Q&A: “The Government Took My Sister Hostage”

BERKELEY, California, Dec 31 (IPS) - The Iranian government has intensified its pressure on political and human rights activists since the harsh crackdown on protesters on the holy day of Ashura, arresting major political figures and even their family members, including Noushin Ebadi, the sister of Noble Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi.

Even the Shah, before the 1979 Revolution, was hesitant to use violence against demonstrators during the religious ceremonies on Ashura, the day that the grandson of the seventh-century Prophet Muhammad and the third Imam of Shiite Muslims was killed. Read more

December 29, 2009     Leave a Comment

Q and A: Omid Memarian on Human Rights

insideIran.org- Omid Memarian, an Iranian journalist, has helped Human Rights Watch document the post-election violence in Iran. In an interview with insideIRAN.org. Memarian shared his thoughts on the current situation of human rights in Iran and the international community’s responsibility to shed light on the matter.

Q: Iran’s lack of cooperation in the nuclear negotiations, coupled with the increasing human rights violations in Iran, are placing more pressure on the Obama administration to speak out against the torture and repression in Iran. What is your view? Do you believe that if President Obama publicly criticizes Iran this would provide the leadership with evidence that the United States is interfering in Iran’s internal affairs?

A: I agree that the Obama administration is in a tricky position. On one side, Iran’s nuclear program is a matter of international security and aims to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons or moving toward any program that is easily convertible to a nuclear weapons program. This seems urgent in order to avert an arms race in the Middle East. Read more

December 2, 2009     1 Comment

Q&A: Notes From Iran’s Underground Music Scene

BERKELEY, California, Jun 4 (IPS) - As Iran’s conservative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad fights for his political future against two reformist challengers in the June elections, Arash Sobhani, a lead figure in the country’s underground music scene, says it’s a very tough time to be an artist in Iran.

“At the beginning of his [Ahmadinejad’s] first term [in 2005] there were still a few notable musicians who thought they should stay and try to work inside Iran and try to make things better little by little, like they had done for the past 26 years, but Ahmadinejad proved them wrong,” Sobhani told IPS.

Sobhani is the lead singer and songwriter of Kiosk, a band that is widely popular among Iranians inside and outside of the country. With its Mark Knopfler musical style and politically sharp and ironic lyrics, Kiosk is considered one of the most influential underground rock bands to emerge since the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

“We grew up listening to [Bob] Dylan, [Leonard] Cohen, Dire Straits and Pink Floyd, and you can see how our music is influenced by these guys,” explained Sobhani. “Our roots are blues and rock but there has been a growing influence on our music from the gypsy tradition.”

Kiosk is one of the few Iranian underground bands to tour North America, Europe and Australia. Most of its members left Iran within three months after Ahmadinejad’s 2005 election.

“We were tired of trying to work with authorities who would cancel our concerts or refuse to give us permits to produce an album, and on the eve of the election, when Ahmadinejad came to power I knew that things were changing for worse,” Sobhani said.

In an interview with IPS, Arash Sobhani talked about Iran’s underground music scene, how it’s been received in the western media, and the obstacles and challenges for young musicians in Iran.

Excerpts from the interview follow.

IPS: Why your music is considered underground?

AS: I think what we call today “Iranian underground music”, like many other aspects of Iranian life, was forced to go “underground” in the early eighties. As the radicals started taking control over the country and imposing their values on the society, music and a lot of other cultural activities were regarded as “in contrast with Islamic morals”.

In those days, even carrying a guitar in the streets required a lot of courage. Obviously it was very difficult for the musicians to be able to get together and jam and create new music.

The Islamic Republic would reward its opposition with such brutality that thinking of a protest song, in those days, was even impossible so most of the underground bands then either did instrumental music or cover songs from favorites like Pink Floyd and the Eagles. No one dared to create music with new, original lyrics.

IPS: What are the major challenges of Iranian underground music?

AS: First is the fact that most of this music is made using western instruments, and is therefore in “form” very western and that creates a problem when the musicians try to integrate Farsi lyrics. Farsi, as a language, has its own music that may not quite fit on a 12 bar blues. So, essentially, like everything else that has come from the west, Iranian bands are still working on “Iranianising” this form of music.

