Monthly Archives: January 2009

By Abbas Djavadi – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s fiery exchange with Israeli President Shimon Peres on January 29 at the World Economic Forum in Davos may earn him votes in Turkey’s next municipal elections in March this year … Continue reading →

By Abbas Djavadi – South of Tehran, there is a cemetery called Khavaran with hundreds of individual and mass, unmarked graves. In the past, it was used as a graveyard for religious minorities such as Hindus, Christians, and recently Baha’is. … Continue reading →

By Abbas Djavadi – Simin Behbahani, prominent Iranian poetess and women’s rights activist, received the “Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Women’s Freedom” in Paris on January 21. The prize recognizes the work and actions of individuals who contribute to the … Continue reading →

By Abbas Djavadi – A specter is haunting the Islamic Republic of Iran — the specter of “soft overthrow.” A week ago Iranian authorities announced that four individuals were soon to face a court process for plotting a “US-backed soft … Continue reading →

By Abbas Djavadi – Could you imagine a Saudi Arabia where you have a parliament with elected representatives of the people elected by the people who select a government to run the country… with a king who just represents the … Continue reading →

By Abbas Djavadi – “The Gaza conflict is a fitting end to the Bush presidency,” said Francis Fukuyama, author of The End of History, to Financial Times. “Israel is applying the original Bush doctrine in Gaza, which says that politics … Continue reading →

By Abbas Djavadi – This is actually “no news” for today’s Iran. Iranian human rights organizations report that last Wednesday security forces raided the homes of 10 Baha’i families in Tehran, confiscated religious books, documents, and computers; and arrested six … Continue reading →

By Abbas Djavadi – Last Tuesday two men were stoned to death in Mashad in north-eastern Iran. They were accused of having sexual relationship with married women. Iran’s Justice Authority says stoning and lashing are in accordance with the Islamic … Continue reading →

By Abbas Djavadi – Why Not? She is a citizen of the Islamic Republic of Iran, an accomplished Iranian lawyer. She has defended people regardless of their social class and wealth, loyalty to the government or political tendencies, their religion, … Continue reading →

By Abbas Djavadi – Today is Ashura, the 10th day of the month Moharram of the Islamic calendar, the day of martyrdom of Imam Hossein, the Prophet Mohammad’s grandson, in the year 61 of Hijra (AD 680). I grew up … Continue reading →