The Nude Photo Revolutionary Calendar is coming along beautifully. It will be published here on 8 March, International Women’s Day. If you are submitting a photo, it has to be in no later than tomorrow morning. This is your last chance to submit one. By the way, thanks to all those who have submitted photos …
Monthly Archive: February 2012
Feb 29 2012
The 99% movement is different
Here’s a brief commentary from Hamid Taqvaee on the 99% movement: Taqvaee is the WPI leader. He was speaking with some English speaking participants during a break at the WPI’s Eighth Congress. (Via Reza Moradi)
Feb 29 2012
Morbid terms of endearment
I usually speak to my 6 year old in English but I noticed that when I want to tell him how much I love him, I say it in Persian. Here are some of the things I say at least 50 times a day: ‘Ghorbanat beram’ – I’ll sacrifice myself for you ‘Bemeeram basat’ – …
Feb 28 2012
The world pledge of the 99%
As I mentioned earlier, I just returned from the Eighth Congress of the Worker-communist Party of Iran. Here’s one of the documents that was adopted there – the world pledge of the 99% and what a good pledge it is! Here it is: The revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt and then the revolutionary risings against …
Feb 27 2012
A debate with ‘Human Rights’ Watch
If you recall, a while back, I and a number of other campaigners and rights organisations wrote an open letter to ‘Human Rights’ Watch Director Kenneth Roth criticising his apologetic stance towards Islamism. The letter was recently published in the New York Review of Books Blog along with a response from the organisation. It’s basically …
Feb 27 2012
I’m back
I’m back from the 8th congress of the Worker-communist Party of Iran. It was a brilliant congress, which focused on the new situation globally to people’s advantage – what with the revolutions in the Mideast and North Africa and the occupation movement in the West – and the tasks that lie ahead. I’ll report back …
Feb 23 2012
What I’m doing this month
I am away from tomorrow until Sunday as I am going to the Worker-communist Party of Iran’s congress. I won’t be blogging for that period as we won’t have personal access to phones and the internet. Try not to miss me too much. Other things I am doing this month are: 3 March 2012, 10.00am …
Feb 23 2012
Now you know why women are worth half of men
Man asks Mullah: Why do you consider women only half that of men? Mullah: Because we are only concerned with her bottom half; the top half is useless to us. So now you know. (Via Afshin Azizian on Facebook)
Feb 23 2012
Now Iran’s a state ‘contemplating’ terrorism?
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague has warned about Iran’s ‘increasing willingness to contemplate’ terrorism around the world. He cited an attempt to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the US, plus alleged involvement in recent attacks in New Delhi, Georgia and Bangkok. Increasing willingness to contemplate – is that what they call it nowadays? What about …
Feb 21 2012
We have more in common as people than with governments of Iran and USA
Persepolis author, Marjane Satrapi, says: The world is not divided between East and West. You are American, I am Iranian, we don’t know each other, but we talk and we understand each other perfectly. The difference between you and your government is much bigger than the difference between you and me. And the difference between …
Feb 21 2012
They will never learn
Multi-culturalism – not as a positive lived experience – but as a social policy is a politics of division. I agree. It divides people into cultures and puts cultures (the most regressive aspects) before citizens. But in response, Minister Eric Pickles says a return of Christianity in Britain’s public life will bring about the community …
Feb 21 2012
Prayers at council meeting is less messy than looking at sheep entrails
The excellent National Secular Society has won a legal challenge to prayers during local government council meetings. Nonetheless, the government is activating powers it says will allow councils to hold prayers. Well I suppose you can’t blame them for hoping that prayer will succeed where they have failed. But seriously, the NSS is not saying …
Feb 21 2012
And your point is?
The Telegraph (which must give away a free bottle of water that costs more than the paper with every issue) has a piece on the ‘slave roots’ of Richard Dawkins. This ‘awkward revelation’ is yet another fine piece of journalism. I suppose since my grandfather led Friday prayers and was an ‘Islamic scholar’, I have an …
Feb 20 2012
In case you don’t know the worth of women’s lives and men’s testicles
Just in case you didn’t know how much you were worth under Islamic Diyeh or blood money (paid to the victim or victim’s family), here’s a reminder: Article 300: The blood money for first or second degree murder of a Muslim woman is 50 camels. Article 435: The blood money for a Muslim man losing …
Feb 19 2012
In defence of militant secularisation
In a recent speech the Tory Party Chairperson Lady Warsi said: ‘My fear is that, today, militant secularisation is taking hold of our societies. We see it in a number of things: when signs of religion cannot be displayed or worn in government buildings, and where religion is sidelined and downgraded in the public sphere. …
Feb 19 2012
Richard Dawkins
Here’s Dawkins speech at the 11 February free expression rally. Best lines: A scholar usually needs to have read more than one book, people need to ‘stop being so damn respectful’ and that without freedom of speech, society would be a ‘scientific, technological, moral dark age’. By the way, here’s Richard Dawkins’ comment on the …
Feb 19 2012
Books on atheism and Islam
I just received a request for a list of books on atheism and also atheism and Islam. Can anyone help with putting together a list, which I can send on? Thanks for any help on this. Here’s the email: Hello. I am interested in getting a thorough education about atheistic and agnostic thought. My interest …
Feb 19 2012
The Saudi government will be held accountable for Hamza Kashgari’s life and security
We demand immediate freedom for Hamza Kashgari! Open letter to the Saudi Embassy in London-UK To Whom It May Concern: We are outraged to learn that 23 year old writer Hamza Kashgari is in prison after being deported to Saudi Arabia from Malaysia where he had fled in fear of his life. The deportation of …
Feb 18 2012
We are here for Hamza Kashgari, Alex Aan and others like them
Here is my speech at the 11 February free expression rally. We were there for the likes of Saudi writer Hamza Kashgari, Indonesian atheist Alex Aan and others whose lives are intertwined with ours, even if we do not realise it:
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