The second challenge is the problem of getting exposure; there are no independent TV or radio stations to promote these bands. Therefore their music is produced, recorded and distributed underground, with no revenues and nowhere to perform and therefore most of these bands disappear after one or two albums. A few lucky ones have made their way outside Iran and of those few only two or three bands have been able to continue their work.

IPS: How many people are drawn to this music or support it? What are the major genres?

AS: There seems to be around 2,000 bands inside Iran, which is a great number for a country where the government thinks of these bands as Satanists! These bands come from variety of genres. Heavy metal, grunge, funk etc. But hip-hop is becoming more and more popular I think due to the fact that it’s cheaper to make music not using real musicians and just programming all the instruments.

IPS: Is there any research or documentaries about this music?

AS: There are a few documentaries, unfortunately none of them look at the underground music of Iran from the historical/analytical perspective, and none talk about the content or the lyrics. Like all the other cultural activities in Iran covered by the western media they have the attitude of the surprised westerner who is shocked to find out that there are people in the Middle East that play the guitar! Or make movies or publish newspapers.

On the other hand, the documentaries that have been made by the Iranians follow the same pattern, they try to capture what they think is amusing for Westerners and has a good “market”.

IPS: Recently, Bahman Ghobadi, the prominent Iranian director, released a film on Iran’s underground music titled “Nobody Knows About the Persian Cats” at the Cannes Film Festival. To what extent does this movie represent the diversity, message and depth of this music?

AS: I think “underground music” of Iran has become an interesting phenomenon for both the western media and the government of Iran.

The government is creating its own version of “underground music” like it did with the opposition parties or the cinema. Whenever they see there is an interest in something from the public they try to create a “controlled” version of it, they even pay the opposition media or create fake ones to have control over any movement, now they are doing the same thing with the music.

Having said that I think we will witness even more films that will cover this issue in the future. Will they really show the nature of the underground music in Iran? I really doubt it.

IPS: Why doesn’t the Iranian government tolerate hip-hop, rock and hard rock musicians and singers? Is it a matter of form or content?

AS: The Iranian government’s attitude towards social demands follows a pattern. They will eventually give in and I am sure we will see rock concerts in Iran. But they will make the process as slow as possible and with watered-down, harmless lyrics. Unlike what a lot of people think, they are not very persistent on their cultural agenda, they can tolerate anything, as long as they don’t lose their political power, but because of their rigid nature they make the process as painful and as slow as possible.

IPS: Has anybody gotten in trouble for following this path? As a musician or a fan?

AS: A lot of musicians have been ordered to stop playing music. A lot of bands were taken in and had to sign a piece of paper indicating that they will never play again. And in the past, a lot of people have had problems for listening to western music.

Kiosk was formed in Iran as a side project to my other band. Then, because of the restrictions imposed by the government on the lyrics, we decided not to even bother asking for permits and approvals needed for releasing an album. We recorded the entire album without any hope of ever publishing it.

(END/2009)

June 6, 2009     1 Comment

IREX VP: “Our Program Was Completely Consistent With Iran’s National Interest”

Huffington Post- “IREX never imagined that anyone could construe our program in Iran to be inconsistent with any interest of the Iranian government,” said Paige Alexander Vice President of the U.S.-based non-profit regarding the arrest and imprisonment of the organization’s employee, Silva Haratonian, last year in Iran.

Silva Harotonian, an Iranian citizen of Armenian descent, held a modest position with the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX), which focuses on international education, academic research, professional training and technical assistance.

Her work and life were interrupted on June 26, 2008 when she was detained by Iranian authorities and charged with participating in an effort to overthrow the Iranian government through a ”velvet revolution.” On January 19, 2009, she was sentenced to three years in jail. Read more

May 31, 2009     Leave a Comment

Q&A: Islamophobia Alive and Well in the U.S.

