one and this) but Neda's death was starkly brutal and soon became a rallying point for the supporters of the Green movement. Her death was such a threat to the government they have spent the last few months scrambling for responses to the ordeal. They have desecrated her grave, prevented her family from conducting the proper burial and mourning rights; they even imprisoned her fiance for over two months. They have also blamed foreign agents (a regular go-to for these scumbags) in a documentary aired in January on state-run Press TV.

Just like many other people, this video is hard for me to watch. It is terrifying and cold. It represents all that is wrong and all that is evil in Iran. What makes it harder to watch is the disgusting report filed on Press TV. I am made sick and deeply angered by that video. It is such an affront to common sense and more importantly to this woman's life and death.

This horrible, horrible incident unfolded in front of the entire world because of the incident: the protests, the bloody murder of Neda, the bloody beatings and murders of countless other Iranians, and also, unfortunately, the despicable and self-obsessed videos from the Iranian government. At the same time that the internet has helped spread the cause of democracy for Iran and awareness of the crimes against the people, it still helps convey the desperate message of the regime.

I say desperate because their banning of proper burial rights and defamation of her family (just to name a few) are prime examples of a lost and misguided leadership. These people are scared; they know they have committed crimes but they do not care what they do as long as the remain in power--that is their central goal. Their survival is the primary objective and that only makes them more dangerous.

International Women's Day

Today was International Women's Day and the Center for Persian Studies held a conference at Van Munching Hall in honor women in the arts. They hosted five wonderfully talented female Iranian artists who put on display their magnificent talents. It was held in Persians so it was tough to follow at times but I found it greatly rewarding. I also found this. It is a collection of a few cartoons from the early 20th century depicting Iranian women. Pretty accurate as to how Iranian women were treated. The situation has improved in many rights but women are still 2nd class citizens in Iran. If you are interested in this topic and would like some more info please read my previous post on Women in Iran.

The relation between the Green Movement and College Park (Pt. 1)

When the Terps won the other day against Duke I was ecstatic. A lot of other students were also really excited, enough so to revel in downtown College Park—shutting down traffic, setting a few things on fire, and subsequently causing the Prince George’s County police to show up in full riot gear. The events of March 3rd were hardly anything more than a knee-jerk reaction to the joy in beating one the most hated teams in college sports—there was no deep message beyond the expression of the student body’s jubilance. On the other hand the protests in Iran are a stunning display of an assertion of democratic rights and free society by a genuine movement of the people. It’s not too hard to point out the extreme differences between the two showings. The members of the Green Wave have been beaten, arrested, tortured, and murdered in their efforts to establish a freer society; here in College Park a handful of students were arrested for setting a John Scheyer jersey ablaze and other forms of disorderly conduct (which may or may not have included a few expletives aimed at Duke and its players). While my dislike for Mr. Scheyer is undeniable, I’m not going to discuss this specific or any other incidents. Rather I want to re-express my solidarity with the Iranian people. I personally appreciate the freedoms that I have as citizen of the United States so much more in light of their struggle, and I truly and dearly hope to see them achieve their dreams of free society. What has brought on this renewed sense of empathy, you ask?

The answer: the College Park riots of 2010.

I went straight home right after the game—I had work, and it was already late. After I was done I texted a friend and asked where he was (something protesting Iranians cannot do, as cellular phone service is severely restricted, especially in the days leading up to protests). He said he was heading back soon—he wasn’t trying to get pepper sprayed. Legitimate sentiment. But I wanted to see what was going on because I’d heard it was nuts. So I grabbed my bike, a notepad, and my cell phone and bolted over to Route 1 by the Maryland Book Exchange. What I saw was a mass of students being slowly shepherded onto campus. I also saw a number of students get beat, pepper sprayed, shot with bean bag rounds and paintball guns.

It was pretty scary stuff. I won’t get into who was right or wrong but I’ll say this: it is horrifying to have a gun of any kind pointed at you. Moreover riot police are intimidating guys. That’s their job. Having witnessed the post-game gathering on Route 1, I can say that I know something (albeit very little compared to the Greens) about being intimidated and threatened. It is not a good feeling—it is a terrifying feeling; when What’s almost as bad is when trying to get a logical explanation from the authorities after they beat and arrest a 20-year old college student (regardless of where you are), you are threatened with “Shut up or I’ll arrest you” or “Turn that fucking camera off.”

