Windows on Iran Number 18

Fatemeh Kashevarz

Current Issues

On Sunday, January 27 hundreds of thousands of people marched on Washington to ask for peace. As frightening news of the possibilities of escalating the war - and entaglement with Iran - spreads, it is important to know that the estimated number of marchers has been much higher than the tens of thousands initially reported in the mainstream media. Watch the video at:  http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/013007A.shtml

According to the Iranian news agency roozna, the government of Iran has received a message from “members of the American parliament” although the names of the senders or the contents of the message have not been disclosed.

Usually under outside pressure, “patriotic” feelings surge to protect governmental actions we are usually ready to criticize. Recent heightened American rhetoric against Iran should convince Iranians to rally behind President Ahmadinejad. In the last Window, I told you of the electronic poll that showed a sharp decline in the Iranian President’s popularity, a display of political maturity among the Iranian public. The article suggests that some political figures echo dissatisfaction toward Mr. Ahmadinejad.  http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/19/world/middleeast/19iran.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
To round up our current issues section, I’ll give you Mark Mazzetti’s article “Leading Senator Assails President Over Iran Stance.” The piece, focused on Senator John D. Rockefeller IV strong opposition to the White House portrayal of Iran as dangerous, was forwarded to me by Adam Shriver. Thanks a lot Adam:  http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/20/washington/20intel.html?ex=1169960400&en=a4e

Cultural/Social

At least four friends have sent me the same video clip about Iran. It is made by the Iranian Permanent Mission to the United Nation (hence the clip from ex-president Khatami’s presentation to the U.N.). Still, the video is quite useful. While it does not linger on anything long enough, it showes a large variety of scenes (historical and modern) from present day Iran: http://www.un.int/iran/videos/AboutIran/Film.html
Another contribution to the Windows from my friend Behrooz Ghamari who—this time—focused on music rather than politics. Behrooz writes: “whenever I tell people about Tehran symphony orchestra their face drops, as if I am talking about an orchestra of the Martians.” Here is something to read on the orchestra of the Martians! Thanks Behrooz Jan! http://www.payvand.com/news/07/jan/1102.html

Here is a great article courtesy of my dear friend/student Omid Ghaemmaghami.  The essay called “Iran and Muslim Renaissance” by Soroush Irfani was published in Daily Times, on January 27. Mr. Irfani challenges the portrayal of Iran as a ‘anti-western’ and ‘isolationist’ culture. He states that “indeed what is remarkable about Iran today is a groundswell in its intellectual culture marked by the reclamation of a Persian-Islamic past and interpretation with western thought.” To read the full essay click on: 

  http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C01%5C14%5Cstory_14-1-2007_pg3_5

I am often asked if visual arts are forbidden in Muslim countries. Here is an interesting source that documents what I mentioned in these windows earlier: graphic arts are flourishing in present day Iran. The Bibliography of Iranian Graphic Arts by Houssein Chanani cites books and dissertations published and presented in areas related to graphic arts including theory, basic and introductory textbooks, graphic artists and designers, exhibitions, decorative icons and symbols, book illustration, calligraphy, book cover, packaging, caricature, computer, cinema, television, advertisement, poster, architecture, and publication from their emergence in Iran (Persia) to 1997.    http://www.tavoosmag.com/english/news/detail.asp?codeclass=439&id=4953