BERKELEY, California, Apr 24 (IPS) - In an Apr. 6 address to the Turkish Parliament on the final day of his European trip, President Barack Obama praised Muslim Americans for “enriching the United States”.

However, according to Dr. Munir Jiwa, director of the Centre for Islamic Studies at the Graduate Theological Union of the University of California, Berkeley, “virulent Islamophobia” persists across the country.

Jiwa, who is also a professor of Islamic Studies, told IPS that among those who did not vote for Obama last November, there are even more anti-Muslims. “They think we have voted in someone who is, as they say, a ‘closet Muslim’, and they think that sometime, he will come out of the closet,” he said. Read more

April 24, 2009     Leave a Comment

My Interview With Roxana Saberi’s Lawyer: “She Was Shocked and Distraught”

HuffPost-After the announcement of her eight-year prison sentence, American-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi’s attorney, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, told in a telephone interview from Tehran that Shirin Ebadi, the 2003 Nobel Laureate will join the legal team of the case. Khorramshahi also said that he will appeal the sentence within the next 20 days. Roxana Saberi’s attorney believes that in order to prove such a serious charge, the case must clearly show intent in the crime, and his client’s case clearly lacks evidence of intent.

At what stage is your client’s case?

Both Ms. Saberi and myself have objected to the verdict. We have the right to request an appeal. We have 20 days in which to offer our reasoning for refuting the charges made against Ms. Saberi. After we have submitted our appeal, the case can be reviewed by a higher court. We are waiting to see what happens. Read more

April 22, 2009     1 Comment

Q&A: U.S.-Iran Détente Unsettles Persian Gulf States

BERKELEY, California, Mar 17 (IPS) - Dr. Kazem Jalali, an influential conservative member of Iran’s parliament, the Majlis, and rapporteur of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, sees possibilities for a thaw with Washington, but believes that many Arab states in the Gulf “see their interests in keeping the current state of continual conflict among the west, the U.S., and the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

In recent years, Tehran has experienced growing tensions with its Arab neighbours, particularly over the development of its nuclear programme. The latest diplomatic crisis came after former Majlis speaker Ali Akbar Nateq Nori referred in a speech to Bahrain as a former province of Iran. His remarks caused a firestorm of angry protests from numerous Arab nations, particularly Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and prompted Morocco to sever relations with Iran - although Bahrain itself has remained friendly. Read more

March 17, 2009     1 Comment

Robert Baer: “U.S. and Iran Share an Equal Monopoly on Violence”

BERKELEY, California, Jan 23 (IPS) - “Obama is going to have continuous pressure from Israel to attack Iran and, in some way, their nuclear facilities, and this is going to be tied up with Gaza and Lebanon,” according to Robert Baer, a former top Central Intelligence Agency operative and the author of “The Devil We Know: Dealing with the New Iranian Superpower.”

In an interview with IPS, Baer discussed the regional implications of the Gaza conflict and his take on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Hamas and Hezbollah, three major groups in the Middle East which have been called terrorist organisations. Read more

January 23, 2009     1 Comment

William Beeman: “No politician ever lost a vote by attacking Iran”

(My interview with William Beeman)-Barack Obama’s views on the Middle East are not very different from those of the Bush administration, according to Professor William Beeman, the Chair of Anthropology and specialist in Middle East Studies at the University of Minnesota, in an interview with Rooz.

However, Barack Obama’s promise of change during the presidential campaign has led many to expect his Middle East foreign policy approach to differ from that of President Bush. Read more

January 22, 2009     1 Comment

Shirin Ebadi:”I Feared I Could Be Killed in the Mayhem”

(My interviews Iranian Nobel Prize Laureate SHIRIN EBADI)- UNITED NATIONS, Jan 7 (IPS) - A few days after U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Iranian authorities to take immediate measures to ensure the safety of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi, she told IPS in a telephone interview from Tehran that police stood by and watched as her house was attacked by a mob.

