Window on Iran - Part 25

by Fatemeh Kashevarz

Visual Delight

Speaking of the movie 300, which Iranians find a direct assult on their culture, I have a review (thanks to Dr. Bahar Bastani) by a rather unusual reviewer: Dr. Kaveh Farrokh, a student of ancient Greece and a child born to Iranian parents in Greece.  Dr. Farrokh’s review is extensive and contains many interesting observations such as:  “In the course of their historical intercourse, Greece and Persia have created breathtaking works in domains such as the arts, architecture, sciences, music and of course, democracy and human rights. It is interesting that many modern Greeks acknowledge and appreciate ancient Iran as a civilization as worthy as their own, yet the same is not necessarily true in northwest Europe and North America. ”  Here is the link to the full reiew if you like to read it: http://www.ghandchi.com/iranscope/Anthology/KavehFarrokh/300/index.htm.

Current Issues

There is a whole lot of action going on outside the silver screen as well. The latest: 14 British Service men and one woman arrested by Iranian border patrols about a week ago. Click on the second attachment to see a picture of two of the British soldiers interviewed on Iranian TV. An important piece of information either not mentioned or not emphasized in the U.S. media is that the British quote the global position of their helicopter which appears to have been not in Iranian air space while Iranian authorities quote the global position of the boat which according to them has been in Iranian waters.

Whatever the initial positions, it now seems that both sides would like to put the crisis behind them. Initially, Iran had suggested that it would put the British soldiers on trial. The most recent headlines in Iran quote Ali Larijani, the cheif Iranian negotiator, suggesting that there is no need for a trial. Another important development is the arrival in Tehran of a British negotiator to end the crisis.

While this crisis has been given a most serious dimension - comparing the British soldiers to American hostages - the British daily Guardian has published a piece that blasts the bashing of Iranians who according to the writer don’t look bad compared to the West’s own Guantanamo and Abu Ghuraib records. The piece written by the film director and Monty Paython member Terry Jones was sent to me by my dear friend Richard King, himself British. The article is a plea for the media to maintain independence and refrain from demonizing the enemy. It is refreshing that while the Britons are in custody in Iran, a British paper and its readership are able to rise above the crisis and publish such a humorous and critical piece:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2047108,00.html

Finally, it is months now that the five Iranian diplomats arrested in Iraq are in American custody.