In the context of the Iran protests—where protestors were shot at with live rounds, beat by motorcycle riding thugs (who used anything from batons to chains), sprayed, arrested, and tried under penalty of death—I can only imagine how terrified these people must have been. More importantly though I can imagine how much they want their rights. And how much they deserve those rights. And how much the assholes (pardon my language) who attack them and beat them, should be punished.

What I saw is nothing compared to what the men and women of Iran must live through. No one in their right mind would suggest the vicious Basij forces of Iran are role models for the Prince George’s County riot police—that absolutely and totally absurd.

Women in Iran

Women in Iran are known to be more assertive than women in most other Islamic countries. Their beauty is surpassed only by their confidence and boldness. Since the early twentieth century when the first policies regarding the hijab, or scarf, have deprived Iranian women of a free, self-determined choice of fashion. This website features pictures of Iranian women protesting just after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. At that time those who didn't want to don the scarves were called prostitutes and were spat at. As in years prior women were forced to follow male-forged policy--like in 1979, as men sought to make them where scarves, or as was the case during the Shah's rule, when he sought to criminalize religious scarf-wearing. Today modesty police roam streets of Iranian cities. They publicly scold and ticket women in places like North Tehran, where the women have started a lipstick revolution and have commandeered scarf-wearing, turning it into more than just a fashion statement, but also a political one.

Dolls are no exception: Barbies are sold only through the black market as the Islamic Republic found the dolls Western and immodest--entirely inappropriate. Porochista Khakpour wrote a deeply insightful Op-Ed for the New York Times last March, titled "Islamic Revolution Barbie." In it she talks about how the IR raided stores and even pushed its own dolls--the more modest and Islamic "Barbie and Ken", Sara and Dara have stocked Iranian stores since 2002. Khakpour emphasized her dread of looking nothing like her Barbie dolls: "I even attempted to 'tan' Peaches ’n’ Cream Barbie’s skin for hours one day," she writes, "praying for her lotion-slathered skin to turn brown like mine, which it never did."

For years women have fought tenaciously for their rights--participating in countless movements, weathering arrests, beatings, and public castigation all for the sake of their desire for freer lives. The One Million Signatures campaign in Iran has been gathering signatures slowly but surely for years--signatures buttressing women's rights in the face of discriminatory Iranian laws (for instance, in Iran a women's testimony in court worth half that of a man's). Nobel laureate and Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi continues to fight for women's rights in Iran. In November 2009 her Nobel prize was confiscated by the Iranian police and her bank accounts were frozen. In the post election protests in Iran her sister was arrested. Nonetheless Ms. Ebadi is still visible and still vocal in her fight against the Iranian regime: just last week she called for diplomatic sanctions against the Iran government (she condemned economic sanctions "as hurting the Iranian people" -Reueters).

Many Iranian women have also found a role model in the recent elections. A PhD, the former chancellor of Alzahra University, former advisor to ex-president Mohammad Khatami, and wife of presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi,Zahra Rahnavard did something a woman had never done before in the Iranian political scene: be a presence. Ever-visible, she was vocal force in her husband's election efforts and many women related to her and supported her husband for it. She was the Michelle Obama of Iran, said the Huffington Post. She served as the newest stage in the evolution of the paradigm of the Iranian woman--a strong, intellectual, and vocal political participant.

A week ago Jean M. Geran of Foreign Policy magagzine wrote about the women of Iran in an article titled "The Women Behind the Green." Geran writes: "The Iranian women's movement has a proud history of fighting for women's rights and has been a driving force behind the green movement's push for reform." She continues saying, "Iranian authorities censor dozens of websites and blogs, especially those covering women's issues." As she notes at the end it is important to support the green movement in Iran, and I agree. But I say it is especially important to support those who have been fighting for democratic rights for over century: Iranian women


Here is some more great content about women in Iran:
CNN's "Women in Iran March Against Discrimination"
In 2008 interview Shirin Ebadi discusses the US's Iran Policy and women's rights
ABC News Coverage of the Lipstick Revolutiuon in the post-election period