On Jan. 3, the U.N. chief expressed great concern a, accusing her of supporting the U.S. and Israel — which the government considers its two worst enemies. Read more

January 15, 2009     5 Comments

Robert Baer: American politics Run on Ideology, Not information

(My interview with Robert Baer former CIA agent and the author of “The Devil We Know: Dealing with the New Iranian Superpower”)-Tehran’s foreign policy toward the United States, based on the idea that “if you mess with Iran, something bad is going to happen in some part of the world…has been a very successful policy” Iranians used it after the revolution, according to Robert Baer, the author of The Devil We Know: Dealing with the New Iranian Superpower. “This is why President Bush could not afford to take any aggressive action against Iran.”

Robert Baer, a former CIA field officer in the Middle East, during an interview with Rooz, explained the details of 1980 hostage crisis and Iran-Israel arm deal as one of the outcomes resulting in the release of hostages just 20 minutes after Ronald Regan was sworn as the President of the United States. Read more

January 14, 2009     1 Comment

Suzanne Maloney: Both Obama and Clinton want negotiations but not a nuclear Iran

The United States will not initiate dialogue with the Iranian government, given the possible boost for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-elections next June, according to Suzanne Maloney, former State Department policy advisor and Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution.

During his campaign Barack Obama has insisted on negotiating with Iranian leaders, regardless of its extensive political risk. But considering Iran’s domestic politics, American diplomats prefer to wait and see who will be Iran’s next president.

Many believe that Iran’s worsening economic situation, demonstrated by its high inflation, skyrocketing unemployment and the fall of oil prices, which have prevented Ahmadinejad from fulfilling his promises to the Iranian people, might change the result of the upcoming elections. Read more

December 22, 2008     2 Comments

Q&A: Will Olympics Break China’s Human Rights Paralysis?

Interview with Minky Worden, media director of Human Rights Watch- NEW YORK, Jul 7 (IPS) - Barely a month before the opening ceremony of the 29th Olympics in China, it remains uncertain whether the Chinese government will respect basic human rights and press freedom during the Games.

To secure the 2008 Summer Games, Beijing committed to major reforms, such as allowing international reporters unfettered access throughout the country. In July 2001, in his final presentation to win the bid for the Olympic Games at the Moscow vote, Beijing Mayor and Bidding Committee President Liu Qi boasted that the Beijing Games would “benefit the further development of our human rights cause”.

In an interview with IPS correspondent Omid Memarian, Minky Worden, the editor of “China’s Great Leap: The Beijing Games and Olympian Human Rights Challenges” (Seven Stories Press) and media director at the New York-based Human Rights Watch, pointed out that although most of the world thinks of the Olympics in the context of athletics, inside China, the Games serve a principally political role for the government: to boost its legitimacy and standing at home and abroad. Read more

November 30, 2008     4 Comments

Q&A: “Longing for the Past Yet Belonging to the Present”

NEW YORK, Aug 1 (IPS) - Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, thousands of intellectuals, activists and poets have left Iran, many fleeing to Europe and the United States. A new book brings together the work of 18 Iranian poets from this diaspora to share their experiences with a wider audience.

“Belonging: New Poetry by Iranians Around the World” (North Atlantic Books, August 2008) is a bilingual (Persian/English) anthology, edited and translated by Niloufar Talebi, who is passionate about making contemporary Iranian voices heard in translation. Read more

November 30, 2008     Leave a Comment

Q&A: Hezbollah’s Triumph Is Blowback for Israeli Policy

Interview with journalist and author Deborah Campbell- NEW YORK, Aug 18 (IPS)- Since the Israel-Lebanon 34-day war two years ago, and particularly after the Doha accord in May which restored Hezbollah to the Lebanese government and essentially gave it the veto power it demanded, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has been the most popular figure anywhere in the Arab world.

“For decades, the Shia were seen as the shoeshine boys and street-cleaners, and now not only have the Shia had their honour restored but also they are becoming educated and rising in social status,” Deborah Campbell, author of “This Heated Place”, a narrative exploration of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia, told IPS in an interview.

Over the past seven years, she has extensively chronicled the fault lines in the Middle East from Iran to Palestine, immersing herself for extended periods in the societies she writes about. Read more

August 4, 2008     1 Comment